Chapter 28: Tightrope

"Tulog na si baby girl. So Ali, what is this family meeting about?" bungad ni Kuya Alfredo habang nakaupo kaming magkakaharap sa sala. Napatingin si Prince sa kanya.

"Oo, kasali ka. The hell... akala mo ba hindi namin napansin?" He snorted, " 'langya, 'kala ko ba usapan natin three years?" Namula si Prince at akmang magsasalita pero nagpatuloy si Kuya Alfred. "Wag ka nang mag-sorry sa'kin dahil hindi mo naman talaga pinagsisisihan."

"Hindi pa naman ngayon kuya, alam ko namang di pa kami ready," he clasped his hands around his half-empty beer bottle, "saka gusto ko munang malaman kung sino ba 'tong nanggugulo."

"Pero binakuran mo na si baby girl," Aidan clapped him on the shoulder, "para-paraan Constantino..." Napangiti si Prince.

"Masisisi niyo ba 'ko?" He asked and everyone gave a collective sigh. If there was one thing that all of us share, aside from being male, it's the love we have for Diosa.

"So anong agenda ba 'to na kailangan pang itago kay Diosa?" Linagok ni Kuya Alfred ang natitira niyang beer at itinuon ang mga mata sa akin.

"There's a danger to this family but I'd like to contain it, so I need your cooperation" I said plainly.

"Teka kukuha muna akong pulutan ha, mamaya di na tayo makakatayo sa excitement," Aidan stood up with a grin. He went to the dining table and took the whole platter of barbecue and more beer for everyone. Hanep talaga 'tong si Aidan, kahit seryoso ang usapan nakukuha laging magbiro. But he has always served as the counterweight to my brooding personality.

They all looked eagerly at me, especially Prince,"Kuya Ali hindi ba dapat malaman ni Aya 'to?"

"I don't want her to worry. 'Pag nag-panic siya masisira ang plano," I know Diosa all too well, and she would go ballistic if she knew her loved ones are in danger. Baka mauna pa siyang manugod pag nagkataon.

"What's the plan?" Si Adam, I've always admired his laid-back personality. Hindi rin siya mahilig magtanong, bagkus naghihintay lang lagi ng instruction. Not one to lead, but definitely somebody that you could count on.

"Before we do anything I'd like to make it clear na hindi ko kayo pipilitin na sumali sa mission. This is dangerous and I'm only going to ask you once kung willing kayong magparticipate."

"Tangna Ali, pine-personal ang mga Zabala of course I'm in," Kuya Alfred clapped my shoulder. I looked all around me and they all nodded their heads. 

I grinned at them, "We're gonna play 'Catch the As*hole'."

"Excited na ko," Aidan smirked. "Do we get to torture the as*hole too?" Typical Zabala. Hindi halata pero lahat kami mabilis uminit ang dugo. I guess nakuha namin yung side na yun kay daddy.

"Aidan, chill," Adam slapped him on the shoulder, "when do we start?"

I opened my I-pad and showed them the photo of our prey.

"This is Dylan Narvaez, currently enrolled in UP Manila, BS Biology" I slid to the next frame, "and this one here is Nathan Hernandez, also enrolled in UP Manila, Pharmacy."

"Double registration? Nakakalusot pala yung ganyan sa campus," Ibinaba ni Adam ang basyo ng beer niya, "pero astig, napagsabay niya yung dalawang course."

"Temporarily. Surveillance purposes." Now for the tricky part, "he's doing this for revenge."

"Bakit kay Diosa? Anong ginawa ni baby girl sa kanya?" Nagbukas ng bagong bote si Kuya Alfredo.

 I turned my gaze to Prince, "Well it  seems that you messed with the wrong girl in more ways than one."

"Si Mel?" I saw confusion in Prince's face, "but she doesn't have this kind of capability."

I slid to the next slide, "This is Alexander Hernandez," Time for revelations. "I guess, you messed with the wrong girl but I opened a can of worms."

