#DS5Unbowed #EmbRace #PuppyCouple #DaggerSeries
CHAPTER 15: OURS
EMBER'S POV
Naalimpungatan ako nang marinig ko ang pagbukas ng pintuan. I saw Trace trying to be quiet as he entered the room. It's no use since I've always been a light sleeper. Except when I've had too much to drink the night before or when he's with me.
Lumapit ang binata sa kinaroroonan ko na napansin na gising na ako. He pulled my blanket up, tucking me in. "You don't need to wake up, princes. I was just checking on you."
Imbis na sundin siya ay umupo at niyakap ko ang mga tuhod ko habang pinapasadahan siya ng tingin. "Are... are you okay?"
"I am."
"Did you catch him?" I whispered.
"We did."
"Is it over then?"
Does it mean that I need to go back now? If they caught him, then there's no reason for me to stay with them anymore.
My chest tightened with pain at the thought. I've been to different countries for years, and I've been alone at Rancho Callista for what feels like forever. I've never been attached to one place... pero bakit pakiramdam ko ay nadudurog ang puso ko na ngayon ay kailangan ko ng umalis sa lugar na sandali pa lang akong nanatili?
"I need to tell you something important, Ember. Tomorrow we'll—"
I don't want to go.
"Can I stay until the end of the week? I have a lot of things to pack and..." I don't want to go.
Sandaling pinagmasdan niya lang ako. Kinagat ko ang ibabang labi ko na para bang magagawa no'ng pigilan ang luhang nagsisimulang mamuo sa mga mata ko. Don't cry. Stop being pathetic, Ember.
I heard Trace curse under his breath, and in an instant, I was wrapped in his arms.
"That's not what I was supposed to tell you, princess."
"You caught him."
"It's not yet over." Humigpit ang pagkakayakap niya sa akin. "You're not leaving."
It feels like he's not just talking about the current situation. That I don't need to leave yet because the case is not over. Instead... it feels like there was something definite behind his words.
"We have something important to discuss about the case tomorrow..." Nagbaba siya ng tingin sa suot na relos. "Later. When you slept longer and you're fully rested." He met my eyes, and then he gently ran his fingers through my hair. "Stay here for now. I need to go back to the meeting first."
Nilingon ko ang orasan na nakapatong sa bedside table. It's already one in the morning.
"Can't we talk now? Hindi rin naman ako makakabalik sa pagtulog hanggang hindi ko alam kung anong nangyayari." I barely slept when he was away. I doubt I'll be successful at sleeping peacefully this time.
Kita ko ang pagkabantulot sa kaniya. He sighed, and he brushed my hair again. "I don't know exactly what to tell you yet or what I should at the moment. That is what the meeting is about."
"What do you mean?" Nang hindi siya kaagad makapagsalita ay pinakatitigan ko siya. He's becoming more uncomfortable under my stare as seconds pass. He shouldn't try gambling. He'll lose for sure. "Are you hiding something for me?"
"I don't think we should call it "hiding"... just—"
He looks so lost. He's trying so hard to come up with an excuse.
"You're just not telling me something?" I suggested.
"That's right!"
If we're talking about another thing, I might have found him cute. He even clapped his hands together, and his eyes are shining with relief.
I gave him a blank stare that could have frozen a hot spring. Nakahalukipkip na lumayo ako sa kaniya. "That's the same thing!"
"Princess..."
Inabot ko ang jacket na nakuha nila Lucienne kanina sa opisina ni Trace at isinuot ko iyon. She also let me borrow her clean ombre pajamas so that I wouldn't need to go back to the farmhouse before she left with the other Dawson wives to go to Belaya's family's house. They need to get their babies, and they couldn't all stay here with them. Their husbands were not comfortable with them going back to their houses alone after everything that happened, so they are staying with Belaya's family for the night.
Tumayo ako at nilagpasan ko si Trace. Mabilis na iniwasan ko siya nang magtangka siyang hulihin ang kamay ko at tuloy-tuloy na lumabas ako ng kuwarto. I can feel him following me, but I just ignored him.
I found the conference room they use for clients empty when I passed by so I headed straight to the elevator. Nang bumukas iyon ay kaagad akong pumasok. Iyon nga lang ay ganoon din si Trace na sa hindi malamang kadahilan ay nangingiti.
I squinted my eyes at him, and I pressed the open button. "Hindi mo kailangang sumama sa akin."
Pinindot niya ang close button dahilan para sumara ulit ang pintuan ng elevator. "Gusto kong sumama."
"Ayokong kasama ka," sagot ko at muli kong pinindot ang buton.
"Ako gusto ko." Muling sumarado ang pintuan ng kinaroroonan namin. "And I'm needed in the meeting too."
