Officer Ethan, looking at Bella, said, "Okay, take my phone and sit on the couch over there."
With that, he sat down on the couch himself. Bella, eyes wide with surprise, glanced at Officer Ethan, her heart racing. After gathering her courage, she spoke with a bit more confidence. "I wasn't trying to get any information from your phone. I just needed to make a call."
Officer Ethan stood up from the couch, walking toward her. Bella, in a panic, backed away until her back collided with the table. Officer Ethan came closer, not in a way that suggested a hug, but with a purposeful movement. He reached for his phone, which was lying on the side.
Bella's heart began to race faster with him so close. As Officer Ethan picked up the phone, he grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the couch. She stumbled as she fell onto it, looking up at him with an angry, yet fearful gaze.
Officer Ethan, now sitting beside her on the couch, said in a calm, almost menacing tone, "Cadet Bella, you know very well that I don't like repeating myself."
Bella, gathering her balance, shot him an intense look. "Officer Ethan," she whispered under her breath.
Officer Ethan, his voice still firm, said, "Who is it that you needed to call, the one who required my phone? You could've just gone to Administration and made the call there."
Bella looked at Officer Ethan and said, "I needed to call Noah. Calls in Administration are recorded."
Officer Ethan paused for a moment, his expression softening slightly, before his gaze turned intense again. He looked deep into her eyes and asked, "What is it you needed to speak to Noah about?"
Bella lowered her gaze, her voice quieter now. "It's something personal."
Officer Ethan moved his index finger under Bella's chin, gently lifting her face up so that their eyes met. "Personal? Or were you planning to get information from him about the officers' murders?"
Bella's eyes welled up with tears as she felt Officer Ethan's touch, the pressure from his finger on her chin causing a sharp pain. She quickly tried to hide her tears, pushing them back as she turned her face slightly away. "It's not like that."
Officer Ethan studied her for a long moment, then, seeing the unshed tears in her eyes, softened his tone. "Okay," he said, "this is my phone, and here's Noah's number. Dial it and talk to him... in front of me."
Bella froze for a second, then shook her head. "N-no, I can't."
Without a word, Officer Ethan grabbed her arm with one hand and, with the other, dialled Noah's number, placing the phone in her hand. "Talk to him."
Shaking with nerves, Bella took the phone from him, her hands trembling. Officer Ethan pressed the speakerphone button, the conversation now inescapably out in the open.