Chapter 13: Confirmed

~SA-EL~ 

THE ERRAND that Dad asked me ended early kaya nagpasya akong dumiretso na sa apartment to check how the shroud that we stole was. Pagdating ko roon ay nakatihaya si Tandang Mimo sa harap ng TV at may tangan na popcorn. Suot pa rin niya ang damit na pang-security guard at hindi man lamang siya nag-abalang tingnan ako pagbukas ko ng pinto. I looked around the area to see if the shroud is already home although Mimo's current state tells me that it's not yet here. Kapag napapasaamin na kasi ang bagay na ninakaw namin, Mimo was the first one to sat in front of it for hours and talk to it like a fucking retard.

"Where's V?" tanong ko sa kanya. "And the shroud?"

Ikinibit ni Mimo ang kanyang balikat. "I don't know. As far as I can remember, I tossed her the car key and told her to go first. Nagulat na lang din ako nang makarating ako rito na walang tao. Israel, don't you think V run away with the shroud? Hindi kaya nagpasya siyang sarilinin na lamang iyon?"

His tone was really convincing at kung hindi lang talaga siya mas matanda ng halos sampung taon ay malamang nasapak ko na siya. "How could you suspect V for swindling?"

Umayos ng pagkakaupo si Tandang Mimo mula sa pagkakaharap sa TV. "Isipin mo na lamang 'to, Sa-el. Women are the best deceivers of all time—either they do it intentionally or not. Who made Adam ate the forbidden fruit? It's Eve! Who deceived Samson? It's Delilah! Nakuha mo ba ang ibig kong sabihin?"

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko kaya kinuha ko ang isang throw pillow at ibinato iyon sa kanya. "Nababaliw ka na, Tanda? How could you do that to V? We're working for a long time together but you still don't trust her up until now?"

"Not just her but as well as you and myself. Hayaan mong ipaalala ko sa 'yo, Israel, tricksters are cannot be trusted," mahinang wika niya at tumingin ng diretso sa mga mata ko. Agad naman akong nag-iwas ng tingin. I know what he's doing. He's trying to put me in a hypnotic state but I won't let him. I saw him work his trade at ganoon ang madalas niyang ginagawa.

"Stop it, old man," wika ko at naupo sa sofa. "Hindi ito ang pinakamalaking item na hinawakan ni V, kaya bakit naman niya iyon itatakbo?"

Tumawa ng nakakainis si Mimo. "I know. Sinusubukan lamang kita. I really like her. Habang tumatagal ay mas lalo siyang gumagaling. Kahit mas matanda ako sa kanya, I respect her a lot na para bang mas matanda siya sa akin."

"You should respect every member of this team," paalala ko sa kanya. Inabot ko ang bowl na naglalaman ng popcorn at pasalampak na isinubo iyon.

"Ah-ah-ahh," Mimo said in a singsong voice. "Sabihin mo 'yan sa sarili mo, Sa-el."

I twitched my nose and looked away. "You're the least likeable person in this team."

"I beg to disagree. I think it's the hacker," Mimo said at tumabi sa akin. "Pansin mo ba? He or she keeps himself in shadows. Yes, that's what we're supposed to do but he's just too much. No matter how we keep ourselves in shadows, we are still risking in every heist we do. Samantalang siya? Nasaan siya? He's just sitting in front of his computer. We break every bone in our body while he only breaks his fingers."

Napaisip din ako sa sinabi ni Mimo. "Tama ka nga riyan, but still the hacker has the biggest contribution. Hoy tanda, ano sa tingin mo ang dahilan kung bakit nagpapaka misteryoso ang hacker?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hindi ko rin alam. Sa halip na maintriga ako, mas naaasar ako sa kanya. Sa tingin ko ay may diperensya siya sa katawan. Siguro may kapansanan siya—"

"Grabe ka naman, tanda! Wala naman siguro, kita mo na ngang hacker siya, 'di ba?" argumento ko.

