I saw Calvin crossing the street and entering the coffee shop where Clark and I were staying. He saw us in the farthest corner of the store. He went straight to us without batting an eye, pulling a chair in front of me to sit down.

He tossed his keys on the table before putting his iPad down.

“Here it is, boss,” he said, pushing the tablet towards me.

Clark looked uninterested, still sulking over the fact that he wouldn’t get this kill. I ignored him and leaned closer to the tablet to see the hacked email account of Jacob Sarmiento. I read the latest email which was given to Sarmiento two days ago by someone named Maricar Gonzales. In the letter she sent, it said she wanted the two of them to meet in Autumn Hotel in Makati today, at seven in the evening.

I checked the time. It was four in the afternoon.

Calvin grinned at me.

“How did I do, boss? Amazing, right?”

I smirked at him.

“Yes, Calvin, amazing. It only took you a day in hacking an email account,” I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes at him.

He pouted.

“Aww, come on boss, you know I’m not as good as your uncle!”

Well, uncle Edward’s one of the best hackers in the underground world but after he took over the Gunther group, he stopped doing petty jobs such as hacking and blackmailing people with the information he stole.

I took my wallet out, grabbed the thousand bills and not even counting it, I gave it to Calvin. His face lit up in delight.

“Oh my! Cash?!”

He began counting the dollar bills and gasped out loud when he realized I gave him 10k right on the spot.

I grabbed my coffee and stood up.

“I’ll be borrowing your motorcycle,” I said, taking his keys, “discard it after I use it.”

Calvin grinned at me and waved his hands.

“Sure, boss, no problem!”

--

While outside the coffee shop, I pulled my face mask up, throwing the cigarette I was smoking. [A/N: Please don’t throw your trash in street. Don’t be Lucas, don’t be Hiro.]

Clark gave me his phone to show me what car Sarmiento was using. According to one of my men who I asked to stalk Sarmiento the past three days to know everything about him, the target’s using a black BMW sedan with the same plate number, meaning he’s only using one car for all of his businesses. He’s always accompanied by his driver and two bodyguards.

“You gonna do this the old-style?” Clark asked.

My eyes smiled at him.

“Of course, baby boy.”

I tossed him the helmet Calvin left for us to use. I watched him put it on.

“Let’s go. I wanna end this quickly.”

Clark’s shoulders dropped in disappointent.

“Yeah, that’s what’s gonna happen to Sarmiento,” he said.

I chuckled at Clark’s lame joke.

--

We arrived in one of the Torres-Shao’s owned apartments in Makati. It was near Autumn Hotel, a few blocks away from where we were. I had a great view of the hotel from the window.

“Here it is,” Kenneth said, putting the duffel bag on top of the table where I was sitting.

He opened the bag, presenting the different kinds of gun, from machine gun to assault rifles to shot gun.

I grabbed the Beretta 92 and pointed it at Kenneth.

“Don’t even think about that,” he said in amusement.

Anthony arrived together with some of the members of Black Dragon. When they saw me, they bowed their heads out of respect.

“Hey, big party, huh?” he said, whistling at the sight of weapons on the table.

“I’ll only be needing these,” I said, pulling the AK47 and putting it beside the Beretta.

Kenneth made a face.

“Geez, and you made me bring all these out here, Hiro? You’re an ass,” he complained, zipping the bag up.

“Is that supposed to be my problem? You provide me the stuff I need, period,” I retorted.

“You said bring the guns I’m gonna be needing,” he said, copying my voice dramatically, “next time, be specific with your order.”

I kindly smiled at him and Kenneth got weirded out.

“Okay, later, I’ll be telling you what guns I’m gonna be needing to kill the people your shithead father wants me to kill, alright, darling?” I sweetly said, my smile vanishing as soon as it appeared.

Kenneth shuddered.

“Please don’t do that again, you’re really scary when you smile.”

I put the pistol in the waist holster behind me, covering it with the black leather jacket I’m wearing. Grabbing a tennis racket bag, enough to fit a rifle, I tuck the gun inside and zipped it up.

After gearing up, I called Clark.

“Clark, let’s go,” I said, motioning a finger to him to make him move.

He stood up from the sofa, leaving the magazine he was reading a while ago to walk towards me.

Anthony patted Clark’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, baby boy. Next time, you’ll get the kill,” he said, grinning at Clark who only shook his head at him.

I guided Clark out of the room and before leaving, I glared at Anthony.

“Over my dead body, Tony.”

We left the room and I hear Anthony saying, “sheesh, he’s too overprotective.”

