The Cop and the Princess - Chapter three:- hunt part one

Chapter 3 – The Hunt

Opening

The farmhouse was unusually quiet.

Everyone else was still asleep.

Only one light was on.

Hope sat alone in the living room.

Three empty coffee mugs surrounded her laptop.

Old CCTV footage played over and over again.

She rewound the same five seconds nearly twenty times.

A blurry black SUV drove across the screen.

Hope leaned closer.

"...Come on..."

She enhanced the image.

Pixel by pixel...

The license plate slowly became visible.

Hope smiled.

"There you are."

She quickly copied the number into the police database.

A location appeared.

An abandoned warehouse.

Twenty-eight kilometers away.

Hope quietly whispered,

"Found you."

Sara walked downstairs.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Then stopped.

Hope was already dressed.

Bulletproof vest.

Holster.

Jacket.

Ready to leave.

Sara frowned.

"You haven't slept."

Hope didn't even look up.

"I took a nap."

Sara glanced toward the coffee mugs.

"...For twenty minutes?"

Hope looked at them.

"...Maybe."

Hope grabs her jacket.

Rachel notices.

Rose notices.

They already know.

Hope’s about to do something dangerous.

Sara asks

“Where are you going?”

Hope answers honestly.

“I found them.”

Sara: “I’m coming with you.”

Hope didn’t even look up from the laptop.

Hope: “No.”

Sara: “Why not?”

Hope: “Because whoever I’m going after…”

“…shoots people.”

Sara: “I’ve already noticed.”

Hope sighed.

Hope: “Exactly.”

“So you’re staying here.”

Sara took one step closer.

Sara: “No.”

Hope finally looked up.

“…No?”

Sara: “I’m coming.”

Hope crossed her arms.

“I’m saying no.”

Sara crossed hers too.

“I’m saying yes.”

The room fell completely silent.

Rose slowly looked toward Rachel.

Rachel calmly took another sip of coffee.

Casey quietly leaned toward Rachel and whispered,

Casey: “Ten bucks says Sara wins.”

Rachel didn’t even look away from her newspaper.

Rachel: “You’ll lose.”

Casey: “I never lose.”

Rachel folded one page.

Rachel: “You once bet Hope she couldn’t eat twelve pancakes.”

Casey nodded proudly.

Casey: “She only ate eleven.”

Hope looked offended.

Hope: “I got distracted.”

Rose couldn’t help laughing.

Rose: “You got distracted because you fell asleep at the table.”

Hope pointed dramatically.

Hope: “I was digesting.”

Casey grinned.

Casey: “Still counts.”

Then she looked back at Hope and Sara.

Casey: “My money’s still on the princess.”

Rachel quietly reached into her pocket…

Pulled out ten dollars…

And placed it on the table.

Rachel: “Officer Hope.”

Rose looked between them.

“…Are you two seriously betting on this?”

Casey: “Absolutely.”

Rose smiled.

She slowly reached into her own apron pocket…

Placed another ten-dollar bill beside Rachel’s.

Rose: “I’m with Casey.”

Hope blinked.

“…Excuse me?”

Rose shrugged innocently.

“You’ve already lost.”

Hope frowned.

“I haven’t even argued yet.”

Rose smiled.

“Exactly.”

“You’ve already explained yourself.”

“You’ve already sighed twice.”

“And you still haven’t walked out the door.”

Casey pointed dramatically at Hope.

Casey: “She’s weakening!”

Hope looked toward Rachel.

“Rachel?”

Rachel calmly folded the newspaper.

Looked Hope directly in the eyes.

Then…

Very slowly…

She slid her ten dollars over to Rose’s side of the table.

Rachel: “…I’ve changed teams.”

The entire room exploded with laughter.

Hope stared in complete betrayal.

“You too?!”

Rachel smiled.

“I raised you.”

“I know exactly how this ends.”

Hope slowly looked back at Sara.

Sara hadn’t said a single word.

She was just standing there…

Smiling.

