Chapter 244 Crossed Wires

Liam released her gently, letting her feet touch the ground, but Kelly didn’t move. She clung to him like her body hadn’t yet processed they were safe, like she was still falling through the air. Her arms stayed around his neck, her heart still hammering against his chest. The scent of him—the calm steadiness in his presence—only made it harder for her to let go.

She finally pulled back slowly, taking a step back to balance herself. Her eyes searched his in disbelief, breath short.

"How... how did you do that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, still shaking.

But before Liam could open his mouth to answer, they both heard it—footsteps, heavy and fast, rushing behind them.

Kelly’s eyes widened in fear as she spun her head toward the noise.

"Oh no..." she said, almost under her breath. "They must’ve heard me scream. If they see my face—they’ll recognize me."

Liam turned to look too. Five guards, ZK’s men, were already making their way over. Their shadows loomed longer with each second, the unmistakable bulk of their forms becoming clearer under the faint moonlight.

He didn’t hesitate.

In one swift motion, Liam scooped her up off the ground. Kelly gasped as she was suddenly in his arms again—except this time it was different. He wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her body against the cold wall as his hands gripped her tightly. She was stunned, frozen in his hold, her heart going wild inside her chest.

Her voice trembled as she whispered, "W-What... what are you doing?!"

"Just trust me," Liam murmured, his voice calm but commanding. "Keep quiet... and when I tell you, moan. Loud."

She blinked at him, completely thrown off. "M-Moan?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he tilted her head slightly sideways, pressing his mouth to her neck. A slow, deliberate kiss. The heat of his breath tickled her skin. Her entire body stiffened as a shiver rolled down her spine. Her hands clutched his shoulders instinctively, but her lips trembled—she didn’t know what to do.

Then she saw them.

The five men were already on them, scanning around—and they spotted them.

In that instant, Kelly understood.

She closed her eyes and, just as Liam kissed her neck again, this time deeper—she let out a loud, breathy moan.

"Ahh—!"

It was so convincing, so sensual, so raw that even Liam was caught off guard for a second. It echoed across the alleyway like music meant for late-night sins. The guards paused.

One of them, the leader, squinted toward their direction, his mouth curled in a half-smile as he leaned closer. "Shit..." he muttered under his breath. "Just two fuckers going at it behind the club."

Another chuckled. "Damn, she’s loud."

The leader shook his head, already turning around. "Let’s head back. Nothing to report."

Just like that, they left—as if it was the most normal thing in the world. And for them, maybe it was. Drunk people having sex in dark corners of a nightclub wasn’t exactly rare.

The moment the last shadow disappeared down the stairs, Liam slowly let her down, unwrapping her legs from his waist and gently placing her feet on the rooftop floor.

He took a step back, clearly giving her space.

"I’m... sorry about that," he said, voice sincere. "It was the only way to—"

"I-It’s okay," she cut in quickly, cheeks bright red. Her face was flustered, her eyes wide but not angry. "It was important. I get it."

But she couldn’t hold his gaze. Every time she tried to look at him, her stomach flipped. The way he looked at her, the way he didn’t flinch or hesitate when he pinned her to the wall—it wasn’t just hot. It was overwhelming.

She looked away quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear and pretending to check her phone, even though the screen was black.

"Let’s just... let’s just get out of here," she muttered.

Liam nodded, but not before letting his eyes linger on her flushed cheeks for just a moment longer. She looked beautiful under the moonlight, even flustered, even shaken. Maybe even more so because of it.

---

Vanessa leaned against the window of the police cruiser, her cheek pressed lightly to the cold glass. The city outside shimmered under the amber glow of the streetlights, but her mind wasn’t on the view. It was already past midnight, and while most people were in bed or deep in the haze of late-night drinks, she was here, watching... waiting. Fatigue was etched across her face, but she refused to give in.

Somewhere out there, the Nightcrawler was lurking again. The name made her grit her teeth. Another masked maniac with no conscience. Another case she couldn’t close. But she wasn’t really thinking about the Nightcrawler. Not completely.

