"Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street."

- Sherlock Holmes

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Chapter 45:
Repression

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RAINE

Every great one has their fall. Even your father was baffled by that case. Why? Because I toyed with his life even more after he imprisoned my associates one by one!

Isn't the mind marvelous? It provides you with a defense mechanism to forget things you want to discard.

Isn't it delightful that with your mind, you can easily manipulate others? Isn't it satisfying, Raine? The way you manipulate those around you to align with your desires.

███████████

"You can speak now, Zane," the woman whispered to my friend. He bit his lip, and I noticed tears welling in his eyes, something I hadn't seen before.

"Don't drag Zane into this!" I aimed my dart gun at her head. "It's me you want, isn't it?"

Without warning, Zane wrapped his left arm around the woman's neck and pressed the gun he held against her temple. "Raine, go! I'll handle her!" he shouted.

"Ah, just like his mother," the woman said, struggling against Zane.

"You're trapped now, Ma'am," Zane declared.

"That's why you let him stay in an apartment with you. You saw the good in him," she continued. "Though I anticipated it. I was the one who advised Clara Nuñez to introduce you two, and now, after years of waiting, here we are!"

"Even Aunt Clara?!" Zane exclaimed.

"I did nothing wrong to her. It was just a normal conversation as one of her customers," she replied.

"But now, you're going to jail," Zane said. He reached for his phone, but the woman quickly snatched the gun from him. She aimed it at us as Zane backed towards me.

"You're going to heaven first," she threatened. "You've impressed me, De Verra. As a reward, I'll give you a choice."

"A choice?"

"I'll take your sister first. It'll take some time because she's the boss, you see," she said. "It's your loss, anyway. Because I'll make sure to prolong your suffering even more. You don't want it to end now, so I will grant you that."

This woman is infuriating. If there were no consequences, I would have dealt with her already.

"Why? Do you think I'll care if my selfish sister is gone?"

After she left without a proper goodbye, it felt as if my love for her vanished. Even when we were together, I always felt her work was more important than me.

"Don't say that, Raine. We both know it's not true," she said, pretending to be sympathetic.

I wasn't sure what else to say. Maybe she had a point.

"Well, I'd better go now. I'll find your sister." She lowered the gun and waved her hand goodbye.

Before she could step away, I tightened my grip on my gun's trigger. "What happens if I put you to sleep now, with a chance you won't wake up?"

If I hit her temple, just behind her eyes, I could strike a thin bone. Significant blood vessels and nerves are located there, and a shot in that spot could cause serious brain damage.

"Do you think you can?" she asked with a smile. "Go on. I dare you!"

"Raine, don't!" Zane shouted, stepping in front of me.

"Zane, she killed my parents."

"Yes, but can't you see? At any moment, she could release those CCTV footage and paint you as the villain," he whispered urgently.

The fire in my heart burned even hotter. I pushed him aside and fired a dart, which she received with a mocking laugh.

"You missed!" she exclaimed.

I smiled back. "Yes, but now you can't escape."

She turned to see one of my darts lodged in the tyre of a nearby car, the only red one in the area. I had a hunch it was her vehicle.

Her expression turned serious as she crossed her arms. "You wasted your chance to live. Now, I'll blow this place up."

My eyes widened as she pulled a detonator from her bag.

"Goodbye, Rainie. I always win."

She was about to press the button when a loud bang sent the detonator flying towards me. My heart raced as I leapt forward, arms outstretched, desperate to catch it before it hit the ground.

I got it!

"No one dares to mess with those under my watch!" called out a familiar voice from a distance.

Suddenly, police officers swarmed the building's entrances, and two laser sights focused on the woman's forehead, who looked visibly shocked. NBI agents, including my sister's colleagues, quickly handcuffed her, and the employees of the company that owned the building began to descend.

Now they show up? Really? We were on the brink of death here!

"What— Why are you arresting me?" the woman demanded.

From behind her, I saw my sister's face, clearly seething with anger. "Stop right there! Or I might do something I'll regret!"

It was her gun that had been used to shoot the detonator. Thankfully, it had only a minor impact, leaving the device intact. She carefully lowered the weapon and handed it back to her colleague.

"At last, we've finally caught the one who killed our parents, Li'l Sis," he added.

It was as though a thorn had finally been removed from my chest — a thorn that had been lodged there for ages. At last, I could find some respite.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Before long, I felt the vehicle slow to a halt. Outside the window, our building came into view.

Just as I was about to open the door to the flat, the words I had been holding back erupted.

I paused and turned to face Zane. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" he replied, frowning.

"Are you alright?" I repeated.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," he said. "You should be the one I'm asking that."

"About what you did earlier..."

"The things I said, Raine, they're not true," he cut in, his calm expression replaced by regret and sadness.

"But—"

"She threatened me, said if I didn't say what she told me to, she'd kill you. I didn't—"

"Zane!"

"I'm not blaming you for what happened—"

"Zane." I grasped his shoulder, halting his words. "It's alright."

He sighed, and our gazes met.

"What you did earlier..." I began, struggling to find the words but determined to speak. "What you did... to that woman... It was brilliant."

He gave me a smile. "Good thing no one saw it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Imagine what people would say if they had seen that," he replied, half-joking.

"Always the same," I said with a smile.

"And I don't like the spotlight, you know. Don't want people discovering my skills," he added.

So, he's a joker, too.

"Let's go." As I opened the door, we were greeted by a few of our building's residents. There were Ron, George, and others. In front of us stood Mrs. Nuñez, holding a cake.

"Happy birthday, Raine!" they shouted, bringing me to a halt.