Moon

Chapter 35. Moon

BREE literally didn't have a clue on what's going on. She was dragged by one of AIA's agent, Leigh, and now she's aboard on a different cruise ship. Naningkit ang mga mata niya nang makilala ang ilang mga nakakalat na mga bakasyunista sa barkong iyon.

"What's this?" takang-tanong niya kay Leigh.

"What?" Mas nagtaka ito. "Aren't you with us?"

Umiling siya at lumapit dito para bumulong. "So, you are in a mission," kumpirma niya. "What is it about?"

Yaman din lang nandoon na siya, sasali na rin siya sa pagtugis sa mga target ng mga ito.

"The operation will begin at eight o'clock tonight. Our asset will be one of those clients who purchased some weapons."

Alam niyang mga baril ang tinutukoy ni Leigh.

After that short briefing, she decided to enjoy the vacation as well. At sa totoo lang, nakahinga siya ng maluwag na hindi sa barkong sinakyan ng mga pamilya nila ang magaganap na operasyon. But that did not mean that she'd let her guards down. There were still normal citizens aboard so they had to make sure there wouldn't be any casualties. Citizens or not.

At seven P.M., they were already on standby. Sa lower deck ang pwesto niya at napansing wala nang mga tao.

"Nice strategy, folks," bulong niya sa ear comm. Ipinaalam kasi sa kaniya na pinapasok ang mga tao sa kani-kanilang cabin, idinahilan ang malakas na agos ng dagat.

Naging madali ang operasyon, hindi naging madugo, marahil ay hindi inakala ng kalaban na matutugis ang mga ito roon. Ilang sandali pa ay dumating ang ilang chopper mula sa National Police para dalhin ang mga nahuli sa kustodiya ng mga ito.

At nahagip ng paningin niya ang isang kahina-hinalang staff ng barko, kaya tahimik niya itong sinundan hanggang sa makapasok ito sa isang cabin.

Napalunok siya at inalerto ang sarili. Mabilis na kinatok ang pinto. Isang babae ang nagbukas niyon at luminga siya sa loob. Walang ibang tao. At iisa lang ang ibig sabihin niyon; It's either that person a while ago was a woman, or was just pretending to be one.

"Sorry. Wrong room," aniya at umatras pero mabilis siyang hinila ng babae.

"Do you think I'm buying that? I noticed you were following me. What do you need from me?"

Nagtagis ang bagang niya dahil pasakal siya nitong hinila papasok sa loob ng cabin nang may marinig na mga yabag papalapit.

"Bree?" gulat na tawag sa kaniya ng kung sino.

Her peripheral vision saw Rexton with some guys coming towards their direction. At mukhang napansin na ng babaeng hawak-hawak siya na wala na itong takas.

"Kapag lumapit ka—kayo, papatayin ko ito!"

The two guys with Rexton were taken aback, but not him. He was lazily looking at their direction.

"Rex? Why are you here?"

"Why are you here?" naniningkit ang mga matang tanong nito.

"Kilala mo?" matigas na tanong sa kaniya ng babae.

"Of course, he's my boyfriend," kalmado, pero may pagmamalaki sa tinig niya.

"Y-your boyfriend?!"

Nakakatawa ang itsura ng dalawang kasama nito.

"Bakit? Kagulat-gulat ba na jowa ko si Rexton?"

"But you are Sunshine's vocalist, aren't you?"

Before she could nod, she choked because the woman tightened her arm that's gripping her neck.

Napalingon siya kay Rexton at nakangisi lang ito. Dang it, mukhang hindi pa naka-move on ang mokong sa pagsabi niya na boyfriend niya ito.

"Tatawa-tawa kang panonorin kung paano mamamatay itong syota mo?!" naiiritang bulalas ng babaeng ginawa siyang bihag.

"Dude, come on! Why don't you save your girlfriend?" anang isa sa mga kasama ni Rex.

"Nah, that woman should save herself instead," tamad na bulalas naman ni Rexton. Tinutukoy nito ang babae.

