Prologue

Sandoval Series #7 : Trapped in the Midnight (Thunder Colt Sandoval) Soon

WARNING: R-18 l MATURE CONTENT l SPG l VERY SEXUAL l READ RESPONSIBLY

After sharing a hot steamy night, she left him the last money she had in her pocket. A one thousand peso bill as a 'payment for his service'.

One week later, the agency hired her and she and started working as a personal chef and housemaid to a man whose identity was unknown to everyone. She only knew him as a CEO  whom he thought an old man with a fat belly and a bald head.

Working for the old man without seeing him for almost a month was peaceful and pleasant. Cleaning the house, cooking the food and leaving him a note to cheer him up everyday was now her favorite routine.

She enjoys serving him. 

She loves the peace and silence her work is giving.

Everything is calm and perfect, not until the day, a young, drop dead gorgeous bachelor with a piercing blue eyes, who happened to be a single dad showed up with his five year old daughter.

Who would have thought that the old man, she thought she was working for, is the same man he ridiculed and measured the 'service' lousy and dissatisfied, turned out to be her boss?

Could she still run away from him?

or

Will she let herself be trapped in the midnight again?

***

"The package is here." 

I heard the man in the driver's seat talking on his phone. I am here at the back seat listening to him. I couldn't see his full face because he is wearing a mask and dark sunnies.

He ended the call and looked at me in the mirror. I couldn't see his eyes but I can feel his intense gaze at me. 

"Why am I here?" I asked masking all my emotions. I have to show him that I am not scared.  Fear is not an option for me now. Dad trained me for this. I am trained to show no emotions. 

He didn't answer me, instead he look at his watch and his forefinger started tapping the steering wheel.

My eyes travelled on his hands on the steering wheel. They are big and veiny and even if I can't see his whole arms I can say that they are strong. 

I don't know this guy. It's the first time I saw him. He's not one of my security. He just showed up in our school and informed my bodyguards that my father asked him to pick me. Surprisingly my security allowed. 

I was expecting him to bring me home but to my surprise he drove at a different direction. It's not the first time this happened, but this is the only time I feel like something bad will happen to me.

"Excuse me, Mister. I'm asking you, why am I here?" I said politely. He shifted his gaze again at me but didn't say a word. 

He's wearing a tuxedo. He looks professional. His physique and presence is showing like he is some member of an elite force as what I've seen in the movies. 

 "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" I asked.

I waited for him to answer but he didn't. He remained quiet but his stares intensified. I saw his grip on the wheel tightened. 

Scared that he will be mad and just leave me here, I looked away. I don't want to walk to get back to the city huh! That's too far. 

We are out of nowhere now. We travelled hours just to reach here. We are in a deserted place. No buildings, no houses, no people around. Only me and him are here, inside his car, parked in the middle of an old and rusted bridge.

I'm planning to escape, sure I can, but I am also certain that he'll gonna find me quick. There's no building where I can hide. The only option I have is to jump in the bridge and swim in the river. But I don't think that's a good idea. I don't know where this river leads me. And, if I manage to escape from him, pretty sure I can swim but,  I'm not sure if I can escape the current of the water and the creatures under it.  Ugh! I don't want to die ugly. 

But well, let's see, maybe I can try if the situation calls for it. But for now, I don't see any danger yet. Oh well, maybe I'm wrong.  

Feels like I am in a movie now. There's a transporter—him and a package, which is me. 

Exciting!

My eyes roamed around the interior of his car. He's driving an Audi. It's neat and clean. There's no mess. Everything inside is well organized. And it smells good. 

Base on the the look of his car, I can say that this is not an ordinary transportation. It has speaker mounted in the four corners. It has built in cameras and a monitor showing the coordinates of where we are now. 

I read it and tried to figure out our location but before I could do so, he noticed that I am looking at the screen. He reached for it and turned it off. Damn! He's wise. He didn't give me a chance. But it's okay, I'll try to figure out later. Once I get, even the smallest chance, I will take his car and drive away. 

You might be wondering why until now I don't panic because I was trained for this. At the age of five, when my adoptive father found out that my IQ is way higher than the normal kid, he  started training me. 

I am only seven now but I know how to hold a gun already. I can assemble and disassemble and most of all I can pull a trigger without batting an eye. Boom!

I have started my physical training too. I do karate, mixed martial arts and taekwondo.

I can swim and hold my breath under the water. I can handle different kinds of fighting knives. 

