Chapter 2
1803 Words
Isa sa talento niya ay ang magbasa ng isipan ng tao, but for the life of him, Tatum couldn't decide if the woman sitting across from him was for real. Hindi rin niya mapigilan ang pagkulo ng dugo niya nang banggitin ng babae ang pangalan ni Victor Ortez.
All it took was the sound of Ortez's name and a dose of bloodlust flooded his body, making him want to reach for the gun in his waistband and start shooting. Hindi niya kasi kailanman malilimutan ang ginawa ni Victor Ortez kay Wilson.
Tatum's hands curled into fists as rage consumed his body like poison. He'd been agonizing about the botched mission for eleven months now. Gabi-gabi na lang yata siya binabangungot sa nangyari kay Sergeant Wilson. Kaya pinapangako niya sa sarili na magbabayad talaga si Ortez sa ginawa nito kay Wilson.
And now this woman, this stranger who'd showed up out of the blue, was asking him to do just that.
"I'm afraid you've been misinformed," napahalukipkip na saad niya. "Hindi ako isang hit man."
"Alam ko 'yan." Her voice wobbled. "Pero alam ko rin na pareho tayo ng minimithi."
He shot her a bored look. "Sinong may sabi?"
"You've been asking questions about Ortez for the past eleven months, inquiring about his whereabouts, attempting to bribe the rebels who follow him. Kaya hindi na sekreto sa'kin kung bakit gusto mong mabura sa mundong ito si Victor Ortez." She arched one eyebrow. "Ngayon, itatanggi mo pa ba 'yan?"
Her matter-of-fact tone unnerved him a bit. Sino ba talaga ang babaeng ito? And had she really tracked him down using nothing but a damn computer? Tila hindi naman yata ito nagmumukhang hacker. Mas maihahalintulad nga niya ito sa mga model. And that body...those long legs and the firm breasts practically pouring out of the bodice of her yellow dress were better suited for a lingerie model.
Sino nga ba talaga si Ina Reyes?
"I don't deny or confirm anything," kibit-balikat na tugon niya.
Mukha naman itong naiinis na sa kanya. "Alam kong gusto mo ring mawala sa mundong ito si Ortez. So do I."
All right. Now, that he might be able to believe. Sa palagay niya, malaki rin ang galit ng babaeng ito kay Victor Ortez. Pero ano naman ang koneksyon nito kay Ortez?
O baka naman espiya pala ang babaeng ito para mapasok siya sa bitag ng kalaban. Malaking posibilidad nga iyon na pinadala nga ang babaeng ito ng mga kalaban niya.
But...if they truly had found him, why send anyone at all? And one woman, to boot. Bakit hindi na lang nila ako tinambagan dito sa loob ng bar?
He pursed his lips, suddenly second-guessing every damn thought that fluttered into his head. Hindi kaya pinaglaruan siya ng mga ito? No, that seemed unlikely. Kung alam na nga ng mga kalaban niya kung nasaan siya, sinugod na sana siya ng mga ito.
Which meant this latina beauty might actually be telling the truth.
"Bakit mo naman siya gustong ipapatay?" Tatum asked sharply.
Dumilim ang aura nito, pero taliwas naman ang nakikita niya sa mga mata nito...takot ba ito?
"You're scared," he said before he could stop it. Saka napakunot siya ng noo. "Anong kinakatakutan mo, Ina?"
"Si Victor," paanas nito. Her chest heaved as she drew a deep breath. "Kaya gusto ko siyang ipapatay. Dahil habang nabubuhay siya, habang buhay akong matatakot." Humugot ito ng isang malalim na hininga. "He's hunting me, Tatum. For three years now. Hindi pwedeng...hindi pwedeng habang buhay na lang akong magtatago."
Oh, he knew precisely what it felt like to be hunted. Was this a blatant attempt on her part to form some sort of camaraderie with him? Para nang sa ganon madali na lang siyang mapapapayag nito sa gusto nitong mangyari?
Battling his distrust, he pinned her down with a harsh glare. "Bakit hindi ka na lang magsimula sa una?"
Napatango ito. "Gaya ng sabi ko, sa Pilipinas nga ako lumaki, but I was actually born here in Mexico."
Tatum swiftly masked his surprise. So may dugong latina nga ang babaeng ito. Interesting.
"After I graduated from college, naisip ko talaga na balikan ang lugar na 'to."
Napatawa si Tatum na ikinalaki naman ng mga mata ng babae. "Ganyan din ang reaksyon ng parents ko nang sabihin ko sa kanila na babalik ako rito sa Mexico. Kahit ayaw man nila pero ako ang gumawa ng paraan para magawa ko talaga ang gusto kong gawin sa buhay. So I joined a relief organization and began volunteering at a hospital in the mountains." She took another breath. "That's where I met Victor. Ang tanga ko lang, dahil naniniwala agad ako na may mabuti siyang hangarin sa mga panahong iyon."
Napabuga ng hangin si Tatum. Yeah, hindi na siya nabigla pa sa sinabi nito. According to his sources, a lot of folks had been - and were still being duped by Victor Ortez and his rebel group - The United Freedom Fighters. The UFF had been formed to fight the oppression of the Mexican government, but over the years their freedom-fighting mentality had veered off into borderline terrorism. They were responsible for the bombing of government buildings, along with the deaths of countless politicians, and they even started robbing their own people - the people they claimed to be fighting for - in order to fund their activities.
