Chapter 6 5.5

"Oh, Tito Miggy! You startled me," she exclaims, holding her own chest. With a wrong step, she might kiss his chest. She realizes how short she is, not reaching his shoulders. There she regrets inheriting her genes from her mother, especially now that she's standing so close to Miggy. She notices his hands in his pockets and tilts her head up to look at him.

"Why not walk me around the entire place, Casey Daniella?" He spoke like a king. His mouth barely opened, but it felt like he caught all the air, hitting her face. And his breath smells good, too, just like how good he looks. From slightly tilting her head down, he looks around, and she takes a step back. She tries to ignore the accelerating speed of her heart. She doesn't know if it's due to surprise or the very close presence of him. It does feel different, and she knows it's normal to feel nervous in front of Lt Gen. Miggy. Moreover, she's even more anxious because of her friends' teasing. As much as possible, she wants to act casually.

"Well, as you can see, this is a remote area not yet fully developed. We don't have fences here, and my next neighborhood is two hundred meters away." She stifles a mischievous chuckle. "I started to walk, heading to the left corner of the house. The next neighbor isn't really 200 meters away; it's close but not that close, and it's difficult to hear even if she screams. The place would be nice if properly organized. It has been neglected, and not many want to buy vacant land far from amenities. She doesn't know how she survived three years in a place far from the grocery store, market, and school. Maybe it's because of her patience, and she learned how to drive, saving on transportation.

"This isn't our real house. I was forced to sell Daddy's mansion because I had no money. The last thing I sold was my Montero Sport. I didn't want to use the money in the bank." She narrates as they walk towards the dirty kitchen.

The man follows her, hands in his pockets. She sold her car due to financial constraints, and the buyer bargained because they probably sensed her desperate need. She used the money for her daily needs and never regretted it anyway.

"And what will you sell next, yourself?" He sarcastically asks.

Her fiery gaze immediately flies to Miggy.

Oh, how annoying he is.

He doesn't care; he just observes. She can't see his eyes, but his head seems to be spinning. He even inspects the back of her house, covered with tall grass.

"Excuse me, Uncle Miggy. I'm not desperate enough to sell myself. I even beat rapists with a wooden cross of Juan dela Cruz, and now I'll sell myself? Where's the common sense in that?" She retorts.

"No common sense. And there's even less common sense in a kid buying a house and lot in this kind of place. You might as well live under the bridge after your parents die. If someone tries to harm you, you can drown yourself. Here, what do you even expect to have here, Casey Daniella? Even if your neck gets cut while screaming here, no one will come to your rescue." He lectures her.

Amen!

His tongue is really sharp.

She just sighs and continues walking. Miggy checks all the sliding windows of the house, and he rattles the old grills attached to them.

"I don't have money, so this is the only choice I have to buy. Besides, I never expected that those goons would even get their freedom back."

"Many die from false assumptions," he says shortly, and she rolls her eyes. "And many die from rolling their eyes." He adds, making her gape.

"I'll study your parents' case. I just hope that you won't be my headache. When I say six o'clock, it should be six o'clock. When I say no, it should be no. When I say run, you run. And when I tell you a command that you must follow, you should follow without questioning. You got that?" He leans toward her, and her jaws drop further.

Her mouth Is hanging open while she's standing beside him. They're looking at each other side to side, but she looks so funny while the man is not. They look like a dwarf and a giant.

"It depends on the command, Tito Miggy." She retorts, and he raises his thick eyebrows.

He rudely grazed his tongue on his lower lip and bit it. "And you think I'll give you commands that are truly out of the circumstances? Everything I say is for your safety. Once those men are behind bars, you'll be back to your normal life. No more Uncle Miggy's rules." He shrugs.

Casey sighed. Maybe the guy would mess around inside her house, and that wouldn't be right. They're part of the same circle, and now that it's vacation, she shouldn't let fear control her. She just needs to be extra careful, and with such a massive security detail by her side, those criminals won't dare come near her.

"What rules? Can't I go out with friends? I'll just be with Em-Em anyway. It's not like I'm going to stare at you day and night." She expressed, adding a sarcastic glance sideways.

"That's a bad thought." He stated firmly, likely referring to her comment about staring. "You can still go out if that's what you want, with my permission, and of course, with me. But I'm telling you, I'll only spend two months with you, Casey Daniella. After that, be prepared to go back to the PNP's custody, or pray that those men attack before I return to work to finish them off." Miggy smirks.

She swallowed hard several times, feeling her throat. Is he really grinning while talking about killing? She, who seeks justice, can't fathom witnessing those men dying right in front of her. It's enough that they end up in jail. She hopes they'll be convicted within a month or two.

Reluctantly, she looks at his waist where a gun is holstered, boasting arrogantly like the owner.

"I hope – I hope that they'll be put back in jail within a month or two," she nervously responds, but Miggy just laughs.

"Don't be such a fool, young lady. No criminal will be convicted within two months. A trial by court takes too much time. You show me their faces, and I'll shoot their heads, playing it off as self-defense." His lips curled in a smug smile, both smug and captivating.

