Chapter Twelve

HINDI na alam ni Vodka kung ilang minuto na siyang tumatakbo. Tuluyang na siyang nakalabas ng lungsod at naraan na ang lugar na sinabi ni Isabella. 

Pinagdedesisyunan niya kung ibabangga ba ang kanyang sasakyan sa isang puno upang matigil iyon nang marinig ang sunod-sunod na busina. Napasulyap siya sa rearview mirror at nakita ang isang sasakyan na nakasunod sa kanya. 

Nang tumapat ang sasakyan sa kaliwa niya ay lalong lumakas ang tibok ng kanyang puso. Nabibingi siya sa lakas niyon at nahihirapang huminga. 

Isang pamilyar na Lexus na kulay asul ang umaagapay sa kanya sa kaparehong bilis. Nang bumukas ang pinto sa may passenger's seat at makita ang taong sumungaw mula roon ay tuluyang pumatak ang luha mula sa kanyang mga mata. 

"Gin!" Para siyang nabuhayan ng loob nang makita ito. Bahagyang nakasungaw ang ulo nito sa labas ng sasakyan.

"Break the door of my car!" sigaw ng binata. 

"What?" sigaw pabalik ni Vodka na hindi agad naunawaan ang sinabi nito. 

"The door! Break the door!"

Vodka nodded her head while her eyes were fixed in the road. 

Diniinang lalo ng driver ng Lexus ang silinyador ng sasakyan upang malamangan ang takbo ng Lamborghini. Nang makitang maayos nang nakaupo si Eugene sa passenger's seat ay binagga ni Vodka ang nakabukas na pinto ng sasakyan nito. Tinamaan pa niyon ang windshield ng kanyang sasakyan bago lumipad. 

Agad niyang nakabig ang Lamborghini nang sumadsad siya sa Lexus, sandali pang nagsalubong ang kanilang mga mata ni Eugene na nakatingin sa kanya. 

"You have to jump! Jump to me, Vodka!"

"What?" tanong niya nang hindi agad maunawaan ang sinabi nito. 

"Jump! You need to jump out of your car!"

Vodka was horrified when she realized what was he planning to do. "No! No!" mariin niyang tanggi. "I can't! I can't jump!" Just the thought of her jumping from her car to Eugene's at full speed was giving her a heart attack. She was frantically shaking her head in refusal. She can't jump just like that!

Marahas niyang pinahid ang mga luha sa kanyang mga mata. She was too scared and she doesn't want to die. 

"I don't wanna die, Gin! I don't wanna die... O-oh please."

"You have to trust me. You need to jump. There's no other way to stop the car. You can do it, Vodka. You're stronger than this!"

She kept on refusing while he was determined on making her jump off her car. "Damn it! Eyes on the road!" Sandali siyang napasulyap kay Eugene kaya gumiwang ang kanyang pagpapatakbo at muling sumadsad sa Lexus. 

"Me atraparás, Gin?" she screamed, asking him if he'll catch her.

"Shit! Just jump!"

Hindi na siya nag-isip at binuksan ang pinto ng Lamborghini. Napahiyaw siya ng iyon naman ang banggain ng Lexus. "Oh, god!"

"Give me your left hand, drive with you right!" Napakalapit ng kanilang sasakyan na magkatabing humahagibis sa madilim na kalsada ngunit hindi pa rin niya magawang hagilapin ang tapang upang tumalon. 

Mahigit tatlong minuto pa uli ang lumipas bago niya nagawang ibitaw ang kaliwang kamay sa manibela at inabot si Eugene. Hirap siyang mahawakan ang kamay nito dahil gumigiwang ang kanyang sasakyan. Bahagya niyang inanggulo ang katawan sa kanyang kaliwa at sa wakas ay nahuli nito ang kanyang braso. 

"In three!"

"No. No..." she shouted frantically but he did not listened to her. 

"One, two, three, jump!" Kasabay niyon ay ang tuluyang pagbitaw ni Vodka sa steering wheel, tumalon siya mula sa kanyang sasakyan habang hinatak ni Eugene ang kanyang braso. 

Bumangga ang gilid ng kanyang ulo sa bubong ng Lexus ngunit tagumpay ang ginawa niyang pagtalon at napaupo sa kandungan ni Eugene. 

Hinihingal na napasubsob siya sa leeg nito, ang kanyang mga braso ay nakapaikot doon habang mahigpit na nakapulupot sa kanyang beywang ang malalakas na braso ng binata. Naghahabol din si Eugene ng hininga kagaya niya. 

Sa gilid ng mga mata ni Vodka ay nakita niya ang pagikot-ikot ng kanyang Lamborgini sa ire bago iyon tumigil at sumabog sa gitna ng daan. 