She only rolled her eyes and grabbed the woman's arm and twisted it. Sa isang iglap ay binalibag niya ito sa sahig. Namimilipit sa sakit.

Nang mag-angat ng tingin ay kinindatan niya ang napamaang na dalawang kasamahan ni Rexton.

Her boyfriend immediately blocked the view and irritatingly glared at those two men behind him.

"Why are you here, love?"

Napangisi siya. He made sure to speak louder so his endearment towards her could be heard. At nang mahuli nito ang tingin niya ay natigilan siya dahil sa paniningkit ng mga mata nito. Kaagad na umiling dahil mukhang naisip nito na tumatanggap pa siya ng trabaho sa AIA nang walang pasabi rito.

"Ms. Bree, can I get your sign? I'm a big fan!" She's glad that tge other man interrupted.

"Me, too! I want to have your autograph."

"Are you even a fan?"

"No. But I'm going to be her fan from now on." Bumaling ulit ito sa kaniya. "You're so cool!"

"Back off, kids," sabad ni Rexton.

"Sapaw ka naman nang sapaw. They're my fanboys. And, aren't they cute?"

Siya mismo ay natawa sa kinomento niya dahil malayo ang deskripsyon na cute sa dalawang lalaking naglalakihan ang mga muscles sa katawan.

Mahinang nagtawanan ang dalawa pero dumiretso rin ng tayo nang samaan ng tingin ni Rexton ang mga ito.

Hindi niya namalayang nakabawi na pala ng lakas iyong babae kanina at mabilis itong yumakap sa binti niya at kinagat iyon.

She shrieked because it was too sudden and her bite was excruciating.

Kaagad na nailayo ito ni Rexton sa kaniya at nanlaki ang mga mata niya pagkakita sa sugat na tinamo.

"Darn it!"

"Ms. Bree, idi-disinfect ko iyang sugat mo, baka maging zombie ka pa."

"A what?!" hindi makapaniwalang bulalas niya nang bumaling sa isa sa mga maskuladong lalaki.

"That's enough of your jokes," seryosong bulalas ni Rexton at hinabilin na ang babae sa dalawang lalaki. He also carried her in lover's carry way and they walked away to that place. Sa isang cabin sila dumiretso, at hula niya ay roon ang inookupa ni Rexton.

"Teka nga, bakit ka ba kasi nandito?" bigla niyang naalala. "Are you on a mission, too? Ah, probably you are." Siya rin ang sumagot sa tanong niya.

"How about you, then? Why are you here?" Nakahinga siya ng maluwag na hindi siya nito inakusahan kaagad kahit halata na naghihinala na ito sa kaniya—na nagtatrabaho pa rin siya bilang isang secret agent nang lingid sa kaalaman nito.

"Well..." She started explaining him the situation on how did she somehow got involved.

He told her the reason, too, and she was surprised to know that AIA and Phoenix were working together. Nalaman din niyang si Timo ang contact ng mga ito sa AIA, hindi si Arellano.

"Hindi nabanggit ni Leigh sa 'kin iyan."

"Maybe she found it irrelevant."

"But it is relevant! Boyfriend kita."

"Bet she didn't know." Ngumisi ito, parang teenage boy na kinikilig na ewan.

"Enough with those stupid smirks. You look like an idiot!"

"Can't help it. You don't usually say that I'm your boyfriend."

"Ano ba dapat ang sabihin ko? Fuck buddy? Fling?"

"Don't say that," awat nito.

"See? Saka napagdesisyunan ko nang sabihin na boyfriend kita. Kung may magtatanong lang."

"Come here..."

"Ayoko nga. You smell like a gunpowder."

He only sighed. Tama nga siyang nagpaputok ito ng baril.

"I had to. That bastard was harassing the staff in his cabin."

"Why didn't you just punch him?"

"He's fucking inserting a gun's barrel inside that staff's p—Fucking shit!"

Napatayo siya't kinilabutan. "Where's that fucking asshole? I'm going to fire my gun inside his fucking mouth! He's a psycho, Rexton! You should have killed him!"

