The present!

"It wasn't really hard as how they imagine it would be!"

Lance said afterwards.

"How would your colleagues will react about this?"

"I'm going to tell them the truth and it's up to them how they'll figure out, who's who. Give them some work to do, until Mr. Ybanez made his move!"

"That's sound as a good plan!"

Sophia agreed on him.

"But we all knew there's no such word as perfect crime but what if someone will figure it out?"

"Where going to used Bloods and Roses as an excuse, If they'll knew who stablish it. I don't think na magkakaroon pa sila ng guts to investigate it!"

Napatango nalang si Sophia bilang pagsang ayon sa sinabi ng lalaki.

"But what are you going to do with Glaiza?"

"What do you think should I do to her?"

Balik tanong niya kay Lance habang mataman niyang pinagmamasdan ang lalaki.

"It's up to you—"

"I'm asking your opinion!"

Sophia said softly, habang nakatingin sa labas. She's tired and exhausted and wanted to end everything tonight but her body already reach its limit.

Kailangan din niyang matanggal ang bala sa kaliwang balikat so her wound won't get infected.

"Suit yourself—"

"We're friends—after all!"

Makahulugan niyang sabi bago bumaba sa sasakyan. 

Kasalukuyan silang nasa abandonadong warehouse ng mga uras na iyon, they're going to meet a very important guest.

Basta basta nalang niyang hinawakan sa buhok ang ulo ng lalaki at dinala ito sa loob. 

Lance removed the netbag that covered Glaiza's head. Nakita ni Sophia ang reaction ng babae, pinipilit nitong inaninag kung sino ang nasa kanyang karapan.

"You!"

Gulat na gulat nitong sambit sa kanya. Hindi pa ito naka recover mula sa pagkabigla ng basta nalang niyang itinapon ang ulo ni Rinald sa paanan nito.

Napasigaw si Glaiza sa sobrang pagkagulat.

"What do you want?"

Nanginginig nitong tanong sa kanya.

"If you're going to ki—"

"Your life is yours, I just want my brother back in exchange with your life and your precious brother.

Sophia said in a business tone that makes Glaiza stared at her in disbelief.

"Why you didn't kill me?"

"I've known you for a long time!" 

Sophie said calmly.

"But why?" 

"We are just in opposite side with the same goal, they used you in a wrong way!"

Natahimik bigla si Glaiza, if Sophia managed to kill Ronald it means that her chance against her is half/half plus the offer Sophia give to her is quite reasonable.

"Why should I trust you?" 

Marahas na napalingon si Sophia sa babae.

"You don't have to, just bring my brother back to me alive and unscathed—besides trust will make your head rolled down the next moment before you knew it, if your dealing with people who have trust issues!—don't trust anyone to keep your head to where it is now!"

Sophia said in a matter of fact tone habang papalayo ito kay Glaiza.

"Wait a minute!"

Anya na biglang napaharap kay Glaiza.

"Bring that precious head to Mr. Mondejar as my present. Just be careful the authorities are badly looking—ah! Just to tell you that head is quite expensive!"

Sophia said na mas diniinan ang katagang "Quite expensive!" meaning Mr. Mondejar has already place a bounty price sa sinumang makapagdala ng naturang ulo.

Glaiza grit her teeth, kung naka presyo na ang ulo nito ibig sabihin Mondejar is already in watch.

Quite expensive my foot! Ani Glaiza, as if she did not know that the bounty is just a trap, kung sino man ang magdadala ng putol na ulo ni Ronald would be likely to be headless the next moment! 

"And now she just wan't me ti bring this stup—"

Napahinto si Glaiza ng di sinasadyang mabaling ang kanyang tingin sa ulo nito, Ronald eyes was staring at her.

"If I were you—"

"Shit!"

Malakas na mura ni Glaiza ng may biglang nagsalita sa kanyang likuran.

"You startled me—you jerked!"

"I'm sorry!" 

Hinging paumanhin ni Lance bago ito humarap sa kanya.

"You?—how could you?"

"Yes it's me!"

Naguguluhang tanong ni Glaiza sa lalaki. Nanlalaki ang kanyang mga mata ng marealized ang situation.

"You are from section 7?"

"And 8!"

