BREEI was flabbergasted at his crudeness. That's it. Papatayin ko ang baliw at bastos na 'to. Nagmistulang isang circus ang buong lugar. Lahat ng mahawakan ko lumipad sa gawi ni Lev. Baso, tasa, plato. Maging ang walang malay na salt and pepper shaker.Ang ungas, panay ilag at tawa lang. Aliw na aliw habang naging dragon na ako sa galit."Bastos! Ikaw type ko? Manigas kang gurang ka. Ikaw nga 'tong habol nang habol sa akin hindi ba? At anong karapatan mong guluhin ang buhay ko? Kung bored ka, maghanap ka ng ibang pagti-tripan mo. Huwag ako. Wala akong panahon sa gaya mo. One moment you're hot and the next you're freaking cold. You left me hanging in the air, you bastard! Hindi ka magpaparamdam ng isang buong araw, then the next day ang ipapadala mong picture– itlog? Good moring o how are you and dapat message, Lev." Sabay bato ko ng pinggan na nadampot ko sa katabing mesa. "Tapos para kang sino na biglang susulpot rito't ipagsisigawan mong boyfriend kita. Aba. Matinde. May saltik ka

BREEUmungol ito then shoves a tiny laminated paper on my palm."Here. Pasok na, humahaba ang pila." Niluwagan nito ang pinto.The smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and popcorn permeates the air. It fills my lungs but the most noticeable scent is blood.To say that I am shocked was an understatement. Hindi iyon gaya ng inaasahan ko. It's a sprawling space that has endless bleachers surrounding the octagon fighting ring that sits in the middle.My favorite would be the hanging glass rooms na tila naka suspend sa ere. Nakaharap iyon sa mismong ring and I bet iyon ang VIP rooms."Ang laki pala ng lugar na 'to. Paano natin mahahanap si Ally?""Magtapat ka nga sa aking babae ka. Sino 'yong ka-text mo?" Hinatak ni Karen ang braso ko't tila 'di narinig ang tanong ko."Alin ba?" Patay malisyang tanong ko habang binabagtas ko ang isang malaking pasilyo. I'm trying my best to recall Charlie's instructions tapos heto si Kah, ginigisa ako."Nagmamaang-maangan ka pa. Bree, huwag ako. Iyong kausap mo.

LEV I KILLED AND STARTED a war for her. Pitong katagang nagselyo ng kapalaran namin ni Bree. I am a man of facts. My world revolves around numbers and logic but all of it became smoke when I saw her pinned against the wall, terrorized by a man. Hilam ang luha, helpless. Scared. It happened all at once. I sliced the neck of the first bastard who's jacking off on the side, grinning with the whole show. Two seconds and the life in his eyes disappear. And then I drew my gun, aimed, and fired. A hole was drilled on the back of the bastard whose groping Bree. Satisfying? No. But I do what I had to do. It's messy, she screamed. By the time I pulled her trembling body against mine, I know right there and then, that there was no turning back to the whole clusterfuck. The whole damn situation is a freaking entropy but I don't give two cents. Naka focus ako sa bagay–taong nasa bisig ko, si Bree. Panay ang yawyaw sa akin ni Trace nang nasa sasakyan kami, telling me bullshits like we've los

LEVBEING the head of a secret criminal group is easy. That's what some shit philosopher wannabe said. According to him, there are two basic ingredients for success.First, you need to be scary. Not just ghost and spooky kind. Iyong tipong mabanggit lang ang pangalan mo, manginginig o maiihi na sa takot ang makakarinig noon. Well, needless to say, I got it covered. The moment they see my right hand, the one with a wolf tattoo, they know it's their end. To say that my reputation precedes me is an understatement.I don't just elicit fear, I am fear.Second and the most important one, you need to be smart. Not the nerdy and genius type. I am referring to the type who can eat his enemy for breakfast while slicing one during a meeting. The street-slash cunning type of smart.Why? The answer is simple.'Cause life is a never ending battle. Mula sa panahong protina pa lang tayo't nakikipag unahan sa paglangoy sa sinapupunan ng ina natin l, para sa karapatan nating maging tao, hanggang sa una

LEV"Me and Bree.""No way! My daughter is off limits. She's to be wed to someone from our circle." Sigaw ni Gener sabay daluhong sa akin. Pero mabilis itong nahawakan ni Vin at ni Frank.Balewalang pinagpag ko ang coat, pretending it has some lint. My nonchalant attitude makes the old man yell to the point of madness. Can I just shoot him in between his eyes para maitakas ko na lang si Bree? So much for being diplomatic. The thought of her being with someone else conjure the barbaric and violent side of me."Gener, calm the fuck down.""How can I? Parang karne lang na hinihingi ng animal na 'to ang anak ko.""Isn't that what you are known for? Bartering your women like commodities to secure some deals? Ba't nao-offend ka?" Malamig kong tanong. "Tulad ng sabi mo kanina. . . Traditions.""Shut up! You don't get to judge us. That's our rule. Our tradition. Not yours!"I shrugged my shoulders."I am not judging you. I am here to make business. Sinusunod ko nga ang rules n'yo eh. When in