Disappearances

Chapter 42. Disappearances

NAPANGIWI si Sinned nang makita ang kalagayan ng lalaking iniligtas ng mga kasamahan niya. Hugh was barely breathing and if Rexton and the team came a bit late, they would haven't saved him, or even Bree. Nasa alanganing sitwasyon na noong abutan ang mga ito.

Arc worked on his own while he focused on the mission. Kung nagkataong wala roon si Arc ay maaaring hindi na niya sinipot ang misyon sa gabing iyon dahil ipagpapatuloy niya ang paghahanap kay Rellie.

It was already dark when he drove to where he would fetch up their shooter, Nami. Ilang sandali na lang naman ay magsisimula na ang negosasyon kaya siguradong hindi na siya magtatagal pa roon.

Ngunit nagkaroon ng engkuwentro. And if he had not thought of their backup plans, they would had been wiped out by the members of the organization already.

Their shooter, Nami, shot Romano to save him, but she was shot by someone else as well. Kaagad na dinala niya ang babae sa emergency room at hindi ito iniwan hanggang sa matapos ang operasyon sa pagtanggal ng bala ng baril dito at hanggang sa magising na ito. He also called Arc and told him they would just meet right after.

Subali't kinabukasan na siya nakauwi sa tinutuluyang apartment dahil hinatid pa niya si Nami sa ibang ospital kung nasaan ang ibang agents na nasaktan. May mga pulis namang nasa ospital upang tanungin ang mga naabutang agents at pinalabas na nadamay ang lahat sa isang engkwentro upang malusutan iyon.

He called Rexton to tell him he would not participate in any of the jobs thereafter.

"Are you sure you won't question Primo Lestrange?" the latter asked.

"Did you not surrender him to the police?"

"On what grounds?"

Yeah, right. They used different identities so they're not accountable for the incident in the museum.

"We're at Barrio San Esteban. You know, our hideout in here," Rexton added.

He went there alone while Arc continued to investigate more about the disappearance of Rellie.

The two members of de L'Orage were tied up on two chairs. The woman lost her consciousness while the man was being questioned.

"Where are the victims?" tanong ulit ni Rexton sa lalaki. They're looking for the missing people. There were a total of nineteen men and women who went missing, while two children were abducted in plain sight. And based on their investigations, the disappearances were connected to the organization and their inhumane deeds.

"You will never find them. We already killed everyone." Parang baliw na tumawa si Primo.

Isang malakas na suntok ang ibinigay rito ni Rexton. Siya naman ay lumapit.

"Let me," he interrupted.

The way Primo glared at him was like he's saying that he would not get any information from him.

He proceeded, "Why did you kill them?" His voice was monotonous.

"Why are you asking me? You obviously knew everything," pabalang na sagot nito.

"Did you rape them?"

"I never touched them—" Saglit itong natigilan dahil ipinatong niya ang kaliwang paa sa pagitan ng hita nito. Nagtagis ang bagang niya dahil wala siyang makitang pagsisisi sa mga mata nito.

He browsed on his phone to look for the photos saved in his hidden folder in the Gallery. "Now, I'm going to ask you again, did you violate them?" Itinutok niya ang cellphone screen dito habang isa-isang pinapakita ang screenshot ng ilang babaeng hubad at mga lalaki rin. May mga nakatali, bugbog-sarado, at mayroong hinahalikan ng isang lalaki. At base sa nakalap nilang impormasyon ay si Primo Lestrange iyon nang magpanggap bilang si Vittorio Escobar.

"I did not!"

He stepped on his groin harder as he kept on showing him the photos that he set on a slide show. Mayroong dalawa roon na winakwak ang tiyan at wala nang lamang-loob.

Mas diniinan niyang ang pagtapak dito at napaigik ito sa sakit.

"They were about to die, okay! And it wasn't just me. We all took our turns before we kil—"

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Sinuntok niya ito kung saan hawak niya ang cellphone at halos mabali ang leeg nito sa lakas ng pagkakasuntok niya.

"That's enough. You might kill him without getting information from him," awat ni Rexton.

"Get me a hammer!" he said instead without leaving Primo's eyes.

"What? Just go straight to the point, Sinned."

"This bastard doesn't deserve to live. You've seen the photos, didn't you?"

"Don't torture him. I'll do that later since mental torture isn't enough."

"Just kill us already," sabad ni Primo.

Umigting ang bagang niya at umakyat ang dugo sa kaniyang ulo nang makita iyong litrato ng mga batang sugatan, kapwang lalaki ang nawawalang bata; at pinagsamantalahan ng hayup na ito.

How did they acquire those photographs? Actually, those were screenshots from the video clips that their hacker team found in the darker part of the internet. Kulang ang mga iyon pero ang mga nakuha nila ay sapat na upang masabing tama ang tina-target nila.

There were videos of the actual beatings of the victims, violating their bodies, and even when they opened them up to get their organs.

He browsed on his phone again and found Rellie's photo wherein she was explaining things to him about a certain painting, and she was smiling. Ipinakita niya iyon kay Primo.

"Have you seen this woman?"

He squinted his eyes and said, "No."

Muli niyang tinapakan ang pagitan ng hita nito. Napahiyaw ito dahil mas madiin iyon kaysa kanina. Mas masakit.

But still, the fucker did not response. Sa gigil niya ay paulit-ulit niyang tinapakan ang pagkalalaki nito hanggang sa nagmakaawa itong tigilan na niya. Hinayaan naman siya ng mga kasamahan niya roon sa ginagawa niyang pagpapahirap dito.

Kung hindi pa tumili ang babaeng kasama nito ay hindi siya matitinag.

He went on her and showed her the picture as he choked her, just enough for her to breathe a little.

"Where is she?"

Umiling ang babae. "I d-do not know..."

But there's something in her eyes—in their eyes—that's telling him that they're lying.

"You'll never find that woman. She's gone," bulalas ni Primo.

Napatuwid siya ng tindig at naniningkit ang mga matang nilapitan ito. "What did you say?"

"That bitch is dead." Nakalolokong dinilaan pa nito ang pang-ibabang labi.

Tumaas-baba ang dibdib niya at kinwelyuhan ito. "What the fuck are you saying?"

Instead, he just smirked.

Sinned lost his cool and started to beat him as he cussed. Inawat lang siya nang halos hindi na makilala ang mukha ni Primo at nawalan na rin ito ng malay.

"Boss," it was one of the agents who interrupted. Si Rexton ang tinawag nito.

"What?" Inis na bumaling si Rexton sa lalaki. Binitiwan na rin siya at sinabing kumalma muna siya.

"Are we going to the house today?" tanong ng agent. Osvaldo was a buffed guy, he's one of the cleaners, and also, in the hacker team.

"What house?" sabad naman niya.

"Iyong tinirhan ng mga animal na 'to. We're going to put two unidentified corpses in there and burn it," si Rexton ang sumagot.

Napatango na lang siya nang makuhang para palabasin na namatay sa sunog ang mag-asawa. But something inside him was acting weird. It's pushing him to stop that plan.

He gasped when he suddenly thought of a possibility...

Patuloy naman sa pagsasalita si Rexton na susunugin ang bahay mamayang gabi para palabasin na nakatulog ang mag-asawa at nalimutang tanggalin ang saksak ng oven toaster na pagmumulan kuno sa sunog.

Subali't hindi pa rin maipaliwanag ang malakas na kabang nadarama.

Rexton went on, "Before midnight—"

"Goddammit!" mura niya nang biglang maisip na maaaring nandoon si Rellie sa bahay na iyon.