Breaking the Rules (Mondragon Series #3)

Chapter Thirty Eight

"Sa tingin mo ba may pakialam kami kung sino ang may-ari ng mga ninanakaw namin?" natatawang sabi no'ng lalaki na sinundan din ng iba pang tawa sa paligid na nagpa-totoo lang sa hinala ko na hindi lang kami ang nandito ngayon sa lugar na 'to.

Talasan mo ang pakiramdam mo, Eliz. Hulaan mo kung ilan sila at saan sila nakapwesto. Subukan mong analisahin ang sitwasyon para makatakas ka sa mga 'to, sabi ko pa sa sarili ko.

Dahil gaya nga nang nasabi ng lalaking kumausap sa akin, wala si Eros sa tabi ko ngayon para tumulong o kahit na sino sa mga Mondragon para matulungan akong makatakas sa kinalalagyan ko.

Lihim akong huminga nang malalim saka pumikit at pinakinggan iyong iba't ibang tawa at boses na naririnig ko ngayon saka nagsimulang magbilang sa isip ko.

Isa... Dalawa... Tatlo, apat, lima... Anim...

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang matapos mapakinggan ang mga tunog sa paligid ko.

Sampu silang lahat!

Tila nauupos na kandila na napaluhod ako sa sahig dahil sa ka-miserablehan ng sitwasyon ko.

Hindi ko nasisiguro kung tama ba iyong mga napakinggan ko. Pero ang sigurado lang sa akin ngayon ay magiging imposible ang pag-alis ko dito sa lugar na 'to ngayon.

At kung makakatakas man ako, hindi ko masisiguro kung makakalabas ba akong buhay o isa nang malamig na bangkay.

"Huwag n'yong bibigyan ng kahit anong makakain ang babae na 'to, maliwanag?" narinig kong utos ng lalaking may hawak sa akin kanina. "At siguraduhin n'yong hindi na makakawala ang babae na 'to. Dahil siya ang magiging pinakamalaking isda na makukuha natin sa mga Mondragon."

"Magkano ba ang hihingin natin sa kanila, boss?" dinig kong tanong ng isa pang boses.

"Hindi ko na kailangan banggitin pa kung magkano dahil iisa lang naman ang gusto nating makuha noong una pa lang..."

Muling nagtawanan ang mga kasamahan ko sa lugar na 'to saka muling binalot ng kilabot ang buong katawan ko.

Ano iyong sinasabi nila na gusto nilang makuha sa mga Mondragon?

Ano bang iyong malaking bagay na kailangan nila kay Eros?

Eros

"WHAT DO you mean she's gone?"

My grip on my fist tightens after receiving the news that Monique was suddenly gone—again—and they were no traces found on where she might have left.

"Nagpaalam lang siya sa akin na ibabalik iyong mga baso sa kusina," Gael explained, looking terrible as he always been after losing Monique for the first time. "Tapos no'ng nagtaka na ako kung bakit siya natagalan sa kusina, pagpunta ko doon, hindi ko na siya makita. Wala rin siya sa buong bahay o kahit sa kalapit na lugar."

"What did you do to cause her to flee?" I asked.

But I'm having this bad feeling about what this situation might have cause.

"Do I need to explain everything to you, Eros?" There was anger and embarrassment in his voice but it's nothing compare to the fury I'm feeling inside my chest for his irresponsible behavior.

He just got his fiancée back. And now he lost her... again!

"You were asking for my help," I give emphasis on every word, losing all the patience that I gathered for this bastard. "I need to know what happened. Every small detail—"

"We make out! We're about to have sex! Ano? Masaya ka na?" he answered annoyingly. "That was a private matter to ask, Eros. When will you learn to have some decency?"

"And when will you learn to start owning up to your mistakes, take responsibility of it as an adult and for fucking damn sake, take a proper care for your fiancée?" I said irritable me, trying to put my fist straight into his face for what he had said.

This fucker is trying to have sex with a woman who doesn't even remember him, I grinned inside my head.

But I know that my anger was not as simple as simple as how it was.

It was this annoying jealousy that is starting to build up inside my chest that infuriates me.

She's about to get married with this bastard, Eros! Stop thinking about her! Stop making yourself so concern about her! I keep reminding myself about these things for the past forty eight hours since we last laid eyes to one another.

But every time I try to close my eyes and erase her memories; the shape of her body, the warmth of her skin into mine, her moans, her fingers digging into my back, how she cried my name whenever she's about to reached climax, the feeling of my body to hers, and just how beautiful the sound of her laughter that resonates into my ears, it feels like I'm awake but already been living in this terrible, torturous nightmare.

Everywhere I go, even in my dreams...

All I can think about is her.

It's like I'm obsessing over something that wasn't even, and will never be, mine after all.

That's why I said those terrible things to her. I need to. I don't have a choice but to make myself the villain of the story. I have to choose the right thing to do.

I want her to hate me as much as I want to hate myself for being betrayed, fooled and letting myself be attached to a person who's about to be tied to someone else—worst, to a close family member. To Gael.

I need to make things clear for both of us and to stop this madness of wanting her when I shouldn't.

It was just sex, that's what I keep telling myself.

But damn me for thinking over that just sex over and over again.

And damn me for getting jealous after knowing that they almost had sex right behind my back.

"May nakakaalam ba nito maliban sa ating dalawa?" I asked after a moment of contemplation.

"Wala," he said with a exasperated sigh. "Nandito ang mga magulang ko at si abuela. Ayokong pati sila ay maabala ko sa problema na 'to."

"And it's okay to bother me over your carelessness?" I said sarcastically.

"Ikaw ang nakahanap kay Eliz no'ng mga panahong nawawala siya, Eros," the bastard tried to reason out then continued. "Saka kung may mas nakakaalam man sa pasikot-sikot ng isla, ikaw iyon."

"You grew up in the island as well," I reminded him. "If you can't handle the responsibility about your fiancée whereabouts, then, you should hand her over to someone who can."

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?" his forehead ceased.

"Why don't you figure it out yourself instead of passing to someone else your dirty work?" I said mockingly and jumped into Achilles. "Because the next time I found her, I will never hand her over to you anymore."

I didn't let him think about the meaning or what I said neither say another word and pull Achilles' render and start running towards the opposite direction of the island.

If Gael cannot guarantee Monique's safety, then I have no choice but to snatch her away and break all our family's rule for good.