"Oops, remember Ensei Tankado."

"Who's that?"

Isang masamang tingin ang ibinato niya sa akin. "Hindi mo kilala si Ensei Tankado? N. Dakota of Digital Fortress?"

Gusto ko tuloy siyang batukan. Sometimes people are naturally stupid. Sinabi na ngang hindi ko kilala, uulitin pa?

"Magbukas ka rin kasi ng libro! Hindi 'yong binti ng mga babae lang ang binubuksan mo," he said with a smirk. Sus! Inggit lang 'tong matandang 'to! Kasi naman, aklat lang na-e-explore niya, hindi babae.

"Ayusin mo 'yang bibig mo, Tanda!" wika ko sa kanya. "Sa tingin ko, naiilang lang siya sa atin. Baka tama ang una mong teorya, napakapangit niya siguro. And as a hacker, alam na niya kung sinu-sino tayo. He snoop information about us and when he saw us, especially me, nawala ang natitirang katiting na self-esteem niya," I brushed my hair with my finger and gently pressed my nose kasabay ng killer smile.

"Wow. Wala akong masabi sa nag-uumapaw mong bilib sa sarili," Mimo replied and tapped my back. "Siguro sobrang pandak niya, tapos—"

"Pango!"

"Tama," Mimo agreed. "Tapos siguro sobrang taba niya."

"Or sobrang payat. Yung tipong isang ubo na lang!"

"I guess so! At maitim ang labi niya, pati gilagid at—"

"Mabaho ang hininga!" dagdag ko.

"Sino ang maitim ang labi at gilagid, saka mabaho ang hininga?"

Sabay kaming napalingon ni Mimo sa pinto nang may nagsalita. It was Victoria, who looks so perfect standing there with the cloth in her arm. Her long curly hair falls freely on her back and some loose strands found its way on her well-toned shoulders. Her skin isn't as white as snow yet she has the skin that every girl would be envious of. There were traces of lipstick on her lips which was remnants of the one that she put on for our project. For sure she wiped it off immediately because she's the kind who doesn't like those things. Pinipilit lamang namin siyang maglagay ng mga kolorete sa mukha and she only agreed for the sake of our project.

My assessment of V was interrupted by Mimo who put some popcorn in my mouth.

"Nakanganga ka eh kaya kain ka muna," he said playfully and out of embarrassment ay iniluwa ko ang popcorn na inilagay niya sa loob ng bibig ko. "Nandito ka na pala, V. What took you so long?" Tumayo si Mimo at lumapit kay V upang abutin ang dala nito. Then he kissed it just like how he kissed the diamond. Pervert old man. Palibhasa walang ibang mahalikan kundi mga bagay na lamang.

"May nagtangka lamang na pumigil sa akin," walang buhay niyang sagot at naupo sa sofa na kinauupuan ni Mimo kanina.

"And?"

She chose to dodge my question.

"Sino yung pinag-uusapan niyo kanina?" tanong niya habang inililipat ang channel ng TV.

When I looked at Mimo, mukhang abala ito sa 'pagwe-welcome' sa shroud kaya ako na lamang ang sumagot sa tanong ni V. "We're talking about the hacker."

V's hand with the remote suspended in the air for a while. I saw how she bit her lower lip and blink few times. Then she took a deep sigh.

"Bakit, V?"

"Hindi maitim ang gilagid niya at lalong hindi mabaho ang kanyang hininga," wika niya na tila ba siguradong-sigurado siya sa kanyang sinasabi. Kahit si Mimo na tila na-star struck sa tela ay napatigil at napatingin kay V.

"Paano mo naman nasabi 'yan? Did you..." Mimo stopped and covered his mouth and looked at us with disbelief. "Did you hack the hacker?"

"Ulol mo," I mouthed at him and faced V. "Nagkita ba kayo?"

V uninterestingly shrugged her shoulders. "Sa tingin ko."

