“Ouch!” Tara exclaimed as she bumped her left shoulder on the unsuspecting guy that she set her eyes on. She paused and immediately laid a hand on her supposedly hurt body part. She has been tailing the man ever since he got off the escalator, dragging a small suitcase in deep blue. The guy’s attention was on his phone, brows furrowed as he walked. The guy tore his eyes away from his phone the instance their shoulders collided.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. Truth is, it wasn’t his fault. She deliberately put herself in his path.
“Are you sure?” the guy looked at her with concern. He pocketed his phone.
“Yeah, no harm done.”
“Okay.”
“’Kay.” Tara smiled.
The guy then left, resuming his communion with his phone. She followed the guy with her eyes, remembering how he easily towered over her in her five feet and nine inches height. Tara’s built was slender, her slim form magnified by her height to make her look delicate with the help of the softness of her features.
Today’s a fruitful day, Tara mused as she palmed the thick wallet lying inside her hoodie’s inner pocket, walking away with a satisfied smile from her latest victim. The man’s handsome face flashed in her mind which got Tara snorting to herself. What is the use of a handsome face when he’s dumb? The guy didn’t even realized she picked his pockets, and his wallet is now in her hands.
She glanced around, making sure no one caught her in the act. While waiting for their flight to somewhere her father’s pursuers cannot find them, Tara was busy scoping prospective victims. At thirteen, she mastered the sleight of hand, thanks to her father who does cons for a living. Her worn sneakers which used to be black is now grey, clearly worn out but still surprisingly sturdy to withstand miles and miles of walking and running.
Marius went to the toilet and Tara seized her chance and they had yet to check in their luggage. Their flight was scheduled at nine in the evening, roughly two hours and seventeen minutes from now. Father and daughter needed as much money they could make now that they’re running again. Ever since her mother died when she was six, Tara lost a lot of things. In a blink of an eye, she said goodbye to the comfortable life she led. Marius had her packing in the middle of the night, a few days after her seventh birthday.
She used to scold her father for buying her branded clothing items despite the fact that their family budget gets tighter each day. Marius detests knock-offs, having been used to the finer things in life. But that was years ago, too long that the memory has begun to fade from Tara’s mind. Tara and her father no longer live in a sprawling mansion with wide and green lawns and beautiful rose gardens.
She’s very selective of her victims. Tara chooses those people who wears designer brands from head to foot, or sports jewelries that costs far beyond ordinary people can afford. And with a father like Marius, she grew an eye for details and a quick mind. After all, a con-artist needs a sharp mind to pull off a con. In Tara’s case, she learned from one of the best.
But not long after she secured her latest victim’s wallet, she heard the same guy exclaim. Even if she was already a little far from him, Tara heard the guy’s protests. She whipped around and saw a group of men in black suits seized the guy, his blue luggage taken by one of the men. No one helped. People just stood there, eyeing the poor guy being dragged away by the people in black suits. Tara counted at least ten of them.
It’s an overkill. Who is this guy? What could a lone man do against ten burly guys? Add the fact that he’s dumb. Ninoy Aquino International Airport was teeming with people but at that moment, Tara saw the panic in the guy’s eyes when he realized no one is coming to help him no matter how loud his voice was. Tara looked around and her eyes narrowed. It felt odd that no one, not a single soul from the airport security was present.
No one cared. Tara’s chest constricted. She knew how rotten society has become. She and her father are the prime example of those people who has been kicked down but no one cared. His father’s friends and acquaintances abandoned them when the first sign of trouble came to their family. No one gave Marius a chance, nor extended him any help to redeem himself.
As much as she wanted to ignore the incident, a small part of her has been nagging her to act. Damn it! Ignoring the small voice in her head, Tara retraced back her steps and followed the group of men conspicuously. The group headed to the parking lot, towards a black van parked at the farther end. There were two men in the same clothing as the group which captured Tara’s victim were guarding the vehicle.
Upon seeing their comrades approaching, they opened the side door of the van, letting the newcomers hurl the captive inside. Two men followed the captive inside the van, binding and gagging him. The men’s movements were swift, no time was wasted. As if they’d been doing it for a long time.
When done, they shut the door shut close, the men turned their eyes around to check the surroundings. Tara was just in time to duck out of their sight. Her chest thundered, instantly regretting her decision. Why is she playing hero? She should be minding her own business!
Chest heaving and pulse racing, Tara closed her eyes. Her thoughts swirled like a whirlpool, confusing her. To leave or not to leave? But what will happen to the guy? She was the only person who cared enough to tail the men in suits. If she gets caught, no one will know. They could get rid of her silently without her father knowing what happened to her.
Worst, Marius won’t even have the chance to retrieve her body to bury. Her chances of getting buried in an unmarked grave is high. Tara swallowed as she opened her eyes. Slowly, she peeked at the group far ahead. She noticed that nine of them were walking away from the van, leaving a single man to keep an eye on the vehicle. They were heading towards a hangar on the other side.
