After circling the area, Andrew watched the entrance that led to the busy commercial street where Sonna was holed up through a convenience store window across the road. The street was bright enough because of the businesses that lined the one-way street, and there was foot traffic though was still sufficient space for a chase.

Andrew scrutinized the three dubious thugs loitering around the entrance whom he's decided to name Goon #1, Goon #2, and Goon #3. They acted casual enough to avoid any suspicion, but the gun loosely slotted in Goon #2's back pocket was threatening enough. He was pretty sure he could pickpocket that gun away. Mostly. He was mostly sure. Damn.

His fingers kept flexing and unflexing on their own. His feet kept bouncing off the ground. Stealing a gun from a thug should be easy pickings...Calm down, Andrew. CALM DOWN. And stop thinking about Allen and his sad face. Stop thinking about him calling you. Stop it. Andrew alerted Leon Security, Lopez's personal security firm, hoping that they wouldn't need it.

The loud noise from the group of employees tore Andrew's attention away from his thoughts. They flooded out from a nearby building and into the sidewalk with about three groups huddled together. Andrew didn't have time to think, he took this as a chance to steal the gun and avoid being eventually shot in the back. He's too cute and too young to be shot outside. Besides, he still has a score to settle with Allen. Andrew paced himself to trail behind the group so he wouldn't look like a creep or a thief or both.

His hands were starting to get sweaty. His forehead. His armpits. Every pore of his body was sweating, yet he felt cold to the touch. There was a strong irresistible urge to stare at the goons as they got closer and closer.

They were already just a few steps away from the street entrance when Goon #1 and Goon #3 got up and started walking toward them while Goon #2 remained by the entrance staring far into the street. Goon #1 lit up a cigarette between his lips as the pair walked past Andrew. A glowing ember from the cigarette flew past his face and into the cheek of one of the employees beside him. The guy flailed and caused a commotion. Goon #2 was right beside them. Andrew turned around in fear of being recognized. The other employees started to gather around the guy along with Goon #2.

Andrew used this opportunity to push the group towards Goon #2. They stumbled together like jelly. Andrew used the momentum to reach for the gun. The world seemed to slow down for a moment. The only thing he could hear was his heartbeat. Andrew pinched the gun between his fingers and drew it out in a smooth check motion.

For a passing moment he thought that pickpocketing might have been his talent. That was until the gun slipped between Andrew's sweaty and shaky fingers and the gun dropped to the ground along with Andrew's heart and newfound confidence. Before Goon #2 could turn around, Andrew kicked the gun further into the crowd. He launched into a jog and picked up the gun. He shoved it inside his waist band.

He dashed forward and headed for one of the clothing stores. He looked around to make sure that no one was following him and went inside. He ran straight to the fitting rooms. He called out Sonna's name. From the last stall, Sonna came out with wide, teary eyes.

"Drew!" She ran towards him in tears and clung to him like a koala while sobbing. "Thank god you're finally here. I didn't know where else to go or what to do. They're everywhere."

Andrew sagged in relief. He smiled at her and winked, gaining a little bit of confidence and a huge pump of adrenalin. "Not everywhere, com'on."

Andrew led her to a backroom door where a guard was stationed by the fire exit. The guard curled his eyebrow at Andrew. He smiled in reply, taking out a wad of paper bills and handing it to the guard. He took his time counting each one, making Andrew's foot tap rapidly and noisily one. By the time the man was done, a scowl had already transformed Andrew's face.

The guard smiled and opened the door which led to a back alley used by all the store employees. It was dimly lit by hanging light bulbs. Old boxes and containers were stacked high against the wall, making the alley narrower than it really was. Andrew pulled the frightened Sonna close as they made their way out.

"Shouldn't we go for the main road," whispered Sonna behind him, clutching her purse on her chest. "Drew, I don't know what to do, but if I can just get through this night whole and beautiful then I would be thankful forever, ever, and ever."

"You should be," said Andrew. He had to check his phone to see if they were going the right way. "I thought your boyfriend was rich. Why did he take out a loan?"

"I thought so too, why do you think I put up with his egotistic face?"

"Then you shouldn't have dated him," Andrew yelled.

Sonna shushed him. "Be quiet, Drew. They're going to find us."

"They're not going to find us here."

They turned into a connecting alley that leads to the end of the main commercial street, some men were blocking the path. They looked like employees having a smoke break. Andrew wanted to pass calmly and without any fuss, but one lizard-looking man had the balls to catcall Sonna.

"Those red lips would look good wrapped—" Sonna kicked him in the balls. He let out a cacophony of curses at them. Loud enough for the people passing by the from the main road to turn their heads.

"Shit, Sonna. We have to go." Andrew glanced past his shoulder at the main road. A couple of new goons had run past the entrance to the alley, only to back up and turn their eyes to Sonna. They smirked.

"And you better learn to respect women, you hear me?" She glowered at the man, clicking her tongue.

"Sonna, stop kicking the piece of turd before I kick your face."

"Geez, calm down. Drew," said Sonna, nonchalant.

"I AM CALM." Andrew ignored the psychopathic twitch his left cheek just did. Andrew grabbed Sonna, the cause of failure Andrew's five million plan going down the drain, by her wrist, and sprinted towards another direction. To the totally quiet and barely lit residential area. The men chased them endlessly, blocking paths, and waving their stupid guns from afar.

Sonna, who has been dragged through several blocks, pulled Andrew to a stop. His chest rose up and down as he tried to catch his breaths, but he was afraid the men are going to catch up any moment.

Well, there were only about eight, but still.

