“What are you waiting for?” the man asked Andrei. “Come on, buddy. Introduce us.”

Andrei stilled, his jaw tightening at the site of this new arrival. Though the moment lasted less than a second, Shay and I felt it drag on.

“Jayson? Shay?” Andrei asked, waving us over. “This is… Teejay.”

Teejay pushed Andrei aside without a word. He was shorter than me and Shay, but his stillness unsettled me. He reminded me of a wound-up spring, the kind that snaps without warning. His eyes flicked between Shay and me, sizing us up, while something more simmered between him and Andrei. Pasts seemed to sift between them, the eddies and currents I was unaware of.

When he finally spoke, his voice approximated a low growl. “Two more potential Rusties?” He reached his hand out, and I shook it. He did the same with Shay and kissed her hand as if the gesture invited such an action. I was Shay even endured it.

Teejay’s gaze focused on me. “So you’re the rich boy, eh?”

‘Rich’ felt like a joke. Sure, I had money, but every peso went into the operation—survival, laying low. People might think I’m some spoiled heir sitting on a fortune, but my wealth was a shield, not a luxury. Never something I could enjoy.

And I could tell already that Teejay was the type of man who saw money as power and leverage. That’s where he and I differed. To me, money was about protecting my friends, my family, and our legacy. Money was an escape.

Teejay sniffed. “Well, I appreciate the retainer. We’ll get the rest of this thing sorted out, and then we’ll pluck your little friend right out of their little compound they have him in.”

I looked at Shay. “You mean he’s in a prison?”

“Nah. It’s more like a subdivision for temporary employees.”

A small wave of relief washed over me. At least Reggie wasn’t stuck in the Metamatics headquarters—or worse, some hidden bunker in the province. Still, the silence chewed away at me. Why hadn’t he contacted us?

Teejay eyed us, then Andrei. “What have you guys been doing on the side, anyway? ‘Must be pretty lucrative. You got any openings for me?”

“Not possible,” Andrei spoke quickly, shutting the point down.

“I was asking your rich friend, not you, buddy.” He sneered at me. “Come on. I’m sure you can find someplace for me in there.” He turned back to the tall man and the girl. “Eh? What do you guys say?”

“Whatever pays,” said the girl.

“It’s none of your business, Teejay,” Andrei grimaced. “Focus on your own shit.”

Teejay let loose a dry and emotionless chuckle. “I’m just invoking some of our Rusty hospitality, buddy. Don’t be so wound up. Things aren’t like they were before.” He smiled, poking Andrei and leaning in closer. “They’re better now. I swear. People now, you see, trust each other. We’re a tight-knit family. So? Let me lighten the mood, alright?”

Andrei’s jaw clenched. “We get my friend out.” The hesitation in his voice was undeniable. His hands fisted tight, knuckles white like you’d see before someone threw a punch. I’d seen him this way before. “Then we go.”

“Sure! I already got paid, so lead the way, buddy.” Teejay walked back to the van and stepped inside. Andrei headed towards us, only but Teejay his head out of the van’s driver seat. “Nuh-uh, buddy. You’re coming with us. Tell your friends to follow.”

Andrei nodded at me, shrugging, knowing full well we were under the Kalawang Clan’s watchful gaze now, and we needed to comply.

----------------------------------------

The Pathmaker’s wheel wrestled against my grip as we swerved through traffic, following the van. Among the tumult, I voiced my thoughts to Shay. “Did you hear what they’ve been saying about the retainer?”

Shay lifted her eyebrows in confirmation. “You think they’ll bolt?”

“I think…” I paused. “I think he’s more interested in Andrei than this whole thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just drove off with him.”

It was 5:00 AM, and traffic was light. Soon, the sun would rise. If this Teejay guy wanted to pull anything, he’d be forced to do it in broad daylight. I didn’t think he had the guts, but I didn’t know what he was willing to do.

“They kept talking about money,” I continued. “That girl, too. They’re so laser-focused on having the retainer.”

“I noticed that too.” Shay’s voice was measured as she glanced over at me. “This could be just hazing, you know. Seeing if we’re serious about all this.”

“I thought the money would convince them.” Still, Shay’s insight tightened my grip on the wheel.

Teejay’s van rounded a corner, cutting off a moped and nearly forcing the rider over. I followed behind, catching up only when the moped rider swerved out of the way.

“Honor doesn’t mean shit here,” I blurted out. “If it were me, I wouldn’t have sent the retainer.”

Shay just shrugged, but I could hear the question dancing there—the implication. Maybe next time, you can handle this all yourself.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Ever since Teejay had mentioned that I was rich, it became clear to me what kind of person he was. I knew when people sought money as a resource to manipulate others, and Teejay seemed to fit that distinction perfectly. I never liked people who focused on money for anything other than its necessity. And no, that wasn’t contradictory to my identity. This was all for my family and my friends.

“I don’t think they give two fucks about Reggie,” I added to Shay as much as myself.

Shay gripped the armrest between us. “Just be ready for-”

It was as if Shay’s words were the hand slamming down to start the drag race. As soon as she spoke, the van shot forward.

It was an EV, so it blasted off at the speed of a Tesla sedan. Teejay dodged a Grab, turning left and forcing more cars in front of him—still engaged in their fleet modes—to part like water. I slammed on the gas and followed, claiming my spot in that gap while the cars formed behind me.