"Kuya Ali does this have anything to do with what happened sa Antipolo?" nagsitinginan ang lahat kay Prince at sa akin.

"Okay, we clearly have no idea what happened there. Ibig niyong sabihin, you did more than destroy paintings?" Nagsasalubong na ang kilay ni Kuya Alfredo. Sign na malapit na siyang sumabog.

"Let's not go into details. The bottomline is, I prevented Mel from going between Aya and Prince," I sighed deeply. "She already has mental problems before you met her courtesy of her... troubled childhood."

"I know she has issues, to the point of obsession kaya nga nahirapan akong makipaghiwalay," Prince sighed. "Shet, parang back to square one."

"Not so fast," Adam slapped him on the shoulder, "let's listen to Kuya Ali first." I grinned at him. Trust Adam to have such good faith in me.

"Alexander is Mel's adopted brother," They all looked interested now. "And lover."

"I knew it," Aidan laughed, "Pota naman kuya, napaka-cliche pakinggan pero revenge talaga?"

"He's using that excuse to get to me. He wants me to panic and think that someone's targeting my family," I smiled softly, "I'm the reason he got dismissed."

"What the h*ll Ali, so magkakilala kayo ni Hernandez?" They all looked more eager to hear the story.

I nodded at them, "He was my senior. Unfortunately, I managed to reveal the fact that he is a double agent working for the Chinese Mafia." I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "and somehow, I've managed to step on his toes since day one while I was working as an agent." 'Coz he was one hell of a freakin' as*hole masquerading as the Wonder Boy of the force. Now he found two openings to my personal space.

"Hindi ako nagtataka," Aidan slapped me on the shoulder. "Alin sa dalawa, yung dreaded deathglare mo or yung infamous turning side kick?" I glared at him and he shut his mouth.

"Pwede ko bang sagasaan yan?" Alfredo muttered with a curse, "ang swerte naman niya, dalawang Zabala pa ang target niya."   

"Kuya, nobody messes with my family," they grew quiet, each one digesting what they've learned so far. "This is no exception."

"The fact is, this guy doesn't exist." Kuya Alfred's gaze rose to meet mine.

"How do you know all this?"

"Because technically, I don't exist either."

Adam ran a hand through his hair, "are we allowed to know how that works?"

"No. The lesser you know, the safer you are," it was my turn to run my hands through my hair. Ayoko sa lahat yung nagpapaliwanag. Mabuti na lang at hindi tsismoso ang mga kapatid ko.

"Oh man, and you pissed this guy off," Aidan took the tablet and scrolled the photos. "Tsk, ang charms mo talaga kuya..."

"You know me. I don't really care about other people's opinions. Unfortunately, other people don't see it that way."

"Shet, Ali," Kuya Alfredo muttered softly. "Ano nang plano?" Halata na ang yamot sa boses ni Kuya.

"Tell us what we can do," Adam said.

"Yan ang gusto ko sa'yo, straight to the point," Adam beamed at me. Minsan lang ako magbigay ng compliment kaya talagang ninanamnam niya.

"Obviously I can't do anything about the past, so I'm not interested," he gave me a chilling smile. "But I can do something for the future, so that's where I would concentrate. "

I pulled out a small leather pouch from my pocket. "You need to wear a tracker," I opened the box and took out small round trackers the size of pinheads. "I've assigned codes for you. Kuya Alfred is A3, Aidan is A5, and Adam is A6. Diosa is A7 while Prince is PC."

"Akin na yung kay Goddess," Prince took two. "Ako nang bahalang maglagay kung saan di niya mapapansin."

"I'm assigning agents to partner with you guys. Wag niyo nang alamin kung sino sila and it's better kung hindi niyo rin alam ang naka-assign na task sa bawat isa. Don't take the danger lightly. Earlier kung wala akong agents, pinaglalamayan na natin si Diosa. A few minutes ago, it would have been Prince. Narvaez is dangerous and he's not afraid to step over the line."

