Sunshine

XX

“HOW did you know? I said how did you know!”

Carlos’ shout shook the entire police station. The Special Task Force Team members immediately went to him and tried to intervene. A few curious people also had their eyes on them. Adrian closed his eyes and as calm as he could removed Carlos’ hands from his collar.

“I didn’t know anything, Carlos. As I told there could be a possibility.” Adrian told after a sigh. “I didn’t know it will be this fast.”

“You should stop talking bullshits with me.” Trying to stop himself Carlos pulled his own hair instead. Adrian once again sighed at the sight. “That plan of yours. How did you thought of that? I couldn’t trust you anymore.”

“What?” It was now Adrian’s turn to pull Carlos’ collar. “What did you just say? How could you say that when I---”

“It was too perfect! How did you managed to plan all that when we have nothing? Where did you get all that from, then? That perfectness is suspicious, Adrian.”

Adrian slowly loosened his grip on Carlos and took few steps back. Marie took the space between them. “We already have everything prepared so let’s just proceed with the plan. And Adrian, let’s talk about this later okay?”

Marie’s words together with Adrian’s nod resolved this morning’s quarrel.

“YOU called me after disbanding my team, eh?”

“And you stopped pretending to have some respect altogether.”

Mayor Costales laughed at his own words. Captain Rivera welcomed himself at the Mayor’s office and sat comfortably on the sofa. “Because I would actually be pretending if I show you some now. Can I have the coffee last time though?”

Mayor Costales’ laugh grew louder. Nevertheless he called his secretary to bring in some coffee. It arrived shortly after.

“Now what is this about?” Captain Rivera took a quick sip of his coffee. He is determined to finish the coffee this time. “What could it be that you would still want from me? We have now stopped investigating your daughter like you wanted.”

Mayor Costales chuckled at the emphasis of daughter. He also drank from his own coffee cup as he kept his amused face. “You must be thinking I was the one who had your team disbanded?”

Captain Rivera gave him the and-who-else-could-it-be face. It came across just fine. “I really want to take credit for it, but it wasn’t me.”

That made Captain Rivera alert. He came at the Mayor’s office putting up all the attitude thinking it was the gentleman in front of him responsible for the Special Task Force Team’s predestined ending. Captain Rivera cleared his throat with the coffee to hide all of it. “Then what would you like to talk with, Mr. Mayor?”

“I’d like to know how much you dug in on Olivia.”

Captain Rivera stood straight. Though the coffee was still hot he tried finishing the rest of it in one go. “I’ll go when I finish this.”

“Tell me. How far did you went?”

Rivera put down his cup with a grunt. It clanged against the glass center table. “I have nothing to say, Mr. Mayor. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

He took his way out but not without the words, “And please don’t call me over things like this again. I am warning you.”

“HE is warning me. He left with those words. Good lord.” That was how Mayor Costales answered when asked how today’s meeting with Captain Rivera went. “He had the nerve to warn me. Yeah he had.”

“But you seem to be enjoying this?”

“I am, indeed enjoying this, Olivia.” Costales turned to look at Olivia next to him who’s arms are wrapped across his body. “I think I’m about to make an enemy after a long time.”

“Having a new enemy gives another level of fun than making a foe, eh?”

“Making a foe was never fun, darling. Because you could make a lot of them out of fear and money.”

Olivia nodded and crawled her way on top of him. “That’s true. But let this foe give you a different kind of fun tonight.”

“HOW’S thing's there?"

“Yeah, great. Sure.” Carlos couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “And just how did you know Costales and Olivia and Alex are meeting here at this place, at this moment, at this time? Adrian you---”

“Focus, Carlos! I told you we are going to talk about that later!”

Carlos heaved out a sigh as he stopped himself from throwing away his earpiece. What could he do now that he is being ganged up especially by Marie Aguinaldo like this?

He focused on his job for today, which is to keep a close watch at the three people meeting on this secluded coffee shop at 8PM. Coffee at 8PM sounds weird enough.

“There must be an additional person coming today. That will be our target.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Carlos’ attention went to the opening door of the coffee shop and to the man in suit and tie he guessed around his age or could be younger. Just like what Adrian said, he really joined the table of Mayor Costales.

“f**k, Adrian. Just fuck.”