I was about to press the button again, when a voice rang around the small containment we're in.
"Can you both please stop playing with the elevator? We're starting the meeting in five minutes."
Napasinghap ako. That sounded like Axel. Nagpalingon-lingon ako at tumigil ang mga mata ko sa isang panig ng kinaroroonan namin kung saan namataan ko ang camera.
Malakas na bumuntong-hininga ako nang maramdaman kong gumalaw ang elevator hudyat na umaakyat na iyon. Humalukipkip na ipinako ko ang mga mata ko sa pintuan niyon habang pilit na hindi pinapansin ang lalaking nasa tabi ko.
"Are you really going to ignore me now?"
I didn't answer.
"Are you angry?"
Hmph. I kept my mouth firmly shut.
"You don't like me anymore?"
His voice sounded like a puppy that had been kicked. And I happen to hate seeing animals wounded. Nanggigigil na nilingon ko siya at nang makitang nasa kaniya na ang atensyon ko ay lalo pa niyang pinalungkot ang ekspresyon sa mukha niya.
"That won't work on me," I grumbled. Liar. It already did. "I always answered you whenever you asked questions, and you don't want to do the same for me."
"Sinasagot mo lang ang gusto mong sagutin," pagtatama niya.
He's right, but whatever. "That's different. This one is important."
Bumuntong-hininga siya at inabot niya ang button panel ng elevator. He pressed one that made the lift come to a stop.
He put his right hand on his chest and then his left on top of it. Seryosong tinignan niya ako. "Put your hands like this."
It must be because I was sleep deprived, or maybe because I just woke up and my brain is still trying to catch up, that I found myself doing what he asked before I got the chance to ask him why he wanted me to do such a thing.
"Why—"
Huli na para mapigilan ko siya. The moment I copied the position of his hands, he wrapped his arms around me, trapping me effectively.
"Now you can't run away."
"Trace!"
"This doesn't look good to me. I want to always make you blush because you look so cute with it. I love the red on your cheeks, so I keep doing things to make you smile. But here you are, red with rage, and I find that adorable as well."
Dahil nananatiling nakakulong ako sa kaniya ay tanging mga paa ko lang ang nakakagalaw. I stomped my feet, choosing them to show my sign of protest. Iyon nga lang ay mukhang nakadagdag lang iyon sa pagkaaliw niya.
"Trace Dawson!" I growled.
"What should I do?" he murmured. "I just end up liking everything about you."
"Trace—"
"I'm on your side, princess." Hinigpitan niya ang pagkakayakap niya sa akin. "We were assigned to guard you, but our client is your father. We always report to him. But I am on your side."
I immediately caught on to what he was saying. I know my father well. Or to be exact, I know how controlling he could be.
"He asked you all to hide something from me, didn't he?"
He just looked at me for a moment, but after awhile he nodded. "I didn't agree nor did my brothers. I made a deal with your father. Papatapusin muna namin ang competition at aasikasuhin namin ang tungkol sa ama mo bago sabihin sa'yo."
"Then when we got home from Cambodia we went straight to an outing."
"You were never in danger—"
Pinutol ko ang sasabihin niya. "I know that. Alam kong hindi mo hahayaan na mangyari iyon. I always feel safe with you, and I also didn't regret going when Lucienne invited me to the outing. I was really happy to be with everyone."
"And with me?"
I hate lying. I hate liars. When there's no reason to hide it, I don't see why I need to exert energy doing it. So I didn't.
"And with you," I answered truthfully.
Namayani ang katahimikan sa paligid namin habang ang mga mata namin ay hindi humihiwalay sa isa't isa.
A sound of someone sighing surrounded us, followed by Axel's voice. "Seriously guys? People are waiting for the elevator downstairs."
"Mind your own business, Kuya," Trace said without taking his eyes off me.
There was a pause before Axel spoke again, "Do you want to be my favorite brother again? Do you want to earn hours of duty in the control room?"
"That can't happen since I'm going to be with Ember 24/7." Umangat ang sulok ng labi ni Trace. "Right princess?"
"R-Right."
Hindi na muling sumagot ang nakatatandang kapatid ni Trace at muli kaming naiwan sa katahimikan. When I couldn't stand it anymore, I moved my arms, and then I looked at him pointedly as if telling him to let me go.
He loosened his hold, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Iyon nga lang ay sandali lang ang tinagal niyon dahil hinawakan niya ang magkabila kong pulsuhan at siya na mismo ang nagpaikot sa mga iyon sa sarili niyang katawan. After that, his arms went back around me.
"As much as I like seeing you riled up, I hate that you're angry at me. Just like I've told you, I'm on your side. I will always be on your side."
