DS8Uncovered #LuMa #BearCouple #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER 40: MATCH

LUNA'S POV

"It needs to be you."

I have battled with the cold since I received that message. I've been trying not to let it overcome me as more things slowly fall into place.

Napatingin ako sa pintuan ng secure interview room nag bumukas iyon. Zachary Carter came out looking exhausted to the bone, but he still managed to give me a smile. Umupo siya sa sofa kung saan nandoon din sina Brandon at Daniel.

Daniel was the first one to arrive before the others. Nang matapos siya ay saka naman dumating si Brandon at Zachary. Zachary was asked to wait in the lobby while Brandon was being interviewed.

Bago tuluyang sumara ang pintuan ay sumungaw ang ulo doon ng kapatid ko na si Kuya Gun. "Did Donovan arrive?"

Bago pa ako makasagot ay bumukas ang main door ng kinaroroonan namin at pumasok si Kuya Pierce na kasunod si Weston Donovan. His face was as hard as stone, but as soon as he saw me, it softened.

"What trouble did you find, Shortcake, that your brothers flew from miles away just to talk to me?"

I opened my mouth to speak but I was interrupted when someone loudly cleared his throat. I let out a sigh, and for the fourth time, I gestured to Magnus, who was standing beside me. "My husband, Magnus Aquillan. I introduced you to him before."

"I remember."

Inabot niya ang kamay niya sa lalaki at kinamayan ang asawa ko na pasama na nang pasama ang mood.

If I'm being honest, it's kind of fun to see Magnus this way. He's always rational, so it's amusing to see when he's trying to reign in his irrational emotions. Wala naman kasing rason para mainis siya sa mga ex ko dahil bukod sa negosyo ay wala naman akong ibang koneksyon sa kanila na alam kong naiintindihan ni Magnus. Wala rin namang ginagawa ang mga lalaki para magalit siya dahil professional naman sila. Maybe, except for Brandon, since he's a natural flirt.

"Nilileygawan mo siya noon. You even tried to invite yourself in his room—"

Sa pagkakataon na ito ay ang pag-ubo ng mga kapatid ko ang napatigil sa kaniya. Even Kuya Axel, who was sitting quietly in front of the monitoring equipment, looked at us. They're all giving Magnus a look, even though we've been married for years.

"Sumama ka na sa kapatid ko bago ko pa maisipang ituwid iyang baluktot mong dila," naniningkit ang mga matang sabi ko kay Weston.

He grinned and saluted before following Kuya Gun inside the secure interview room. Nang tuluyang sumarado ang pintuan ay binalingan ko ang tatlo pang lalaki na minsang naging bahagi ng buhay ko sa ibang paraan mula sa meron kami ngayon.

"I hate to take up more of your time than I already did. Sa tingin ko naman ay tapos na ang mga kapatid ko," sabi ko sa kanila.

Daniel looked reluctantly at the other men before nodding. He doesn't seem to want to go home, which kind of reminds me of myself back in the day, when I would rather be anywhere else than be alone to think about what I'm going through. "Call me if there's an update."

"I—"

"I'll call you," Magnus grumbled beside me.

The corner of Daniel's lips tipped up, as if he found my husband amusing. "Alright."

Inangat niya ang kamay niya bilang paalam sa akin at ginaya ko rin ang ginawa niya. I should tell Magnus about Daniel's condition. I don't think I mentioned it to him yet. Baka sakaling bumait siya ng kaunti sa lalaki. But maybe the distance Magnus wanted me to have when it comes to them is better for now. Especially now that things haven't really been resolved.

"I'm just waiting for my car," Zachary informed the room. "My sales associate, Lavelle, needed to buy some supplies, so she came with me so she could drop me off here. Padating naman na siya."

"No worries." Sumandal ako sa pader pero naramdaman kong kumilos si Magnus dahilan para sa kaniya ako mapasandig. Who would have thought? Seloso na clingy pa. "By the way, tuloy iyong mid-year shoot natin. Do you have an artist to recommend?"

"Of course I do. Magpapadala na lang ako sa Maven ng portfolios para makita mo kung anong art style ang mas gusto mo. But do you have anyone in particular that you want to work with?"

"Ikaw, pwede?" biro ko.

"Mahal ang talent fee ko."

"Kaya nga ikaw sana para libre eh." Napabuntong-hininga siya na ikinatawa ko. "I want the same vibe from the painting we bought during the event."

"Landscape?"

"Yup. You think pwede iyong artist na iyon? Darius something?"

"Benitez?" Hindi si Zachary ang nagtanong kundi si Kuya Pierce na kanina ay tahimik lang.

Gulat na napatingin ako sa kaniya. "You know him?"

"We have a list of names that came to the event in Obscura just for security purposes. He's one of the artists, but he stood out because you went to school with him."

Tinuro ko ang sarili ko. "I did?"

"I thought you remembered him," singit ni Zachary sa usapan. Puno ng kalituhan ang mukha niya. "During the event, you recognized him."

"I thought he was just familiar."

"Kaklase natin siya noong high school. I thought you recognized him because he had a huge crush on you back then. Pinapadalan ka pa nga niya lagi ng love notes sa locker mo."

