The Masqueraded

20

Alan stared in surprise as the man fell on to his knees in pain. Bella Quinn pushed him to the ground roughly and twisted his hand behind his back.

Alan had almost thought that she'd shot him but thankfully she'd fired a shot at the ground which had shocked the man so much that he'd jumped back in surprise. When he faltered and lost his balance, Bella quickly tackled him to the ground.

She kept a knee firmly pressed against his back, pushing his body further into the dust. He grunted in pain and frustration, trying to shake her off him. Alan was surprised, he had clearly underestimated the detective. She deftly pulled off her scarf and bound his hands with it tightly. Then pulled him up by the collar and pushed him with all her might which sent him flailing onto the cement floor.

'Where's the boss?' she asked the man who looked up at her with all the anger he could muster.

'What boss?' The burly guy snapped, struggling to get the tied scarf off his hands.

'Don't give me that bullshit', Bella said curtly, pulling him by the collar roughly, 'where is he?'

'I work for the cash', he scoffed, 'that scrawny little kid is not my boss'.

Alan looked shiftily at Bella as she raised an eyebrow inquisitively in the direction of the mercenary.

'What boy?' The detective asked the man, confused.

'Why should I tell you?' The man asked, throwing her a sarcastic look. Bella reached for his collar once again and grabbed it, her hands shaking with anger.

'Because I will kill you if you don't', she said, emphasizing her words to give more weight to her threat.

The man blinked a few times after which his body finally sagged. Bella's pale knuckles were jamming up against the crook of his neck painfully.

'He's on the other side of the hall', the man said, wriggling up to a seated position on the ground. Bella nodded releasing her grip on him.

On the other side of the hallway which was separated from the tall brick wall, Javier was struggling against Kira's weight as she tackled him to the ground and pushed her knee against the side of his stomach. The boy grunted in pain as he frantically tried to hold on to the gun while he was being jostled around. In the midst of this Mel managed to grab the crossbow lying near the two of them and pointed it at him.

'Let's get out of here Kira!' She shouted as she sent a metal bolt flying in his direction. It pierced his skin and buried itself in his ankle. He gave a loud cry of pain as his fingers released the gun. Mavis kicked it away as soon as it reached the ground. He closed his eyes in pain as blood began to flow from his ankle freely.

Mel stood there in shock looking at the blood steadily dripping from where the tip of the bolt was lodged firmly. Her hands fell to her sides as she held the crossbow limply.

'Mel, he's bleeding', Ru said, staring at the scarlet patch on the cement floor. Mel didn't respond but continued to stare.

'He'll be okay', Vaughn said, nodding at the girls. Then he turned to the boy lying on the floor. 'Where's her sister?'

Javier glared at him and suddenly pushed Kira off him. Completely caught off guard, Kira went teetering and stumbling into the wall a few feet away from the guy. He got up to his feet with a sharp intake of breath, looking around at everyone indignantly.

After a few seconds his expressions dimmed a little as his leg spasmed at the effort to stand up properly. His eyes finally rested on Ru's and he opened his mouth, forming words.