INSANE RAINS

CHAPTER 17 - New Year

"Good morning, Love." Billy, who was naked from the waist up, opened the drape, and showered himself in the sunlight that struck Grace eyes. She made a face and covered her face with the white thick blanket. Billy pulled the blanket, "Rise Mrs. Domingo..."

Grace turned on her side and covered her face with her arm, "10 minutes..."

"It's already 8:00 Mrs. Domingo." Billy bent forward, kissed her in the cheek, and carried her out the room. Grace squealed, "Put me down, Mr..." Billy put her down, and they went downstairs.

"Let's indulge in the morning sun's agleam with my aromatic brewed coffee..." Billy took the tray, on top of it were two mugs of coffee and two pairs of toasted bread. Addictive aroma of the brewed arabica coffee mixed with the air. He placed the tray on the table in the verandah.

"No that's my duty as your..." Grace was not yet finished talking when Billy cut her off, "Mrs. Domingo, I dismiss you for arguing at this moment... Just have a seat and relax." Billy took a few paces back inside and reached the microgroove, placed it in the vinyl record player, Peter preferred plaquette than modern devices that changes electrical signals into sounds, he wanted old-fashioned devices or antiques. Written in the stars was played and its soothing introductory saturated the atmospheric morning.

"Seems like we've been here before. Your eyes are seeing straight right through my core. It's kinda strange, but I like it. Ain't no reason tryna' fight it, yeah. Might be déjà vu. First time we met, but I remembered you. We were creepin' in the night time. Maybe in another lifetime" Billy sang the first stanza of the song as he took a red rose from the vase, and offered to Grace, and whispered "I love you."

Grace was also carried of their theme song and sang, "Don't tell me you don't feel what I feel right now. Ooh, it's written all over you. Don't tell me you don't feel what I feel somehow. Ooh, I keep findin' my way back to you. You can go anywhere babe, wherever you want because I know we're written in the stars. You can go any which way, don't matter how far because I know we're written in the stars." She caressed his cheeks down to his chin.

And they sang together, Da-da, da-da-da, da. Da-da, da-da-da, da..." From the back of Grace, Billy hugged her and softly he whispered, "And I promise every day to make you feel this way so that you know it's written in the stars."

Grace smiled and sat down. "Do not spoil me... I might get used to it. Then you'll complain at last." Grace combed her cascading silky frizzed-black hair with her fingers, and took some sip. The music continued to play in the background.

Grace smiled and sat down. "Do not spoil me... I might get used to it. Then you'll complain at last." Grace combed her cascading silky frizzed-black hair with her fingers, and took some sip.

"It's a new year, a new life for us." Billy spoke as he served the coffee, and smacked her.

"Banaue ambiance is better than here in Baguio... I missed the freshest air, the greenly field, the dragonflies that hovers, the simplicity of life of the people there." As Grace spoke she was like drawing something in the air.

"By the way, do we still need honeymoon?" Grace chuckled, "...if it already happened."

Billy grinned, "We'll still go there, if not for honeymoon then for vacation." He sipped the coffee, "Hmm... We'll go with aunty when they'll go back to L. A."

"When is their flight?" Grace asked before she sipped the coffee.

"I'm not sure but I think this 10." Billy stood and picked the fill-it-pen, faced the calendar and encircled 10. "Love, remember January 10, 2020..." He told it to Grace as he took the tonearm off the vinyl record, and the music faded.

"Noted!"

After the wedding, week after, they went back to Baguio City. They temporarily stayed in Grace's father's house before Grace will leave them and settle by their own. Actually, three weeks passed. They celebrated Christmas, and even New Year with Grace's parents.

"Good morning..." Melanie greeted them as she wiped off the sweat on her face with a towel.

"Where have you been, ma?" Grace asked from the verandah when she saw her parents entered the house.

Melanie chuckled, "We just jogged for a kilometer."

"When was the last time you did it?" Grace sneered, "I've never see you go for jog."

"I did it this day," Melanie winked, "for you to have some times together alone..." She paused, "I already wanted to have grandchildren." and she laughed. She hanged the towel on her shoulder and went directly to the kitchen to gulp down and, "Water?" she asked Peter who was gasping in the couch, and he nodded.

"Hello! Good morning." Liza, who was standing by the entrance door, greeted. She was topped with sunglasses; her tinted-blonde hair fell freely on her back.

"Liza. Come in." Peter asked Melanie to prepare a juice.

"Thank you." Liza sat down, and took off her sunglasses. "Where's Bil?" She asked.

"They're in the verandah, wait, I'll call him." Peter pointed in the left wing of the house where Billy and Grace were, and called Billy.