"So this is a blind mission," Adam shook his head with a laugh, "awesome."

" 'Tangna Ali, isinasabuhay mo na naman ang pagiging puppet master," Kuya Alfred said with a grin. " We'll wait for orders then."

---------------------------

"Bakit may pasa si Diosa?" Kuya Alfred's eyes bore on mine when we broke up the meeting. Shet, wala talagang nakakaligtas sa mata ng mga kapatid ni Aya.

"Sorry Kuya Alfred, yung tarantadong stalker kasi niya nung highschool hinaltak siya kanina," umalsa na naman ang inis ko nang maalala yung mukhang animal na gagong yun. Tumaas ang kilay ni kuya.

"Buhay pa yun? 'Kala ko nilibing na yung kamoteng yun," he looked ticked off, "Anong ginawa mo?"

"Sinapak ko."

Ngumisi si Kuya Alfred, "Dapat pala tinuluyan ko na yung gagong yun noon pa. Diosa kasi pinigilan ako."

"Pinigilan niya rin ako kanina eh," I admitted and Kuya Alfred ruffled my hair with a rueful expression.

"Kind to animals kasi si Diosa," Di ko napigilang matawa kay Kuya Alfred. Kakaiba talaga ang sense of humor niya. "Pero ako hindi, kaya humanda yang kamoteng yan pag nagkita kami. Ibabaon ko siya ng buhay sa lupa."

"Kasya naman yata tayo dito sa guest room ni Prince, tulog na tayo at maaga pa class bukas," Adam yawned sleepily.

"Dito na ko sa sala," Sabi ni Aidan, "Pahiram na lang ng kumot." I nodded at him. Sumunod si Kuya Alfred kay Adam para dun na rin matulog sa guestroom.

"Mauna na 'ko," Sabi ni Kuya Ali, "I need to meet with my team." He leaned close to me. "Buy a helmet for Diosa, okay?" Tumango ako and he clapped me on the shoulder. "Wag kang mag-alala, I have four agents around the perimeter and an eye in  the sky."

"Thanks, Kuya Ali." I watched as he drove away. Hindi ko napigilan ang luminga sa paligid. Asan kaya yung sinasabi niyang mga secret agents? Wala akong makita pero pakiramdam ko nga ay may mga matang nakatingin. Ang astig naman talaga.

Hindi ko mapigilang ma-excite kahit na alam kong delikado ang mga susunod na mangyayari. Ni  sa hinagap, I didn't expect adventure to have this kind of dimension.

Pumasok na ako sa kwarto at saglit pinagmasdan ang nahihimbing na si Sab at Aya. Umuwi si Kiko kasi nasa kabilang kalsada lang naman ang bahay nila at tinawagan din siya ng kanyang mama. Nadiskubre kong matapang pala yung mama ni Kiko.

I  kneeled beside the bed kung saan natutulog ang mahal ko. She looked so vulnerable. Before I could stop myself, I leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Prince?" She blinked sleepy eyes up at me, "Ngayon ka pa lang matutulog?" she pushed herself up with one hand. "Anong oras na?"

"Sorry baby, tulog ka ulit. 2AM pa lang," I kissed her forehead and she scooted to the middle of the bed to give me room. I pulled her close and she snuggled into my chest. I waited until her breathing evened before I set out with my task.

--------------------------

"Sinong matalinong kabute ang nagsabing pwede kayong mag-party ng walang permiso?"

Walang umiimik sa buong team. Lahat sila ay tahimik na naka-stand-at-attention.

"Icen," napalunok ang tinawag. "Report."

"Rin has completed her analysis on the evidence. Results are on your desk. Rika has not returned from her mission but she sent word that the package has been well-received. Trixie and Shanvie are still working on the new evidence we have. Red, Lana, Yhona, and Jem are on surveillance."

