Retaliation

Federal Investigator John sat at his desk, staring at the photograph in front of him. It was a picture of a man he had never met, but one he had been tracking for months. His name was Edward Price, and he was the mastermind behind a string of high-profile robberies that had swept the city. John had finally managed to track him down to a small, seedy hotel room on the outskirts of town.

As he gathered his gear and prepared to leave, John's bodyguard, Maria, entered the room. She was a tall, muscular woman with piercing eyes and a no-nonsense attitude. She had been assigned to protect John in his most dangerous cases, and he was grateful for her presence.

"Ready to go, boss?" Maria asked as she checked the clip on her gun.

"Yeah, let's do this," John replied, slipping on his bulletproof vest.

The two of them left the office and headed to the hotel, their nerves on edge. They knew that this could be a dangerous mission, but they were determined to bring Edward Price to justice.

As they approached the hotel room, John signaled for Maria to take up a position outside the door. He took a deep breath and then knocked.

There was no answer.

John tried the handle and found it locked. He pulled out a small tool kit and got to work picking the lock. After a few tense minutes, the door finally clicked open.

John stepped into the room, his gun drawn. It was dark and cramped, with only a single bed and a small table. There was no sign of Edward Price.

"Where is he?" John muttered to himself, scanning the room for any clues.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. He spun around, but it was too late. A figure emerged from the shadows and hit him over the head with a heavy object.

John crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

When he came to, he was tied to a chair, his head pounding. He looked around and saw Edward Price standing in front of him, a smug grin on his face.

"Well, well, well," Edward sneered. "Look who's finally come to pay me a visit."

John struggled against his bonds, but they were too tight. He glared at Edward, his mind racing. How had he been caught so easily?

"You should have stayed out of this, Investigator," Edward continued. "You had no idea what you were getting yourself into."

John gritted his teeth. "What do you want from me?"

"Revenge," Edward replied. "You see, Investigator, I know all about your little investigation. I know that you've been trying to take me down. And I'm not going to let that happen."

John's heart sank. He had failed. He had been so close to catching Edward, but now he was the one in danger.

"What are you going to do?" John asked, his voice shaky.

"Oh, don't worry," Edward replied. "I'm not going to kill you. Not yet, at least. I have a much more satisfying punishment in mind."

John's mind raced as he tried to come up with a way out of this situation. He couldn't let Edward get away with this. He had to find a way to escape.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crashing noise. The door to the room burst open and Maria stormed in, her gun drawn.

"Freeze!" she shouted.

Edward turned to face her, a look of surprise on his face. John seized the opportunity and began struggling against his bonds with renewed energy.

"Don't move, Price!" Maria shouted, her gun trained on Edward.

But Edward was not about to go down without a fight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pistol, aiming it at Maria.

"You won't take me alive!" he snarled.

At that moment, John saw his chance. He managed to free one hand from the ropes and grabbed the heavy object that Edward had used to knock him unconscious. With all of his strength, he swung it at Edward's head.

The sound of the blow was sickening, and Edward crumpled to the ground. Maria rushed over to John, freeing him from the ropes and helping him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," John replied, rubbing his head. "Thanks to you."

Maria grinned. "Glad to be of service. Now let's get this guy out of here and bring him in for questioning."

As the two of them led Edward away, John couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. He had been so close to catching Edward on his own, but in the end, it had been Maria who had saved the day. But as they loaded Edward into the back of the police car, John knew that it didn't matter. The important thing was that they had brought a dangerous criminal to justice. And that was all that mattered.