Waiting.

Hope stared for another five seconds…

Then let out the biggest sigh of the morning.

“…Fine.”

Casey jumped up like she’d just won the lottery.

Casey: “PAY UP!”

Rachel calmly handed her the money.

Rose laughed so hard she nearly dropped the coffee pot.

Hope pointed at all three of them.

“I’m surrounded by criminals.”

Casey proudly tucked the money into her pocket.

Casey: “Says the woman who stole my pancake this morning.”

Hope looked at Sara.

“…You see what I have to live with?”

Sara smiled sweetly.

Sara: “I think it’s kind of adorable.”

Hope froze.

For a brief second…

She had absolutely no comeback.

Casey gasped dramatically.

“Oh…”

“The princess landed a critical hit.”

Rose burst into laughter.

Even Rachel smiled into her coffee.

Hope rubbed the back of her neck.

“…Can we please go catch criminals now?”

Sara grinned.

“Lead the way.

The Drive

The old police SUV rolled quietly through the countryside.

Morning sunlight stretched across endless fields of wheat, making the entire landscape glow gold.

For several minutes…

Neither of them spoke.

Hope kept one hand lazily resting on the steering wheel.

The other tapped softly against the gearshift in rhythm with the music playing quietly on the radio.

Sara looked out of the passenger window.

Everything felt…

Peaceful.

It was difficult to believe that only two days ago people had tried to kill her.

Finally…

Sara broke the silence.

Sara: “So…”

Hope didn’t take her eyes off the road.

“Hm?”

Sara: “Do you always investigate alone?”

Hope smiled faintly.

“Usually.”

Sara frowned.

“That’s dangerous.”

Hope shrugged.

“So I’ve been told.”

Sara looked at her.

“By who?”

Hope thought for a moment.

“My captain.”

“My sisters.”

“Rose.”

“The doctor.”

She glanced toward Sara.

“…And now you.”

Sara smiled despite herself.

“Maybe they all have a point.”

Hope chuckled.

“I know.”

“I just don’t like waiting.”

A comfortable silence settled between them again.

Until…

Sara suddenly looked toward Hope.

Sara: “Were you serious this morning?”

Hope raised an eyebrow.

“About what?”

“The twenty-minute nap.”

Hope looked completely offended.

“It was twenty-three.”

Sara laughed.

“I can’t believe you counted.”

Hope smiled.

“I didn’t.”

“…My coffee did.”

Sara shook her head.

“You’re impossible.”

Hope grinned.

“I’ve been told that today too.”

The Warehouse

The police SUV rolled to a slow stop several hundred meters away from the abandoned warehouse.

Hope switched off the engine.

The sudden silence felt... unsettling.

Sara looked through the windshield.

The warehouse stood alone in the middle of nowhere.

Its faded walls were stained with years of rain.

Several windows were shattered.

Rust had claimed almost every metal beam.

Nature itself seemed to be swallowing the old building.

The place looked dead.

Hope didn't move immediately.

She simply watched.

Studying.

Waiting.

Sara finally broke the silence.

Sara: "...This is the place?"

Hope nodded.

"The license plate stopped appearing on traffic cameras after entering this road."

She looked toward the warehouse.

"If the database is right..."

"...this is where they disappeared."

Sara swallowed nervously.

"...Are we calling for backup?"

Hope thought for a second.

Then shook her head.

"If they're still here..."

"...backup will only scare them away."

She reached into the glove compartment.

Pulled out two small earpieces.

She handed one to Sara.

Sara stared at it.

Sara: "I've never used one of these."

Hope smiled.

"Good."

"That means you haven't had my job."

Sara laughed nervously.

Hope clipped the earpiece into Sara's ear herself.

Her fingers brushed against Sara's hair for just a second.

Both of them froze.

Hope immediately stepped back.

"...There."

Sara quietly touched the earpiece.

"...Thanks."

Hope cleared her throat.

"Stay close."

"And whatever happens..."

"You stay behind me."