"Send word as soon as you have the results," Iginala ko ang mata ko sa mga natitirang agent, "The rest of you, four-hour circuit training." Walang natinag pero alam kong minumura na nila ako sa isip nila. I grinned inwardly.

-----------------------------

I sat down heavily on my desk. Sinapo ko ang ulo ko sa aking mga kamay. Nasa harap ko ang folder ng resulta ni Panther. May idea na ako kung anong laman nito pero gusto kong ma-confirm kung tama ang hinala ko. 'Tangna ka Hernandez, pati alaga ko dinamay mo.

Tumunog ang transceiver ko.

Rika calling...

"How is she?" Narinig kong bumuntong-hinga siya.

"Sleeping with a smile on her face. Hay Ali, I never thought you have a romantic bone in your body."

"Me neither," I admitted softly. Ayoko siyang madamay pero parang tinatadhana talagang magkabanggaan kami ni Hernandez. The fvck. I won't let you touch a single hair from two of the most important women in my existence.

"And how's the sleeping dragon?" I casually asked.

"He wants the wedding to move faster. Everybody's pressuring her and I think malapit na siyang bumigay." I grimaced at that. I have to move faster too.

"Did our subject make another move?"

She paused, "They met at Seda earlier this evening. I think we're closing in on him and he's starting to feel the noose tighten."

"Hold your positions. HQ doesn't want him to escape again," I laughed, "Rika, wag masyadong excited. I know you want to get your hands around his throat after that wild goose chase across Batanes all the way to Taiwan and Hong Kong."

"Well Jaguar I don't have the kind of patience you have," she snorted, "if it were up to me, silencer lang katapat niya."

"But that won't solve the bigger issues. Stay in sight of the objective. Wag mo siyang gayahin," I'll probably never admit it but I have a genuine soft spot for Rika. Siya ang pinakamatino sa lahat ng naging partner ko at tanging nakatagal sa ugali ko. She's also one hell of a tracker.

"I know. Rest ka na," I could almost see the soft smile playing on her lips. She knows I know how she feels about me. Kaso para sa'kin platonic lang kami.

"Arigatou, Sanada."

"Sanada, out." I heard a click and the line went dead.

I opened the folder in front of me.

Charybdotoxin. Apitoxin.

 Venom, huh? Well, you're proving to be one deadly player.

Unfortunately, you might also end up one very dead player.

-------------------------

"Prince asan yung kwintas ko? I swear suot ko yun kagabi," She looked under the comforter for her necklace.

"Ito baby, inayos ko lang kasi nabuhol yung ibang strands. Suot ko sa'yo" I waited for her to turn around before I clasped the necklace in place. Pinalitan ko yung bato sa clasp ng tracker. "Wag mo hubarin baby, hindi naman yan nag-fa-fade kahit mabasa." I kissed her nape.

"May tinatago ka ba sa'kin?" What the-- "I'm not buying your excuses yesterday." Okay, time to think up an excuse.

"Sorry baby," she turned to me. Naghihintay siya ng sagot, "Nalaman kasi nila yung tungkol sa engagement natin. They wanted to talk to me." Nanlaki yung mata niya.

"Okay ka lang? Anong ginawa nila sa'yo?" Kung hindi lang ako takot kay kuya Ali tatawa ako sa pag-aalala ni Aya pero I managed a straight face.

"Syempre nagtatampo si Kuya Alfred," I saw her roll her eyes, "uy wag kang ganyan. Mahal ka nun." I chided her.

"Alam ko naman yun," she rose and kissed my nose, "pero at least alam na pala nila. Nahiya ako kahapon kasi nilagyan mo pala ako ng hickey tapos nakita nila Kuya Adam at Aidan."

"Sorry, na-miss kasi kita ng sobra," I rubbed our noses together, "sarap mo kasi." 

"Eww... ano ba yun? Parang ang hentai lang pakinggan," she wrinkled her nose.