I searched his face, and I only saw the truth laced in his words. I can also see that there's more to it.
"My father is not the kind of man who likes to be contradicted." When his eyes flashed, it confirmed what I already realized. "He's dropping Dagger."
Instead of answering me, he pressed a button on the elevator's panel. Seconds later, the lift started going up again.
Nang bumukas ang pintuan ay inabot niya ang kamay ko at hawak iyon na iginaya niya ako papunta sa kuwarto na mukhang siyang conference room. I think the one downstairs was for clients.
Bago makapasok doon ay nahagip ng tingin ko ang mga nakasaradong pintuan na may pangalan ng magkakapatid. I wonder what Trace's office looks like? Ipinilig ko ang ulo ko sa isipin na iyon. This is not the time.
"Took you long enough," Gun said when he looked up from what he's doing. "Take your seats, you two."
Lahat ng magkakapatid ay naroon na at mukhang kanina pa naghihintay. Lahat sila ay mukhang abala. Lalo na si Axel na parang any moment ay lulubog na sa mga nakatambak na papel sa harapan niya.
Trace pulled out a chair for me, but I didn't sit. Sa halip ay direktang tinignan ko ang kinaroroonan ni Thorn na tutok na tutok ang mga mata sa binabasa. As if feeling my eyes on him, his gaze went up and met mine.
"My father want to drop Dagger?"
Thorn tipped his head as if pointing at the seat. "Sit down please."
"Are you going to let me go then?"
Isinarado ng panganay na Dawson ang hawak niya na folder at tinitigan ako. If my competitiveness hadn't developed over the years, I would have backed away from the intensity of his stare. I gained mine because I'm an athlete, and I have no doubt his came from being the oldest out of the eight of them.
I felt Trace squirm beside me, but I didn't stand down. Pagkalipas ng ilang sandali ay bumuntong-hininga si Thorn. He looks harassed, but for some reason, there's also a hint of respect in his expression.
"I'm not surprised that my hard-headed brother got a more hard-headed woman," he muttered under his breath. Sumandal siya sa kinauupuan niya at muli niyang itinuro ang isa na nasa harapan ko. "The answer to your last question is no. We are not guard dogs that follow our master whenever they command us to stay and play dead."
"Take a sit, princess. It's going to be okay." When I didn't immediately move, Trace spoke quietly so only I could hear. "If you don't sit down, I'm going to put you on my lap."
Napapitlag ako at nanlalaki ang mga matang nilingon ko siya. Nag-iinit ang mga pisngi na umupo ako bago pa niya matuloy ang banta niya.
"It's funny how she's stubborn to other people when she wants to, but she's cute like a puppy with Kuya Trace," Coal said with a grin.
"I'm not a puppy," I said before I could stop myself. "I'm a wolf."
It's what most people call me. Aside from those who love to badmouth me. It's either the Huntress, Queen of Arrows, the Archeress, or the Lonely Wolf.
"A wolf puppy," he corrected.
Tumango si Domino. "The puppy couple. Isang wolf at isang chihuahua."
Sa pagkakataon na ito ay hindi na lang ako ang masama ang tingin sa dalawa kundi maging si Trace na umaktong babatuhin sila ng paperweight.
"Guys."
Lahat kami ay napatingin kay Axel. I thought Thorn was scary, but why does he seem scarier? I met him a couple of times, and he always looked so cute with his wife. And in front of food.
"I need to call my wife who's miles away from home, and your bickering is keeping me from doing that. Can we all focus?" he asked.
Sunod-sunod na tumango ako kahit na pakiramdam ko ay hindi naman ako kasali sa tinanong niya. Trace, Coal, and Domino are all nodding quickly too.
"I'm going to meet Emmiliano Calderon tomorrow afternoon. He refused to travel here, and all he wants is to terminate the contract. We could do it via email, but he's being stubborn about it," Thorn said directly. "We're going to do what we already agreed to. We're also going to tell Ember everything we know that she doesn't once everything is final."
"He's not going to make it easy for you," I mumbled. And what does he mean by final?
"He's already not making it easy for us right now." This time it was Gun who spoke. "We don't give a fuck."
Napakurap ako at napaawang ang mga labi ko.
"We are going to terminate the contract. Like what he wanted," Pierce said.
Ipinilig ko ang ulo ko sa narinig. "What?"
"His contract."
Naguguluhang tumingin ako kay Trace. Nakangiting inangat niya ang kamay niya at inabot niya ang buhok ko para iipit iyon sa likod ng tenga ko. "We're going to terminate our contract with him, and we will make another one with you. You'll be the sole client this time, and we don't need to report to him."
