Natalie Trilogy Book 3: The Last Stand

Chapter 3: The Pursuit Operation

C H A P T E R 3:

T H E P U R S U I T O P E R A T I O N

John’s house was a little dark. Hindi pinabuksan ang mga ilaw. Kung bakit ay marahil para hindi makita ang nangyayari sa loob. All the while, higit pa sa buto ng santol ang parang nalulon ni Natalie sa kasalukuyan. She was caught by surprise that her throat twitched into the extent she did not anticipate. Puno ng mga taong naka-tactical gear ang bahay ni John. Some of those was searching the house. Ang iba naman ay kasama nila sa living area.

Kinse minutos na ang nakalipas mula nang ma-taser gun siya. Naka-recover naman ang katawan niya kahit paano.

Truth was, Natalie thought earlier she was going to be kidnapped again. But it turned out, she was wrong. Nakaupo siya sa mahabang sofa, walang busal sa bibig, hindi nakatali ang mga kamay at mga paa.

Brian was in good shape now. Nasa pang-isahang sofa ito at katapat niya, kalmado na. Nga lang ay may hawak na itong ice pack at kasalukuyang inilalapat nito iyon sa putok na nguso.

And oh, the woman who just barged in earlier, Ivanna, who Natalie thought was a socialite --- a daughter of a business tycoon, and a businesswoman that got impregnated by Bradley Cayne, was now sitting on the other couch.

Actually, kakaupo lamang nito matapos makausap ang isa sa mga taong naka-tactical gear.

The whole scenario made Natalie confused rather than scared. Hindi siya natatakot, kasi nang biglang sumulpot kanina sa loob ng kabahayan ang mga kasama ni Ivanna, na ang iba ay binuhat pa sila mula sa sahig saka pinaupo sa sofa, nag-backdown iyong galit na ekspresyon sa mukha ni Brian.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Maria,” ang assurance sa kanya ni Brian nang ilapag sila sa sofa kanina.

Naniniwala si Natalie rito, marahil ay dahil na rin sa desperasyon para sa isip ay hilinging makakatulong sa kanya ang kasalukuyang nangyayari – bagay kung bakit halos hindi na niya tinantanan ng tingin si Ivanna.

Mula sa coat ng babae isang parisukat na tila leather na itim at nakakabit sa necklace ang kinuha nito. Ivanna flipped open the leather, then tossed it on the coffee table.

Ganoon na lamang ang pagkaawang ng bibig niya, nakatigin pa rin sa bagay na iyon.

It was a badge --- and more than just a badge.

“You’re a DEA Special Agent,” Natalie uttered, and it was not a question. Regardless, the confusion and the surprise she had been feeling became triple. Parang kusa na lang nag-block out ang utak niya nang ilang segundo tapos ay malilito na naman kung paanong hindi niya alam ang bagay na iyon tungkol sa babae. Bagaman hindi naman sila ganoon ka-close, nakakabigla pa rin.

Kung hindi siguro malakas ang ginawang pagbuntonghininga ng babae ay hindi na matitigil iyong pagka-warshock ng utak niya.

Taking a deep breath for the second time, Ivanna shifted her seat and leaned over, maybe to get a full glance at her face. “I don’t have all day to explain, Natalie. But I need you more than anything. And I know you need me, so I have a proposition for you.”

“You know I need you?” Now Natalie was questioning her.

“After of what hat you’ve gone through, I know you’re after Marga. Anybody who was in your position probably wanted vengeance.”

“You’ve been after Marga since then---since the beginning, haven’t you?” bagkus ay tanong niya. Natalie was emphasizing the word 'beginning', implying the time they met, or the time Ivanna and Bradley met. Why? Because it was now made sense why Ivanna appears to be always there when she and Bradley needed help --- at least before Ivanna got pregnant with Bradley.

Kung bakit naman niya naisip iyon ay dahil kung hindi siya nagkakamali, na-link si Marga kay Bradley bago pa man nagkakilala ang lalaki at si Ivanna.

Bukod pa roon ay anak ng drug kingpin si Marga. Kumbaga, kung isang DEA special agent si Ivanna, malaking posibilidad na target nito ang babaeng kinamumuhian niya.

“No,” tanggi ni Ivanna. “I’ve quit my job, actually, as a special agent three years ago. But I've returned because Guillermo Chavèz, Marga's father, killed my father.”

“Just tell her what we came for, Ivanna.”

Natalie immediately looked for the man who owned that baritone voice. A hint of Spanish accent was prevalent. Authoritative and intimidating. Parang bahagyang lumindol pa nga ang buong bahay. It was funny to say it because everyone in the living area became alert --- including Brian.

Agad itong tumayo at sumaludo, gayundin si Ivanna maging ang mga taong naka-tactical gear. All of them were looking at the direction of the house’s main entrance.

Noon lang napapihit ng ulo si Natalie. Dahil may kadiliman ang bawat bahagi ng kabahayan ay halos sumingkit ang mga mata niya maaninag man lang ang histura ng lalaking pumapasok doon. He was a big old man, probably in his sixties. Pero higit na nakatatakot ang built ng napakatikas na katawan.

The man was not white. He was a Latino.

“Mr. Garza,” sabay na wika nina Ivanna at Brian.

“At ease.” The old man stopped and stood beside the long chair Natalie was sitting, looking at her, fishing out a cigarette. Natalie just sat still and looked back. They stared at each other for minutes as if they both studying and observing each other.

Nakapagsindi na nga ng sigarilyo ang matanda at nakahithit na rin nang ilang uit ay nagtititigan pa rin sila.

“As I was saying---” Ivanna finally spoke, causing Natalie to turn her head, “---I’ve got a proposition for you. But since this matter is classified, I can only tell the proposition if you decided that you’re in, Natalie. You can’t get the revenge you wanted without our help, that’s the only assurance that I could give you.”