Isang tunog ng doorbell ang gumulat sa aming tatlo. Nagkatinginan kami habang nakakunot ang mga noo. For almost a year in this apartment, we never ever had a visitor so it felt so strange to hear the doorbell ringing. I thought about asking Mimo to open the gate ngunit bago ko pa man maibuka ang bibig ko upang sabihin iyon ay nauna itong magsalita.

"Ayoko! You open the door! How dare you asked someone older than you?" he blurted.

What the hell? I haven't even asked! Ilang saglit pa akong nakipagtitigan sa kanila but in the end I conceded defeat. Sa halip na makipagtalo ay tumayo na lamang ako upang buksan ang gate. I was about to grab the doorknob when it suddenly flung open and a tall man with a smirk on his face entered. He's not really that tall, alright? He's just taller than me at hindi maipagkakailang mas gwap—heck Israel Verona what the hell are you thinking?

His smirk was so annoying that I wanna rip his lip off his face. He was looking at Victoria who was surprised only for a while then hid her reaction behind her usual innocent looking face.

"Paano ka nakapasok—" I stopped when he raised his hand holding a duplicate key. What the hell?! Kaming apat, including the hacker, lamang ang may copies ng susi! Hindi kaya...

Sa pagkakataong iyon ay si Mimo naman ang tila nakabawi. "Who are you?" tanong niya at inilapag ang tela. Humakbang siya papalapit at hinawakan sa braso ang lalaki. Then the old man tapped him on his butt and he received the deadliest glare in the world.

"I'm—what the hell?!" bulalas ng lalaki habang nakatingin kay Mimo na ngayon ay nakatayo ng ilang metro mula sa kanya. Napakapkap siya sa kanyang bulsa at hinawakan ang sariling braso. Napatingin din ako kay Mimo na tinitingnan ang hawak.

"Branded watch—whoah! This one's a class!" he said and tossed the watch back to the guy. Sunod niyang tiningnan ay ang cellphone nito. "Latest iPhone model, hmm." He tossed the phone again to the guy na natarantang sinalo iyon. He was still in awe and he might be wondering how Mimo got his stuff so easily. Mimo was quick enough to remove his watch when he held his arm and as well as his phone and his wallet when he tapped him on the butt.

Binuksan ni Mimo ang wallet at inilabas ang mga card na naroon.

"Wow, you surely got a lot of cash here. Alam mo, mas mabuti pang card na lamang ang dalhin mo. In your case, well you both got cash and card."

Isa-isa niyang tiningnan ang mga card na naroon and then he found an ID.

"Morisson, Ryu Vander—wait. What?" Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ni Mimo sa aming tatlo kasabay ng pagtaas niya sa isang ID ng isang sikat na IT school abroad. "Y-you are the h-hacker?"

The guy just smirked and I lose count of how many times I've been annoyed with him since he entered this room. Muling ibinalik ni Mimo ang mga card sa loob ng wallet at inihagis iyon sa lalaki. Pagkatapos niyon ay saglit na namayani ang katahimikan ngunit agad din niya iyong binasag.

"Is that how you're supposed to welcome your teammate?" he asked, yeah with a smirk.

"Why? Do you like hugs and kisses along with confetti? Sorry dude, we throw punches here, not kisses," pamimilosopo ko sa kanya and just like what he did, he let out that annoying smirk again.

"Ah, I think I like punches more than kisses," sagot niya and before I lose myself, I looked away so that I will not annoy myself anymore. Geez, how dare he barge inside here, acting all mighty? Paalala lamang sa kanya: this is our kingdom where we manage our empire. Yes, he's a royal blood but his absence in this kingdom for a long time makes him a stranger.

He stepped forward, closer and passed through us. Pagkatapos ay lumapit siya kay V at hinawakan ito sa braso. Sa brasong may—pasa?!

"Don't grab her there man, you see? Her arm is bruised," seryosong wika ko sa kanya. It's just a bruise alright, yet I cannot help but worry about her.

