Chapter 2
Much to Leto’s surprise, Lao did not go back to the casino the following night.
He had hacked the CCTV system around Lao’s VIP room and observed carefully whoever came in and out of the room. Only one bodyguard and the room service staff went in from eight in the evening until now. It seems like the old man had made no plans for entertainment and would rather rest tonight.
Since there was no further development in his leads, Leto ended up hanging around the bar lounge, drinking a little, just to get the boredom out of his system, while thinking up a plan on how to get in Lao’s room so he could set hidden camcorders.
There were not many people in the bar. Some pairs were dancing to the suave rhythm of the music. Although he was drinking, Leto was still aware of the movement around him. It was why he became alert when another man suddenly sat beside him by the bar counter. The man waved to the bartender.
Leto quickly recognized the familiar face. Fair skin, sharp nose, round eyes that sees through you. He was the pervert of an Asian who played cards with Mr. Lao the previous night.
When their eyes met again, Leto became even more guarded. He looked away, blatantly showing his disinterest in the stranger who simply disregarded his actions.
“Hi,” his voice was cool and deep, very full and relaxing. “Can I introduce myself to you?”
Leto made a show of rudely turning away. He was a bit surprised that the man knew Tagalog*.
“Sorry not interested.”
It was a stroke of luck that Leto’s drink was just about to be emptied, so he stood up to leave the other man, but he was stopped short by his next words.
“Wow. And here I thought you’d take advantage of this chance to get close to Mr. Lao through me.” The man grinned at him, his attention in Leto growing more obvious. “You are interesting.”
Leto was alarmed by what he heard. Tsk. This doesn’t sound good. It seems this Asian man has noticed him following Lao. Instinctively, one of his hands secretly reached for the gun hidden under his suit, preparing for the worst.
“I mean no harm, so you can put your fingers off the trigger. Calm down. I just want to talk, really.”
There is something about the way he looks that Leto didn’t like but couldn’t explain either. He was smiling and looking straight at Leto but his eyes tell of many secrets.
“What do you need me for?” Leto asked point-blank. He didn’t have time for this man’s tricks.
“You’re with the police, right?” The man quietly asked.
This made Leto even more nervous, but he tried not to show it. He looked at him straight in the eye, weighing the risks, could he tell him the truth or not? There was certainty in the man’s words, as if he knew exactly what the answer would be. Leto wanted to know where this confidence was coming from.
“Yeah, I am. So What?”
The man was still grinning. He reached for the glass that the bartender had just set down in front of him and took a sip. “I won’t tell Lao, believe me, so you can let your guard down even just a little bit.”
“Oh?” He said, voice saturated with sarcasm. He dropped down on the counter, chin on his hand and the other, holding his drink. “Do I seem convinced?”
“Believe me. Or Lao would’ve already had you silenced last night if I really had wanted you caught.”
Leto faced him defiantly, “Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Samuel. You are?”
“How are you related to Lao?”
“Hey, it’s unfair if I’m the only one answering questions here. Let’s take turns.” His expression had an air of wickedness in it.
“Fine. Leto. Your turn.”
“Nice name, Officer Leto. I’m Lao’s Professional Seer. Reader of Fortune and Fate. In other words, a fortune teller.”
Leto’s forehead creased. “Excuse me?”
“You’re having a hard time gathering evidence against Lao, right? Whenever you try to, he’d escape or get tipped off in the last two minutes. Whenever a witness is set to testify against him, they get killed, maybe they back off suddenly, or they change statements in court. Aren’t you curious? That’s because I warn him before unexpected things happen, and he manages to avoid all of those. My fortune telling has got an eighty to ninety percent accuracy so far. I haven’t failed him yet.”
Many things were going through Leto’s mind, what should he ask Samuel first: who had told him those information? What kind of drugs was he taking? Did he want to die? In the end, only one thing was left—
“Let me get this straight. What do you want?”
The man in front of him laughed sarcastically and looked at him… with an obscene glint in his eyes.
This kind of indecent proposal wasn’t new to Leto. After all, he knew he was lithe and wasn’t bad looking. That’s why that teasing gaze was enough of an answer to his question.
Instead of answering, Samuel extended his hand, palm up, asking for Leto’s.
“I knew you wouldn’t just believe me, so I’ll let my skills speak for itself. All I’ll ask is your name, birthday, one minute of your precious time and the palm of your hand.”