Hinila lang siya ni Rexton paupo sa kandungan nito. "Let's not think about it. Let's take a shower first and I'll disinfect your wound." Napangiwi ito nang tiningnan iyon. "That's a nasty bite."

Malalalim ang paghinga niya habang kinakalma ng sarili. At dahil masikip lang ng banyo ay hindi na sila nagsabay sa pagligo. Pinauna na niya ito dahil tinawagan muna niya si Leigh para iparating dito na maayos lang siya't huwag na siyang alalahanin. And, yes, she also informed her that Rexton was her boyfriend.

Days after that, Stone called her to officially welcome her to Phoenix Agency. She also told him that she didn't have any missions in AIA at the mean time, so he allowed her to be their sniper during some of the operations.

Rexton also told her there's no need for her to be brainwashed. She'd be a sleeper agent that'd be activated only when needed. And her previous job was to fish for some information about TBS' CEO, Luigi Torres. Pero natabunan din ang trabahong iyon dahil kataka-takang malinis ito sa kabila ng mga naririnig niyang reklamo sa mga empleydo ng istasyon.

"Mukhang malakas ang kapit ni Torres," komento ni Stone nang makausap niya sa cellphone. "Don't do that job anymore. We're all focusing at Villarama Pharma at the moment."

"The VPC? Why?" She's familiar with that pharmaceutical company. Noong nakaraang taon ay naging endorser kasi ang Sunshine ng food supplement na gawa ng VPC.

"Don't mind about it, other teams will handle it well. Instead, I'll give you back your job. Dig in more about the Bustos Case."

"You don't really want to let that one slip away, huh?" she commented.

"I have a hunch. And I think it's better if you look into it."

"Alright, then. I'll call you back if I have something to report soon."

The call had ended.

Tinawagan kaagad niya si Rexton pagkatapos ng tawag na iyon kay Stone.

"How's Baguio?" she asked right away.

"Who's this?"

Her eyes widened because a woman answered the call.

"Why the heck are you holding my phone, Liway?!"

Liway... as in Liwayway Bustos?

She immediately ended the call as she was catching her breath. Few minutes after, the band were called out for their special and live performance at a noon show.

In the middle of that sad song, her tears fell because her mind was occupied with Rexton being with that bitch in the Summer Capital of the Philippines.

Just an hour after the show, she went straight to Rexton's unit. Nagdahilan siya sa mga kasama niyang masakit ang puson niya kaya hinayaan na siyang huwag makisalo sa pagkain sana nila sa labas.

Sa unit na niya hihintayin ang lalaki dahil nasisiguro niyang uuwi ito agad-agad. He must. Because if he wouldn't, she would definitely suspect there's something going on between him and Liwayway.

Nakatulog siya kahihintay. Gumising lang nang kumalam na ang sikmura. Hindi na rin siya umiyak dahil wala naman siyang mapapala kung iiyakan niya lang ang lahat. Sasaktan lamang niya ang sarili.

As expected, too, laman ng balita ang pag-iyak niya habang kumakanta kanina. She was even asked by the host right after the performance, and she said that she just got carried away how sad that ballad song was. Na tipong kahit hindi brokenhearted ay mabo-broken sa pakikinig niyon. Lalo na ang kumakanta.

But, as usual, show business was still show business. Ang daming ispekulasyon sa dahilan ng pag-iyak niya. Their performance was also one of the top searches in YouTube and there were lots of comments cheering her up. Some even speculated Devin broke up with her when she clearly stated she didn't have any intimate relationship with her friend.

Napakamot na lang siya ng ulo at hinagis sa gilid ng kama ang cellphone niya. Pero kinuha niya rin at tumipa. It's a photo of her hand, clasped with Rexton's, inside his Mustang.

Her caption was: I appreciate your worries about me, Sunnies. But I'm really fine.

P.S.: My boyfriend's just fine, too.