"Hentai pero di ka naman pumapalag kahapon," I squeezed her tightly, "Aya mahal na mahal kita."

"I love you din," she grinned up at me, "pero wag masyadong hentai. Next year pa yung graduation mo tapos mag-iipon ka pa for the wedding."

"Opo mahal na Diyosa," I kissed her softly, "teka baka magising si Sab" she nodded and disentangled from me.

"Okay," she turned and smiled up to me. "Hatid kita?"

"Baka ma-late ka baby," I pinched her nose, "nagdala nga pala si Kuya Ali ng damit mo kagabi para di ka na dumaan sa bahay niyo ngayon." I gestured to the bag Kuya left last night.

"Wow ang thoughtful talaga ni kuya," bumaba na siya sa kama, "Prince, ligo na ko." Hinalikan niya ako bago kunin yung tuwalya niya at bag.

I went out and saw Kuya Alfred preparing breakfast from last night's leftovers.

"Halika, tulungan mo 'ko," he called out to me. Maagang umalis si Aidan at Adam at kaming apat lang nila Sab ang naiwan dito sa apartment. Gumawa ng mixed rice meal si Kuya. May kumatok sa pinto at pinagbuksan ko si Kiko.

"Hi," nakangiting bati niya, "Si Sab?"

"Tulog pa. Pasok ka," I invited him.

"Gisingin ko na," he grinned at me. "Tulog mantika yun eh."

I nodded at him and he went inside my room.

---------------------

 "Uy Sab gising ka na," I bent down and shook her shoulder. Kahit kailan talaga tulog mantika ang babaeng 'to. Pinagmasdan ko yung heart-shaped niyang mukha. Hay Sab, ang ganda mo talaga.

"Mamaya na, five minutes pa," she buried herself deeper into the comforter. Umupo ako sa gilid ng kama at niyugyog siya.

"Sab, sige ka pag di ka gumising hahalikan kita," I whispered to her ear. She groaned. "Ano yun?"

She raised her face and glared at me with one eye open, "Subukan mo, sasapakin kita." She threatened before she let her face drop down on the pillow again. I took off my shoes and laid down beside her.

"Sab, gising," I blew softly on her ear. Hinampas niya ako sa dibdib.

"Kiko!" Hindi ko napigilang tumawa sa expression niya. Pulang-pula siya.

"Nakakaasar ka!" Hala, ang aga nakasimangot na agad ang mahal ko.

I pulled her against me. Hindi naman siya nag-protesta at yumakap din sa akin. We've been closer since the trip to the North pero hindi naman namin pinag-uusapan kung ano ba talaga ang status naming dalawa, "Sab, tulog ka na naman eh. Mamaya late ka na naman ulit sa Comm 2."

"Ayaw ko pa," parang batang pagmamaktol niya. She burrowed tighter against me. Hindi ko mapigilang mapabuntong-hininga.

"Uy Sab ikaw na mali—oops," nagulat si Aya pagkalabas nang banyo. I put my finger up my lips to silence her. She smiled and nodded.

"Kiko?" she mumbled in a husky voice.

"Hmmm?" I stroked back her short hair. Na-mi-miss ko na yung mahaba niyang buhok. Eversince naghiwalay sila nung gagong ex niya she's been wearing this pixie cut pero hindi ko pa siya nakitang nagpagupit since we came back. Should I take that as a sign?

"Gusto mo ba talaga ng kiss?"

What...

She pulled herself up and gave me a sleepy smile, "Kiko Villanueva you're one lucky guy."

the hell...?

Yes, I am. I'm one hell of a lucky guy.

AN/

Please don't forget to leave a comment or vote if you like the story. Thank you for all the support. XD Na-publish ko na po yung teaser ng Star-Crossed which is Ali's story. I hope you take the time to visit and support it kagaya nitong ISITL. 

Edited: 08222014