Chapter 27

 Why am I doing this? Why am I even here? Kanina pa ako napapagalitan ng trainer, hanggang ngayon kasi ay hindi ko makuhakuha ang tamang timpla ng cappuccino. I never worked in my entire life, and taking this job is stressing me out already.

The training is rigorous too. Kahit itong nagtuturo sa akin ay nawalan na ng pasensya. Di ko naman akalain na ganito pala kahirap ang gumawa ng kape.

"Ano ba naman yan, Skyla! Simpleng instructions hindi mo magawa," pabulyaw nyang sabi sa akin. Nakatingin sa amin ang ilang trabahante ng coffee shop.

"Sorry," ani ako at yumuko ako sa kahihiyan.

"Sorry? Hindi mababalik ng sorry mo ang mga nasayang na kape," halos matunaw na ako sa tulis ng mga tingin nya sa akin, she threw the towel at the sink and walked out.

"Hala, okay ka lang?," tanong ng isa kong kasama. Tinignan ko ang nameplate nya, 'Leah'.

Ngumite ako kay Leah, "Yeah, okay lang ako. Sorry ah."

"Ano ka ba! Wag kang mag-sorry. Inggit yun sayo kasi maganda ka," ngumise sya sa akin, "The manager hired you right away eh."

Hindi ko alam kung komplemento ba yun o insulto, halata siguro sa mukha ko kaya nagsalita sya agad, "Not in the bad way! Ang gusto ko lang naman sabihin is baka may nakita sayo si manager kaya ka nya ni-hire."

If this were a normal situation, I would have felt insulted kasi ayoko rin naman malaman na nakuha ko lang ang isang trabaho dahil sa itsura ko, but this isn't a normal situation.

"Hayaan mo, Skyla. Tuturuan kita! May technique kasi dyan pero bago yan tuturuan muna kita kung paano maging cashier, mas madali kasi yun!" ani ni Leah. For some reason, she reminds me of Alexavia.

"Salamat, Leah. Medyo slow ako kaya sana hindi ka rin mawalan ng pasensya sa akin," I joked on her.

"Mas mahaba pa sa Nile River ang pasensya ko!" agad nya akong hinila papunta sa POS. She turned it on, "So, kung credit card ang ibibigay ni customer may dalawang ways ka para i-process 'to. It's either manually or from the linked up system." Sabay turo nya sa credit card machine na nasa gilid ng POS.

I watched Leah do all the work and talk, and I kept nodding my head pero sa totoo lang ay hindi ako nakikinig sa kanya. May ibang bagay akong iniisip. Binaling ko ang mga tingin ko sa mga customer na nasa loob ng shop ngayon.

May ilang mga estudayante mula sa kalapit na school, ilang mga office workers at couples. Sa pag-uusap naming kahapon ni Detective Michaels, madalas na customer dito ang pakay ko pero hindi pa naming matukoy kung anong oras ito darating. Muli kong binalikan ang usapan naming ni Detective Michaels mula sa aking isipan.

                    May coffee shop sa loob ng Odysse Suites, tahimik akong naupo at naghihintay kay Detective Michaels. I ordered for some chamomile tea to calm my nerves kasi hanggang ngayon ay nanginginig pa rin ang mga tuhod ko.

I remember that Detective Michaels told me that I might be caught in the middle of something, and I wanna know what that is. I also wanna learn some information regarding Costa Mafia, kung totoo ngang nasa panganib ang buhay ko, I want to know who is after me, and I think Detective Michaels has an idea.

Detective Michaels arrived earlier than I expected, he's wearing his grey 3 pc suit na madalas nyang suotin. I waved my hand to him at agad nya naman akong nakita, if I'm not mistaken he's around 30. He has solved a lot of cases around our city, and he's quite famous around here.

He sat across me, "Ms. Vielle, good evening." ani nya. Bakas sa mukha ni Detective Michaels ang pagod.

"Good evening, Detective," simple kong sagot sa kanya.

"Are you okay, Ms. Vielle? You look ashen."

Umiling iling ako sa kanya, "I'll cut the chase, Detective. I want to know who is after me." Seryoso kong sabi sa kanya na ikinagulat nya. "I remember that you told me that I might have been caught in the middle of something, tama ba ako?"

"Yes." His face grew serious.

"Do you have any idea who?" diretso kong tanong sa kanya. Ayoko ng magpaliguy-ligoy pa kaya I asked him directly.

"I told you that you shouldn't have let your curiosity got the best of you, Ms. Vielle." Huminga sya ng malalim bago nya pinagpatuloy ang sasabihin nya, "It might be the Costa's."

I shivered at his statement. "Why would they be after me?" tanong ko sa kanya. If my memory serves me right, I don't remember any encounters with the Costa Mafia, so how would they be after me?

I almost laughed at how absurd the situation is, "Detective Michaels, I think you're mistaken. How could they be after me? Wala akong kahit anong naging ugn—"

"Congressman's house." Detective Michaels' eyes are angry as they gaze at me. "The night you let that curiosity of yours get better of you. You turned into a target."

