Marcus POV
"They want you dead." It was like a bomb that was dropped right infront of me. Nabitawan ko ang tinidor dahil ramdam ko ang panginginig ng kamay ko.
"W-Who?" I tried to keep calm but my voice is betraying me so I coughed a little to relieve the tension in my throat.
Damn! Is this some kind of a joke? Am I being filmed in a movie or something? Or am I still sleeping and everything that I heard is just a manipulation of my brain?
Is this a dream?
A bad one?
Everything is surreal!
'God, please wake me up from this nightmare!' I silently prayed.
"A rival mafiaso." Maingat na sagot ni Arken. Napahawak ako sa sentido dahil biglang sumasakit ang ulo ko. Tumawa ako at tiningnan ito dahil baka joke time lang ang sinasabi niya.
"You've got to be kidding me, Babe. Is this a prank?" I laughed hysterically unable to accept the hard reality but she just shook her head.
"I'm sorry." She softly said and I saw regret in her eyes.
Right. She never joked. It is not in her character to sprout jokes at times like this.
Napahilamos nalang ako sa palad ko upang payapain ang kabang nararamdaman. I didn't know! Kaya pala pinaputukan agad ang kama ko kagabi. Wala pala talaga silang planong buhayin ako. Naalala ko bigla sina Mommy, Daddy at Maui kaya mas lalong lumakas ang kaba sa dibdib ko. Parang bombilya na umilaw nalang ito bigla sa isip ko.
"H-How about my family, Babe?! Are they gonna kill them, too?!" Frantic kong tanong. Hinawakan naman niya agad ang kamay ko.
"Sssh.. My men are guarding them 24/7. Nothing's gonna to happen to them and I assure you that, Babe. Hindi ko pababayaan ang mga mahahalagang tao sa buhay mo."
"How can you be so sure of that, Babe? Look at what happened to me last night. I almost got killed!"
"It was a plan to trap them."
"What the!" I hissed. "Plan?! Trap them?! Am I just a bait to you now?!" Kunot noong tanong ko. I'm getting annoyed dahil hindi ko nagustuhan ang sinabi nito. "It seems to me that you're just experimenting at my own expense! Wow!"
"No! That's not true! I don't want you to get hurt! That's the last thing that I want to happen Marcus and you know that."
"Pero 'yon ang pagkakaintindi ko." Giit ko. I saw a hint of pain in her eyes.
"I did it because I want to find out who the mastermind is. I want to end this hunting game! I want this to stop! Please understand me, Babe.."
"Still!" I spat and stopped her. Damn! I am fucking annoyed. That was a careless act for God sake! I can't even forget how I killed those two men last night and how I fought hard for my dear life!
I can't forget it! It feels like it's haunting me every second! Kahit sa panaginip ko ay paulit-ulit pa rin na nagri-replay ang mga nangyari.
"Don't you trust me?" I froze. "When did I ever fail to protect you, huh?"
Trust...
Trust...
Should I trust her? Tiningnan ko ang kamay naming magkahawak habang inaalala ang mga masasaya at malulungkot naming pinagdaanan.
I wouldn't still be here if I don't trust her. She's my everything.
Of course, I do trust her. I'll always trust her more than anyone else but I don't know! Kinakain ako ng takot. Hindi para sa sarili ko kundi para sa pamilya ko.