She got even more scared. Instead of feeling reassured, she felt even more nervous because of his words, so she looked away. She began walking to the other side of her backyard.

"I... I still pray. I don't want to see people being killed in front of me. It's so... tragic, Uncle Miggy."

"It's a matter of choice, it's either you or them." He replied.

She didn't answer. He would contradict everything she says. He has a point, but she doesn't want to go through another psychiatric evaluation to overcome the trauma she experienced. She's not crazy, but it's easy for others to say that overcoming such nightmares is quick. However, it's not that simple for someone like her who witnessed her parents' brutal fate right before her innocent eyes. Still, Lt Gen. Miggy is right; it's almost impossible to imprison those criminals again within two months.

She spent years seeking justice, and now the demons have appealed. She's also afraid she might be placed under another doctor's care to overcome the trauma. She doesn't want to witness their deaths in front of her. Instead, she'd rather see them behind bars.

"You must be brave enough, Casey Daniella. That's one of my rules. If it happens that I'm not beside you, who will going to pull the trigger for you?"

That was the question she heard from Miggy as they reached the front of the house again.

"You, Uncle Miggy, and I'll make sure to drag you wherever I go. I am brave, but I don't know how to pull the trigger. I can't kill. If I could, I would have stabbed those goons with a Juan dela Cruz cross and didn't just hit them. Also, I don't want to hold your gun; it's big and heavy." She glanced at his waist where the gun was holstered before turning to enter the house.

He was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

If by chance she could bring herself to kill, she might consider it. Still, if she can escape, she'd rather run away and wait for the law, Lt Gen. MacArthur Alonde II's law-or rather, Miguel Arthur's law.

Iggy was left standing, mystified. Casey's voice echoed around the corners of his head. This rarely happened when his mind was preoccupied by a woman's thoughts, or rather, a girl's thoughts.

"I don't want to hold your gun, it's big and heavy..." Damn! He froze as his manhood tightened. His interpretation of "big and heavy" had a different meaning. He was indeed well-endowed, and women not only moaned but screamed in bed.

Despite his desires, he rarely found himself speechless or infatuated. He was always in control and needed to remain so. Calming himself, he walked silently through the house, exploring the vast, American-inspired home that Casey had bought.

Passing by the living room, he glimpsed his friends chatting while Casey reached for canned goods in the kitchen. Her efforts strained the hem of her white tank top, revealing her midriff. He watched, scanning her figure. "Damn you!" Casey exclaimed in frustration, trying to reach the high cabinet.

She could use a chair, why didn't she? Iggy walked behind her, standing close. "Which of these, corned beef, meatloaf, or pork and beans?" he asked, lifting his arm to grab items.

"Just take everything, Uncle Miggy," she replied.

He obeyed, placing the cans on the working table. Pretending to read nutritional facts, he warned about sodium, Alzheimer's, kidney stones, anemia, and high blood pressure.

"These are the only options for now; the market is far," she explained, rolling her eyes. She seemed like a stubborn girl having a tantrum.

Unfazed by her irritation, Iggy revealed, "Well, I'm sorry, Kitty, but I'm a vegetarian." He walked away towards the bathroom, not looking back as Casey continued her tasks.

He couldn't help but notice Casey's pleasant scent, a different one from his previous encounters. Unlike the unpleasant mix of cigarettes and cheap perfume, Casey smelled innocent and baby-fresh, a new experience for the seasoned womanizer.

Christ...

He shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. Inhaling sharply, he focused on the matters at hand. Pushing open the bathroom door, he inspected it, noting the barred window ensuring no one could enter. Good. But damn, his heart raced for an unknown reason.

This unfamiliar effect of a woman on him wasn't normal. Even without her presence, he was affected. He recognized it as pure lust, yet there was something about Casey he wanted to uncover. He couldn't pinpoint what he wanted to discover about her, but there was something in her eyes that stirred his thoughts, whether she was hiding something or what. Casey avoided eye contact, not just with him but also with her female friends. He had observed this earlier, even with Attorney Lagoste. He would figure it out.

"Where's your key? Are the rooms' doors upstairs open?" Miggy stood near the bathroom door, glancing at Casey cleaning the rice cooker.

"Wait. It's in my pocket, Uncle. The one in the middle is the bathroom. My room door is right by the stairs," she informed him while busy with her tasks.

He just stared at her face. Beautiful indeed. "How about the door to the basement?"

"It's just a mini-library," she shrugged, handing him the key from her pocket. He hesitated, briefly looking at Casey beneath his sunglasses. She quickly averted her gaze, even though their eyes didn't literally meet.

What's with those evading gazes, Casey?

"I have to check your room," he said, taking the key from her hand, then left the kitchen.

He grabbed his traveling bag from the sofa and walked to the other wing of the house. The chubby cat followed him, rubbing its body against his legs. He didn't mind; he liked animals. However, he missed the chance to have a pet when he was a child because his father disapproved. His dad insisted he focus on becoming a successor rather than an animal vet. When was the last time he had a dog? It was during his military school days, and it died when he neglected it after being sent to Britain as a Royal Navy.