January 24, 2021: Kuddelmuddel

"Jordan, how many minutes until we reach the barricade?"

"A little over five minutes. The distance is quite long."

"Can you inform the chief that they should change the area?"

Jordan took a glance at Orellia, bewildered of her request. It was not the least bit easy to dismantle such a set-up, much more displace it, and the woman should be in the know of that fact.

Meanwhile, Orellia just finished her task of wrapping the belt around Syn's upper left arm. Unfortunately, the belt couldn't be tied tightly enough to stop the flow of blood altogether. Hence, the improvised tourniquet merely served to slow down her bleeding. After accomplishing the chore, the officer turned her head to look at her comrade since she heard no response from him.

"What are you staring at? Do it."

"Orellia, don't be stubborn. Tell me your reasons first."

Once she heard his reply, Orellia hurriedly went back to her seat. She then picked up the minuscule metallic pieces of the apparatus that she stepped on earlier. Jordan watched what the female officer was doing with a questioning expression, but his eyes promptly widened when a supposition arrived in his mind.

"Is that a listening device?"

"Yes, I think so too. I found it under her inner jacket. It's probably Mr Herse's deed." Orellia responded as she nodded her head. "Inform the chief about this. Team A might've found several of these devices in her apartment."

"Alright, give me that," Jordan said, stretching his hand out to procure the item. Orellia proceeded to hand over the broken device to Jordan and returned to inspecting Syn's condition.

At present, Syn's countenance was drenched with her sweat, though beads of them were now cascading her face, soaking her shirt. The cloth stuck on the skin of her chest, evidently displaying her ragged and erratic breathing. Her complexion, coloured like a marble slate, was slowly losing its warmth, mirroring her lips that already lost their rosy glamour.

Scrutinizing the way she was slumped on the seat, the lady was lethargic, unable to exert any strength to bother with her posture. However, she was conscious, much to her agony. Yes, she was alive, yet she was profusely fighting for her life.

Orellia wanted to take off the bulletproof vest that Syn was wearing for the reason that it might be too heavy for her to bear. Withal, it became even more difficult to move about inside the speeding vehicle.

"Henry, are we still being chased? Can you make a detour to Baumhauer Medical? It's the nearest hospital from here." The woman asked as she scrambled to pick up the coat that was sprawled on the car floor.

She proceeded to put it under Syn's left arm to let the cloth absorb the blood that the seat was accumulating and the steady meagre stream that managed to ooze out of the lady's wound.

"No can do. We have to continue straight to the barricade. I can't take a detour!" Henry uttered out of frustration, nearly losing his composure. "Keep on monitoring Miss Rosenfeldt. We'll be able to take her to the hospital once they pursuers have been dealt with."

"That's easier said than done. They might be already aware that there's a set-up ahead."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I found a listening device on Miss Rosenfeldt's coat. I assume that it's Larry Herse's doing."

"Come again?! A listening device?!" Henry hollered as he snappily turned his head to gaze at the woman. Nevertheless, not even a split-second had passed when his two comrades shouted at him in unison.

"Look at the road you dumb*ss!"

"We're going to hit another car!"

Accordingly, he faced forward and slammed the brake pedal on the double. He was just barely in time to evade the ten-wheeler truck that suddenly dashed from the eastern part of the intersection.

Concurrently, Orellia capably prevented Syn's body from lurching by shielding it with her own body as she clutched the door handle tightly.

"Wh-what's ha-hap... ning?"

Upon harkening a whisper that could be practically considered inaudible, Orellia quickly shifted her stare towards the young lady.

"Miss Rosenfelt! Hang in there. We're going to take you to the hospital soon."

Syn didn't articulate a word any further, preserving what minuscule fortitude that she had. On the other hand, Orellia did her own pondering all the while observing the lady.

'It has only been a few minutes, but her condition is becoming worse expeditiously. I was notified that she had anaemia, based on the medications that were discovered in her apartment. We have to send her to the hospital.'

The woman's contemplation was duly interrupted when Jordan called her name out.

"Orellia, the chief asked me to tell you to contact Mr O' Connor. He wants to know the situation directly from you and to have a conversation with Miss Rosenfeldt if possible."

"Didn't you inform him that Miss Rosenfeldt cannot do that?"

"Just do it! Hurry up!"

Unable to complain, Orellia did as she was told, procuring her phone from the breast pocket of her vest pronto. She searched for Tristan's number in her contacts and tapped on the call icon once she saw it.

Be that as it may, prior to levelling the phone to her right ear, she dropped it on the floor as her body was thrown forward. It was because the vehicle came to a screeching halt, occupying two lanes the moment it stopped.

"What's going on?! I told you to focus on the road!" Orellia reprimanded Henry, but the man didn't give her as to a side-eye. Hence, the woman propped her body up with her arms to survey what was occurring outside of the car.

As her eyes roamed around, the female investigator remarked several cars impeding their advance and retreat.

"One, two, three, six, seven? There are seven cars surrounding us! Damn it, Jordan, where is our convoy?!"

"They were stuck at the previous intersection. I'm afraid that we will have to wait until they arrive."

Without warning, a considerable number of men in black dismounted the vehicles and closed in on the police mobile, heightening the worries of every person inside it.

The instant that the biggest man among the lot reached the door on Syn's side, he knocked on the window. Although, what he said nailed the perturbation on the disquieted minds of the passengers.

"Come out. Give us Syn Rosenfeldt."