"I did this and I wouldn't mind bruising her body at all," mariin niyang wika, looking intently at Victoria. V didn't even flinch as he grabbed her by the arm. "What exactly are you planning? Bakit hinayaan mo siyang mag-isa roon? Why didn't you tell us that she's with you all the time? Why didn't you prevent her from doing silly things? If something happens to her, I will kill you."

Isa iyong banta ngunit hindi man lamang iyon nagpatinag kay V. Sometimes I thought that she's fearless. She doesn't fear anything even death but then there were times that her vulnerability shows and that's the time where I can see fear in her eyes. She fear a lot of things.

Lumapit ako sa kanila at hinila sa kabilang braso si V ngunit mahigpit pa rin ang pagkakahawak ng hacker sa kanya. I used to be curious of his identity ngunit ngayong alam ko na kung sino siya, I regretted doing it. He is a Vander, the name that I loathe. They own a mafia business and killed a lot of people including a relative of mine. I do not hold grudges and I'm not into revenge ngunit hindi pa rin maiaalis sa akin ang pagkamuhi sa pangalan niya.

Nagsukatan kami ng tingin at mukhang walang ni isa man sa amin ang balak na bumitaw kay V. I met his dark glare and he met mine. For a while, I forgot that V wasn't the type who needs a knight to save her at saka ko lamang iyon naalala nang makawala siya sa parehong pagkakahawak namin ng hacker sa kanya.

"Nagpakita ka sa amin matapos ang mahabang panahon para lamang sabihin iyan sa akin?" Victoria said to him. "Bakit hindi mo iyan sinabi kanina?"

Ah, so they really did meet.

The hacker looked away but still his brows met. "I am meant to show myself to you one day, mas napaaga nga lang. Besides, I don't know that you are the master of disguise." He reached for V's face at kung hindi ako nakapagpigil ay nasapak ko na siya. "Ito ang unang pagkakataon na nakita ko ang mukha mo. Heck, you have a lot of faces. Akala ko ay kilala ko na kayong lahat, I was wrong then."

Mimo mumbled something beneath his breath samantalang wala man lamang reaksyon mula kay V. Sa halip ay tinabig niya ang kamay ng hacker.

"Kung nag-aalala ka sa kanya, sana ay hinanap niyo siya dati pa lamang. O kung tunay nga na nag-aalala kayo sa kanya, hindi sana siya pumunta sa akin dahil pakiramdam niya ay wala siyang kakampi sa inyo," marahang wika ni V. It was just simple words but it made the hacker reflect for a while. Saglit na namayani ang katahimikan hanggang sa binasag iyon ni Mimo.

"Sino ba ang pinag-uusapan ninyo?"

Isang tingin lamang ang isinagot sa kanya ni V at ng hacker kaya pinili na lamang niyang manahimik.

"I'll leave for now. Babalik ako rito kapag may nangyaring masama sa kanya and as I've said earlier, I will make you pay," banta ng hacker at hindi pa rin iyon nakapagpatinag kay V.

"Aren't you suppose to come here for a project?" tanong ko. Napahinto naman ito sa tangkang paghakbang at saglit na napatigil. I saw him sighed before he faced me.

"I think I'll be fine to hide behind the shadows, after all it's you who told me that. Gentleman thieves like us must hide behind shadows," sagot niya at tuluyan ng lumabas ng pinto.

"Ayoko sa kanya," pahayag ko at pasalampak na umupo.

"I second the motion," Mimo said at muling binalikan ang tela at nagniningning ang mga matang nakatitig doon. "Whoah. This looks good hanging in my room than it does in that museum."

"Sorry, old man but we have to return that to the owner," paalala ko sa kanya. Sometimes Mimo tend to forgot that we are gentleman thieves. We steal items from people who steal them first and return it to the original owner. We steal things obtained in a dishonest way and if no righteous owner exist, that's the time we will own those things.

"Alam ko," sagot niya at nanamlay na inilapag ang tela. "It's a long day. Let's all rest for now. I'll stay here tonight."