Pigil na pigil man ang sarili ay hindi nakontrol ni Natalie na mapaismid. “How could I say that I’m in if I wasn’t able to know what the proposition will be? I may be that desperate, Ivanna, but I’m not that stupid.”

Natawa ang matandang lalaki. “Make sense. I like this girl.” Kay Ivanna ito nakatingin. Nang ilipat nito ang atensyon sa kanya, bumalik sa pagiging seryoso ang mukha nito. “I’d like to invite you for a tour, Natalie. Will you come?”

“How about you tell me first where we’re going, old man.” Sarkastiko ang tono ni Natalie. She was just so over with these people telling her what to do without giving specific logic why she had to do it.

“To Marga and Bradley’s mansion.”

~~**~~

Marga and Bradley’s property was too big for four family members, that includes Prince and Nadine’s child. But it wouldn’t be that big if two nannies and fifty-armed security personnel were scattered across the mansion and its yard.

From the innovative surveillance equipment of an FBI helicopter, Natalie could witness the real-time event of what was happening underneath them. It was thermal imaging, not only could detect human beings but also guns as well. If the image was a human with a gun, it was sure that it was security. But if a human didn’t have a gun image, probably it was either the nannies, the kids, or Bradley and Marga.

Natalie’s hands were balled into fists the whole time. How it made her blood boiled into its boiling point, she just wanted to burst out and yell in that helicopter. Hindi niya lang magawa. Sa huli ay huminga lamang siya nang malalim saka mula sa bintana ay tinanaw niya ang mansion sa ibaba.

The house was lit. Napakaganda. May malaking hardin. May infinity pool, malawak na garahe. Hindi iyon ang mansion ni Bradley sa studio city. Lalong hindi rin iyon ang isla na binili nito para sa kanila noon. It was a new house.

It was as if Bradley really wanted to have a fresh start. Mukhang magkakaroon pa nga ng party o marahil ay katatapos lamang mag-party. Nagkalat sa likurang yard ng bahay ang mga upuan at mesa.

“How are you able to do this?” tanong niya sa matandang Garza na nakaupo sa tapat niya, malihis man lang iyong galit at hinanakit kahit paano. How she hated if Marga and Bradley really had hosted a party after what happened in West Virginia. “I mean, this is illegal --- doing a surveillance above a residential space.”

“We have our ways. We stage-managed a pursuit operation this morning: our staff called for a press conference, telling the media there was a criminal who escaped from a prison here in Burbank. We also called this village’s management that we were going to enforce a “pursuit” operation here, tonight. So you don’t have to worry, Natalie.”

Napakurap si Natalie. Mukhang makapangyarihan itong lalaking kaharap niya para magawa ang bagay na iyon. “You’ve invited me in this “pursuit” operation to show me how big the resources you have, do you, Mr. Garza?”

“Correct. And also to make you feel you couldn’t do anything against Marga without our help.”

Muli, ibinalik ni Natalie ang tingin sa ibaba. Ang totoo, walang dahilan si Natalie para pag-isipan pa kung tatanggapin niya ang tulong na iyon o hindi. She definitely needed it. Ang umaawat lamang talaga sa kanya ay hindi niya alam kung ano ang cons kapag tinanggap niya ang tulong.

“Why me? You knew Ivanna, why not her?”

“Because you’ve got what I am looking for to do the job done.”

“And what is that? How did you know that I have what you’re looking for?”

“Because I was exactly like you before I got into this position I have now: jealousy, rage, everything you have has taken away from you; those things fueled an exceptional kind of revenge nobody could ever imagine. And that kind of revenge, Ivanna doesn’t have it.”

Everything the old man said piqued Natalie’s interest. Napatitig siya kay Mr. Garza. Who the f**k was this man? Kinuhanan din ito ng lahat-lahat, ngayon ay nakukuha nito ang respeto ng bawat taong kasama nila roon sa bahay ni John, na pati si Brian na nasa tabi niya ay napatiklop nito nang ganoon na lang sa pamamagitan ng simpleng pagsasalita at presensiya.

Mr. Garza was as if a god that can do anything with just one flipped off of his hand.

Somehow Natalie wanted kind of power --- kahit man lang sana ‘pag nagkaharap na sila ni Marga.

Napakagandang ideya niyon, pero sa huli ay huminga siya nang pagkalalim-lalim.

Nais na niyang bumigay pero nais niya ring makasigurado. “Will I able to do whatever I want to Marga and kill her If I accept the proposition.”

“Definitely you will have all the privilege to do whatever kind of torture you wanted to give to Marga. You have my word.” Hindi kumukurap si Mr. Garza habang sinasabi iyon. Natalie could feel he was serious right to the bones.

Muli, isang malalim na hininga ang ibinuga niya, sa puntong iyon ay mas malakas na, muli’t-muling sinusulyapan ang mansion sa ibaba. Maybe all she needed was time to think --- a good night sleep at least.

Bagaman paano naman niya magagawang matulog nang mahimbing gayong alam niyang naroroon ang anak niya kasama si Marga? Isama pa iyong mga nagkalat na upuan at mesa doon sa likuran ng bahay. “After all that had happened, they still had the pleasure to do parties, huh?”

Bulong lamang ang ginawa ni Natalie pero mukhang narinig iyon ng mga kasama. Napatingin din sa ibaba si Brian, maging si Ivanna. Natalie forgot she was wearing headphones.

“Oh. It is not just a party, Natalie,” anang matandang lalaki.

Tumaas ang kilay niya.

Mr. Garza leaned forward, stared at her in the eye like he was giving her the warning to get ready for what he was about to say. The old man gave her knee a tap and said, “They are preparing for their wedding tomorrow.”

~~**~~