Chapter 47. Tape
JUST a week after, Sinned infiltrated de L'Orage as a newly-recruited bodyguard. Maging si Stone ay nag-undercover bilang isang drug dealer naman. In just span of almost a month, they got an information that de L'Orage was actually a mole of a Mafia family but the family did not have any clue about it yet. Ganoon kagaling magpaikot ang mga humahawak sa organisasyon.
"Anong plano?" tanong ng isa sa mga agents sa ear comm.
"Let's meet at the safe house first. We will hear Sinned's plans in there," si Stone ang sumagot. That safe house was also their hide out.
"Copy!" anang iba.
Pagkarating ay inilahad niya kaagad ang plano.
"The sleepers will seduce the guards who are in charge in the main entrance of the law offices." Sinned was talking about the headquarters of de L'Orage in San Salvador. Outside that place was just an ordinary law firm, but it's actually connected to the three high-rise buildings beside and behind that 'law firm'.
"This one is dangerous. One wrong move and we will all die together," seryosong paalala ni Stone.
He raised an eyebrow. Kailan ba hindi naging nakamamatay ang mga misyon nila?
Nagpatuloy naman siya at sinabing kung gustong mag-quit ng iba ay papayagan nilang umalis nang walang kapalit. But that's just a bait to find the other traitors, that's if there's still some.
He smirked when no one walked out. Everyone was clean. Nasiguro na niyang na-i-pull out na ang mga bumaliktad sa naunang misyon kaya maisasagawa na nila nang maayos ang pangalawa, at sisiguraduhin niyang huli nang plano.
When he glanced at Rexton, the latter explained, "Metals team will infiltrate de L'Orage once the sleepers have done their part. You are going to be on undercover as members of the organization."
One of the team asked, "How are we going to do that? What if we get caught by the real members?"
Siya ang sumagot. "That's Metalloids team's job. They will abduct some of the members—" Bumaling siya kay Rexton at tinanguan ito. Rexton whispered on his ear comm and just a few seconds after, the agents received the files needed on their phones via email. Nagpatuloy siya matapos ng ilang minuto, "—and those files that are sent to you have the very details you'll be needing."
Nandoon ang mga detalye ng mga taong dudukutin ng ibang team para tuluyang makapasok ang ibang agents na naka-assign sa pagpapanggap. Ang plano nila sa mga nadukot ay dadalhin sa Pilipinas, sa laboratoryo roon upang makuhanan ng impormasyon ang nga ito. How would they do that? How would they bring those people from one country to another? Through their boss' connections. Malaking bagay na nagmamay-ari ng airlines ang pamilya ni Stone. Sa sobrang yaman, minsa'y nagtataka siya kung bakit naisipan pa nitong magtatag ng private intelligence agency. Siguro'y wala nang magawa sa buhay.
"What if we miss something?" tanong naman ng isa pa na nagpabalik sa kaniyang atensiyon sa usapan.
"Don't worry, the hackers will be on the line 24/7, you can always communicate with them." Ang tinutukoy niya ay ang mga hacker team na naka-assign sa misyon. This was bigger than the missions that they had before, so they added more agents to be with them.
Ang mga kausap nila ngayon ay nasa sampung katao lamang bukod sa kanila nina Stone. They purposely told the other agents not to come since they did not want to draw attention. Halata kung maraming tao ang magpupunta sa bahay na iyon. Hindi bale, ang mga nandoon na lamang ang nagpapaliwanag sa iba pa kapag nakarating na sa kani-kanilang tinitirhan doon.
D-in-ismiss na ni Rexton ang meeting at silang tatlo na lang ang naiwan doon.
He heard Rexton talking to someone on his ear comm and he needn't to guess who was that. It was Dice, the sub-leader of the hacker team. The leader was busy figuring out on how to hack de L'Orage's security system so they could go in smoothly.
Stone went to get some wine at the wine cellar cabinet while he sat on the sofa, massaging the bridge of his nose as he tried to call Arc. And just as he expected, the latter rejected his video call. Again.
