VIGILANTE HEARTS SERIES 3: Sweet Suicide

He was a tidal wave. A dangerous tidal wave she should have avoided from the very beginning, but like a mad sailor in a raging sea, she swallowed her fears and sailed with him towards the storm she knew she couldn't survive from. Alyzander "Gresso" Lindstrom. . . His name alone speaks danger, yet Gie still finds her mind chanting his name over and over again. They said he's a notorious mafia boss who used to dominate the black market because of his dirty deeds. A human-trafficker, smuggler, a threat to the safety of the human race. She'd read his files a dozen times and expected an ugly guy with a disgusting smell, not a freaking prison uniform model with a visible toned chest and abdomen muscle hiding beneath the white shirt he's wearing under his orange button-down polo. Para tuloy siyang naging estatwa sa kanyang kinatatayuan, hindi makapaniwala sa itsura ng presong ngayon ay nasa kanyang harapan. Gie tried to swallow the pool of saliva in her mouth as she scanned the man in a prison uniform. May kriminal palang ganito katikas at kagwapo? She tried to focus despite his presence having a different effect in her system, yet every time their gaze would meet, she finds herself getting lost in his dangerous pair of brown eyes. Nakita niya kung paanong umangat ang sulok ng mga labi ng lalaki nang suminghap siya matapos sumara ang pinto ng clinic. He was slouching on a chair that seemed too small for his ripped body. The inks on his skin made him looked like a feral beast while she was the helpless prey who has nothing to protect herself but a useless pen. Naglaro ang interes sa mga mata ng lalaking nagngangalang Gresso. "Zup?" he greeted. Gie had to hold her breath because good heavens, even his voice can send shivers down her spine! He licked his lower lip while scanning her tiny frame. Napahigpit ang hawak niya sa folder habang sinusundan ng tingin ang bawat galaw ni Gresso, takot na kung malingat siya kahit sandali ay may gawin itong hindi maganda. "So you're the uh. . . what should I call you, little missy, hmm?" Naging mapaglaro ang kurba sa mga labi ni Gresso. Kumalansing din ang posas sa magkabila nitong palapulsuhan nang umayos ito ng upo. Isinangkal din nito ang mga siko sa magkabilang hita habang ang mapanganib at interesadong mga mata ay sa kanya lamang ang tutok, tila agilang nag-aabang ng tamang tyempo para dumagit ng makakain. Gie had to purse her lips when she saw how his biceps effortlessly flexed with his simple movements. Tila nasasakal ang hulmado nitong mga braso sa manggas ng damit na suot. "What's your name, sweetcake?" Napalunok siyang muli dahil sa itinawag ni Gresso sa kanya. "A-A I'm—" "A-A-A. . . " He laughed in a delicious way, teasing her with his fake stutter. Maya-maya ay pinasadahan nito ng mga daliri ang buhok. "Aren't you a-a-adorable, hmm?" She pursed her lips while staring back at dangerous brown eyes while she questions her decisions in life. Bakit nga ulit siya naririto at nasa loob ng isang silid kasama ang siraulo't mapanganib na lalaking ito? Right. She volunteered. She f*****g volunteered to interview and assess some inmates at a supermax in exchange for a scholarship at her dream medical school. Gusto niyang matulungan ang ate Bella niya sa gastusin nang makauwi na ito mula sa ibang bansa. Gie chose to be here, but she didn't know she'd be paired up with a dangerously handsome guy with a tattooed body and a few loose screw in his head. No one warned her about him, and now she wants to curse every single person responsible for this whole assessment thing. Kung alam lang niya na ang lalakeng ito ang kakailanganin niyang kausapin sa loob ng labinlimang minuto, sana humanap na lang pala siya ng ibang paraan para makapag-aral. Sayang. Masyado nang huli para magsisi. She inhaled a silent breath without breaking their eye contact, hoping he wouldn't sense how terrified and curious she is getting. "I'm . . ." Muntik na siyang pumiyok sa kaba. "I'm Virgie—" He groaned. Napakunot naman siya ng noo, nagtaka. "Why?" Gie asked, nearly a whisper. Hindi naman iyon sadya. Talagang pakiramdam lamang niya ay inaagaw nito ang lakas niya kahit wala naman itong ibang ginagawa kun'di ang prenteng maupo. He made a click sound with his tongue while his eyes continue bore at her. "I don't f**k virgins." She blinked. Umawang ang kanyang mga labi at labis na uminit ang kanyang pisngi. Akala ba ni Gresso ay iyon ang sinasabi niya? "Oh God. . . " She inhaled a sharp breath and was about to speak again, kaso ay inunahan siya nito. "No, I'm Gresso. I won't qualify as a God considering the amount of people I destroyed with my bare hands but I can take you up there." He smirked like a devil luring an innocent soul to sin with him. "Can you take a Swedish?" "Jesus Christ. . . " Halos masapo niya ang kanyang noo. Hindi siya mahalay na tao ngunit pakiramdam niya ay nakukuha niya kaagad ang nais sabihin ng lalakeng ito! "I said I'm