The Ultimate Assassin

6

"Stop right there! Don't you run!"

Just as Xavier stepped out of the pub, a woman's sharp cry rang out in the distance. He turned, mildly surprised, only to see a young bloke in his early twenties sprinting towards him, desperately clutching a woman’s handbag. Hot on his heels was a young woman in a police uniform, sprinting for all she was worth and shouting at the top of her lungs.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening. The shifty-eyed runner, the snatched handbag he was definitely a mugger. As an upstanding citizen of the Republic, helping the police catch a criminal was simply the right thing to do, wasn't it? Doing his part for a harmonious society and all that. Naturally, Xavier wasn't going to let him just breeze past.

As the thief closed the distance, he roared, "Piss off!" and shoved a hand out to push Xavier aside.

Xavier smoothly caught the bloke by the wrist and hooked a foot behind his ankle. The thief went flying, hitting the deck hard. Before the man could even groan, Xavier stepped in, grabbed the pinned arm with both hands, and gave a sharp twist and pull.

‘Crack.’

The thief’s entire arm went completely limp.

The young policewoman finally caught up. Seeing Xavier restraining the thief, she shot him a breathless, grateful look. "Thank you!" she panted, stepping forward to slap a pair of handcuffs onto the moaning mugger. Once the thief was secure, she turned back to Xavier. "Sir, could I ask you to come back to the station with me to give a quick statement?"

Xavier gave her a proper look over. Almond-shaped eyes, elegant arched brows, a delicate oval face, she looked strikingly sharp in her uniform. It was rare to see a girl with monolids pull off such a stunning look. However, Xavier couldn't care less for the police. Even if it was just for a statement, he had zero desire to step foot inside a station, let alone chat with a copper. All that rubbish about 'assisting the police' and a 'harmonious society' was just that rubbish. In his experience, modern coppers weren't public servants; they were just glorified thugs in uniform.

"Not interested," Xavier replied coldly. He turned on his heel and started walking away.

Gwen froze, thoroughly blindsided. His icy attitude instantly rubbed her the wrong way. Back at the station, she was the golden girl, constantly surrounded by eager young bachelors. On the streets, she was an uncompromising enforcer of the law. Despite being only twenty-two and barely six months out of the academy, she was already on the fast track from probationary officer to Constable, and would soon be looking at a Sergeant's stripes. She wasn't some unreasonable, bossy princess; she usually treated people with politeness. But for this bloke to completely dismiss her and speak so rudely it made her blood boil.

In her mind, anyone this desperate to avoid a police station definitely had something to hide.

"Stop right there!" she barked.

Xavier paused, slowly turning back to face her. He let out a scoff of pure disdain. "What? Going to drag me in?" Internally, he rolled his eyes. 'They’re all the bloody same.' This pretty copper was likely no different from the rest: great at bullying the weak, completely clueless about actually protecting and serving. It was all self-deluding nonsense.

Gwen absolutely wanted to drag him in, but she had zero evidence of any wrongdoing. She couldn't just arrest a man on a hunch. After fumbling for words for a moment, she blurted out, "I suspect you're illegally concealing a weapon. I need to search you."

Xavier let out a cold, sharp laugh. His eyes narrowed, piercing like daggers as they locked onto Gwen. "A search? Have you lost your bloody mind? On what grounds?"

Meeting that lethal stare, Gwen couldn't suppress a sudden shudder. An icy chill crawled up her spine, but she swallowed hard and found her courage. "Under the law, an officer has the right to search a suspect if there is reasonable cause. Sir, please cooperate. Thank you."

Neither arrogant nor submissive she was actually digging her heels in.

The problem was, Xavier 'did' have a weapon on him. He never went anywhere without 'Bloodwave'. While a single dagger didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, if this stubborn copper decided to make a mountain out of a molehill and kept digging, his true identity might be exposed. That was the last thing he wanted. He just wanted a quiet life, a chance to look after Dad until the old man passed away in peace.

Suddenly, an idea sparked. An arrogant smirk tugged at the corner of Xavier's mouth. "You want to search me? Alright then. I'll strip naked for you."

True to his word, his hands dropped to his waist and he began unbuckling his belt, acting as though he was about to drop his trousers right there on the pavement.

Gwen hadn't expected the man to play the utter rogue. Flustered, she snapped, "What on earth are you doing?"

"You wanted to search me, didn't you? I'm just making it easy for you," Xavier replied shamelessly.

"You!" Gwen was trembling with rage at his brazen behaviour, but she was completely outmanoeuvred. Besides, if it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't have caught the thief. Technically, she owed him one. "Fine! Just go!" she finally snapped, conceding defeat. She was furious, but her hands were tied.

Xavier chuckled softly to himself. 'Just a greenhorn.' If she’d been a hardened precinct veteran, a cheap stunt like that wouldn't have deterred them for a second. "Oh? Giving up already? That won't do. How am I supposed to prove my innocence if you don't search me?" he teased.

"You...!" Gwen was ready to explode again, but she forced herself to take a breath and swallow her anger. As a copper, she ran into her fair share of scumbags and hooligans, but for some reason, this particular rogue easily got under her skin. A single sentence from him had her losing her temper, which was entirely out of character for her.

Glaring daggers at him, she warned, "You'd better pray you never fall into my hands again, or I'll make you regret it." She then jerked the leash on the handcuffs. "Move it! What are you staring at?" The last part was directed at the thief as she yanked him down the street.

Watching her march off, Xavier shrugged lightly. "Rather cute copper, that one."

He checked his watch. It was just gone eleven o'clock. Grabbing a bit of late-night takeaway, Xavier hailed a cab and headed straight for the hospital. Sara had been looking after Dad all day whilst trying to revise for her exams; she had to be completely knackered. He would send her home to get some proper sleep and take the night shift himself. It would be a good chance to chat with Dad anyway. Eight years was a long time. They had a lot of catching up to do.