CAMERON WAS disappointed to see another singer singing with Love's band at the mall. He had been waiting for her since that morning. He wanted to see and talk to her. They were both shocked yesterday about what happened. But his mind was clearer now. He would embody being Mitos and he would make sure Love would have a better life from now on.
"Sir, Miss Love is not here right now," his assistant Marvin reported to him. "Looks like she's hiding from you, Sir."
“At the expense of her own job? I don’t think so. She would never leave her job. Last night she still went to work at the massage clinic, didn't she?”
Marvin wanted to face Love first, he was apprehensive of what Cameron might say to her again. But as Mitos, he had to be the one to face the girl. He had everything under control now. He already figured out what he was going to do.
"Maybe she’s sick, Sir."
“Look for her manager. If she is sick, she needs to be taken care of. Whatever her problem is, I want to know.”
Why was his detective taking too long to report to him? He was waiting for his call anytime now. The job was urgent, he knew. But he was willing to pay a lot of money to get all the information he needed about Love.
A few moments later, Marvin was back with Love’s manager. "Sir, this is Miss Bham, Miss Love's manager."
“Sir Handsome, I'm sorry if I didn't notice you. Do you have a request, Sir?” she asked with a smile. But unlike when he first went here where she was always acting cute towards him, she looked like she was worried about something now.
"Is Love here?" he asked.
Concern crossed her face once again and she tapped her phone on her palm. "She's not here, Sir."
“Is it her day off? I have something important to tell her.”
“Well, that is…” Bham looked at him and then at Marvin. “Wait! Are you Mitos? Her ex-boyfriend?” She giggled and squeezed Cameron’s cheek. “You’re so handsome. You don’t look like this in the last picture Love had shown me before. I can't remember how you looked then but I am sure you are more handsome in person. What’s with Love yesterday anyway? Why did she hide from someone as handsome as you?”
"You mean she’s really hiding from me?" he asked. Love was turning out to be a tough one for him. No. No woman has ever run away from him.
“No. She told me she’s going to work today. She’s a workaholic. If she could work while sleeping, she would have done it. I'm a bit worried already. I’ve been calling her but no one’s answering her phone. I hope nothing happened to her…”
"What could happen to her?" he asked. A shiver ran down his chest. He did not know why. "Do you think she's sick?"
Bham tapped her chest and took a deep breath. “She had been paying a large amount of money that her father owed from a syndicate. Her father had been addicted to gambling since her mother died. The syndicate took their house and their belongings. Yet her father still owes them a lot of money. Her father went into hiding and she was left to pay his debt.”
“So, that’s what happened to her. No wonder she’s been working nonstop. And her father just left her alone?”
Mitos also left her alone. If only he could reach Mitos now, he would go to him and wake him up. He wanted Mitos to know what Love was going through right now. She already lost her sight, and now she also has to pay a pile of debt. He wanted Mitos to feel even more guilty for turning his back on his girlfriend when she needed him the most.
Why does Love have to go through that? It was such a heavy burden to carry for someone who already had no sight.
Bham nodded. “We’re supposed to meet today, actually, because today is the deadline for the payment of her father’s debt. But she’s still not here. She’s not even answering my calls. I’m getting worried that those gangsters might have taken her to the club already.”
"What kind of club?"
Bham swallowed. “Love said that the owner of the club her father owes her money to, they sell women. My friend is beautiful. What if she had been sold there as well…”
He gripped his hand to a fist when he heard that. He wanted to punch a wall. "Let's go to their house."
Cameron was silent on their drive to Love’s place. His mind was occupied with all the possibilities of what might have happened to her. She was pretty. Men would surely be interested in her. What if they were too late? How could he save her? He would never forgive himself if he could not even help her now.
Love and her cousin Kulas live in a shack. It was small and the walls were all patches of different materials from plywood to election tarpaulins. It looked like a chicken coop. There are many women who gamble outside their houses and there were half-naked men who were already drinking at the start of the day.
Bham knocked on the second-floor house just next to Love’s house. “Aling Meding! Aling Meding! ”
The landlady came out with her grandson still in her arms. "Bham, it's good that you came."
“Where is Love?" Bham asked.
“That’s it. Epong's men arrived earlier and they took her and Kulas. I heard they couldn’t pay the right amount that those men were expecting to get from them.”
Cameron felt like he was kicked in his chest. Love and her cousin have been taken away. They were too late.
"I already have the money for her payment," said Bham. “Didn’t she tell them she could pay later after I brought the money? Were those scums serious?!”
Aling Meding was already in tears. “She begged for a little bit of time extension, but Epong wanted her to pay right there and then. I’m really worried about that kid. Epong's men seem to be interested in her.”
His anger flared up. He would not allow anything bad to happen to Love. “Where did they take her? I need to get her back. ”
Aling Meding could not answer immediately. “Ah… I don't know either. Epong's syndicate has many clubs. Their group is scary. They have strong connections with the coops here. Barangay officials are also scared of them. What if Love would not do what they wanted her to do? They might hurt her.”
God forbid but he might kill them when he sees them. If they ever hurt Love…
Marvin touched his shoulder. "Sir, what are we going to do?"
“Call the detective again. This time, tell him to find out where Love is. We will get her back whatever it takes.”