"Where are we?" Tanong ko ng itinigil nito ang sasakyan sa harap ng isang mataas na gusali. A condominium, perhaps.

Hindi ito sumagot at basta na lang binukas ang katabing pinto at lumabas. Napamura na lang ako ng mahigit ang kaliwang kamay kong nakakonekta sa kamay nito. Damn it.

"Oh, I forgot." Wika nito at hinawakan ang kamay ko para umalalay. I went off the car through stepping on the driver's seat and smacked his hand away when I'm out. But he held it tight. I glared at him. Here we go again.

"Hands off, Jerk." I told him with a threat.

"Yeah, right." Nang-aasar nitong wika at hinila ako papasok ng gusali. Diretso lang ito kung maglakad na pawang pagmamay-ari ang lugar. Ni hindi nga 'to tumigil sa receiving area or even on those security guards. He is really a jerk. But what confused me is that all staffs inside the hall stopped from whatever they're doing. Pero ano bang pakialam ko sa kanila. Maski nga ang lalaking 'to ay walang pake at tuloy-tuloy lang itong pumasok sa elevator. He pushed a button and from what I saw we're going to the top floor.

I dug my nails on his palm hard to remove it. And he did. I was about to rejoice, but then it didn't last. He intertwined it instead. Inis ko itong tinignan and he just returned it with a smug look.

"Can you just let go of my hand? We're already shackled for fuck's sake!" I shrieked. As if I can run away in this situation, right?

"It is just a hold, Kitten. Don't make it a big deal." Sagot nito.

"I am not." Giit ko. Oh, damn. We're talking nonsense again. Simple lang naman ang hindi paghawak sa kamay, bakit di niya pa magawa?

"There is no problem here, then."

"Let. Go." I tried detaching my hand away from his grip but he won't even budge.

"Just admit it." Napatigil ako sa ginagawa ko at takang napatingin sa kanya. Anong sinasabi ng demonyong 'to?

"Admit what?"

Hinarap niya ako at, "Admit that you're getting nervous..." He pulled me closer to him. "...whenever we are this close." He said. And it so happened that I notice that we're on a closed space. I suddenly felt being claustrophobic. To my reactions, I pushed him away with my free hand. I have created a small space between us and I felt...relieved? "See?" Saad nito. And a sound flickered, indicating that we have reached our destination. Lumabas kami at di ko na nagawang depensahan ang sarili ko sa sinabi nito.

Nervous? Am I really feeling nervous whenever he's around?——No. No, I'm not. I'm not feeling worried nor afraid. Ni hindi ko na matandaan kung kailan ako huling natakot at kinabahan. And I don't really fear anyone.

I stop on my track when I saw him opened a door. Pumasok ito, at syempre maisasama ako. Pero agad ko itong pinigilan. I pulled my hand, pulling him back, too.

"At anong ginagawa natin dito?" I threw him a questioning look.

"You're hiding, right?" Balik-tanong nito sa akin. Hiding?

"Wow! I'm hiding? How come I didn't even inform myself about that?" Sarkastikong wika ko sa kanya.

"Now, you are." Saad niya at hinila ako papasok. I was quickly welcomed by a manly scent. It's Devon's.

"My life is too fucked up. I don't know whose hiding who. Ang alam ko ay sa Clemente Mafia ako nagtatago." I told myself and was purposely let Devon hear it.

"That's because you're always thinking that Clemente Mafia is the enemy." I rolled my eyes at him.

"And they really are. You are, too." They're all my enemy.

"Think of a bigger picture, Aurora. We're not the real enemy here."

"Like I would believe that." I told him with a sneer. "By the way, where the hell are we?" Nagtatakang tanong ko. This place is plenty big and classy. It's themed black and white with a small touches of brown. Abstract paintings were hanged on the wall and who knows how much each of those. Including the huge flat screen television, too. I can see three doors, one had only a door frame from which I supposed is the kitchen. Lots of book were arranged accordingly in the bookshelf. Farther to that is the glass wall that I think reveals the entire city from above if you got closer.

Almost everything is arranged symmetrically. It also looks like it's free from dirt. Ugh. This is another piece of perfection. How annoying.

"My unit." He answered and it took me seconds to make it sink in. Yeah. His condo unit. Tsk. Bat' pa ba ako nagtataka? I was already welcomed by his scent awhile ago.

Naglakad siya papunta sa may itim na sofa, and of course I was tag along. He sat there and I end up standing in front of him. He then closed his eyes like he's about to sleep.

"Excuse me?" I snapped at him. Bahagya naman nitong minulat ang kanyang mga mata. "I think you're about to forget removing this shit." I said and motioned the handcuff.

"No, I don't. Sa palagay ko ay ikaw ang nakalimot." Saad nito. "I threw the key in your apartment, remember?" He finished and gave me a bored look. I clenched my fist when the memories flashes back.

"What?!" I shrieked. The key. He threw it. In the apartment. Not here. No key. No key to remove it——I can hear those words chanting furiously on my mind.

"Do I have to repeat it twice?"

"You, fucking demon!" I lunged for an attack to him. But before it could even land, he caught it already and pulled me down. Mabilis nitong ipinaikot ang aking kamay palibot sa aking katawan. I end up sitting beside him while my arms were crossed over my body and his holding them from behind.

