Chapter 147

Chapter 147
Bang!

The sound echoed off the walls, then died just as quickly, leaving everything frozen in its wake.

The man jerked. Those icy blue eyes, so controlled just moments ago, flickered with raw terror.

Olivia didn’t move. She kept the gun trained on him.

Strangely, there wasn't a flicker of fear in her chest. The weapon didn’t feel strange in her grip either. It rested perfectly in her hand, like it was part of her.

“This is my first time carrying a gun today,” she told him softly, but the look in her eyes was anything but gentle. A cold, dangerous glint flashed in them. It was sharp enough to send a chill crawling down the spine of anyone who noticed. “But the next bullet won’t miss. It goes right to your ass.” Olivia added. It was a warning, one she gave for his sake.

Her duty as a Doctor was to treat injuries, not cause them. But protecting her patients came first, and if it came down to it, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Olivia knew one thing with absolute certainty. Distance didn’t matter. Size didn’t matter. Once she aimed, the target was as good as hit.

It was a skill she had already proven at the shooting range she often visited in secret.

“You’re crazy,” the man muttered under his breath, cutting her train of thoughts.

Olivia tilted her head. Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. Her finger shifted slightly against the trigger. The movement was subtle, but his breath hitched anyway.

“If I were crazy, you’d already be on the floor, and I’d be explaining to the nurses why there’s a new hole in the wall,” her eyes surveyed him from head to toe. “And in your body.”

She took a slow step forward. The man instinctively stepped back, the color draining from his face. His lips parting in a shallow, unsteady breath.

A dark patch began to spread down the front of his pants.

It took only a second for Olivia to understand what was happening.

He had actually peed his pants.

Finally, the door opened and a nurse entered the room. Her shoes squeaked lightly against the polished floor while she hummed a song under her breath.

A clipboard rested in her hand. She was so focused on what she was reading that she didn’t notice what was happening until she looked up.

The clipboard hit the tiled floor with a sharp clatter. Her fists tightened until her knuckles turned white, confirming that what she was seeing wasn’t just in her mind.

Her gaze moved from the trembling man, to the gun in Olivia’s hand.

“Oh my God, Dr. Hilton!”

Olivia didn’t even glance away from the man. “Call security,” she ordered. “And the police.”

The nurse turned and hurried out of the room. The door swung shut behind her. Moments later, it opened again.

This time, two security personnel stepped in first, followed by the nurse. One of the personnel was a tall man in his forties with a broad build and an easygoing personality that didn’t quite match his size. His eyes flicked to Olivia, then to the man. Then, surprisingly, he smiled a little.

“Dr. Hilton, you really do have a natural talent for catching bad guys.” He paused, hesitating as he searched for a way to phrase his next words without offending her. “Honestly, you should’ve been a detective… or maybe even a police officer.” There was a hint of humor in his voice, but also respect. He wasn’t joking about the situation, just acknowledging something everyone in the hospital already knew. This wasn’t the first time a situation like this had happened.

The younger security officer, about Olivia’s age, met her gaze and gave a steady, reassuring nod. “Dr. Hilton, you’re good. We’ve got it from here.”

Olivia kept her guard up, refusing to relax. She didn’t lower her weapon until the security personnel had removed the concealed gun from the man’s belt and locked his wrists in handcuffs.

They walked to the door, and the younger personnel pushed it open.

The man in handcuffs almost tripped in his hurry to get through it. If not for the firm grip on his arm, he might have fallen flat on his face.

Olivia blinked. She had never seen someone so eager to be arrested.

The older security officer lingered by the door, one hand resting on the handle. A trace of amusement twinkled in his jet-black eyes.

“You scared him so bad. He actually peed his pants, Madam.”

Heat rushed to Olivia’s cheeks, spreading up to the tips of her ears. She could already imagine the story making its rounds by the end of the day. It would be the talk of the whole hospital for a week.

“I didn’t mean to scare him.”

In her defense, she had only threatened the man to stop him from making drastic decisions that they would both regret.

“Maybe not,” he shrugged, pulling the door open with a soft creak, “but you definitely did a good job of it.” He glanced back at her, adding a small, knowing wink before stepping out into the hall.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room quiet once more.

Sighing, her eyes settled on the patient lying peacefully in the bed. She looked peaceful in her sleep, fully unaware of what just took place in this room.

It didn’t matter how things had turned out, or how messy or embarrassing it might become. None of that truly mattered. Olivia thought to herself, trying to cheer up.

She stepped closer and lowered her voice to a gentle whisper. “At least you’re safe,” she murmured. “That makes all of this worth it.”

—

The police arrived sooner than Olivia expected. She was at the front desk, speaking with a nurse and giving instructions about a patient, when the glass doors of the hospital slid open.

Two tall men in dark uniforms stepped inside, immediately drawing her attention.

She took a feep breath.