--

Clark got on the motorcycle. He gave me the spare helmet, putting it on my head before hopping behind his back.

“You ready?”

I heard him grunted.

“At least give me half of it,” he said, pertaining about the money I’m going to earn by killing Sarmiento.

“I’ll treat you.”

“Really? That’s all you can do?”

“Five-star hotel?”

“Yeah, right.”

Clark drove the motorcycle to Autumn Hotel, passing through the traffic in ease by driving on the side. I was feeling hungry but I wanted to finish this bullshit as soon as I can. I wanna call Paige and hear his voice again.

I feel like I haven’t talked to him for a long time. I did try to win him over using fried chicken, I wonder if it worked.

Well, he did request for food the last time we talked over the phone.

Aaah, I wanna take him out somewhere and eat with him. Or better yet, I wanna eat him.

Fuck, what’s wrong with me? My desire of monopolizing Paige grow stronger every day ever since I met him again.

“Heads up,” Clark said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I moved to the right to see Sarmiento’s car beside us, waiting for the green light at the intersection.

“Do your thing and I’ll do mine,” I said, patting Clark’s shoulder.

“Sure.”

I narrowed my eyes to see behind the dark-tinted windows of the car but I could see Sarmiento on the side where we were, sitting on the back seat beside a man who I knew was his bodyguard. There were four people, the two behind, the driver and another guard sitting beside him.

Just like what the intel said.

“Get ready,” Clark warned, revving the motorcycle.

We were both staring at the stop light. Right at the second it changed lights, I quickly pulled out the rifle out of the bag, aiming it at Sarmiento’s car and made it rain bullets. It shattered the windows and dented the vehicle. Everyone was in panic. The people passing by the side walk screamed and scrambled away from the scene.

Clark drove the motorcycle ahead, suddenly turning it to go around the vehicle so I could totally destroy it. The driver was dead, shot in the head and so as the guard sitting behind him. The bodyguard in front managed to take out his gun, screaming words I didn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.

I stopped firing, feeling the head of the rifle. Slinging it in my shoulder I took the pistol behind me and aimed it the bodyguard who was attempting to shoot back at us. He opened the door to get a clear shot but Clark didn’t stop driving the opposite line, giving the guy a hard time to aim his gun.

I had to be quick to shoot Sarmiento and his guard. I’ve got only a few seconds in pulling the trigger.

I stabilized my hand, concentrating in shooting every targets in the head without wasting time and bullet. I stretched my arm out, aimed it at the guard’s head and pulled the trigger. He got shot in the head, falling down on the ground with a loud thud.

I squeezed Clark’s shoulder to make him stop the motorcycle but before fully stopping, I already hopped off of it and walked back to the car wrecked by my bullets.

Without letting go of the pistol in my hand, I broke the glass where Sarmiento was sitting with my elbow. I saw him cowering in fear, his arm and chest bleeding from the stray bullets that caught him.

“W-who…who?!”

“Torres-Shao send his regard,” I said, grinning at him, “too bad Sarmiento, you got too greedy.”

He waved his arms albeit it injured to cover his head from my weapon.

“Huwag! Parang-awa mo na, huwag! [Don’t! Have mercy, don’t!]” he pathetically cried out.

But I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt nor pity.

“Ginagawa ko lang trabaho ko [I’m just doing my job].”

Pulling the trigger, I put the a bullet right in between his eyes. It went past through his arms and into his head. Blood splattered all over the car, staining the silk seats.

I didn’t give him a last look. I turned around, hopped back onto the motorcycle and drove out of the crime scene, leaving an empty card with a black dragon logo stamped on it inside Sarmiento’s car.

Now everyone in the syndicate would know what his death means.

--

Anthony and Kenneth were waiting for us by the junkyard owned and protected by the Torres-Shao. There’s a lot of ominous stuff that happened in this particular place. This was one of the place where the Torres-Shao hides all the evidences of their crime, including burying dead bodies tortured for either treachery or entertainment and throwing away vehicles used as get-away, such as the motorcycle that Calvin lent us.

Not only was Calvin a hacker but his father also owned a second-hand retail auto. As crazy as he was, he proved himself as a valuable member of the Black Dragon.

Anthony and Kenneth’s cars were park beside each other with their men and mine from the Black Dragon group guarding it.

The motorcycle engine roared, echoing throughout the barren lot filled with rejected vehicles, rusting. The heavy gate opened for us and Clark drove inside.

“Hey!” Anthony called, waving a hand at us.

Clark parked the motorcycle a feet away from the Torres-Shao brothers.