Gresso, Sweetcake. Stop calling me names that don't fit with my rotten soul." She sighed and tried to compose herself. "I'm not calling you names. Those are just expressions." His inky brow shot up. "Expressions, huh? Why? You're trying to call your big Dada up there because you're scared of me, hmm?" may munting mapanganib na ngisi nitong tanong. Muling humigpit ang pagkakahawak niya sa folder habang nananatili siyang nakatayo. She realized she hasn't taken a step further since she entered the room, and she feels so stupid for letting his presence affect her this much. Pinilit niyang nilakasan ang kanyang loob. Naglakad siya palapit sa silya ilang hakbang ang layo mula sa sa kinauupuan nito, at nang makapwesto ay sinubukan niyang tumikhim. "I'm not scared of you. You can't hurt me, not while you're locked up in this place." Umismid si Gresso na tila ba isang biro ang kanyang sinabi. "I can't hurt you?" he asked in a low, almost seductive way as he leaned his body forward. "Says who?" Nakaramdam siya ng pangangatog ng tuhod nang maging mapanganib ang titig nito, ngunit imbes na ipahalata ang takot na gumagapang sa kanyang sistema ay humugot na lamang siya ng hininga saka niya binuklat ang folder na kanyang hawak. "Lindstrom. . . " She swallowed when she saw his mug shot. God, she'd never seen anyone slay in their mug shot the way this man did. Tangina, ang gwapong kriminal ng lintik na 'to. . . "You didn't answer my question, Sweetcake." Napaangat siya ng tingin at muling nasalubong ang natural na mapang-akit nitong mga mata. "They assured me that you couldn't possibly hurt me." Muling umangat ang sulok ng mga labi ni Gresso. Kung naaaliw o nananakot ay hindi na niya matukoy. "You should never trust anyone, especially those who will tell you a lion wouldn't swallow you just because they trained it for shows." Napasinghap siya nang mabilis nitong nahatak ang kanyang upuan hanggang sa dumikit na ang kanyang mga tuhod sa silyang gamit nito. Inilusot din nito ang kanyang ulo sa nakaposas nitong mga kamay saka nito isinangkal ang mga palad sa sandalan ng upuan niya. Her eyes widened in fear as he drew their faces closer, his thumbs stroked the back of her ears in a surprisingly gentle way. "Tell me, little missy? Why exactly did you come here, hmm?" She tried to keep hrr eyes focused on his despite her heart pounding loudly inside her chest. "F—For my. . . for my scholarship. . . " "Scholarship where, hmm?" "At the. . . m-medical school. . . " His brow arched and his eyes flickered with interest. "So you wanna be a doctor, huh?" "Y-Yes. . . " halos mamaos niyang tugon. "What a foolish dream you have in that pretty little mind." He licked his lower lip while looking at her half-open mouth. "And why do you wanna be a doctor, hmm?" Gie swallowed, her body remained tensed as he continued to caress the back of her ears. "B-Because I wanna save lives." Gresso smirked. "Not everyone wants to be saved, Sweetcake. You're just wasting your life trying to be relevant in this obviously f****d up world." Humugot siya ng hininga, umaasang sasapat iyon upang kumalma ang nagwawala niyang dibdib. "I might not be able to save everyone, but at least I can rescue those who don't have the strength to call for help.' "What a poetic doctor-wannabe do we have here?" He smirked and drifted his gaze back to her parted lips. Maya-maya ay napansin niya ang pagdaan ng hindi pamilyar na emosyon sa mapanganib nitong mga mata. "How about we fulfill that dream of yours now, hmm?" "Huh?" "Let me be your first patient." He drew in a sharp breath while still staring at her lips. "Hey, Doc. I think there's something wrong with my lips. Mind checking it for me?" She blinked. "W-What do you—" Nanlaki ang kanyang mga mata at halos mabasag ang rib cage niya nang bigla nitong sunggaban ang kanyang mga labi sa mapusok na paraan. His lips moved with no intentions of letting her leave this place with her sanity intact, and when he clutched her hair to deepen the kiss, Gie hated herself for nearly losing her mind because of the wild fire his kisses had brought to her body. Parang tumigil ang ikot ng mundo. Nawala siya sa sarili at halos hindi alam ang gagawin. Namalayan na lamang niya na hinahatak na ito ng mga jail guard palayo sa kanya habang inaalalayan naman siya ng kanilang team leader upang tumayo. "Are you alright, Gie? Did he hurt you?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Dra. Watson sa kanya, ngunit bago pa man siya nakakibo ay narinig na nila ang boses ni Gresso. "Go get your license and come back." He smirked in a devilish way. "Come back and treat me, Doc. I'm gonna wait for you. . . " Lumunok siya at pilit pinakalma ang sarili. "A-And if I won't?" Mas naging mapanganib ang munting kurba sa mga labi ni Gresso. "I'm gonna burn this place and hunt you down until the only safe place for you to sleep in at night is my f*****g bed. . . " His eyes turned darker as if he's warning her. "Don't make me wait too long. . . Doc."