I can drive cars. I can ride horse. I can navigate small ships. And next month, when I finish memorizing the parts of a plane, I will start my training to pilot a plane too. 

I have to learn all of that because if I don't, my father will punish me. The kind of punishment you can never imagine for a kid like me. Bruises all over my body. Bones almost broken. Eyes swelling, lips bleeding. No food, no water, no shelter.

I'm like an animal that I get to eat and sleep with them.  I have to sleep in the cage and eat animal food. 

But it's okay, physical pain is temporary. At first you can feel it but after some time, you'll learn to get used to it. Like what my father always tells me, feel the pain until it pains no more. Trust me, it is, because I already did. 

I don't understand why I am training as early as this. I don't even know what it benefit me, but one thing I'm certain, my father is preparing me for something big in the future. And what he is doing now to me, this is not a punishment. This is tough love. A kind of love a father can give me.  

Few minutes passed still no one is coming so I looked at him again.  Frustration already dawned  me. I need to plan my escape.

"Are we waiting for my Dad?" I asked trying to start a conversation in anyway because I'm started getting bored. It's so boring sitting here waiting for nothing.  

Still no reply from him, but the impatience is getting more. I can hear his heavy sighs. 

"If he's not coming—which I'm sure he won't. Are you going to leave me here?"

Still no answer from him. 

"Do you understand me?" 

If he's waiting for my father to pick me, well, he's waiting for nothing. That's certain. 

And if I'm some kind of a package or a kidnapped then, I'm pretty sure my father's men are coming for me. 

"Do you speak tagalowg?" I asked again and surprisingly he looked at me. "It's a Philippine language." I added. 

I was waiting for him to answer me but he remained quiet. 

"I think you're gwapow." I said.

 When I looked at him, I'm not sure, but I think he's frowning.

"Gwapow pero masowngit."  I smiled.

I know how to speak that language because my nanny is from the Philippines. She's the one who took care of me ever since I was taken from the shelter—as far as I can remember.

I don't really know who my biological parents are. According to my nanny, I am a half blooded Filipino. But I don't look like one. My hair is red and my eyes are amber. 

Well, whatever it is, doesn't matter to me at all. What I know is that they abandoned me. 

No one knows that I speak that language except for my nanny and my older adoptive brother. They are talking in that language so I need to learn for me to understand. I can speak well now in fact, except for the accent, which I'm trying to perfect in no time. 

"Do you want to hear me talking in that language? We are not in a hurry, right? Don't worry they'll come and give you the money."

This time, I saw him looking at his watch then outside. Seems like he's losing his patience already. 

"Hello! In tagalowg is kumuwsta?"

"Gwapow is handsome."

"Maganda is pretty. if used in a sentence it would be, I am maganda. I do, right?" My smile widened.

He didn't comment so I continue.

"Baho kili kili is you smell good."

"Putang inamow is I like you."

"Pangit ka is you look good."

"Masowngit is good boy."

"Ahm what else, ah okay this one. Pisteng yawa is I love you."

I know now he's looking at me like I'm some kind of a weirdo. 

"Wait there's more." I said. This time I'm preparing to make it in a sentence. 

"Are you gonna leave me here? In tagalowg, iiwan niyow pow ba akoh ditow?" I smiled. 

"Who asked you to pick me from school? In tagalowg, sinow pow ang nag-owtows sa inyow na sowndowin akow sa school." 

"Oh, hindi mo akow naiintindihan, right? Well whoever this person na nag-owtos sayo to dala me here, I'm sure he's just bluffing you. Nilolowko ka lang niya. Do you think my father will not haunt you? He will hanap you and he will patay you. Anowng kailangan mo pera? Pwede kitang bigyan. May sarili akowng pera you know?" 

Sunod-sunod na ang mga sinabi ko sa kanya pero wala akong naririnig na sagot.But maybe he really don't understand me. I heard him sighed loudly again. He looked outside but still no one is coming. 

"Still no sign of them right? I want to pee, can I go out?" 

He look at me  doubting but later on he nodded. He moved out from his seat and opened the door for me. 

"Don't plan of escaping, kid." He said. "Don't risk." Maybe he read what's on my mind. I have plan but I will not do it here. I wont take the risk. 

He assisted me. He put his hand on my head preventing me from bumping into his car. When I was finally out, I looked at him. The man is tall and he has a huge body frame. 