Sara nodded.

"I know."

Hope looked directly into her eyes.

"No."

"You don't."

"If I say run..."

"You run."

Sara wanted to argue.

Instead...

She quietly nodded again.

"...Okay."

Hope smiled.

"Good."

They stepped out of the vehicle.

The gravel beneath their boots echoed through the empty countryside.

Every sound suddenly felt louder.

The wind creaked through broken metal sheets hanging from the roof.

Somewhere...

A loose chain swung back and forth.

Clink...

Sara instinctively moved closer to Hope.

Hope noticed.

She didn't say anything.

She simply slowed her pace...

Allowing Sara to stay beside her.

The warehouse door stood half open.

Hope crouched near the entrance.

Her fingers brushed across the dirt.

Fresh tyre marks.

She smiled faintly.

"They were here."

Sara looked confused.

"You can tell?"

Hope pointed.

"See this tread?"

"It hasn't collected dust yet."

She stood.

"They left recently."

Sara couldn't help smiling.

"You make it sound so easy."

Hope shrugged.

"It's not."

"I've just made enough mistakes to know what to look for."

They stepped inside.

Darkness swallowed them almost immediately.

Broken crates lay scattered across the concrete floor.

Old machinery stood abandoned like giant skeletons.

Water dripped steadily from somewhere above.

Drip...

Hope slowly drew her pistol.

The movement was calm.

Practiced.

Almost automatic.

She held up one finger.

Silence.

Sara immediately stopped walking.

Hope scanned every corner before moving again.

Sara whispered,

Sara: "Do you think they're still here?"

Hope answered just as quietly.

"I hope not."

Sara blinked.

"You... hope not?"

Hope smiled without taking her eyes off the room.

"If they're here..."

"They'll start shooting."

"I hate paperwork."

Sara couldn't believe it.

Even now...

She was joking.

They entered what had once been an office.

Broken filing cabinets covered the floor.

Hope knelt beside an overflowing trash bin.

She picked up a cigarette.

Still warm.

Her smile disappeared.

"They're close."

Sara felt her heartbeat quicken.

Hope quietly pointed toward an empty food container sitting on the desk.

The noodles inside hadn't even dried yet.

Someone had eaten here...

Very recently.

Hope whispered,

"They didn't expect visitors."

Sara looked around nervously.

"So where are they?"

Hope didn't answer.

Instead...

She slowly walked toward the office window.

Something outside caught her attention.

Fresh footprints.

Leading behind the warehouse.

Hope motioned for Sara to follow.

They carefully moved outside through the broken back door.

Behind the warehouse...

Three black SUVs stood hidden beneath old camouflage nets.

Sara's eyes widened.

"They're still using this place..."

Hope nodded slowly.

"This wasn't just a meeting point."

"It was a safe house."

She quietly pulled out her phone.

Snapped several photographs.

License plates.

Weapons visible through one of the windows.

Everything.

Then...

A metallic clang echoed somewhere behind them.

Both women froze.

Hope immediately pushed Sara behind an old concrete pillar.

Her pistol was already raised.

Every muscle in her body tensed.

The warehouse...

Which had seemed abandoned only seconds ago...

Suddenly felt very much alive.

A slow voice echoed through the shadows.

"...I was wondering..."

"...who'd be stupid enough to come back here."

Hope's eyes narrowed.

Without lowering her weapon...

She whispered to Sara,

"...Looks like we found them."

Warehouse Fight

The voice echoed through the empty warehouse.

“…I was wondering…”

“…who’d be stupid enough to come back here.”

Hope’s grip tightened around her pistol.

Without taking her eyes off the shadows, she quietly whispered,

Hope: “…Stay behind me.”

Sara nodded, although her heartbeat was pounding so loudly she could barely hear anything else.

A figure slowly stepped out from behind a stack of rusted containers.

Then another.

And another.

Within seconds…

Five armed men surrounded the open yard behind the warehouse.

None of them wore masks.