"Still ignoring you?" tanong ng papalapit na si Stone at inabutan siya ng baso. He poured some red wine in his wine glass as well.
"I just want to know if how she is," sagot naman niya.
"You perfectly know that she's fine. Naghihilom na nga ang mga sugat."
Stone poured some wine to Rexton's glass while Rexton sat beside him. Inakbayan pa siya nito at tinanong kung magpapatuloy pa ba siya sa misyon.
He only removed his arm on his shoulder. "Why would I not?" balik-tanong niya rito.
"Wala naman. Baka lang kasi gusto mo nang umalis. 'Kita mo nga sina Timo, p-in-ull out na natin." No, Timo was not part of the traitor group. He, along with one of their sleepers, were just pulled out because of an accident happened even before they went to Central America for that mission.
"After this mission."
Bago pa makasagot si Rexton ay nagsalita si Stone. Akala pa niya ay sila ang kausap nito pero nakatingin ito sa cellphone.
"Sinong kausap mo?" tanong ni Rexton dito.
"Si Archibald. Tinatanong ko lang kung kumusta na ang kapatid niya." Bumaling ulit ito sa screen ng cellphone. "Hindi mo raw kasi sinasagot si Sinned."
Tumayo siya at hinablot ang cellphone nito saka pinatay ang tawag. Bago tuluyang matapos ang tawag ay namataan niya si Rellie na nakaupo sa isang high chair sa background ni Arc. Tuloy ay gusto niyang pagsisihan kung bakit kaagad niyang tinapos ang video call.
"I'm going." He sounded monotonous. He put the glass on the small table and started walking away.
"Hey, we're still chillin' here," pigil ni Stone.
"This isn't the time to chill. I have a meeting with Atty. Luthers." She was the one Stone hired to help them clear Rellie's name. The lawyer doesn't have any idea of his fake identity. Nagpakilala siya bilang abogado at mapapangasawa ni Rellie na lumipad mula Pilipinas pa-El Salvador upang personal na makahanap ng paraan na malinis ang kaso. He also told her a lie—that he was looking for his fiancée since she went missing.
The two of them met at a fancy restaurant instead of going to the law office just as initially planned. Hindi na siya tumanggi lalo pa't importante ang pag-uusapan nila. Sinabihan siyang mababasura ang kaso kay Rellie agad-agad dahil nakahanap na ito ng ebidensiya na magpapatunay na inosente si Rellie.
Atty. Luthers was younger than him, but not as young as Rellie. She was voluptuous and had this messy-styled short blonde hair. She was a temptress, alright, but was not affecting him at all. Hindi iilang beses na itong nagparamdam sa kaniya at pilit niya lang iniignora. He was sometimes being cold to her but not too much. Just enough to put a wall in between them.
"Uh, Sinned, can you bring me to my suite? I just want to show you something," anito matapos nilang mag-usap.
"Suite?"
"I'm staying at that hotel." Bumaling ito sa isang mataas na hotel na natatanaw nila sa pwesto nila. They were at the balcony table and was eating the main dish already.
"What will you show me? You should have brought that here." Inayos na niya ang hawak na kubyertos sa gilid ng plato para iparating na tapos na siya sa pagkain kahit wala pa namang gaanong nako-konsumo sa kinakain.
"You done eating already?" pansin nito sa kaniya.
"I have to go."
But, she caught him off guard by saying, "I just want to show you a tape where Ms. Prietto was last seen yesterday."
Nangunot ang kaniyang noo. That got his full attention. "Where was she?"
"Here. In San Salvador."
Nagdududang tumingin siya rito.
"That's why you should go with me. I left the tape."
He agreed. Sa isip niya, kahit maghubad pa ito sa harap niya ay hindi siya matitinag. Siguraduhin lang ng babae na wala itong ibang intensyon dahil kung hindi, handa siyang magpalit ng abogado kahit pa nga ba magsimula ulit sila sa umpisa.