"Akala ko galing sa'yo 'yon," bulong ko.

"Lagi tayong magkasama no'n kaya bakit ako maglalagay ng secret notes sa locker mo? It's not like I need to tell you anything secretly. I was already trying to date you back then, and I made that clear to you."

"You did..."

Nilingon ko si Kuya Pierce pero hawak na niya ang cellphone niya at tumitipa roon. He walked out of the room just in time that he put the phone to his ear.

"Well, I think you now have who you're looking for."

We all turned to Brandon, who shrugged. He looks comfortable on the sofa, as if this is just a normal day for him.

"This is just for ruling out people on the list, Brandon, so that Dagger can focus on more relevant leads. I told you, it's not like I think any of you would do something to threaten me for whatever reason." Nagpakawala ako ng malalim na hininga. "Dagger's already working with authorities because this has escalated to a high-profile case. I'm not the sole target. I just happened to fit the description of the perpetrator's usual victim."

Media outlets have already issued a public notice regarding the Moon Killer. It's hard to be named Luna nowadays.

"He's well travelled."

Napabaling kami kay Kuya Axel na siyang nagsalita. May pinindot siya at ilang sandali lang ay dinig na namin ang boses ni Weston na nasa kabilang panig ng one-way mirror. Weston is enumerating the places he visited.

"Is that a problem?" I asked.

"Yes." He glanced at me. "Especially if the places he mentioned are near the places where victims have been found."

"Weston always travels."

"So did Ted Bundy."

I groaned in frustration, then turned to Brandon. "Brandon."

Natatawang itinaas niya ang mga kamay niya at tumayo siya mula sa pagkakaupo niya. "Hindi ka pa nabobored dito?"

"She's not," Magnus answered for me.

Katulad ng inaasahan ay wala lang iyon kay Brandon na nanatiling nakatingin sa akin. "Want to go out for a snack?"

"No."

Siniko ko si Magnus na siyang sumagot ulit bago ko binalingan si Brandon at inangat ko ang kamay ko na may suot na singsing at pagkatapos ay itinuro ko si Magnus. "I told you, I'm a married woman."

"Ano naman? Eh di isama mo ang asawa mo." Napapalatak na naglakad siya palapit sa pintuan. Dahil sa tabi no'n kami ni Magnus nakatayo ay mas napalapit siya sa akin. Bahagya siyang yumuko na parang hahalikan niya ako sa pisngi dahilan para humigpit ang pagkakahawak ni Magnus sa bewang ko na para bang handa siyang hilahin ako palayo kung kakailanganin. "Married life really made you boring, Dawson."

"Dawson-Aquilan," I corrected. "And it didn't make me boring, Mitchell. It made me immune to flirts."

Tumawa lang siya at pinitik ng mahina ang noo ko bago siya tuluyan lumabas ng kuwarto. Nang mawala siya sa paningin namin ay naramdaman ko ang mga kamay sa akin ni Magnus na bahagya akong iginalaw para mapaharap ako sa kaniya.

Kunot na kunot ang noo na nakatingin siya sa noo ko at mahinang napatawa na lang ako ng bumaba ang mukha niya at hinalikan iyon.

Lucienne will be surprised once she interviews me for her last book in the Dagger Series. Siguradong culture shock ang aabutin niya kapag nalaman niya kung gaano kakeso ang boss niya kapag in love. In love. Again... who would have thought?

"Lavelle's here." Tumayo si Zachary mula sa kinauupuan. Hindi katulad ni Brandon ay hindi na siya lumapit sa akin at nangingiti na lang na tinanguhan si Magnus bago siya kumaway sa akin. "I'll have to go. Sabihan niyo na lang ako kung may kailangan pa."

"Thanks, Zach."

Nang makalabas na siya ay binalot ng katahimikan ang kuwarto. Kuya Axel moved so that he could turn the speaker on again, so that we could hear what Weston and Kuya Gun were talking about.

"Does Dagger usually conduct interviews this way?"

I looked up at Magnus. "Hmm?"

"They allow other people of interest in the room? O maluwag lang sila ngayon dahil katulad ng sabi mo ay hindi naman na sila talaga ang pokus ng imbestigasyon?"

"That's the thing. This isn't for interviews, Mags. I don't think we can even call this an interrogation." Nag-angat ako ng tingin sa asawa ko. Confusion is evident on his face. He hurriedly went here at Dagger when I called him to let him know that I had left the office. Dapat ay sabay kaming uuwi pero wala pa sa kalahati ang araw ay nandito na ako. "I'll tell you all about it later."

It was then that the door opened, and a beautiful face peeked in. "Sir Axel?"

"Sorcha," my brother said without turning to look.

"We got it." Her eyes went to me. "There's a match."

I BRUSHED past Magnus and I felt him still at the briefest of touch. Parehas kaming nasa kusina ng family penthouse at naghahanda para sa dinner. Dadating kasi mamaya ang pamilya ko.

"If you don't stop doing that, dinner will be cancelled."

