KARMA COLADA

Chapter Eighteen

"HAVE you seen this man?" Naomi tried her best to communicate with a group of female workers at a clothing store, holding up the polaroid for them to have a closer look.

Upon the sight of Gabriele's playful smirk (and solid eight-pack), they broke out into a slew of girly giggles and whispered to each other animatedly in Thai.

Hopeful, Naomi asked again, "You know him?"

When they shook their heads sideways, Naomi's shoulders drooped.

One of the women hurriedly exclaimed with two thumbs-up, "So handsome! Like Hollywood star!"

"Oh. Yes, he is," she said with an awkward laugh.

Naomi peeked behind her to see if Leon was listening, but thankfully he'd already left the shop soon after the women became hysterical over Gabriele. She couldn't blame him though.

He must be heartbroken, she thought to herself.

Before she left the clothing shop, Naomi simulated what Tor taught her; she joined her palms in front of her face and uttered a grateful, "Khaawp khun ka."

Naomi stepped out onto the sidewalk, deflated.

Another dead end.

That was the tenth store they went to along the same street as the hostel. So far, not a single person knew who and where Gabriele was. The only thing they (women and men) unilaterally agreed on was the fact that Gabriele Romano was smokin' hot.

Like, nuclear.

Naomi had to admit, although Leon was definitely up there in the looks department, Gabriele had a different kind of attractiveness to him. A dangerous kind.

Where Leon was ice, Gabriele was fire.

If life was a romance novel, Leon would be the billionaire playboy; Gabriele the passionate Italian Mafia boss.

Gabriele looked like the type of man who could make any woman lose themselves with a single caress of his sinful, full lips. His eyes were the color of melted amber, so captivating they stunned her the first time she saw the polaroid.

The slight bump on his nose merely gave him a roguish quality, as if he'd been punched in the face too many times before, by jealous boyfriends and husbands.

Knowing now what he did to both Leon and Beam, Naomi wasn't surprised if this was the truth.

"No luck. How can someone that gorgeous blend in so easily? He must be a spy or something," Naomi said to Leon.

Or rather, to the back of his head. Because even though he definitely heard her approaching, Leon chose to ignore her instead. Naomi thought she'd get used to his unfriendliness by now. Oh how wrong she was.

"Hellooo, earth to Fitzy," she drawled. When Leon whipped around to face her, the force of his glare nearly knocked her over.

"What is it about this asshole that makes everyone go googly eyed?" Leon asked gruffly, anger simmering in his eyes.

Naomi paused to think. "Well for one, he's shirtless in the picture."

He didn't appreciate her attempt at humor.

"Some people can get away with murder just by being attractive." He shook his head in dismay. To Naomi, Leon was irrevocably included in that category, but she knew better than to tell him that.

"Anyway, let's continue asking around," Naomi changed the subject, earning a curt nod from the Ice Man himself.

The shop next door was manned by a wiry-looking teenager with a man bun. From the outside, Naomi noticed metal shelves lined with pirated movies packaged in flimsy plastic, all of them arranged meticulously in alphabetical order.