11 – CHASE

NAGTANGIS ang mga bagang ni Zhan habang dinadamdam ang sakit ng pagtama ng latigo sa kanyang likod habang nakagapos ang kanyang dalawang kamay. He was shirtless, and the whip mercilessly touched his bare back. Naroon sila sa bunker ng private residence ng mga Chan sa Beijing.

“Where is Ali?” Nanlilisik ang matang tanong ni Paul Chan.

“I don’t know!” mariing wika ni Zhan sa lalaki. Nalaman kasi nitong kinausap siya ni Alessia nang nakaraang araw. At kung pano nito nalaman ay hindi niya alam. Paul probably hired a set of computer hackers to track Alessia.

“I don’t want to do this with you, Zhan. But you know the rules once you lied. Why didn’t you tell us that Ali had contacted you from the Philippines?” namumula ang mukha ng matandang lalaki.

“She just wanted to convey that she’s safe. Uncle, please. Let her relax for some time. I promise to bring her back.” Muling lumapat ang latigo sa kanyang likod. Muli siyang napapikit nang mariin.

Zhan was prepared for this punishment. Paul had es