Napangisi siya nang i-post iyon sa personal sns account niya. She referred to Sunshine band's fandom name, 'Sunnies' or sometimes, they called them as 'Sunshines'.

Kinagabihan ay dumating si Rexton, gusot-gusot ang suot na damit. Nakalimutan niya kaagad ang tungkol kay Liwayway dahil sa hitsura nito. He looked like a mess.

Napamura siya nang makalapit ito nang husto at bumagsak ang katawan nang yumakap sa kaniya. Mabuti at hindi sila nabuwal.

"Is this a gunshot?!"

He groaned. "Liwayway is dead."

Nangunot ang noo niya. "Liwayway Bustos? Matagal nang patay, hindi ba?" Kinabahan siya nang makuha ang ibig sabihin nito.

"The mistress, baby."

"What...?" The last thing she knew was she had an illegal abortion. And, now... "How did it happen? I mean, you're just together, aren't you?"

"She died in front of me."

But, she didn't let him go on. Inalalayan niya ito sa loob ng banyo at siya na ang nagpaligo. She also called in Phoenix to ask for some help. Hindi siya sigurado kung bumaon ang bala sa braso nito pero may daplis din ito sa kamay, kaya ang hinala niya ay pinatamaan ito sa kamay para mapigilan ito sa pagbaril.

Two of the agents who's in medical field came after a few. Mabilis lang na inasikaso ang mga tama ng baril ni Rexton saka na sila iniwan. Good thing it wasn't serious, but the wounds would take a week or two to heal.

She sighed and served the food on the bed table. Hindi na kasi niya ito pinatayo kanina, at hinayaang makatulog na. Ngayon ay gising na matapos lamang ng tatlong oras.

"Matulog ka pa pagkatapos mong kumain. Bet you didn't sleep at all."

Tumango ito.

"Kumain ka na."

"I'm sorry," bulalas nito sa gitna ng pagkain.

She only nodded, but wanted to ask for more questions. Pero hindi na pala niya kailangan dahil nagsimula na itong isiwalat ang nangyari.

"Liwayway secretly tailed me in Baguio, but she never realized she's being followed, too. When she answered your call, I was getting some water for her to drink. She looked restless and high from drugs, too."

She sat on the side of the bed and stayed still; waiting for him to say more.

"I wasn't going to believe any of her lies, but when she talked about Hans' parents, I was taken aback."

She got it why. Because if she's not the real Liwayway, how did she know about Hansel's identity?

Naalala niya si Devon.

"Wait, I'll call Devon, I'll have him investigate—"

"No. I'll do this alone."

"But I'm on this job. Stone told me to dig in more about the Bustos Family."

"He did?"

Tumango siya. "Let me help, okay? You should focus on your jobs. Don't mind me. I'll do well."

"Are you sure you want to? You can just be Sunshine's vocalist, Bree."

"Are we going back at it again?"

Matagal bago ito bumuntong-hininga at umiling.

"Kumain ka pa. Lumalamig na iyang sabaw."

Sinunod siya nito.

After a month of having a jam-packed schedule, Devon finally sent her the files that she needed. She immediately went straight to Rexton's office to discuss about that matter.

But she was surprised instead when she told her about one thing.

"You were right, Bree. There was a camera installed in that room." Ngumuso ito sa painting, kung saan pintuan namang talaga.

"A camera?" Nanlaki ang mga mata niya. "Is it for real?! There's a camera?!"

"There was. Pinatanggal ko na't pinaalis na riyan ang mga gamit."

"What? Why?" Damn, why was she sounding a bit disappointed? Maybe because she unconsciously wanted to try those.

"Should I bring those in my room, then?"

Umiling siya at iniba ang usapan. Saka na nila haharapin ang kinginang video camera na iyon.

"I came here because of this." She browsed something on her phone. "I'll just be quick because I'm meeting the girls by six to eat dinner. Mag-a-alas sinco na."

"What is it?"

"I'll be sending these files to you first. Wait."