Wow. Inilibot ko ang mga mata ko sa silid. Remind me to never get on their bad side. They all have different personalities, but they all have the same level of cunning intelligence.
"Won't that get you in trouble?" I asked.
"Wala kaming ginagawa na lumabag sa kagustuhan niya. He wanted to keep you in the dark, and we didn't. Since we're standing in opposite directions, we settled on a compromise. We came to an agreement that we would let you focus on the competition first and talk again after we got back home. By then, we thought we'd fix the contract, and then we'd tell you everything," Trace explained.
"Technically, you can't tell me everything right now yet, right?"
"That's right." Nagkibit-balikat siya. "A few hours at least."
"Then what did you want to tell me?"
Tumingin si Trace sa mga kapatid bago niya muling ibinalik sa akin ang mga mata niya. "Nagawa naming malaman kung sino ang nasa likod ng taong humabol sa atin kahapon."
"Nasa likod? You mean he's not the killer?" Naguguluhang umiling ako. "Then who's that person, and why was he following us?"
"He was sent to scare you."
"I don't understand, Trace."
Huminga siya ng malalim at inabot niya ang kamay ko para pisilin iyon. "He was sent by Angelina Calderon."
I felt my hands spasm, but Trace just tightened his grip on one of them. My stepmother... sent that man?
"Why?" I whispered.
"Our guess? Because of your father." Si Thorn ang siyang nagsalita. "Your father's been talking about bringing you home."
"To the mansion?"
"To the house in Manila."
That's not mine. That's not my home.
Nagpatuloy ang lalaki. "Your stepmother was present every time we had a video meeting with him. Tutal ay maaari ka naman naming bantayan na nasa poder ka nila. We think that she wants to make sure that that won't happen by threatening your safety. You're safer with us since there's a lot of us around you. Maybe she wants your father to see that."
"But she was stupid, and her plan is more foolish," Gun said frankly.
I want to be his best friend. "Alam na ba ni Papa ang tungkol sa ginawa ng stepmom ko?"
"We have no choice but to report, but we also told him how what his wife did messed up the investigation." Kita ang tinatagong galit sa mga mata ni Trace na siyang sumagot sa akin. "We're already looking for a murderer targeting your family. What she did put her at the top of the suspect list. If she's not the one behind the murders, which we don't think she was, we'll be wasting resources on her and time that we could have given to more important things."
"What did my father do? Does he want to protect her?"
"What he wants doesn't matter. If you want her in jail, we'll make sure she will be," Trace promised.
Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko. I might be used to being disappointed, but it doesn't mean that I'm immune to feeling it. Iyon ang eksaktong mangyayari kapag pinrotektahan pa rin ng ama ko ang asawa niya sa kabila ng katotohanan ng nagawa ng madrasta ko.
"Ember, you should know that your father wants you to change your bodyguard," Thorn said, taking me out of my thoughts. "As he want to end the contract with us, he's looking for another agency that will take care of you."
I don't want that. "So that's why you want me to sign a contract with you?"
Umiling siya. "We just want to make you the official client so that we don't to answer to your father. What he wants is useless. You're a grown woman. Hindi ka niya mapipilit na makuha para iuwi kung hindi mo iyon gusto. Besides that, I don't think your father's pride can handle employing an agency underneath our rank."
"What... what rank are you?"
"Second."
There was pride in his voice. Second is not something to sneeze at, but from someone like me who always wants to have the top rank, it surprised me that he's not a bit affected by it.
"For an agency that young as ours, it's an accomplishment," Trace explained as if hearing my thoughts. I looked up at him and he winked. "Isa pa ay masaya kaming matalo laban sa nauna sa amin. It's an honor to be second to them in fact."
"But my father could still ask them? The first on the rank?"
"They won't accept whatever he offers. If we hate being treated like we have a chain wrapped around our necks, I doubt they will like it."
"What if they accept?" I asked.
"They won't. First, you're a well-known athlete. They hate the spotlight," Pierce explained. "Second, Belaya will throw a fit, and her sister will not want the headache she can cause."
"I... what?"
Muling nakuha ni Trace ang atensyon ko nang iangat niya ang kamay ko na hawak pa rin niya at hinalikan iyon. "The highest investigation agency in the country is owned by Belaya's family, princess. Belaya's sister is the head, and she's basically family. They won't bow to the whims of your father."
Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa kanila. They look relaxed, and not even a bit bothered by the situation. Kahit pa na alam ko kung paano silang sinusubukang ipitin ng ama ko.
"Ember?"
I met the gaze of the lightest brown eyes I ever seen. "Trace..."
"What we mean to say is that you're ours. We protect our own, princess."
______________________End of Chapter 15.