Teejay’s van veered sharply down a side street, faster than it should have. Its tires squealed. I jerked the wheel to follow, nearly mounting the curb while the alley closed in, scraping my side mirrors. My heart hammered against my chest, sweat slicking my palms as I held the steering wheel tight.

But in a few seconds, the narrow street opened into a large clearing, where three other vans assembled in a square. Teejay’s van completed the shape and stopped. The man got out, followed closely by Andrei.

“He really is a good driver!” Teejay yelled. “Fucking, eh? That’ll come in handy.”

I imagined Teejay’s neck as the steering wheel and squeezed. If we had kept that chase up, we would have alerted the PNP, and everything would have gone to shit. I don’t know if Teejay did it to upset me or to test my mettle. It was unnecessary either way.

Teejay came back to us. “No hard feelings, eh?

Eh. Eh. Eh. He was starting to sound like a broken hinge. How he looked at Shay also made it seem like she was some empty box on a checklist waiting to be tallied off. We were on his turf, so he thought he could get away with anything. Would it have been better if Andrei had come here alone? I hoped we weren’t just compromising his presence by being here.

“That’s everyone?” asked the girl, leaving the van and joining the square of others nearby.

I frowned but didn’t say anything. Andrei and I shared a glance as we both knew the truth.

Baccay had landed outside Manila with us. He had flown here and stepped off the plane. He told us he’d meet us here. I wanted to reach for my phone and ask him where he was, but that might have made them uneasy, doing more harm than good.

A circle of ten people gathered in the square of vans. One of them, to my surprise, had a wearable. It was a beaten-up model about ten years old but displayed a subdivision map in its private augment. I read the text at the top of the projection.

[Neon Shine Heights - Alabang]

Alabang? Was Reggie in Alabang? It was far from Makati but still in Metro Manila’s southern tip. What was he doing out there?

Andrei approached the projection first, wasting no time making introductions with the people around us. Maybe he didn’t even know them. “So he’s in there?” he asked.

Teejay stepped forward and clicked the part of the projection showing a house. It squared in on the structure and zoomed in on the window, offering a view of what seemed to be a living room. It was a photograph now taken from the street level, but barely visible inside was a computer desk and a person sitting at its chair. They had headphones on, and their head was slumped. Sleeping.

My stomach twisted as I traced Reggie’s silhouette. I wanted to say he was thinner and worn down, but he wasn’t. He looked plumper. He’d gained weight, probably due to a higher salary and a comfortable life. I entertained the notion that he didn’t want to contact us because he didn’t want to—that he’d sold us out willingly and that now he was enjoying a lavish life.

And yet, here I was, pulling him back. Maybe he didn’t want to come back.

“Thank you,” Andrei said, sounding complacent—sounding dragged in front of a slave lord. He still didn’t turn back to us. “We got plenty of people. Let’s go.”

Teejay smiled. “‘We?’”

Oh, fuck.

Andrei looked around. “Yeah?”

“I mean, ‘we’ have our retainer, right?” Teejay folded his arms, steading. “That guy didn’t say what we should do. Anything we do now is just a courtesy.”

Shit. I knew Uncle Nestor made a mistake by paying these guys early. The retainer was probably enough to run away with.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” Andrei said. “Who’s in charge?”

“Certainly not you, buddy. But don’t feel so bad. We know your friend is in there. You have the address. So? Go in there yourselves.” Teejay leaned against the tall man, who gave him a high five. He looked towards me. “See me, rich boy? I’m just like you.”

My gut told me to say I was nothing like him. But, really, what separated the two of us? We were both in the criminal underground. My slate wasn’t clean. I had done things. I bet he did, too.

“But an asshole?” Teejay went on. “I take offense to that.” When Andrei didn’t say a word, he continued. “But since I’m such a nice guy… sure, we’ll help you. Though only after we get your friend out.” He leaned against a van before turning back to me. “Let’s get real here, rich boy—you’re not my only job. We got other shit to do. We’re not going to risk more than we need to. We got you this far, so I’m confident you can do the rest.” He raised an index finger. “Plus! Your contact did not specifically say we had to be a part of it, either.” He raised his hands and beckoned the crowd of other Kalawang to answer. “Did he, friends?”

They shook their heads.

Why didn’t Uncle Nestor specify? Everything had been organized at the operation before this. Was this one of its cracks? Great timing.

But what could we do?

“We’ll go,” I said.

Everyone looked at me. Andrei included.

“We can do it,” I continued. “If these pussies can’t stick to their deal, we’ll have to go in and do it ourselves.” I don’t know what came over me, but it made me smile. “Your help was implied, but I guess you dumbasses can’t read into implications.”

I shouldn’t have said the last part. I could feel my temporary edifice crumbling.

Teejay waltzed over to me, clapping like some stupid wind-up toy. It certainly looked like that—like he was dancing. “I like you, man. You’re easy to rile up.” He moved to put his hand on my shoulder, but I slid out of the way, pulling Shay with me.

Teejay sniffed. “Fucking prick.” His teeth clenched, and his head vibrated like some can ready to explode. “Nothing is implied in this business!” He pointed to Andrei. “Ask your friend all about that. If things are implied, people get caught. Everything needs to be out in the open. Everything.” He looked to Andrei. “Right, buddy? Wouldn’t want to get caught, would you? Not like your friends before. Not like our own.”

Andrei’s shallow gesture was between the shaking of a head and a nod. It was then I knew that these guys didn’t care about Reggie at all. The retainer, too, was now only a bonus. It wasn’t the real prize.

Getting Andrei was.