"I can't run anymore," Sonna wheezed out, bent down with her hands on her knees. She looked like a tired horse after a race. "Let's just hide somewhere here, or I can sell my Lopez Co. Service Excellence award. That's made from pure gold, right? Or better yet I can just steal one of Sir Allen's credit cards. He won't notice a few million pesos."

Andrew was so distracted by Sonna's sweaty makeup, he didn't notice that Sonna had already led him to a barely constructed building. The scaffolding was still fixed around the building. Tools and construction materials had been left for the night. And any open window or pathways were veiled with yards of cloth so there was barely any light inside the building. They hid, crouched on the ground, behind a stack of cement blocks.

"They shouldn't find us here," she said, confident.

"Come out, come out, little corporate rats!" A man's voice echoed inside the hollow building.

"Hey, no need to be rude," someone interjected him. "She's already wrongly indebted. Give her some slack."

The man's rough voice seemed oddly familiar, but he shifted his focus on the fact that these guys knew she was falsely accused. Andrew had to wonder if Sonna wasn't the first Lopez Co. employee to be in a similar situation. How many employees must have gone through the same thing?

The footsteps got louder and closer, then silence. For a few moments, only the sound of their breathing could be heard. Until piercing gunshots rang and echoed inside the empty building.

"This is getting waaaaay out of hand." Andrew, with his tongue between lips, shoved his hands into his pants and took out his stolen handgun. He checked for its aim with his right hand. "We're like in a john wick movie or some shit. We need to settle this calmly."

"And you're going to diffuse the situation with a gun? Wait, is that an actual gun?" exclaimed Sonna. "Where did you get that? Do you even know how to use it? Are we going to die? I don't want to die with busted makeup."

Andrew cocked the gun and turned off its safety. "Of course, I know how to use it, I was that man-bitch's secretary after all. Oh, and I stole it from one of the goons guarding the street entrance. Goon #2 if we're being specific."

"Who—who taught you how to use it?"

"My dad was a policeman."

"I thought you were an orphan?" Sonna hissed.

"I didn't float down from the river y'know. He taught me before he left. Besides, Leon security practically forced train me since the man-bitch made the bodyguards quit. I've alerted the guys at Leon Security, they'll check on the bitch's location and safety first, and let's just pray they come to us next." Andrew had the good sense to recheck his phone. As expected, no signal. But the last location pinged was this building.

Sonna's eyes had suddenly popped, and she flinched back. She pointed at someone behind Andrew.

He turned around and Goon #2 waved a gun towards them with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Here you are you fancy shitbags."

"I also have one, motherfucker." Andrew whipped out his handgun and shot Goon #2. A piece of flesh from Goon #2's arm flew out into the air and he crumpled on the ground. Andrew and Sonna screamed at each other. Andrew's wrist felt sore from the gun's recoil. Sonna dashed towards Goon #2, kicked the gun away, and kicked his crotch.

"Stop moving." Another man with an ugly face popped out and held his gun. "You f—" The man suddenly collapsed. Behind him, a bewildered Mike was holding a block of asphalt in the air.

"Mike!" Both Sonna and Andrew yelled his name. They embraced him between them in joy. Mike was older than them, so it was a relief that someone capable had shown up. Andrew felt every firm muscle of Mike's body in their embrace. Andrew loved every minute of it.

"How did you find us?" Sonna ruffled Mike's hair, causing a faint red on Mike's pale skin. He had to bow down to talk to both of us, but his eyes were stuck on Sonna. Even in a crisis, Andrew was the third wheel.

"The team was worried, so we came looking for you," said Mike with a relieved smile. "But your location was going off and on, so we split up. Good thing the tricycle drivers were kind enough to lead me here. I had asked for a crazy... Crazily beautiful woman."

Sonna playfully slapped Mike's shoulder, flattered by the barely-there compliment. "Man, debt collectors these days are crazy, huh."

They glanced at Goon #2 bleeding on the ground. He glared at Andrew, struggling to voice out something. He coughed and pushed out the words, "You have...good aim for...someone...gay." Then he fainted.

"How did he even know I was gay?" Andrew asked no one in particular. He gestured wildly with the gun still in his hand. "I mean I'm not offended but we were practically being chased, how did he even? Is it the pink running shoes again?" They all looked down at his feet.

"It's the shoes," said Mike and Sonna.

They heard echoing footsteps. In a panic, they retreated to the stacks of cement block.

"Look at that." A man's voice. "Hey, are you dead? No, there's still a pulse."

Andrew peeked to see that Goon #4 was crouching beside Goon #2 and had his back towards Andrew. He could take the man. Andrew passed the gun onto Mike, so they can watch his back.

Andrew killed any protests from his teammates and crept up to the man. He drew back his leg and kicked Goon #4. Sending him flying to the ground with a grunt, but Goon #4 recovered quickly and threw a punch to a panicked Andrew. Pain bloomed on Andrew's face as he stumbled back. White spots scattered on his vision.

Goon #4 walked up to him. Andrew pretended to swing back his arm, but he used his leg instead to kick Goon #4 on the crotch as Sonna did. Goon #4 let out a high-pitched screech and crumpled on the ground. Andrew tackled Goon #4 and wrapped his hands around the suffering man's neck.

Goon #4 retaliated by clawing on Andrew's arm, but then Goon #4 stopped when recognition flickered in his eyes.

"Andrew," the name slipped out from Goon #4's lips. Naturally, a normal person would ease their hands off when the person they're choking, whom they've never met before, calls out their name...Andrew tightened his hands further.

"It's me...Rio-Your uncle." Andrew let go of the man's neck. He reeled back and did a double-take at Goon #4.