Felix Culpa (Valmont's Consigliere/CamRen)

McWich

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

R e e s e

"Everybody, greet," I ordered my team. "Good morning, sir." The warden just waved at us. Halos dito na yata nakatira itong si sir, double-checking the paperwork and maintaining the harmony. Am I a bad team leader if I don't even know the guy's name? Gosh, sorry.

"Morning, students." The old man approached me. "Oh, Cadet First Lieutenant De Leon, close watch on 21986, alright?" Teegan clears her throat, grinning. Justine, ah, the same thing. "I saw Tristan's report regarding the matter." Yeah, the fake ass report that says everything that happened to Mackenzie was self-inflicted. They can't fool me. I fucking nailed my Special Crime Investigation subject. "Okay, kids. I have to take my rest now. Are you enjoying your stay here?"

"We are, sir. Thank you for asking."

"Great. If you, kids, need anything, just tell me." I nodded, smiling at the main man of the institution. I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Warden. Sabi mo 'yan, ha? Sige. "Today, you'll meet the Falcons. The Sparrows will have their rest. Good luck, Cardinals!"

K e n

"Trouble in paradise?"

"This is the farthest thing from paradise. But hey, maybe this is heaven, 'cause De Leon over there, looks like an angel." I face-palmed, gluing my eyes to the girl. "She says she won't talk to me unless I tell her the truth about what happened. Gusto kong sabihin pero baka ano'ng gawin ni Tristan sa kanya, malapit pa naman sila ni Mallory. Malakas ang andar ng Tenyente ko, I love it."

"Ah, kaya may LQ kayo." Pumalatak si Hailee sabay inom ng tubig. Water mukbang, nagpapapayat daw siya, eh. Ang sexy na nga nitong babaeng 'to. "Sabihin mo na kaya? Bakit ba kasi?"

"Teegan told me not to."

"'Cause she might kill Mallory and her minions in their sleep para sa'yo? Ang sweet naman ni Tenyente." Hailee nudged me, kinking her eyebrows. "No worries. You heard the guy, Reese would still be guarding you." I was put on suicide watch, that's why. "You're her special duty."

"I'll take it. It's the closest thing to a pre-sex date. Aarte pa ba ako?"

"Lucky you."

"Wait. I thought she was gonna be stuck in the admin doing paperwork?" I can recall Butler telling me that. It broke my heart when I heard it. "Do you have something to do with it? Umamin ka."

"Me? Oh, no." Hailee placed her hand on top of her chest. "Of course, not." I doubt it, with all those giggles and shit. "New team, new rules," The lady officer says to me. "Duh?"

"Mhmm, says you."

"And you know how meticulous JO Ortega is. She doesn't trust anyone's work but her own. She triple checks every fucking thing." We saw the woman in her forties that we were talking about, with her usual cup of coffee. Penelope Ortega just nodded when she saw us smiling at her, though, she looked skeptical when I did. I must've forgotten that I am a detainee at hindi estudyanteng nakatambay sa mall. "You do like this girl, don't you?"

"I do. A lot."

"Well, I gotta go meet your girlfriend now," Sabi nito sa akin pagtingin niya sa kanyang relo. "Laters, Ken!"

"Hailee, thank you."

"I know some JO's here treat all of you like trash, my friend," JO Andres smiles at me. "...able to give you a little peace of mind won't hurt." With that, I was fully convinced that there are still good people in the world. Humans need more Hailee's and less of Tristan Butler. Don't forget Mallory's clan. What a waste of space.