Chapter 6

The man dragged Freya to a secluded corner to hide. The cold feeling against her temple made her compliant. Her palms grew sweaty as she stood there, and she could hear her heart racing.

No matter how nervous or scared she was, she could only place her faith in the Falcon Strike Unit and tightly hold the needle in her hand.

A few minutes later, red lights flashed at them. The man dragged Freya out of their hiding spot. Before she could even see what was happening, she heard a muffled groan behind her. Then, there was a thump, and the robber's hand fell before her.

She was still lost when a team of three surrounded her.

A familiar voice said, "Take her out, Rabbit."

"Roger, Falcon." This voice belonged to a woman.

Rabbit, or Loren Smith, turned to Freya. "Come with me."

Freya turned to look at the familiar man while following Loren out. He glanced at her while walking up the stairs, and his sharp eyes matched the ones in her memory.

She asked Loren, "Is the person you called Falcon Daniel Talbot?"

Loren faltered. Then, she continued walking out while observing their surroundings. She didn't respond to Freya's question, but Freya knew she was right.

After leaving the jewelry store, the situation outside left no room for Freya to be pensive. She threw herself into work—the jewelry store's staff had more or less been injured. Jason was rescuing the most critically injured ones, so she had to handle those who were only bruised or scraped.

The injured staff came and went as she stopped the bleeding, cleaned wounds, and bandaged them.

"Freya."

She looked up in the middle of stopping a patient's bleeding to see black leather boots before her. Then, she raised her head to find Daniel standing before her.

She looked away and continued with her work. "Yes?"

"Help me clean this up." He'd taken his mask off, his tanned face unreadable.

It had been two years since they'd last seen each other. Now that they were reunited, Freya still couldn't help feeling a little scared of him. Based on what she remembered, he was a little domineering, and he spoke and acted brusquely.

"I'm almost done here." She picked up the pace and recorded the time. Then, she called out to Jade, who was somewhere behind her, "I'm done with the last one, Jade. They can be sent to the hospital now."

She turned back to Daniel. "Have a seat."

She sterilized her hands and scanned him. There didn't seem to be any wounds on him, so she asked, "Where's your injury?"

"The side of my abdomen." He lifted his shirt, revealing the bandage around his waist.

Freya crouched before him, finding that the bandage had already been stained with blood. She removed it and looked at the stitches on the neat wound—it was a knife wound.

He asked, "How have you been for the past two years?"

"Not too bad."

"I was on a mission abroad when your grandfather passed. I've only just returned."

Freya faltered. Daniel was explaining why he had missed Neil's funeral. Her voice remained calm as she said, "I understand."

They didn't speak anymore after that. Freya didn't ask about the wound, merely cleaning it and bandaging it again.

She stood up and took off her gloves, throwing them into the medical waste bin. "You'll have to be careful with your wound for some time. It'll take longer for you to recover if you keep reopening it."

"Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome."

Their conversation was polite and distant.

"This is yours, right?" Daniel suddenly held out a sandalwood bracelet with an emerald pendant in the middle. Freya's face was carved on it—it didn't look much like her, though.

It was a bracelet her father had made for her.

"Yes, it is. Thanks." She reached out for it. Her fingers brushed against his palm as she took the bracelet from him, making her heart skip a beat. She immediately retracted her hand.

"I'm leaving." Daniel stood up. He straightened his shirt and returned to his unit.

Freya watched as the helicopter started up. The blades spun, lifting the aircraft into the air. Then, it flew away.

"Let's go, Dr. Somner. We're taking a police car back," Jade called.

Freya snapped to her senses. The helicopter was no longer in sight. All that was left was a vortex cloud left from its tail.

She tightened her grip on the bracelet and packed everything up. Then, she ran to Jade with the first-aid kit and medical waste bag in hand.

…

After the incident, Jason requested that she be placed under counseling and given a month off. Freya returned to work after only three days at home, though.

"Go home and rest," he said.

"I need to do something with my hands, Dr. Wood."

Jason pressed a hand to his forehead and threw her a pair of gloves. "Go to the debridement room and change the dressing for the patients there. You're not allowed to go on house calls or dispatches in the future."

"Why?" Freya didn't get it.