“I’m not interested,” he answered curtly.
“I don’t want us to reach the point of threats, Officer Leto. I can help you and what I want isn’t difficult. Fair exchange, isn’t it? You lose nothing by trying.”
“Who’re you trying to scare?”
Leto could feel that this guy isn’t as simple as he seems, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to make an enemy out of him, but Leto didn’t care. He didn’t like that look and that silver tongue of Samuel’s, and besides, it was against protocol to use his body on missions, let alone to let an enemy use it.
“It seems like you’re forgetting who’s the officer between us. Stop it. There are others out there who wouldn’t say no to you. I’m telling you this right now, you wouldn’t get anywhere with me.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll stop… if you’ll let me read your palms first. I promise you, after this, I wouldn’t go near you ever again.”
Samuel was relentless in his pursuit. Pushy, like he really wanted to prove something.
But if this were the only way to get him off Leto’s back, and well, Leto does lose nothing by trying. Reluctantly, with a heavy heart, Leto put his hands on atop of the other man’s.
“Leto Cipriano. May 5, 1993. You have one minute.”
“You know, I don’t get to show this off just to anyone. My fees are high. So enjoy,” Samuel said in a smug tone, still with that huge grin on his face, finding himself impressed with his own self. It all disappeared as soon as he turned his attention to Leto’s palms. He studied it seriously, examining its every lines and curves.
“Hmm. Stubborn and doesn’t know when to give up. Kind and reliable. You like getting yourself in complicated situations that put your life at risk, and you don’t like rules. Tight when it comes to money. You don’t have a decent girlfriend, because you always drown yourself in work. Classic.”
This surprised Leto a bit. Everything Samuel said about him was on point. But he’s still not convinced—if this man were a spy, it would be easy for him to get that kind of information and make it seem like he’s reading Leto’s palm.
“You’ll fail your mission later. I advise you not to go through with it. But because you’re hardheaded and you don’t want to believe in me, you wouldn’t heed my warning, so just be extra careful. Choose wisely the door you will be opening to escape, you’re safety will depend on this.”
Leto’s speculations about the man abruptly changed with those words. Nobody else knew he was planning to sneak into Lao’s room that night. He had only thought about it a few minutes ago. His apprehension must have been obvious on his face that Samuel asked.
“I hit a nail, didn’t I?” The man looked even more amused. Samuel turned his eyes on Leto’s face, slightly pressed his thumb on the other man’s hand before turning it and brushed his soft hot lips against the back of Leto’s hands. Leto only raised an eyebrow on this.
Instead of admiring Samuel, Leto only became more pissed at him.
He quickly took his hand back.
“Just because you spouted something close to the truth, doesn’t mean you’re right. Sorry to say, I’m still not sold on your bullshit.”
“We’ll see.” Samuel shrugged. “But I warned you. It’s up to you whether you believe me or not. You can’t blame me after. Good luck to you, Officer.”
He took out a dollar bill from his wallet and placed it on the table. His gaze never left Leto and there was something teasing in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what would happen with what he said.
“Nice to meet you. Until next time,” he aggressively pushed his face close to Leto’s and swiftly grabbed his chin before coming to an abrupt stop. Leto didn’t even get to react.
His eyes followed Samuel until the man was out of the bar lounge. He even bumped into another man who muttered quick apologies. Samuel did not bother to respond before continuing out the door.
The man caught Leto’s eyes, because he looked familiar, but Leto couldn’t remember where he’d seen him before. He brushed that thought away. It didn’t seem important anyway.
Weird. He couldn’t explain why, but he had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the first and last time their paths would cross.
Leto could only heave a sigh. It seems like this mission would be different from what he’s faced before.
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** Notes on the Translation**
* Tagalog, one of the major languages in the Philippines. Commonly (and wrongly) interchanged with Filipino.
Translator’s Notes:
1) There are actually parts of this story that I didn’t have to translate, because it is not unusual for this kind of book to be published in Taglish (a mix of Tagalog and English.)
2) Since I’m translating as I read, I’m a bit worried that I’m using words and phrases that would not match whatever might happen in the succeeding chapters.
Translator’s Message: Yes, I cringe a bit whenever I had to describe Samuel as “Asian”. Leto, my man, you’re Asian too. Please support the creators by buying this book! 😀
Special Leche Flan Translations 