" Is something wrong?" Samuel asked.
" No, it's nothing.." Seeing that no one was saying anything, he didn't bother to ask about it and simply followed them inside. He passed by a few people and casually greeted them but got the same type of strange reactions.
" Big brother!" Just when they reached the entrance of the home, a boy popped out, calling out to Samuel. Seeing a familiar face who didn't look at him funny was nice.
" Juan, how are you? Is your tooth still missing?" Samuel leaned down to his level and patted the cute boy. Juan was the one who made a mess of his suit when he first came to this place. Samuel vividly remembers when the boy called him an angel.
" It's growing again; thank you for your help that time. Sweety, can you show him?" His mother, who must have waited with him, came over to help him.
" Unn, See?" The little boy opened his mouth to show him. Samuel stood up again when the woman also noticed it; she looked around at others and saw they had the same face too.
" Umm, I don't know if you noticed, but-" She wanted to warn him, but Daniel entered the scene loudly, greeting him, which interrupted their talk.
" What took you so long? Everyone is waiting for hours-" He saw it too when he came closer.
" What the hell is wrong with your neck? Did you get into a fight or something?" Daniel directly asked him. He didn't immediately connect the dots.
" Hmm? Is something wrong?" Samuel pulled out his phone and directed his front camera toward the area in question.
What he saw was countless red marks, specifically love bites, littered all over his neck and a big bite mark right over his left collarbone. Since when had they been there?
It was then he realized all the strange looks people were giving him; they were trying to say something but were too afraid to say it. Few came close like Juan's mother and the manager; hold on...
He looked at Liliana, who looked smug, trying to hold her laughter. She knew from the beginning that would explain why she constantly stopped him from looking in a mirror; hell, she even forcefully dressed him in the hotel and arrested the manager by faking pain; it was all part of her plan!
" Yeah, something like that. I fought a little girl, which is why I couldn't retaliate with appropriate force to subdue her." Samuel started making up lies shamelessly, hoping it would work.
" Is that so? But why did they bite you? Were you in the hospital or something?" Surprisingly Daniel believed his lie; it seemed that this gentleman didn't have much experience, or was he blatantly making fun of him? Samuel only chuckled awkwardly to suppress his embarrassment.
Daniel's subordinates facepalmed, looking at their thick-skulled leader. That's when Mateo came outside to see why they didn't enter the house yet.
" Bah! What's with those love bites? Did you run into your ex or something?" He pointed it out crudely.
" Yeah, if you believe she was a zombie. He is wearing it like a badge of honour, showing who wears the pants in this relationship!" Liliana proclaimed, and everyone knew the underlying meaning of her declaration.
" I knew it. Young miss is so fierce!"
" Young miss, did this?"
" Who else would it be? She subdued him so easily, which begs the question, does he like that sort of thing?"
" I believe so; one or two is accidental, but this many is definitely suspicious!"
" You are right." Everyone began to murmur around them; it was suspiciously loud like they wanted Samuel and Liliana to hear it.
" Boss, you really didn't know?" one of Daniel's subordinates took the risk to ask him.
" Puh, of course, I knew. It's obvious, but I am not rude as Mateo to point it out directly." Daniel shooed them away. How the hell he suppose to know what young kids were into these days? He was already pushing forty, amazed at how the world had changed in the past few years.
Who would have known that they would have phones with touchscreens a few years ago? Definitely not him!
" Give me a break! You can't even see if a woman is hitting on you; that's why you are still single!" Mateo commented amusingly.
" I am single by choice! Besides, who needs women when I have my amigos with me, right?" Daniel looked around, trying to save the sinking ship.
" Boss.. that's..."
" I don't like it..."
" Yeah, it sounded a little weird?" the implied undertone of gayness was a little too much for them to swallow.
" Umm... Can we go now?" Samuel interjected their banter.
" hehe, What's the rush? Are you embarrassed someone will 'bite' you again?" Liliana said with a chuckle.
Samuel leaned in, removed her hoodie, and kissed her in front of everyone. He held them there and enjoyed her juicy lips for a few seconds before whispering to her.
" You don't want to see me angry, little girl." He separated, displaying a perfect poker face while others were shocked about their PDA. Few outlaws even whistled and cheered, but some noticed the result of Samuel's bold move.
" L-look, look at young miss' neck?"
" Oh my god, it's the same!"
" Maybe more? This is crazy!" They commented, looking at her neck, which was in no better condition than Samuel's.
" Sigh, I know now why you guys were taking so long.." Daniel said, realizing why they ditched his men. He seemed to forget that young people tend to lean toward intimacy twenty-four-seven! It also explained why Liliana was covered in clothes, sporting a long jacket and pants in this hot weather.
" Alright! The fun's over! Can someone bring two scarf or anything to cover them up? Kids these days are into some weird shit.." Mateo ordered a few people.
Within a minute, his subordinate returned with two shawls laden with floral designs, which no longer suited Samuel's attire, but it was better than having people look at him funny.
Mainly he didn't want Enrique to shoot him on the spot, messing with his daughter.
" This is not over!" Liliana said, blushing under everyone's gaze. She knew how damaging it was for her; by tomorrow, everyone would know about this incident! After all, they were all family; they couldn't keep a secret!
" Yeah, yeah, let's go." Samuel accepted her declaration of war with open arms. He was not afraid of anything; it was not his home, to begin with!
...
...
...
A few hours ago, in the Police Department. Mason was elated looking at the tattoos on the frail man's body.
Two enormous angel wings surrounded by decoration, but the most prominent thing was the number eighty-nine written intricately at the centre of his chest. There were other signs and more minor touches, but it was a professional's work, unlike other gang tattoos.
" You were there, right? It's high quality meaning you must have held a high position inside the organization?" Mason closely inspected it to see if it was old or new. He was still in disbelief about this supposed present from an unknown man over the phone.
"I... I was." the man replied with some hesitation.
" What's your name? Tell me everything that you saw that day!" Mason shouted. He was running out of time because the meeting day was approaching fast, and he didn't have any significant leads yet.
" My name is Rafael Garcia. I am Felipe's uncle and a lieutenant for the eighty-nine street gang." Surprisingly he replied to him without any external coercion.
" Who attacked you that day? How many people? Did you see their faces?" Mason asked. He still believed Samuel had outside help, as it would be impossible for one man to take down so many peoples.
" It was a d-demon... He marched in like it was...he slaughtered us like chickens... God! Yes, it was definitely heaven's wrath for our sins... nothing seemed to work...Just... Argh.." Rafael began recalling that day's events, but it came out as gibberish.
" What are you rambling about? Demon? Gods?" Mason felt frustrated again. Why did they have to beat him so bad? He looked at the frail man's brushed body and sighed.
He called his assistant; she looked surprised, seeing a half-naked man limping on the floor, muttering to himself.
" Call Captain Wesley and make an arrangement for a VIP room at the hospital. Don't tell anyone else about this; you got that?" Mason gave her a stern look.
" Yes, sir. I will make arrangements." She left after bowing slightly. She had worked for him for years, but she had never seen him like this, so afraid and on edge. It was best for her to not know anything.
Mason began to think about what to do next. His main concern was Samuel finding out about a potential witness who may or may not implicate him. He needed to be extra careful because he was dealing with forces that he yet not understand.
He didn't know that someone already found out about his little side project.
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