"O. Aunty..." Billy uttered, and called her to join them in the verandah. And Liza sat with them across Grace, facing the tall building. As Liza took a sip of orange juice, a reflected light from a something glass disturbed her eyes, which came from the tall building. She darted her eyes on it, and found out that it was a sniper. Before the bullet will blow up Grace's head, Liza swiftly shoved Billy, thinking he was the target, and received the bullet that made her gasp for breath. She was stricken in the heart. And fell on the floor thumping down the table. "Get down!" She exclaimed, and pressed her wound. Blood was gushing like a stream on her breast. "Bil...Billy." Called him. The concrete bench served as barricade, they stayed proning.

"Aunty, don't give up! It'll gonna be alright..." Billy groped towards Liza who was lying weak, she couldn't move in pain. He lifted her head up on his lap, pressing her wound. He was focused on her.

"I can't..." Liza whined. "Bil...ly! The gift. Did you open the gift?" She was hardly breathing, and winced. "You need to know all. It was not an accident; it was an order to kill all of you. Red Dragon is revenging for his brother, Black Dragon... I was looking for the drive and case then to bring Red Dragon down. I concealed everything to you Bil..." She spoke random words, "Ask Dr. Dodge Walter. Your father. Read the letter!" She clamped her fingers to Billy's collar. "Bogs. Jacob." She cried, and cursed Mr. Tan, then, she was not breathing anymore, her clamped-hand flopped down the floor.

Billy glimpsed Grace who was lying on her side, unconscious. He crawled through her, and shook her lightly, "Grace. Grace." He turned her towards him, and had sawn blood coming out from her lower thorax. "Grace!" He shouted that alarmed Peter, who dug his face in the couch in fear, and Melanie, who proned out, covering her face at the kitchen. Peter crawled to Melanie, and embraced her.

Billy carried Grace in the house, "Call an ambulance!" Grace's right hand fell loosely and her head was bent back, swung freely. She was totally unconscious, lifeless.

Melanie was shocked, not moving, and tears just fell from her wet eyes. Her brain was not receiving any nerve impulse like the axons were paralyzed to do their operations.

After Peter made a call in 10-minute, the frequency wails of the ambulance reverberated the gasps for life around the town, spine-chilling, hair-raising the people around. The ambulance approached Aquino's house like the boat of Hades fetching the spirit of the dead. After fetching Grace, the ambulance headed to BGH.

"How's Grace?" Peter asked Billy who was sitting on the waiting area, was crestfallen. His eyes were red. He looked up straight to Peter, and answered, "She's still in the E. R." He paused, "I am sorry, pa..." His head drooped.

Melanie sat and said nothing but tears flowed down on her cheeks and let it dropped on her lap. She brought nothing with them due to disorientation, she was dazed by the situation.

"It's not your fault, no-one's fault... You are also a victim, nak." Peter buoyed him up, and embraced. "It's Red Dragon..."

Billy, with no knowledge of all happening, was surprised when he had heard the name Red Dragon. "Who's Red Dragon, pa?"

Peter commanded him to be silent, "In the prayer room." And leaned forward, whispered "This should be talked privately."

"Red Dragon is Mr. Ming Tan, a known tycoon which made him to be considered the most powerful man in this country." Peter described Mr. Tan in low tone. "He is the lord of cocaine Mafia not only in the Philippines, but also he's supplying America, Africa, China, and other countries in the far east. He is also the leader of smuggling and of major syndicates." He clenched his jaw, "I haven't released my article against him because I don't want my family to be involved...but I know he's chasing after you because your father's father arrested Mr. Tan and brought his businesses down, and your father killed Black Dragon, Mr. Chi... But, now. That he messed with my family...the nation must know!" And he added, "- and rumors about him and his conspirators to control the nation and eventually the world. That. That should be publicized." Before they had gone out, Peter warned Billy, "Do not easily trust anyone."

Peter took some air, "He will not stop on hunting you until he'll take what he wanted. You know what mean, nak." He tapped Billy's shoulder.

"What's about the drive and case aunty was talking a while ago?" Billy asked before Peter touched the knob.

"I have no idea..." And yanked the door open. "You yourself can only answer your question. It might be the cause of this hell." The door swung shut.

"Are you not going to morgue to fix the funeral of Liza?" Peter asked as they walked in the hallway side by side.

"Later, pa." Billy drooped his head. Peter rubbed his hand to Billy's back to comfort or to console him. "It's grieving to lose all... but do not forget we are at your back."

Melanie was talking to the doctor when Peter and Billy came up. "How's Grace? Is she alright?" Billy uttered with trace of fear in his voice.

Melanie's reddened eyes were watering, and suddenly hugged him tight. "I can't lose her...I can't Bil!"