Her eyes scanned the empty alley across the street, as if hoping the shadows would pull back and reveal something—someone.

"You’re not even trying to sleep," came a voice from the driver’s seat.

Vanessa glanced at her partner for the night—Chloe—a seasoned cop with tired eyes and her dark braids tied in a sloppy bun. She was sipping from a thermos, clearly just as exhausted.

"I wasn’t planning to," Vanessa muttered.

Chloe leaned back and let out a sigh. "You’ve been like this all day."

Vanessa didn’t answer. She let her hair loose from its usual bun, shaking it out with one hand and combing through the strands with her fingers. It was against protocol, but she didn’t care right now. The pressure in her chest had been building since morning and pretending to follow the rules wasn’t helping.

Chloe watched her carefully.

"So..." she began, not hiding the curiosity in her voice, "you really quitting next month?"

Vanessa hesitated before nodding. "Yeah."

"Why?"

She turned her head slightly, still gazing out the window. "When I joined, I didn’t expect the stress to be this much. It’s draining, Chloe. Like... slowly pulling the life out of me. I can’t keep doing this."

Chloe didn’t argue. She just looked back out at the streets, her fingers tapping the steering wheel.

"You’re not wrong," she finally said. "This city’s getting worse every damn day. We’re not fighting crime. We’re just... trying to hold back the collapse."

The silence hung heavy for a few minutes. The radio buzzed occasionally, but nothing urgent. Just background noise for a night that refused to end.

Then Chloe looked at her again. Not casually—directly.

"So who is he?"

Vanessa turned, blinking like she didn’t hear her properly. "What?"

Chloe didn’t flinch. "You heard me. Who’s the guy? You’ve been thinking about a man since you showed up for work. I thought you’d snap out of it by now, but here we are. Still staring into space like a lovesick fool."

Vanessa scoffed. "That’s ridiculous."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don’t lie to me. You know I’m right. You’re not tired. You’re thinking. Dragging your feet emotionally."

Vanessa stared at her for a long moment, then slowly turned away again, arms crossed.

"Fine," she said.

Chloe immediately leaned over like a high school girl waiting for gossip. "Tell me, tell me. Who is he?"

Vanessa shoved her lightly. "I’m not telling you his name."

"Okay, okay... fair," Chloe said with a smirk. "But you’re clearly spiraling, so at least tell me what happened."

Vanessa hesitated.

Then she sighed. "This morning. At my place. He looked at me..."

She trailed off.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Looked at you... how?"

Vanessa chewed her lip before answering. "Like he wanted me. Lustful. The kind of look I hate. The kind of look I usually shut down immediately."

"But?"

"But... it made my heart skip." Vanessa’s voice was barely audible.

There was a pause before Chloe leaned back and said bluntly, "You’re in love."

Vanessa barked out a sharp laugh. "What?! No. Don’t be ridiculous."

Chloe just smirked. "Oh, honey. You are so far in denial, you’re halfway to Egypt. Let me guess—when he looks at you, your stomach flips. When he talks, your mind races with things you shouldn’t be thinking about. And when he’s not around, you feel like something’s missing."

Vanessa looked away, her expression unreadable.

"You’re scared," Chloe said softly. "You hate feeling out of control. But that doesn’t make it less real."

Vanessa didn’t answer right away. Her fingers fidgeted with the end of her sleeve.

"He’s..." she paused. "He’s not someone I should be thinking about."

"Oh?" Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Complicated? Dangerous?"

Vanessa didn’t respond.

"Yeah, thought so," Chloe said with a sigh. "Look, I get it. You’ve got this perfect image you’re trying to maintain. The hard cop. No weakness. No distractions. But feelings aren’t a weakness. Wanting someone... it doesn’t make you broken."

Vanessa’s fingers froze. Chloe’s words hit a little too close.

"I don’t love him," she said, her voice quiet.

"Not yet," Chloe replied without missing a beat. "But if you’re not careful... it’s gonna hit you harder than any bullet ever could."

Vanessa sat silently, the city lights reflecting off her eyes as they stared back into the night.