"Ssh. Calm down. Let's take a nap for a moment. I got a little tired killing those snipers." He murmured while his eyes were closed.

"Shut up! I want you to remove this shackles right here, right now." Giit ko. But he just hushed me again. I tried to struggle away from his grip but it keeps tightening whenever I move. "Let go of me, Demon! I will really, really kill you, you freaking jerk!"

He pulled me closer, almost hugging me from behind, and placed his leg securely on top of mine to keep me from struggling. I've stiffened for a few seconds. Isinandal pa nito ang ulo niya sa balikat ko.

"I already ordered them to remove everything that is sharp and edgy in this place before we arrive, Kitten. Everything that you can use in killing. Especially, knives." He muttered. I glared at the television in front of us.

"So you have it all planned?" Naniningkit kong tanong kahit di niya ako nakikita.

"No. Not really." Mahinang wika nito. And I can't stop glaring at the television. I can see our reflection from their and I want to smash it. I never dreamt that this would happen. And if I did, I'll call it a nightmare. "And I said, let's take a nap." Dagdag nito.

"Go, take a nap. I'll find something alternative that I can use to chop off your hand." I just heard him chuckled. But I'm deadly serious.

We became silent. Only the hum of air-conditioning. I can also feel his breathing pattern became stable. So he does took his nap, hah. Now, all I just have to do is to wait until his hold loosen.

My eyes roamed around the place. And crap! I can't find anything that I can use to kill him. All I can see is a glass table in front of us, the television, bookshelf that is full of books, this sofa we're sitting on, and those crappy paintings. Without these, this place would be freaking empty. Oh, hell. Wala lang kahit ballpen man lang, vase, scissor, or anything that is sharp and pointed. Well, muhka ngang pinatanggal niya lahat ng mga iyon. And I doubt kung meron pang laman ang kusina nito.

I don't know how long I've been idling in my place. Ilang minuto na ba ang nakalipas? Wala akong maisip na gawin. Waking him up won't do better. At mahigpit pa rin ang hawak nito. Nakakangalay sa parte ko while he really looks comfortable on his. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako at sumandal sa sofa. I closed my eyes for awhile, busy contemplating on what to do.

And that 'for awhile' last longer than I thought.

When I open my eyes it's like I didn't open them at all. The place was covered with darkness. Only a fraction of city lights were poking in the glass wall. And moreover to the that is moonlight. Those were just our source of brightness over the darkness and——Wait a minute!

Moonlight?!

Napabalikwas ako mula sa pagkakasandal...kay Devon? Who seems fully awake now. Huh? Did I fell asleep? For that long? I check everything. Well, we're sitting on the sofa, still shackled. So I just fell asleep until night. Darn. How come I didn't even notice any movements?

"I took my nap while you're about to hibernate." He said with a hint of mockery. Hibernate? That's too exaggerated. "Anyway, we should really turn the lights on now." He stood up and I deliberately followed as he went to the switch and turned the lights on. I abruptly closed my eyes when the bright light popped like I got blinded. I waited for a few seconds to adjust.

"You should really remove the handcuff and bring me back to the apartment, too." I told him nonchalantly, giving him a stern look.

"Kailangan naming masiguradong wala ng nakabantay don. Hindi ka pa maaaring bumalik." Sagot nito na nagpakunot sa aking noo.

"And where do I suppose to stay?" Mataray kong tanong.

"Obviously, here. Kaya nga dinala kita dito, diba? And that's the purpose of this shackles. So you can't go else where without me." I gritted my teeth.

"You can't tell me what to do." I said as a made a fist. I hate being bossed around. "You're not the boss of me." No one is, except myself only.

"We're taking careful actions. You're safer here. It's better if you cooperate and listen to me." Nagsusumamong wika nito. I gave him a bored look.

"And you expect me to do that?"

"No. But I'm trying to make you." Saad nito dahilan para magsukatan kami ng tingin.

"You're wasting your time." 'Cause I'll never cooperate and listen to them. Or to him.

"I don't really mind." Hinila niya ako palapit muli sa may sofa pero pinigilan ko ito.

"You should think of a way to remove this handcuff before I take the responsibility." I told him with a threat, changing the topic. I'm giving him the chance to do all his legal ways before I'll make my actions. And I mean, illegal and bloody actions.

"I won't." He answered.

"Fine, then." My lips twitched into a vicious smile. Madali akong kausap. Without second thought, I raised my right leg and strongly jab the hard pole of my foot to the glass of the glass table near us. It created a massive crack but I'm not still contented so I jab it again, harder than before. And it finally shatter this time, breaking into pointed pieces. It happened like it is in a slow motion as we both heard the shattering sound. I glance at Devon's reaction. Shocked and confused was his first reactions until it crept into alarmed like he had finally understood it's purpose.

He tried to pull me away from the area but I'm too fast to pick one of those broken glasses. I looked at him while I'm still wearing my wicked smile as I stared at my reflection on the sharp broken glass that I'm holding. Silent chuckles escape my lips. I have created my own alternative weapon to cut his hand off.

"Now, you're dead." I told him with an evil smirk.