Halos hindi ako makapaniwala sa mga naririnig ko ngayon, "What? I don't understand. It doesn't make any sense." I muttered to him.

"The Costa Mafia have territories that you don't enter." Tinignan ako ni Detective Michaels diretso sa mata, "You entered a lion's den, Ms. Vielle."

"I don't understand. Stop speaking in riddles, Detective Michaels." I'm getting irritated at how he kept on running around the bush.

Detective Michaels uncrossed his legs and leaned towards me, "The Congressman works for the Costa Mafia. I still don't know why the Costa's killed his daughter, but I think that something might have been gone wrong between them, hence the murder of his daughter."

"He works for them?" I asked in disbelief.

Tumango lamang sya at may kinuha sa bulsa ng jacket nya, he laid the picture in front of me. Nanginig ang buong katawan ko sa nakita ko. "Do you know this guy?" simpleng tanong ni Detective Michaels.

I simply nodded at him, still, in shock, I say, "Kev Conti." Kumunot ang noo nya, "He studies in Welston too. He and I belong to the Photography club." Nanlaki ang maga mata ni Detective. "Why?" I croaked.

"Ms. Vielle, he works for the Costa Mafia too." And that confirms the rumors that Alexavia heard.

"He recently transferred. I only have a few encounters with him pero he acts weird around me." I say.

"What do you mean, Ms. Vielle?" tanong naman ni Detective.

"I think he might be the one who drugged me," I say and shivered at the memory of that night. I know that I said na ayokong pagbintangan si Kev sa nangyari sa akin pero my instincts are screaming at me. But if it's really him then what is his connection with the man in a clown mask?

"I remember going to Megan's party, and I saw him there. Hindi ko alam na nandoon sya and the moment I saw him ay gusto ko ng umalis." I took a deep breath before continuing, "they asked me to drink first before going, and I did."

Ang lakas ng pintig ng puso ko na para ba ako't aatakihin, "Go on, Ms. Vielle."

"I remember walking towards my car, but before I even get inside ay nawalan na ako ng malay. When I woke up, nasa loob ako ng isang kwarto. I couldn't see my captor's face kasi naka-clown mask din sya." But I remember that he sounds familiar to me, hindi ko lang matukoy kung saan at sino any may-ari ng boses.

"Why didn't you report this to the police?" pagtatakang tanong nya sa akin.

"I didn't get the chance. Ivo and his friends saved me that night. I stayed with him for a night before going back to my Uncle's house." dahilan ko naman sa kanya.

"Ivo? Ivo Moretti?" bakas sa mukha ni Detective ang gulat.

"Yes, and we were also attacked today habang nasa isang restaurant kami." I closed my eyes for a moment didn't want to remember anything of it. "It's the same people who attacked Grand Pavillion, they were all wearing clown mask."

Detective Michaels rubbed his temples, his body turned tense. "He might be the one after you." He sighed, "Pero hindi ko parin alam kung ang mga lalakeng naka-clown mask na tinutukoy mo ay kabilang rin sa Costa Mafia. Wala pa akong nakakalap na impormasyon tungkol sa grupo nila."

"So, we could be dealing with two enemies. Is that what you're saying?" He nodded at me. Remembering what happened that night at Congressman's property, I added, "But I made sure that no one saw me leave that night." Katwiran ko naman sa kanya.

"Maraming mata ang mga Costa, Ms. Vielle." Detective Michaels then looked around the coffee shop at gayun din ako. "You never know who is watching." My heart dropped at what he said.

"Do you think the Costa's hired Kev to kill me?" I boldly asked.

"Yes. The puzzle fits." I immediately drank the glass of water in front of me. I wiped the residue with the back of my hand. "Why are you with Ivo Moretti, Ms. Vielle?"

Hindi na bagong impormasyon sa akin na mainit pa rin ang Mafia sa batas. Hindi ko alam ang sasabihin kay Detective Michaels, so I simply said, "He's a friend. I met him at the Charity Ball." And it's the truth, but our friendship is not like any other friendship, I thought to myself.

"You should be careful around him, Ms. Vielle. The Moretti's is one of the many rivals of the Costa Mafia." That's what my Uncle told me too, I thought to myself. May sasabihin pa sana si Detective ng marinig ko ang tunog ng cellphone nya, "Excuse me for a moment."

Binasa ni Detective ang kung ano mang mensahe ang nakuha nya, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the table na ikinagulat ko at pati na rin ng ilang customers na nasa loob ng coffee shop. He was livid for some reason. Softly but angrily, he says, "Fuck."

"What's wrong, Detective?" I asked concerned. He looks disappointed, angry, and exhausted.

"Some of my men died in a secret mission, and the person we hired to work on a coffee shop and spy for us ay biglang umayaw." He gritted his teeth, "Those sly foxes, I'll catch them." I was stunned at the anger he displayed in front of me, "I need to find, a replacement soon. Napatingin sya sa akin, "I'm sorry." He says, regrettably.