They clearly weren’t worried about being identified anymore.

One of them smirked.

Attacker: “Looks like we caught ourselves a curious cop.”

Hope’s expression never changed.

She slowly glanced around.

Five in front…

One doorway behind them…

No cover except the concrete pillar.

Her mind had already mapped every possible escape route.

The leader noticed her eyes moving.

He laughed.

Leader: “Looking for a way out?”

Hope smiled faintly.

Hope: “No.”

She raised her pistol another inch.

“I’m looking for the first one to shoot.”

The smile disappeared from the man’s face.

For one brief second…

Nobody moved.

The wind whistled through the broken warehouse roof.

A loose sheet of metal banged against the wall.

CLANG!

The leader suddenly shouted,

“Take them!”

The first gunman charged.

Hope didn’t fire.

Instead…

She stepped sideways at the very last second.

The attacker rushed straight past her.

Hope grabbed his wrist…

Twisted hard…

The pistol slipped from his hand.

Before it even touched the ground…

Hope caught it.

Now she had two pistols.

She slammed the attacker’s elbow into the concrete pillar.

CRACK!

He screamed and collapsed.

The second attacker opened fire.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Concrete exploded beside them.

Hope grabbed Sara’s arm.

Hope: “Move!”

They sprinted behind an overturned forklift.

Bullets hammered against the rusted metal.

Sara’s breathing became frantic.

Sara: “They’re trying to kill us!”

Hope peeked over the forklift.

Hope: “…That was my first clue.”

Even now…

She somehow managed to joke.

Sara stared.

“…Seriously?”

Hope fired twice.

BANG!

One attacker dropped his rifle, clutching his shoulder.

The others immediately scattered.

Hope ducked again.

She listened carefully.

Footsteps.

Three…

No.

Four.

One circling left.

Hope whispered,

“They’re flanking.”

Sara looked terrified.

“What do we do?”

Hope smiled.

“We stop letting them.”

She suddenly kicked a loose metal drum across the floor.

The drum rolled noisily toward the opposite side of the warehouse.

Every attacker instinctively turned toward the sound.

Hope seized the opening.

She burst from cover.

Two quick shots.

One shattered a rifle stock.

The other struck another man’s leg.

He crashed to the floor.

The remaining attackers hesitated.

None of them had expected one woman to keep pushing forward.

Suddenly…

Sara noticed movement above.

A man was climbing along an old metal walkway.

His rifle aimed directly at Hope’s back.

Sara’s eyes widened.

Sara: “HOPE!”

Hope turned—

Too late.

Sara looked around desperately.

Her hand landed on a loose brick.

Without thinking…

She threw it.

The brick spun through the air.

THUD!

It smashed into the man’s shoulder.

He cried out.

The rifle slipped from his hands…

Clattering to the floor below.

Hope looked up.

Then back at Sara.

Even in the middle of the fight…

She smiled.

Hope: “…Nice throw.”

Sara blinked.

“I…”

“I wasn’t aiming for him.”

Hope laughed.

“Let’s pretend you were.”

The laughter lasted only a second.

Another attacker tackled Hope from the side.

Both crashed into the dusty concrete floor.

The pistol slid several feet away.

The man threw punch after punch.

Hope blocked one.

Two.

Sara gasped.

“Hope!”

Hope planted one boot against the attacker’s stomach.

Shoved him backward.

He stumbled.

Hope rolled to her feet.

Without even looking…

She grabbed a rusted metal pipe from the ground.

The attacker rushed her again.

Hope sidestepped.

The pipe struck his wrist.

CRACK!

His knife flew into the air.

Hope caught it before it hit the ground.

Spun once…

Pressed the blade against his throat.

Hope: “Done?”

The man froze.

Hope shoved him backward instead of stabbing him.

He collapsed unconscious.

Sara stared in disbelief.

Hope was breathing harder now.

Her shoulder hurt from the impact.

She wasn’t invincible.

She was simply refusing to quit.