I am also tall for my age. I don't look like I am seven. But I am just nearly level his chest. 

"You want to pee or you just want to look at me?" 

I almost rolled my eyes when I heard that. Who do he think he is? I am just curious how he looks like. 

"Go, pee now." 

I smiled and thank him. "Salamat masowngit."

I followed what he said. I started walking the back side of the car but even if I'm not looking at him I can feel that he's looking at me. 

"Don't go far." He said.

"Don't worry I will not run." I countered. " Look away. I can't pee when someone else is looking."

Still in doubt but he turned his face sideway. He wasn't looking but I know he can see me from his peripheral vision. We'll I don't mind. I don't want to pee in my undie.

After I'm done. I walked towards him but my gaze shifted at the exterior of his car. It's very clean, no dust, you can make it a mirror. 

"Is this your car? You have a nice car bruh!" I was about to touch his car but he quickly stopped me. 

"Don't." Like it's some kind of a big mistake for me if I touch it. 

I looked at him frowning. "I will not eat it, I will just touch. So damowt." I rolled my eyes and walked past him. 

"My hands are clean you know? And  mind you, my brother have the same car too." 

He didn't comment. He opened the door for me and made me go back to my seat. Then, he closed the door slowly and carefully like it was some kind of a precious thing before going back to the driver's seat.

I can't blame him though. My older brother is like that too. He loves his car so much that he won't allow anyone to leave a mark on it. 

Oh that man, where is he now? Does he know that I'm gone? What he'll gonna do if he finds out?

"Can you tell me, what's happening?  Why am I here?" I started the conversation again. 

"You know, it's getting late. Are your contact still have plans to take me?"

No reply from him but I saw him typing something on his phone. 

"Who do you work for? Do you work for the military? Or my father's enemy?"

He heaved a deep sigh.  

"You keep on talking. You're so loud. Are you not scare of me, kid?" I was surprised when he asked that. 

"Scared? Why would I? Is there something I need to be scared of? Well, if you plan to do something bad to me I suggest you better do it properly. If my dad finds out that you took me. I'm sure he will find you. Much more if my brother do, he will skin you alive. I'm their most prized possession you know."

 He looked at me in the mirror and then he took his phone. 

"I am not telling this to scare you, bruh. I know you are just doing your job but I'm warning you that my adoptive family are scary. They are lethal when they're mad."

I saw him dialed again but seems like no one's answering him. 

"Fuck!" I heard him cursed. 

"Do you know who my father is? Do you know what kind of work they do? They kill, bruh." 

"I know that's why I'm taking you."

Oh?

"You don't belong to that family. You're just a kid. "

I smiled. So he knows.

"Is that so? To whom do you think I belong then? I'm not an object but you people treat me like one. What difference it make then, you taking me away from them and giving me to someone else I don't know? Do you think they are lesser evil than my family? Or they are just like them, they'll gonna use me—"

"They're here. Get ready." He said cutting me off.  From where I am seated I saw three black cars coming towards us. 

"You'll gonna give me to them?" I asked coolly. "Are you sure, about that?"

He didn't answer so I continue talking. 

"This will be the biggest mistake of your life, Mister."

"Quit talking, kid. I'm doing this for you."

I laughed a little. 

"No. Your giving me to the wrong team. You'll gonna come back and look for me."

"Thank me later, kiddo."

I was about to say more but he already opened the door from his side. Then, I saw the men getting out of their cars.

I'm still young and maybe my judgement are not perfect but I know this people are not the kind of people this Mister is talking about. They are not good, I am certain of that. 

I saw him talking to them. Then they handed him the black duffel bag. The money perhaps. He accepted it and pointed my direction. 

He will really give me away. 

One of the guy nodded and they walk towards me. 

"Here." I heard his baritone voice.

"Hello there kid. How are you?" The man with a thick Russian accent greeted me. 

I didn't react nor blink my eyes. I looked all of them with no emotion plastered on my face. At this moment I know, I am being kidnapped.

But fear is not in my vocabulary. 

The guys harshly hold me. I looked at Mister. Behind his glasses I can feel that his staring at me. Maybe they are expecting that I will cry begging to him but I just. smiled. 

Wrong move, bruh!

"Let's go kid." The men said and started dragging me to their car. I walked with them and before I could finally get in, I looked at him once more and said. 

"Remember what I said, Mister. You'll gonna come and find me."

____________________