With martial law enforced outside, neither of them dared venture back into the streets. Instead, they crept up the stairs and picked a vacant room. Owen used a paperclip to pick the lock, and once inside, they pressed their ears to the door to listen.
Chaos still raged below. Foreigners unable to prove their identity were being hauled out to waiting military trucks. Slowly, the commotion quieted in the lobby, but now the soldiers began going room to room.
The hallway erupted into fresh chaos—people cursed in various languages, but it didn't matter. The soldiers were unbothered. Every single unaccompanied foreigner was detained. Anyone without ID was taken without question.
Someone—likely a fugitive—opened fire on the soldiers. The skirmish ended quickly, with the man shot dead. After that, the soldiers grew visibly less patient. Where they had once knocked, now they simply kicked down doors.
Hearing the troops getting closer, Jenny suddenly yanked Owen by the collar and pulled him down onto the bed.
"Quick, take your clothes off\~\~\~"
Owen was stunned.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" she barked.
Jenny was already halfway undressed, her top stripped off in a blur of motion. The sight of her pale, flawless skin made Owen gulp. Then he understood—this was a ruse.
Seconds later, the door burst open. Several armed soldiers stormed in.
A high-pitched shriek rang out as Jenny scrambled behind Owen, covering her chest with the bedsheet. Owen, shirtless, wore a look of rage—any man would, being interrupted mid-intimacy.
The soldiers were stunned for a moment—then they grinned knowingly. They ogled Jenny, eyes gleaming, whispering crude jokes to one another. Even the officer entering after them had to stifle a laugh. He didn't succeed.
"Out! All of you, out!" Owen shouted, fury in his voice but hesitance in his body, as if he wanted to attack but didn't dare.
The officer glanced around, snorted, and waved the men out. They forgot to even check IDs. One soldier lingered long enough to close the door—just to sneak in another peek.
As the chuckling faded down the hall, Owen and Jenny dropped the act. Still pressed against his back, Jenny's body was hot against him. Owen turned, eyebrow raised, about to crack a joke—only to find a compact pistol pointed at him.
Owen gave a bitter smile. "Is this really necessary? We just worked together. You're pulling a gun on me already?"
Jenny's expression was ice. "Why are you here? How did you know where to find me?"
Owen sighed. Of course she would think that.
"I'm here for something else. Not for you."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Believe what you want. But if you fire, you'll bring the soldiers back."
She didn't blink. Instead, she lifted a cushion between the gun and Owen. "Not if I shoot through this."
Owen sighed again, as if completely unfazed. He raised his hand, revealing a magazine—the exact fit for her pistol.
Jenny froze. She had no idea when Owen had managed to remove it. Clearly, he'd disabled the weapon entirely—he'd probably cleared the chamber too.
Frustrated, she pulled the trigger anyway. Nothing. The pistol clicked uselessly.
In a flash, she hurled the gun at him and reached for the hairpin in her bun. Owen wasn't about to give her a second chance. He lunged forward, pinning her to the bed, one hand locking her wrist, the other securing her free arm.
"Let go of me\~\~\~!"
Jenny thrashed beneath him, topless, locked in a position that looked far more intimate than dangerous. If the soldiers walked in now, they'd probably just laugh and cheer.
Owen held her down and frisked her thoroughly—not out of perversion, but necessity. This woman was dangerous. One moment of inattention could mean death.
Once satisfied she was unarmed, he delivered a hard slap to her rear. "That's for pulling a gun on me."
This wasn't just a joke. If she had actually tried to kill him, he wouldn't have hesitated to retaliate. The only reason she was still breathing was because he'd seen her shift her aim at the last moment.
Jenny's eyes blazed with fury as she kept struggling, but she couldn't break free.
"Why are you in Manila?" Owen asked now, taking the role of interrogator.
"None of your business," she spat.
He twisted her arm slightly, and she winced. "Fine, fine… I'm here for tourism."
"You think I'd buy that?" he parroted back her earlier words. The irony tasted sweet.
"Is the lockdown because of you?"
"No! I told you, I'm just here for tourism."
"Tourism with a gun?" Owen brought her hand to his nose. The faint scent of gunpowder lingered—freshly fired.
"So, you're the one who killed General Piccolo."
Jenny went silent. But Owen didn't need a confession. He wasn't the police. He didn't need evidence.
With the threat neutralized, Owen tossed her hairpin aside and got off her. He picked up her pistol—a Browning 1906, holding six rounds. Not only had he removed the magazine, he'd also engaged the safety.
Still curious, he glanced at her legs. "How do you even walk with that thing hidden on your thigh? Doesn't it chafe?"
Jenny sat up, covering her chest with crossed arms. Owen checked her clothes for hidden weapons, then tossed them over. She dressed without protest and sat down on the bed.
"So? What are you going to do with me now?" she asked.
Owen grinned. "Simple. What happened with General Piccolo has nothing to do with me. I'll pretend it never happened. Consider yourself in my debt. You help me with something, we're square."
"What if I say no?" she challenged.
Owen smiled again. "Then you can walk out right now. But the Philippine government will receive some interesting intel about who really killed General Piccolo. You'll be exposed, and a national manhunt will be on. Should be a fun life for a killer like you."
She scowled. The consequences were way beyond what a freelance assassin could handle.
"Don't forget—you're in Manila too. And you were with me. They'll suspect you too."
"I'm CTU. I'm here on orders investigating the U.S. ambassador's death. Who do you think they'll believe?"
Jenny stared daggers at him, weighing her options. Finally, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. Deal. I'll help you get your friend out. Then we're even."
(End of Chapter)
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