"Damn, that's one hell of a ride!" bulalas ng driver ng Lexus habang unti-unting hinihinaan ang pagpapatakbo. 

Hindi pinansin ni Vodka ang lalaking kasama ni Eugene na nagmamaneho at napahagulgol sa leeg ng binata. Wala siyang pakialam kung naririnig ng dalawang lalaki ang mga hikbi niya. 

Sobrang takot ang kanyang nararamdaman. Akala niya mamatay na siya. 

Wala siyang pakialam kung idinidiin na niya ang katawan kay Eugene habang nakaupo sa ibabaw ng hita nito. Napakahigpit ng kapit niya sa lalaki at ayaw niyang bumitaw. 

It scared the daylight out of her!

"Hey!" Hinagod ni Eugene ang likod ng babaeng nakapatong sa kanya. Ramdam na ramdam niya ang panginginig ng katawan nito. Nakasubsob ang mukha ng dalaga sa kanyang leeg at humihikbi. Humina ang pagpapatakbo ng kanyang kasama sa kanyang sasakyan at tumigil sa gilid ng kalsada. 

Nang tumahimik ang babaeng nakapatong sa kanya ay bahagyang inilayo ni Eugene ang mukha upang tingnan ito.

Vodka, who had that near to death experience and jump out of her car to another car that was running at full speed, lost consciousness. 

IPINASOK niya sa bulsa ang cellphone matapos makipag-usap sa nasa kabilang linya. Isang magaspang na buntung-hininga ang kanyang pinakawalan at tumingin sa labas ng salaming dingding ng sala.

Pagkaraan ng ilang sandali ay dumako ang kanyang mga mata sa nakasarang pinto ng kanyang silid. Inihakbang niya ang mga paa patungo roon at binuksan ang pinto. Sumandal siya sa hamba at humalukipkip habang nakatingin sa dalagang nasa ibabaw ng kanyang kama.

Nanikip ang kanyang lalamunan nang makita ang mga binti nito na nakalitaw sa comforter. She had nice pair of legs, tanned, long and flawless. Inalis niya ang mga mata roon at inilipat sa mukha nito na nakabaling sa kanyang direksiyon.

She owned those perfectly trimmed brows. Her lashes were dark and long. Her nose was small but pointed and the lips were full and... luscious. Her hair, which smelled like vanilla, embraced his pillow breathtakingly. She's a mixture of an Italian and Filipina beauty. She was well endowed. No wonder that she caught his interest the first time he saw her. He bet that he's not the first man who lusted at first sight over her.

He had the fantasy of her legs and arms wrapped around his body and not on his pillow that she was doing right now. 

When he saw the picture of her from the director of the agency he was working in, he did not believe that she was capable of killing someone.

She was his mission. Congressman Castillo and the presiding judge of the supreme court asked for their aid to find out the truth behind Patrick Castillo's death. His director, who was a friend of the Castillo's, did not hesitate to help.

At sa kanya inatang ng direktor ang trabahong iyon. The first person he approached was Vodka Rodríguez. She was at the scene when the crime took place. She told the authorities what she remembered that night, but his gut feeling was telling him that she wasn't telling the whole truth. She was hiding something but he believed that this woman wasn't the killer.

Eugene watched her flinched in her sleep. A groan came out of her lips and her forehead started to wrinkle as if she was having a bad dream.

In a second, his eyes met her dark ones. Nagsalubong ang kilay nito na para bang kinikilala siya at nagtataka kung bakit siya naroon. After a minute or two, her mouth turned an o as if finally, everything dawned on her.

Nanatiling nakamasid si Eugene rito nang dahan-dahan itong umupo sa ibabaw ng kama at isinandig ang likod sa headboard. He swallowed when he saw the form of her breasts before she pulled the comforter to cover her body. Knowing that she was only wearing his shirt behind the cover made him think of lewd things.

He changed her clothes when he brought her to his house. The devil was whispering to his ears to look and touch her body while he was dressing her and he had to muster a whole heap of self-control not to.

"H-how long I've been out?" Natigil ang pagpapantasya ni Eugene nang marinig ang tanong na iyon.

"Two days... and five hours," he muttered indifferently.

Vodka gasped softly and Eugene had to clasp his hands into tight fists. There's that voice in his ears again and it was telling him to step closer to her and pinned her on his bed.

"That long?"

"You have a concussion, your head hit the door frame of my car," he answered with a shrug as if it was enough explanation as to why she overslept.

"Oh!" She touched the swell part of her head and sighed deeply before looking back at Eugene's. "What time is it?"

"Couple of minutes before five..." Eugene put his hands on his pockets and raised the corner of his mouth in a thrift smile. "...buenas gracias. I'll fix you a decent meal." He then turned his back at her and went inside his kitchen.