"It's okay." I hesitated for a second, but I asked anyway, "What is this secret mission about?"

He sighed and only stared at me. Masyado akong natakot sa mga tingin nya sa akin, "Sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be aski---"

"The Costa Mafia has been under our radar for a while now. I asked some of my men to be a spy pero nahuli sila. Malakas ang kutob ko na may kinalaman ito kay Congressman pero hindi pa kami sigurado." He whispered in a very soft voice. He released another sigh, "About this guy," sabay turo sa picture ni Kev, "You should be careful, Ms. Vielle. Kung tama ang mga hinila natin, this man might be too dangerous."

Parang mabibiyak ang ulo ko dahil sa lahat ng impormasyon na nalaman ko ngayon. I should be scared, well, I am afraid, but my curiosity is more significant. "How can I help?" walang atubili kong tanong sa kanya.

Detective Michaels snorted at me, "You can help by following my advice. Stay away from the Morettis, Costas, and Kev."

I shook my head, "Don't you think it'll be a lot easier for you to catch Kev if I help?" Detective Michaels shook his head in disbelief, "and maybe I can help you with the secret mission na sinasabi mo lang kanina." Pangmumungkahe ko sa kanya.

"Why would you? What is it for you?" he asked.

Tama naman sya. What can I get by helping? I should be asking for protection kasi nasa panganib ang buhay ko pero eto ako at nago-offer ng tulong. I looked at him straight in his eyes, hindi ko alam kung anong ekspresyon ang nakikita ni Detective Michaels pero sana ay nakikita nyang seryoso ako.

"I'm looking for answers, and if I don't start now," I paused and heaved a sigh, "I might not get the chance again."

Detective Michaels was quiet for a few seconds, but I didn't look away from his gaze. Gusto kong makita nya kung gaano ako kaseryoso. I'll lie if I say na hindi ako takot ganun pa man ay desidido ako.

He crossed his arms, "What if this mission kills you?"

I know at some point in our lives, we will all die. We will entirely leave this place, and if we're lucky, our souls might be somewhere amazing like how religions say that there'll be a place called 'paradise. Where everything is peaceful and everyone's happy, but I don't believe in such things.

I never really thought of dying, but if dying give me the answers that I need, then I don't mind dying at all. I smiled at Detective Michaels, "I'm going to die trying."

"I'm sure that the help that you're going to provide won't come cheap. You want something else, right? At yun talaga ang rason kung bakit mo ako tinawagan." he didn't ask a question because it's a statement.

I smiled bravely to him, "In exchange for my help. I want you to tell me every detail about my parents' death."

Shock would be an understatement if I describe Detective Michael's expression. Marahil ay hindi nya inaasahan ang sasabihin ko. Why would be a girl be curious about her parents' death after 13 years?

Alam kong gusto nya akong tanungin kung bakit ko gusto malaman lahat ng detalye pero hindi pa ako handang sabihin ito sa kanya. As much as possible, I want to keep this secret to myself. Saka ko nalang ito sasabihin sa kanya kapag may nakuha na akong mga sagot.

If Detective Michaels won't help me then I will do it on my own. If I have to dig every grave and ask every single person in this town, I'll freaking do it. After the kidnapping, I realized that I don't really know much about my parents. I always thought that I shouldn't ask out of respect to my Uncle because he was pretty close to them. 

However, the things my kidnapper told me never left. My parents didn't die from an accident, but someone killed them. I don't think asking Uncle Bern about it would be smart, so, I'll look for the answers on my own.

"Ms. Vielle, this mission is going to be dangerous. Are you sure?" 

"I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't," I say sarcastically.

He laughed, a boisterous laugh, "You're interesting, Ms. Vielle. I don't know how you do it, but when I got here, you looked like a lost lamb." He smirked, "However, you don't look one right now."

I frowned at his statement, "Is that a yes?"

Kinuha ni Detective Michaels ang wallet nya, he picked out a small piece of paper and handed it to me, "Go to this place tomorrow. Sharp 9 am." he then stood up and left.

I didn't get a chance to react because I was beyond happy that he said yes. I held the paper in my hands so tight and placed it near my chest. I don't care if my captor is lying or not. I'm going to find out the truth regarding my parents' death. 

"Skyla, hindi ka naman nakikinig eh!" bumalik ako sa realidad ng marinig ko ang matinis na boses ni Leah. She's pouting at me like a child.

"I'm sorry, Leah." I smiled weakly at her.

"Siguro na-trauma ka na dahil don sa babaitang yon! Hmmp!" galit na sabi nya.

"Don't worry! Andyan ka naman and I'll practice more!" I smiled cheerfully at her.

"Aba syempre! Ako yata ang resident barista ng coffee shop na ito!" Leah says, proudly. Napalakas ang boses nya at napatingin ang ilang customers sa amin. We giggled at our foolishness.

I don't know hanggang kailan ako magtratrabaho as a Barista at spy for Detective Michaels, but I'll do it no matter how long it will take. 

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