Just then…

A sharp whistle echoed across the yard.

The remaining attackers immediately looked toward their leader.

Leader: “Fall back!”

“What?”

“NOW!”

Within seconds…

The surviving men retreated toward the hidden SUVs.

Engines roared to life.

Hope fired twice at the tires—

BANG!

One missed.

The other struck a rear window.

The SUVs sped away in a cloud of dust.

Silence returned.

Sara slowly lowered her shaking hands.

Hope stood there…

Watching the disappearing vehicles.

Then quietly muttered,

“…Damn.”

Sara walked over.

“You let them escape?”

Hope slowly holstered her pistol.

“No.”

She looked down at the photographs still safely tucked inside her jacket.

“I got what I came for.”

She smiled.

“But next time…”

“…they won’t be this lucky

The Tyres Burst

Hope and Sara drove quietly along the empty mountain road.

The fight at the warehouse was finally behind them.

Sara leaned back in her seat.

“I think…”

“…we actually survived.”

Hope kept her eyes on the road.

“Don’t celebrate yet.”

Sara smiled.

“You always ruin good moments.”

Hope shrugged.

“It’s one of my talents.”

Without warning—

BANG!!

The SUV jerked violently to the left.

Sara grabbed the dashboard.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!”

Hope tightened both hands on the steering wheel.

“Probably something expensive.”

Before Sara could answer—

BANG!!

The second tyre exploded.

The SUV skidded across the road before Hope managed to stop it safely on the shoulder.

Silence.

Sara slowly looked at Hope.

“…Are we dead?”

Hope looked around the car.

She patted her own shoulders.

“…Not yet.”

Sara let out a deep breath.

“I hate your driving.”

Hope looked offended.

“My driving?”

“The tyres literally exploded.”

Sara folded her arms.

“I’m still blaming you.”

Hope laughed.

“Fair enough.”

Hope stepped out and walked to the back of the SUV.

Sara followed.

Both rear tyres were completely shredded.

Hope crouched down.

She traced two neat holes with her finger.

“…Huh.”

Sara frowned.

“What?”

Hope pointed.

“Someone shot our tyres.”

Sara stared.

“…You can tell that?”

Hope looked at her.

“I usually don’t punch holes in my own tyres.”

Sara couldn’t help laughing.

“You know…”

“For someone who’s almost impossible to kill…”

“…your car isn’t.”

Hope sighed dramatically.

“It was a good car.”

Sara patted Hope’s shoulder.

“My condolences.”

Hope placed a hand over her heart.

“She served with honor.”

Sara burst into laughter.

“You named your car?”

Hope looked genuinely confused.

“…You don’t name yours?”

Sara just stared.

“…I don’t even own one.”

Hope nodded thoughtfully.

“That explains it.”

Hope reached into her jacket pocket.

Then another.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

She checked again.

“…No…”

Sara immediately noticed.

“What happened?”

Hope searched every pocket again.

“My wallet.”

Sara blinked.

“…Your wallet?”

Hope nodded.

“My badge.”

“My ID.”

“My cards.”

“My money.”

“…Gone.”

Sara looked at her for three long seconds.

Then…

She started laughing.

Really laughing.

Hope looked betrayed.

“I’ve just lost my entire wallet.”

Sara wiped tears from her eyes.

“You fought five armed men…”

“…and lost to your own pocket.”

Hope sighed.

“I was hoping for emotional support.”

Sara smiled sweetly.

“You have my emotional support.”

She paused.

“…Financial support is another story.”

Hope slowly looked at her.

“…How much money do you have?”

Sara proudly pulled a single crumpled note from her pocket.

She unfolded it dramatically.

“Thirty-two rupees.”

Hope stared.

“…We’re rich.”

Sara nodded seriously.

“We might even afford half a sandwich.”

Hope looked toward the endless mountain road.

Then far ahead…

Her eyes landed on something.

She smiled.

Sara followed her gaze.

A magnificent five-star mountain resort stood in the distance.

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