Chapter 221 - Rogue Agent

"What the—?!"

Chad's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that he couldn't move as his hands were cuffed to a pole. "You a cop?!"

"Not exactly," Katherine turned around, her facade already gone. 

She whipped out her phone and called someone, speaking as soon as her call came through, "Skip's restrained. He's out the back alley of Lost Club."

The call ended and Katherine turned around to a smiling Chad. Her eyebrow twitched when she noticed how smug he looked even after being captured. "Why are you smiling?"

He shrugged as if he doesn't even care what was happening to him.

"For a criminal who has just been seized, you seem to be very... relaxed," she remarked, crossing her arms as she studied him. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Pfft. Hey, if I gotta go, I gotta go. At least I'm not running away anymore, right?"

Chad's words struck a chord in her heart which made her take a step back. Why did it feel like those words were meant for her? Was she really running away? That couldn't be… She just needed some time alone to think about things. 

Composing herself, she cleared her throat and turned around to walk away from him. She wasn't in the mood to talk. She just wished the cops would come faster so they could take Chad away and she could leave.

"So… I'm not getting any of you?" Chad clicked his tongue.

Katherine stopped in her tracks and softly chuckled before facing him again. Catwalking her way towards him, she flipped her hair, smiled and stopped in front of him. "Oh, you are so going to get something from me..."

Placing her hand on his shoulder, she kneed him on the nuts. Chad's face turned all red, groaning as he slid weakly down to the ground.

…

Katherine was getting ready for bed in her four-star hotel room when her phone beeped. It was a notification informing her that the bounty money was already deposited into her account. 

That was fast. At the very least, she thought she was going to have to wait until tomorrow or a few more days. Her work that night was also very easy. Her entire preparation was even longer than the time she spent sitting at the bar.

It felt as if the city was making her leave faster than she originally planned. 'Go away now. Go back to where you came from,' she heard in her head. 

"At least I'm not running away anymore…" Chad's words echoed in her head.

She. Was. Not. Running. Away.

Her back hit the sheets and in one brisk move, the blankets went over her face as she breathed heavily.

What was one more night? She could still stay, not because she was running away, but because L.A was just a beautiful city. She'd love to spend one more—

Oh what the hell. Katherine sat up on the bed and let out a sigh. To prove to herself that she wasn't running away, she started packing hastily. She would leave tonight!

And by noon tomorrow, she'll see the bright Harbor City again.

Katherine clutched the long necklace dangling around her neck. Her fingers played with the pendant for a few seconds before inserting it beneath her shirt. The black onyx ring was now resting in the middle of her chest, right above her heart.

She braced herself and zipped up her duffel bag, leaving the very nice room in ten seconds.

…

The flight was only five hours long from California to Florida, where Katherine left her motorcycle a few days ago after working on a few cases. She rode all the way back to Harbor City, Esmea for a few hours and by the time she arrived, her body was so beat that she badly wished for a massage.

Dragging herself back to her sad and empty apartment, she stepped inside after unlocking and instantly, her senses heightened.

Someone was inside her place. She carefully dropped her bag on the floor and scanned the whole place. 

It was noontime and she could clearly see that her place didn't look and feel the same way she left it.

There were take-outs on the coffee table and she swore she could hear the water running inside the bathroom.

Katherine turned her head to the right and reached for the knife on her ankle. As soon as the door swung open and someone came out, she flung the knife across the room.

The other person easily dodged the incoming dagger but Katherine did not give the other party a chance to recover as she lunged forward fast and hard, delivering punches and kicks which were easily countered just with the same speed and force.

She was caught by surprise when she realized that the other person had a really familiar tactic. Techniques that were most definitely learned from Shadow.

Had they found her already? Were there other assassins sent to get her?

The momentary distraction caused her to earn a kick on her side that sent her flying to the living room. 

Shît. She had wanted a massage, not a kick in the ribcage!

Katherine winced and sat up, ready to attack again when the other person slowly strolled towards her. And that's the only time that she realized, she had seen the person's face somewhere before.

"Not bad for a rogue agent," the intruder said, looming over Katherine's shocked expression.

"You… I know you…" 

"Oh, really? I hope you heard great things about me." The intruder's smile was so cunning yet so gentle at the same time that it made Katherine's heart skip a beat.

"But… you… why…"

Katherine was awestruck. She had a hard time processing the rush of information that was running through her head. 

The intruder extended a hand for Katherine, helping her up the floor and onto her feet again. The way their hands touched caused her to snap out from her trance and she immediately took a step back, already on guard.

"What are you doing here?" Katherine questioned.

Yes. What the hell was this person doing here?

Better yet, why was Damien Park's mother standing in front of her right this very second?!

The intruder standing before Katherine smiled and she looked exactly like the picture from that old white envelope that Damien showed her a few months ago. 

That's not the weirdest realization. It's that the woman looked as if she didn't age at all. She was still youthful and… damn, she's beautiful. Wasn't she supposed to be fifty-ish?

Before Katherine could even muster up the courage to open her mouth again, the intruder stepped forward and said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Queen… I'm—"

"Falcon! Katherine!"

A man's familiar voice came from the doorway and the two women snapped their heads towards it.

Katherine's eyes went so wide and immediately teary when it dawned on her that Styles was walking towards her with a paper bag in his hand, smiling as if he had just seen his long lost puppy.

"I see, you two have met—aw!" Styles stumbled backward after Katherine landed a fist on his face.

"You, asshat! You're still alive?!" Katherine yelled and was about to pounce on Styles once again when the other woman held her back.

"Woah… easy… I know you're mad at me. But can you go easy on the punches?" Styles pulled himself up, massaging his cheek with his left hand and waving his other hand as he said, "Katherine, aka Queen, meet Falcon…"

Katherine's turned her head to the other woman who was still holding her arm and muttered, "...Shadow's first rogue agent."