Bago pa nito matingnan ang cellphone ay ipinaliwanag na niya. "Liwayway isn't just Ex-Mayor Devila's mistress. She's his secretary, too." Alam niyang matagal nang alam ni Rexton ang tungkol doon.

"Bree, I know what you're saying."

"But you don't know that she's Liwayway's best friend! Must be the reason why she knew Hans."

Rexton sighed. "Baby, I know..."

Napakurap-kurap siya. "Did you not tell me everything what happened to Baguio?"

He guiltily avoided her gazes. He stood up and grabbed his laptop on the table, and went to sit beside her. After opening a few folders, some CCTV footages and one from a Blackbox were played. Maang na napatitig siya kay Rexton.

"When did you have these?"

"A week before Liwayway died."

In the first footage, Rexton's car was parked and he started jogging. On the other angle, he's seen going inside a public restroom. And a few minutes after, the mysterious woman carrying a garbage bag went it. She went out almost after fifteen minutes.

At ang kuha mula sa isang Blackbox ng sasakyan ay makikitang may nakasunod sa misteryosong babaeng si Liwayway Bustos, at nang luminga-linga ito ay nakilala niya ang mukha nito, ang kabit ni Gov.

"Where did you get these?" namamanghang tanong niya nang hindi inaalis ang tingin sa laptop.

"From dad..."

"Ha? Kay Tito?" Napalingon siya rito.

"He apparently ordered some people to delete these CCTV footages before, but instead of deleting, he ended up having these original copies."

"How about this one?" Pinakialaman niya ang mga video files at p-in-lay ang kuha mula sa Blackbox.

"It's from my car's."

"Ah, really?" hindi makapaniwalang bulalas niya. "Then... was the reason why you kept Liwayway in Baguio after knowing that she followed you was to confront her about this?"

Tumango ito bilang pag-amin.

"And on that fateful day, she was killed..."

"She didn't realize she's being tailed. And since she knew a lot of things about the ex-mayor, I'm assuming she got killed because of that."

"But I thought you were talking about Hans?"

"The killer couldn't hear our conversation. She was shot in a long range."

"A sniper..." bulalas niya. At may naalala pa siya. "Ano pang nalaman mo?"

"That's all. I wasn't able to get the informations that I need."

Nangangatal ang mga kamay na tumipa siya sa cellphone at pinakita niya rito ang litrato ng isang teenager. Lumang litrato iyon.

"Who's that?"

"Luna Bustos, Liwayway's only niece."

He was puzzled when she looked at him.

"Doesn't her name ring a bell? From that murder case?"

"Fuck?"

"Yes, Rexton, Liwayway killed her sister's family."

The Bustos Murder Case was about a woman in her early thirties, who was a drug addict, killed her older sister and her niece, and as for her grandson, there were records of him that he died due to a heart complications two weeks after he was born.

And his name was: Moon Apollo Bustos.

REXTON wasn't getting any of it. But when he opened the files and browsed onto it, he immediately got what his girlfriend was talking about.

"How can be my son associated with the Bustoses? Their kid died already."

Bree sighed. "We have to know more about that, but I'm certain that Hans is this teenage girl's child. But Hans became your son years ago so she doesn't have the rights to him anymore. Uh, wait, can I call him my son, too?"

Sa kabila ng kaseryosohan ng pag-uusap nila ay napangiti siya.

"Do you think he'd still like to call me mom? He's turning thirteen soon, right? Baka hindi na niya pala ako gustong maging mommy kasi lumaki na siyang walang mommy. Nasanay na."

"The other day he asked me when will we get married..."

"Baka unahan pa tayong magpakasal ng anak mo sa sobrang bagal mo."

Natigilan siya roon. "Huh?"

Tumango ito, pero tumayo rin kaagad, ngingisi-ngisi. "Just browse those files that I sent to you. The girls will roast me if I'd be late in our dinner. Bye!" She gave him a quick peck on his lips and walked away. She looked back and waved goodbye before storming out.

Nanatili siyang tulala sa pinto at namutawi sa isip niya ang binanggit ni Bree.

"Ako? Mabagal...?"