"Matagal-tagal din kaming naging magkaibigan," pagpatuloy ni Ina, "but then he became obsessed with me. At the time, I was involved with my fellow relief worker. Tim. Nagkaanak kami. Si Rafael. Apat na taong gulang na siya. But Victor thought I belonged to him, and he--" she swallowed hard, "--he killed Tim."
Tatum stared at her thoughtfully.
"Pinagtataguan ko siya hanggang ngayon. I didn't want to have anything to do with that crazy son of a b***h, so I took Rafael and I ran from him. But Victor is always on my radar. Nang malaman ko na nakakulong na pala siya four months ago, akala ko tapos na ang pagdurusa ko, ngunit itinakas siya ng mga tauhan niya mula sa kulungan at..."
He could relate - that damn prison break had royally screwed things up for him, too. Four months ago, Ortez had been responsible for bombing the home of a well-known political figure in Tijuana. In a major feat for the military, Ortez had been caught and arrested, and he'd been awaiting trial when his fellow rebels planned an escape and whisked their leader right out of jail.
Since then, Ortez had gone underground. Wala na ring nakakakita pa sa kanya ilang buwan na ang nakalipas. Kaya mas nahihirapan ngayon si Tatum na hanapin si Victor.
"For whatever messed-up reason, Victor believes that he owns me." Ina's voice jolted him from his thoughts. "Sa tuwing iniisip ko na ligtas ako, every time I settle down in one place, palagi na lang niya akong natatagpuan."
But something about that sob story didn't sit right with him. Something about it sounded...false.
"I'm tired of running away from him," she blurted out when Tatum didn't respond. "I just want that maniac to leave me alone."
At sa patuloy na pagdududa niya sa mga sinabi ng babae, Tatum met her gaze and saw that the fear had returned. Kung anuman ang kasinungaling sinasabi nito, mukhang hindi naman yata ito nagsisinungaling sa nararamdaman nito para kay Ortez. Tila nga takot na takot ang babae sa taong iyon.
Dahil ba pinatay ni Ortez ang ama ng anak nito?
Raking a hand through his hair, Tatum finally chuckled. "Magandang kwento 'yan, Ina. Sigurado ako na may parte sa sinabi mo na totoo. But here's the thing - I don't trust you. Wala akong pinagkatiwalaan ninuman, sa bagay na 'yan. So I think I'll have to pass on your proposition."
Desperation exploded in her eyes like a fireworks. "No! You can't. I know you're after him, too." Her features hardened in an expression that resembled defiance. "Pero hindi mo lang siya mahanap, di ba? Wala ng nakakaalam pa kung nasaan si Victor simula nang makatakas ito sa kulungan, and seeing as you're on the run, you can't exactly go around the globe looking for him, ngayon tatanungin kita, magagawa mo bang hanapin siya?"
He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "Hindi ko alam kung bakit nagtatago ka, and frankly, I don't care. Ang gusto ko lang na matulungan mo akong mabura sa mundong ito si Victor."
"Naisip mo rin ba na kinakailangan kong lumabas sa aking lungga para magawa 'yan?" he said, rolling his eyes. "May mga sarili rin akong problema, sweetheart. Gaya na lang ng sabi mo, I don't have the luxury of globe-trotting, and even if I did, ayaw ko pong mag goose hunting sa isang tao na gusto ko man itong patayin o hindi."
"Pero gusto mo siyang patayin, di ba?" Lumiwanag ang mukha nito. "And it won't be a wild-goose chase. Alam ko kasi kung nasaan ang hideout niya."
Tragis. Talaga bang alam nito kung nasaan si Ortez? He'd been trying for months to unearth the rebel leader location, and he'd come up empty-handed each time.
Kung alam nga ng babaeng ito kung nasaan si Victor Ortez, pwes...
"And if you don't want to go to his hideout," dagdag na sabi ni Ina, "all we have to do is find a way to contact him. Magtiwala ka sa'kin, Victor will come to me if I make contact."
Hindi naman siya nagduda sa sinabi nito. With that gorgeous face and sexy body, Tatum couldn't see any man staying away from Ina Reyes. Tragis, eh pinaninigasan na nga siya.
Magtiwala ka sa'kin.
Yeah, right. He wasn't about to hand out his trust to a complete stranger. Especially not one as beautiful as her.
Eh walang ibang makapagturo sayo kung nasaan si Victor Ortez. Mukhang siya lang, Tatum
The nagging thought was the main reason he didn't turn her down outright. Ayaw lang talaga niyang aminin, pero tama nga ang babae sa sinabi nito. Gusto niyang patayin si Ortez para maghiganti.
So...to trust, or not to trust.
Rubbing the stubble on his chin, he met Ina's pleading eyes, and then rose from his chair. "Saan ka rito sa Mexico tumuloy?"
Napakurap-kurap ito. "Dito lang sa Acapulco. Sa Oasis Motel. Room number ten ako."
"Tatawagan na lang kita pag nakapagdesisyon na ako."
Napayuko ito sa ulo nito, despair radiating from her petite, curvy body. "Please," pakiusap nito. "Kailangan ko ang kasagutan mo ngayon. Ikaw ang kailangan ko, Tatum."
Shrugging, he shot her a sardonic smile. "If you need me that bad, sweetheart, pwes kailangan mong maghintay." His smile transformed into a rogue smirk. "Besides, don't you know that anticipation is half the fun?"
As her eyes blazed with indignation, tuluyan na ngang lumakad si Tatum palabas sa bar na iyon na hindi na lumilingon pa.
*****
- Writer
