F.L.A.W Series Book 4: SAPPHIRE

Chapter Four

"Who are you, Finnegan? Are you a criminal or a police officer? Were you the one who killed those men on the yacht? Are you a dangerous man?"

Saglit lang nagbago ang itsura ng lalaki at muling ngumiti sa kanya na para bang nagpapatawa siya.

"I'm not a criminal nor a police officer. I am not a dangerous man, Lux. I'm a business man." He proudly said. "But I'm not gonna lie about what happened on the yacht." And then he became serious. "Yes, I did kill some of them." He admitted without any remorse in his tone. "But that's because I had to save myself. It's only self-defense. They started it."

"So you're justifying what you did?" Ani Saph habang nakataas ang isang kilay.

"I'm not justifying my actions. I am only explaining my side of the story."

"And how can we hear their side of the story?- oh wait, we can't, right?" She sarcastically said. "Because you killed them!"

Huminga muna ng malalim si Finn na para bang kinakalma ang sarili bago siya sagutin.

"I told you, I only killed some of them as self-defense. They are the ones who started killing each other. Nadamay lang ako."

"Nadamay? So you're the victim now?"

"I didn't say that." Kontrolado pa din ang tono nito at hindi pa napipikon kay Lux. "It's a meeting between two parties and then something went wrong and they started shooting each other- killing one another."

"You sounded as if you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during that incident, huh?" Pinapahalata talaga niya ang pagdududa niya rito. "Pa-victim effect ka."

"I never said I was a victim-"

"And you didn't admit that you're one of the suspects too." Putol niya sa binata. "Then what is your role in that incident?"

"A bystander?" Tunog nagpapalusot.

"Oh please, don't give me that crap. You were in the middle of the sea and it's a private yacht so you cannot be a bystander. You're a guest or maybe a part of either of the group."

Bigla nag-iba ang paraan ng pagngiti nito sa kanya.

"You're smart for an island girl." Sabay hagod ng tingn sa kanya. "And you sound as if you're doing an investigation on me. Are you a police officer?"

"If I am, you'd be in jail already." Tinatapatan niya ang kakaibang ere ng lalaki. "I'm just being curious and careful here because I don't want to be branded as someone who is harboring a criminal."

He chuckled as if she was joking.

"As I've said, I am not a criminal." At saka humakbang papunta sa kanya kaya't hinahanda na niya ang sarili kung susugod ito sa kanya. "Yes, I was invited by Mehran, a potential business partner and the one who owns the yacht to attend a private meeting. Meeting iyon kasama si Ahmed na dating kalaban ni Mehran sa negosyo ngunit nagkasundo na magtie-up sa bagong business venture. Hindi sila nagkasundo sa usapan at nagka-initan. And then they started aiming their guns at one another. A shooting ensued, and I got caught up in the middle. Someone attacked me so I had to fight back." Sabay turo sa sugat nito sa tagiliran. "I did kill some but just to protect myself and when I heard a low explosion underneath, I knew that I had to jump to the water before the yacht can sink."