Inilagay ko ang hawak ko na isang bungkos ng chives sa chopping board at sinimulan kong hiwain iyon. "I don't know what you're talking about." Kinuha ko ang bowl na nasa kanan niya dahilan para bahagya akong mapadikit sa kaniya.

A rumble that could only be closely described as a growl emitted from him. I let out a sound of surprise when, in the next second, I found myself being pinned against the center island.

"Magnus—"

His lips covered mine, drowning out whatever I was about to say. His hand went to the back of my head, tangling with my hair as he gently tugged so that my head was tilted, giving him more access to deepen the kiss.

I instantly melted into his arms, enjoying the feel of his tongue exploring mine. Ikinawit ko ang mga braso ko sa balikat niya dahilan para mas mapalapit siya sa akin. When our hips collided, he growled in my mouth, making the straining bulge on his pants obvious to me.

One of his hands held on my thigh, and he pulled them up, reminding me of that night in our bedroom when he did the same. His other hand let go of my hair, and he created a path downward. I gasped in surprise when he accidentally brushed the top of my breast.

When our lips parted, giving us time to breathe, I whispered to him, "We're definitely going to miss dinner."

He groaned and pulled back a little, but I held onto him. Tila nahahapong sumubsob siya sa leeg ko habang ang mga braso niya ay pumaikot sa akin at mahigpit niya akong niyakap. He's nearly crushing me with how tight his hug is, but I don't care. I love it when he's gentle with me, but I love it even more when he's unrestrained.

My phone pinged, but none of us made any move to look at it. Gano'n pa man ay may pakiramdam ako na isa iyon sa mga kapatid ko o mga hipag na nagsasabing nakarating na sila at paakyat na.

"We have a problem," Magnus murmured.

Pinagapang ko ang kamay ko mula sa balikat niya pababa sa dibdib niya pero nang bumaba pa iyon sa tiyan niya ay pinigilan niya iyon. I grinded my hips with his instead, which made him tighten his hold on me more.

"I don't think holding me will help to solve your problem, hubby bear," I told him.

"I don't want to let you go."

A familiar ache squeezed my heart at the double meaning I heard from his words, even though it wasn't his intention. I don't want to say anything about it, though. I made a promise to him. This is our death-free week, so I can't mention anything about my condition to him, and I also don't want to ruin the mood.

"How about we cancel the dinner and we can put..." I rubbed my body against his. "... this to good use?"

He sighed loudly. "I think you mistake my patience to wait for having unbreakable self-control, LA. Because I assure you, my control constantly crumbles when you're around." Hinalikan niya ang noo ko at katulad ng paborito niyang gawin ay sinandal niya ang sa kaniya roon. "You need your family around tonight. I know that's the reason why you invited them."

Hindi ako nakasagot dahil totoo naman iyon. I wanted to be relieved... and to some extent, I am. But there's also a part of me that feels scared. I am not afraid to admit that. Kung sa ibang sitwasyon lang siguro ay mas madaling tanggapin para sa akin. But I feel betrayed and angry, and I just can't fathom how what's happening is possible. I can't understand how someone could do such a thing.

"It needs to be you."

Maven received a note with those words written on it. It was harmless. The clueless delivery guy didn't even make it to the lobby before he was stopped by Warrick and Nevan. But while the note creeped me out, it wasn't what made things start in motion.

"Let me help," he whispered in my ear.

"Mags—"

"I hate what's going on, and I hate that you need to be put in a situation where it will be dangerous for you. But believe in you. I always love how strong you are, and I know there's a badass behind your little body." I chuckled, and I felt his lips on my neck form into a smile. "But you're my, LA. I can't watch you do this alone."

"You're very manipulative when you want to get what you want."

"LA—"

"Kaya nga bagay tayo." I tipped my head back. "I'm open to bribery. Kiss me again."

Umangat ang sulok ng mga labi niya at ilang sandali lang ay magkahugpong na ulit ang mga labi namin. We were in the middle of making sure that Magnus' very hard problem wouldn't be going away soon when we heard the elevator pinged and the sound of it opening.

"Come on! Not again!"

I giggled against my husband's lips when I heard Kuya Trace's complaint, as well as the sound of the rest of my brothers doing the same.

"Wrong timing lagi ang pamilya mo," bulong ni Magnus.

"They're yours too."

He grimaced. "Hindi ba pwedeng hindi i-claim o kahit ibalik na lang?"

Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Why? Are you willing to return me?"

Hinapit niya ako palapit sa kaniya. "Never. You're stuck with me for life."

"Mama! Gutom na po kami pero humaharot lang po si Luna!"

Napabuntong-hininga ako nang marinig ko ang malalakas na tawanan ng pamilya ko dahil sa malakas na pagpalahaw ni Kuya Trace.

"Ipamigay na lang kaya natin?" tanong ko kay Magnus.

"Pwede naman. Kahit si Trace lang."

"I heard that!" my brother shouted.

Magnus chuckled and leaned down so he could give me one last kiss before he finally moved away. "Let's start cooking before I decide to just order food for the family and leave them so I can take you to our penthouse."

_______________________Enf of Chapter 40.