“We’re gonna need a right,” he said, getting the bottle of beer from Anthony’s hand and drinking it.

“Hey, that was mine!”

Kenneth went towards me and asked, “how was the execution?”

“I’m sure it’s already in the news.”

“That’s what dad wants,” he said, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

“Take care of the motorcycle, I wanna sleep,” I said, throwing the helmet to Kenneth who caught easily caught it.

He grinned at me.

“Sure, no problem! Thanks for taking care of Sarmiento. Dad’s gonna pay tomorrow,” he said, turning his back against me to start dismantling the vehicle we used for killing another target.

“I’m stay with them,” Clark said.

I looked at him and Anthony had his arm snaked around his waist, keeping him close. Anthony smirked at me, his eyes suddenly reflecting lust and desire, conveying what he had in mind without even saying it.

I grabbed Clark and dragged him away from Clark.

“He has a curfew. You don’t wanna piss Maria off,” I said through my gritted teeth.

Anthony waved goodbye at us, sporting an innocent smile.

“Sure, I’ll see you guys at school!” he eerily said.

--

I drove Kenneth’s car back to the hotel where we’re checked in. Clark was silently sitting beside me, looking outside the window with bored eyes.

I sighed.

I remembered Anthony taking advantage of Clark. I know he wasn’t serious about him and what he was feeling might be just lust but I didn’t want Clark associated with the Torres-Shao anymore. It’s enough that they use me for their business but Clark, that’s not gonna happen.

I’m aware I’m being over-protective but could they blame me? I didn’t want the same thing in the past happened to Clark again.

We arrived in the hotel at around nine in the evening. I parked Kenneth’s car in the reserved lot for the guests. Getting out, I slammed the door close and walked inside the hotel to sleep. This day had been going on for a while, I’m already tired.

I couldn’t wait to get back to the room, call Paige and hear his voice again.

Aaaah, just thinking that I could talk to him again was making me giddy. Just like a love-struck teenage girl.

Clark opened the door to our room and went inside. I closed the door behind me and locked it, taking my shoes off and jacket. I let it drop on the floor and lazily walked back to the bed on the right.

“Tiring, huh?” Clark said.

I threw myself on top of the bed and grumbled.

“Very. I wanna…sleep…”

Clark took his jacket off as well and went to the bathroom to pee or take a bath, I don’t know. I whipped my phone out of my pocket and quickly dialed Paige’s number before I black out.

The call got through and I was ready to tease Paige for the night and get a dose of him to keep me going for another week but the sound of something breaking, wood I think, from his line woke me up from my exhaustion.

The fuck?

“You fucking embarrassed me! You pig!” someone screamed and pained grunts followed soon. “You think I want you as my child?! You ruined my life! You and your worthless mother!”

I swore I almost destroyed my phone from hearing what was happening where Paige was. I jolted out of the bed, wore my shoes again and grabbed the car keys, marching out of the hotel to get to Paige’s house. I wasn’t sure if he was there but my gut was telling me that this was the problem he’s been suffering with for all these years he was alone.

“Stop, please! Please, Jon…aaagh!”

“Paige!” I roared, my whole body trembling from all sorts of emotions.

I have heard hundreds of people screaming for mercy but this was the only time I got emotion out of it. My heart was tight and I couldn’t breathe properly. I rushed out of the hotel, bumping into some guests. I ignored their angry protests as I took the stairs rather than the elevator that was still at the top floor of the building.

I took the emergency stairs, running down the steps from the 12th floor down to the ground. Usually, I wouldn’t break into sweat doing this kind of running but I was drenched as I sweat buckets while running down.

I kept my phone on my ear, listening to the horrifying things unfolding at Paige’s end.

Shit, shit! I told myself to train hard to become like my old man because it’s the only way I could protect the person I love.

What the fuck am I doing?!

“Leaving me all alone, huh?! Do you think I want that?! I gave my life to her! I lover her, took care of her for what?!” the guy yelled, almost blasting my ear from the intensity of his voice, “just to leave me alone with you?!”

I finally reached the ground floor, panting and sweating. The receptionist saw me and she gasped out loud that I burst out of the emergency exit stairs.

I went running to the parking lot and with trembling fingers, I unlocked the car door and climbed inside. I didn’t even wore the seat belt and just backed out of the parking lot and drove into traffic.

I almost run a couple of pedestrians but I just angrily screamed at them for blocking my way.

I was nearing Paige’s apartment and was about to drop my phone down but his weak voice calling me for help stuck my heart and it was the first time I felt this kind of pain.

The pain of hearing the person you call for help.

And at the same time, I’m burning in fury.

--