Tumayo rin si V at tinanggal ang suot na stockings. "Uuwi na rin ako."

"I'll give you a lift home," boluntaryo ko. She didn't answer a yes or no so I took it as a yes. Nauna na akong lumabas upang ihanda ang kotse at naghintay sa kanya roon. Nang lumabas siya ng apartment ay dala-dala niya ang kanyang backpack at hawak niya ang kanyang high heels. She walk barefooted toward the car at bahagyang yumuko nang pumasok siya sa loob. Nang makaupo siya sa front passenger seat ay minasahe niya ang kanyang mga paa.

Agad ko namang pinaandar ang sasakyan at hinatid siya sa kanyang underground base. I know where she lives but I haven't been inside. I am really curious how her place looks like but I didn't use my skills to fill in my curiosity. Nang makarating ako sa harap ng apartment niya ay abala pa rin siya sa pagkakayuko at pagmamasahe sa kanyang paa.

She curled one leg on top of the other and massage her foot. It must really hurt a lot dahil hindi man lamang niya napansin ang paghinto namin. Bahagya akong gumalaw at tinulungan siya sa pagmamasahe sa kanyang paa. I gently pull her leg to make her face me.

She was stunned for a while at hindi agad nakapag-react ngunit nang makabawi siya ay agad siyang nagsalita.

"Ano sa tingin mo ang ginagawa mo?"

"I'm helping—" Then I realized what she meant. She wore a skirt at dahil sa pagkakataas ng isang paa niya ay nasisilip ko ang kanyang binti at isa pang tela sa ilalim ng kanyang palda. I felt my ears become red and I felt something weird down there. Sa taranta ko ay hinablot ko ang isang stuffed toy na nasa dashboard ng kotse at inilagay iyon sa hita ko. Then I looked away and prevented to feel more weirdness and stiffing down there.

"W-we're a-already h-here," impit kong sabi habang tinitiis ang sakit na unti-unting nararamdaman ko sa puson.

"Salamat. Ayos ka lang ba?" she asked cluelessly and when I felt her hand touched my leg ay muli ko na namang naramdaman ang paninigas na kanina ko pa pinipigilan.

"Y-yeah. D-don't mind me. J-just go." Oh please V, you really need to go. This isn't the first time I felt this but today is just too much. Dati ay iniisip kong bata siya kumpara sa akin but that doesn't work. I'm freaking 24 years old while she's 20, and I admit I have taken girls even younger than her. Ang kaibahan nga lamang ay iba si V sa kanila. I mean, iba ang halaga ni V sa kanila.

"Go now."

She looked at me with a puzzled expression but she shrugged it off at binuksan ang kotse. "Maraming salamat ulit."

"Y-yeah."

Nang maisara na niya ang kotse ay saka lamang ako nakahinga ng maluwag. I still feel the pain but good thing I don't need to hold it this time. I got the stuffed toy that I put to cover my bulge and looked at its grinning face.

"You must be enjoying my hardness down there, huh?!" wika ko sa nakangising minion. "Kaya ka ba nakangising ng ganyan ha? Ha? Sumagot ka—" My talk with the stuffed toy was interrupted by a phone call from an unregistered number.

Kahit nagtataka ay sinagot ko pa rin iyon. "Hello?"

I heard a sexy moan from the other line before a sexy voice spoke. "Guess what's served on your bed for dinner tonight?"

The voice was familiar but I cannot remember whose voice was it. Is it Nica? Monique? Isabel? Nicole—scratch it.

"Care to tell me, babe?" I asked.

"A naked me and a 40-year old wine. Come quickly Israel," she said and let out another moan.

"I'll be there shortly," sagot ko at agad na pinatay ang tawag. Muli kong hinarap ang nakangising minion. "Sorry dude but you cannot satisfy me."

Muli kong tiningnan ang nakangising stuffed toy at inihagis iyon sa likuran ng kotse bago pinaharurot ang sasakyan. I guess I will still have a good night.

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