"You're the one been hunting—"

Hindi na naituloy ni Glaiza ang sasabihin ng makita niya ang kutsilyong hawak nito, unti-unti itong lumapit sa kanya. 

Tila naman napaurong ang dila ni Glaiza ng makita itong papalapit sa kanya.

"Please—!"

Bigla syang napamulat ng marinig ang tunog ng naputol na tali.

"If we wanted to kill you—you couldn't have seen us now. Someone like us never waste breathed for useless things, right agent 10?"

"I don't know anymore!"

Glaiza said in a matter of fact.

"My brother is the reason why I've been working like a dog to Mondejar. At first he's been good to us, he even give us a name but that was just a goddamn name"

"He's capable of using someone weakness into his advantage but it's always been us—"

"What did you know?huh?—you never live your life worrying about what tomorrow could bring us, if we could be able to eat. Homeless child like us were all abandone ang forgotten, may ginawa ba ang goberno natin? But we could not blame them for doing nothing because it's not their fault in the first place!"

Ani Glaiza na napahagulgol ng iyak.

"Someone offer us something to survived, kung ikaw ba sa sitwasyon ko aayawan mo ba ang pagkakataong ibinigay sayo? If you were standing in my shoes you will do the same—"

"I did exactly the same but I served a good master!"

Napapangiting sabi ni Lance.

"Just like you, I choose to lived even if it's really hard. If you think hindi ko naranasan ang pasakit at paghihirap na iyong naranasan you're wrong. I grow up in the street and everyday for us was like a competition and survival"

Lance said na parang binalikan ang kanyang kabataan noon.

"My body gets beaten all the time but I had to endure it. We always lived but we die only once, so naisip ko noon, we all gonna die someday but as long as we're breathing today we're going to lived no matter how hard it is. Marami kami noon then one time, Sophia suddenly come to our turf in her uniform. She was lost that time at aksidenting napadpad sa lugar namin!"

"Does she really like that?"

"She was the first person who give us food, we had our belly full on that night. She's rich and gallant. My grandfather used to tell us that the person who offers food than money is a person who is really reliable, the one you could trust. She slept with rest of us on that night and leave the next day. Pero hindi doon natapos, after school she stayed with us, eat with us, fight with us. Until one accident came up, someone invades our turf and we lost a great deal. My little sister was taken by them with the others, wala sya ng araw na iyon but she was devastated as if she lost her own family!"

Lance said ignoring Glaiza's question.

"Because of that she learned how to fought in the street. She secretly trained and become the best fighter amongst us. Do you know that the only rules in street fights is to survived? I may not experience what you experienced but mine was no less than yours—do you realized the only difference between us?"

"What?"

Tipid na sagot ni Glaiza.

"We serve different masters, perhaps if we have the same master, things will never be as complicated like this!"

"I don't know maybe!"

Glaiza shrugged her shoulder, she had known Sophia not long ago and she had enough with master-servant relationship. For once she wanted to be free.

"Mondejar was a wolf hiding with the sheep, as I told you when he took us in his wing he was great but all of it was just a lie, only later I realized he's been using us for his own greed. How could I opposed him when he had my brother? Pinaikot-ikot niya lang kami na parang mga tanga!"

Nakakuyom ang kamaong sabi ng babae. This time sisiguraduhin niyang hindi na sya nito magagamit.

"But why are you telling all of this to me, perhaps are you trying to con—"

"No!"

Agarang sagot ni Lance.

"Sophia always reminds us that we are a free folks, we can do whatever we wants but the only things that weigh to us is the consequences of our action—a life for a life!"

"But why?"

"You know Sophia said you two were friends!"

Napamaang si Glaiza sa narinig, friends? When she was such a bitch to her, sinira pa niya ang magandang relasyon nito kay Leo!

"I'm telling you this for you to realized that she valued you—if not then why are you still alive when you betrayed her? Matagal na niyang alam that you're a fake, but she choose to go along with you dahil alam niyang nagtatrabaho ka, she could've killed you, but she never did!"

"Do you really guarantee the safety of my brother?"

Glaiza asked softly, now she's turn between family and friendship.

"She won't offer something if she could not guarantee it!"

"Ok then!"

Ani Glaiza na napatayo.

"We got a deal!"

"Alright, then!"

Lance said while taking the head and put in the box.

"The present!"

Glaiza casually took it and walked out.