Chapter 46: Capturing Ruby

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Capturing Ruby

After Ruby hung up and said those words through gritted teeth, Evan Keller, on Heath Hale’s signal, kicked the flimsy wooden door in.

Thanks to the corner-cutting on the stairwell’s construction, the door wasn’t thick. Any adult man could kick it in with enough force.

Ruby, who had been leaning against the door, was sent stumbling a few steps by the force from behind. She managed to grab the wall just in time to avoid falling.

Seeing Evan Keller and Heath Hale burst through the doorway, Ruby’s expression was one of momentary shock.

’What’s going on?’

’Why are these two here?!’

’Cops snuck up here, and it’s Heath Hale! Why didn’t the lookouts watching downstairs and the station give me a heads-up!’

Ruby gritted her teeth. ’That useless bunch!’

While dodging Evan Keller’s moves and staying wary of the weapon in Heath Hale’s hand, Ruby was also trying to figure out how to escape.

If these cops found out about the things she’d done, there would be no way out for her.

At such a critical moment, Ruby couldn’t spare a thought for Jim Lynch, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. It would be a victory just to save herself.

Zoe Sawyer also came out from behind the door. Fearing Jim Lynch might suddenly wake up, she took out her tranquilizer gun again and gave him another shot.

Jim Lynch, whose consciousness had been returning and who had been struggling to open his eyes, had his eyes roll back in his head as he passed out again.

Zoe Sawyer nudged him with her foot a couple of times. Once she confirmed he was really out, she crouched down and started dragging him toward the door.

The Chief and the others had been waiting anxiously near the doorway when they suddenly saw Zoe Sawyer struggling to drag an unconscious man toward them.

His face scraped along the ground without any reaction, and everyone immediately understood this must be one of the suspects.

After she dragged him to the doorway, the others quickly reached out to lift him inside. They promptly searched Jim Lynch and, after confirming he had no other electronic devices on him, carried him out to be detained.

"I’m going to go see if Evan needs any help!" Seeing that the Chief and the others had secured Jim Lynch, Zoe Sawyer couldn’t wait around. She called out to them and hurried back in the direction she came from.

Meanwhile, for Evan Keller and Heath Hale, the arrest was nearing its end.

Ruby herself wasn’t much of a fighter. Generally, she was the brains of the operation, providing the ideas, while the man in the duck-billed cap—Jim Lynch—was responsible for carrying them out.

Now, with the muscle unconscious, pitting a mastermind like her against Evan Keller and Heath Hale... the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

At this thought, Ruby spared a glance in the direction where Jim Lynch had fallen, only to find he was no longer there.

She faltered for a second, and Evan Keller seized the opportunity to pin her to the ground.

The phone she had been clutching fell to the floor, accidentally dialing a number.

With quick reflexes, Evan Keller clamped a hand over Ruby’s mouth to keep her from making a sound and giving them away.

"Why are you calling again? What a pain. The pickup team is already heading upstairs and will be there soon. Just hold on a little longer. I’m admiring the assets I’m about to acquire, so don’t bother me."

As soon as the call connected, an impatient male voice came from the other end. Without giving Ruby a chance to speak, he rattled off a stream of words and hung up.

Ruby, who had been struggling to break free from Evan Keller’s grip, grew frantic.

’Why did that bastard hang up so fast?!’

’I can’t even call for help!’

’But he just said someone was coming to pick us up. That’s good news!’

’Maybe I can use this chance to escape!’

Heath Hale saw right through her. "Don’t even think about it. Just wait for them to come and serve themselves up on a platter."

Zoe Sawyer poked her head out from behind the door and waved them over. "You got her? Hurry, let’s get her back before something else goes wrong!"

Evan Keller hauled Ruby up from the floor and pushed her forward.

"My partners are coming! You won’t get away with me!" Ruby’s expression was triumphant, and her gaze toward Zoe Sawyer held a trace of malice.

’Of these three, only Evan Keller was worth paying attention to. As for the other two—one invalid and one civilian—capturing them would be child’s play for a gang like hers.’

’If Jim Lynch weren’t unconscious, these two would have had a hard time catching me!’

Just then, footsteps echoed from the stairwell. They were light, yet the sound was somewhat jumbled.

’Someone’s coming up! And more than one!’

Ruby’s eyes lit up. Her partners were here!

With no time to wonder where the vanished Jim Lynch had gone, Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Evan Keller stuffed something in it to gag her.

Zoe Sawyer paid Ruby no mind and waved at the two men, urging them to hurry.

Evan Keller and Heath Hale, taking two steps at a time, quickly followed Zoe Sawyer to the door.

Before Ruby’s astonished eyes, the four of them went through the door and back into the police station office.

Less than a minute after the door closed, three figures appeared in the stairwell.

They wore clothes suited for easy movement. As they walked, the swinging of their arms lifted the hems of their jackets, revealing bulging waistbands.

They were clearly hiding something underneath, and even their boots concealed knives for emergencies.

"Huh? I thought I heard some noise up here a minute ago. Why isn’t anyone here now?" the lead man said, standing in the stairwell with a puzzled look.

Meanwhile, the woman next to him crouched down, examining the drag marks by the door. Then she walked to the other side of the hall, following the tracks left from when Evan Keller and Heath Hale arrested Ruby.

Her gloved hand swept across the floor.

"We’re a step too late. She’s been caught. Let’s go," the woman said, standing up. Her voice was cold.

The man who had spoken first looked astonished. "Are these cops that fast? They managed to grab her without us even knowing?"

’She just called the boss a minute ago.’

"Boss, we need to leave. The cops are coming up," said the man who had been silent, looking at his phone.

As soon as he said that, the other two wasted no time and quickly left in the opposite direction of the approaching police.

They had received orders to provide backup. Now that their target was captured, they had no obligation to attempt a rescue.

Before leaving, the woman they called Boss suddenly turned her head back, her sharp eyes fixing on a remote-controlled car in the far corner.

’Did I just see that RC car move?’

Just as she was about to go check it out, the other two men urged her to leave quickly.

After all, the police were already on their way up. If they didn’t leave now, they might run into them face-to-face.

The woman had no choice but to suppress her doubts and hurry to catch up with her partners, leaving the floor.

Meanwhile, Officer Lee was carefully controlling the RC car, trying to get a clearer shot of the three individuals with its camera.

’This is all crucial evidence!’

"What is this thing!"