Bound by Bullets and Vows

CHAPTER 17

THAILAND

NANG lumapag ang private jet sa international airport, bumaba sila at sumakay sa isang armored vehicle na naghihintay sa kanila.

Tahimik sina Alaric at Reese sa buong biyahe nila.

And when they arrived at the Shadow Headquarters.

Reese saw that the Shadow had no signage or flag to announce itself.

Just an ordinary mansion near the mountain and along the wide river, guarded by men who didn’t look like guards and cameras hidden so well they blended into the walls of the compound. It looked ordinary at first sight. Pero para kay Reese, being too ordinary was suspicious.

At hindi nga siya nagkamali nang bumukas ang mataas at malaking gate ng mansion.

Namangha si Reese sa ganda ng mansiyon. May malawak itong front lawn at may fountain din sa gitna kung saan ay umikot pa ang sasakyan nila bago ito tumigil sa hagdan patungo sa main door.

“Mas maganda pa ‘to kaysa sa mansyon mo sa Pilipinas.” Hindi mapigilang sabi ni Reese.

Ngumiti si Alaric. “And how about your mansion?”

Reese shrugged. “Just so-so.”

Napailing na lamang si Alaric saka bumaba nang buksan ni Julian ang pinto sa tabi nito.

Sumunod namang bumaba si Reese. Then she adjusted her coat. Hinigpitan din niya ang pagkakatali ng kaniyang maskara dahil naramdaman niyang lumuwag ito.

Reese stared at the mansion in front of her. “Your mansion looked ordinary, but it’s not for me.”

“Keen eyes.”

Ngumiti lang si Reese.

“Let’s go inside.”

Pumasok sila sa loob ng mansion. They were greeted by the maids, standing at each side, and they bowed their heads.

Nagulat naman si Reese nang hawakan ni Alaric ang kamay niya. Hindi rin niya inaasahan ang susunod nitong gagawin. “Everyone, this is my wife, Reese Sinclair Volkov. I want you to give her the same respect that you give me. Anyone who will disrespect her will be punished.”

Yumukod ang lahat ng maids at bodyguards na naroon. “Yes, Sir.”

Tumingin si Alaric kay Reese. “Do you want to rest now or see our small base?”

Kumunot nang bahagya ang nuo ni Reese. “You will let me?”

Tumango si Alaric. “You gave me the Sinclair System—the same authority as you. You are my wife now, so we are equal. It was just appropriate to let you see my world.”

This man was quite reliable. Reese thought, smiling.

Naglakad sila patungo sa isang steel door. Binuksan ito ni Julian para sa kanila. They entered through a biometric gate, descending by elevator into the core facility. The doors opened to reveal a vast underground floor buzzing with quiet activity.

Nagulat si Reese nang makapasok siya sa loob. “You call this a small base?” Aniya kay Alaric.

The place was huge. It can even store five private jets. Hindi niya akalain na ganito kalawak ang underground base ng mga Volkov kahit mukhang ordinaryo lamang sa labas. She was right. When something looks too ordinary, it is suspicious.

Nagkibit lang naman ng balikat si Alaric.

Tumingin si Reese sa mga nangyayari sa kaniyang harapan. Many people are in their own world—weapon technicians, logistics analysts, and field operatives in tactical gear. Digital screens are also displaying live feeds from multiple regions.

Tumingin si Reese kay Alaric. “No wonder, you control the whole Underground in Asia.” Iminuwestra niya ang kamay sa malawak na underground floor. “This is crazy.”

Alaric smiled a little. “Welcome to Shadow, Reese.”

Reese walked beside Alaric with her hands relaxed at her sides. And there was no hesitation in her steps.

Julian trailed behind them.

Lumapit sila sa central briefing area kung saan naghihintay sa kanila ang limang commanders.

There are five of them.

Men and women who were hardened by years in the field.

Agad ang mga itong napaayos ng tao nang dumating si Alaric.

“Boss.”

Tumango si Alaric bilang tugon. Then he gestured toward Reese. “This is Reese Sinclair Volkov… my wife.”

The word rippled through the room.

And Reese gave a slight nod.

Nagkatinginan naman ang mga tao sa loob ng undergound na ‘yon lalo na ang limang commanders nang marinig nila ang pangalan ng asawa ng kanilang boss.

“Madam, may I ask you something?” one of the commanders spoke.

Tumango si Reese.

“How are you related to Sinclair Industries?”

Hindi agad sumagot si Reese. Tumingin siya kay Alaric at nang tumango ito, saka lamang siya nagsalita. “I am the new Chairwoman of Sinclair Industries.”

Nagulat ang limang commander at muling nagkatinginan ang mga ito. They have long heard about the youngest daughter of Sinclair, a brilliant weapon engineer. And she always wears a silver mask.

Isa-isang nagpakilala ang limang commander sa mga asawa ng kanilang boss.

“Commander Hale.”

Another man spoke. “Ilya. Commander of Logistics operation.”

Reese inclined her head.

And the others followed, introducing themselves—Eastern routes, weapons transport, cyber operations, and covert extraction.

Sa nakikita ni Reese, a conclusion came into her mind. This place is the main Headquarters of the Shadow Organization. And no one could tell that it was under an ordinary mansion along the river and mountains.

“That’s all,” wika ni Alaric.

And the commander dispersed.

As they walked away, Julian leaned toward Alaric. “They are cautious towards Madam.”

“That’s normal,” sabi naman ni Alaric. He turned to Reese. “Come.”

They moved deeper into the facility, passing through multiple security layers until they reached a reinforced door that required biometric authentication from Alaric and Reese.

“Bakit pati ako kasali?” nagtatakang sabi ni Reese.

“You are now one of us,” sagot ni Alaric.

The door slid open after the biometric scan.

“What the—?” Reese was shocked to see the Shadow Organization's armory.

It was massive, with the racks of firearms lining the walls, rifles, pistols, and tactical shotguns. The prototype weapons are sealed in glass cases. There are crates of ammunition and workbenches filled with disassembled components.

At sa gitna ng armory, may open platform doon na kung saan ay naka-display ang mga advanced hardware—drone units and modular armor systems.

Tumigil si Reese. Tinitingnan niya ang mga gamit na nasa loob ng armory.

“This is the Shadow’s core arsenal,” Alaric said proudly.

Reese walked slowly between the racks. “Modified firing mechanisms. Custom recoil dampeners.” Tumigil siya sa isang railgun prototype. “Who designed this?”

Napakurap si Alaric. “That’s classified.”

She studied the coil assembly. “It’s inefficient,” she said. “Your power draw is too high. You’ll burn out the capacitor after sustained use.”

Julian stared in surprise.

Alaric frowned. “You figured that out in ten seconds?”

Nagkibit lang naman ng balikat si Reese. “It’s basic engineering,” sabi niya. She moved to another display. “These drones are vulnerable to frequency hijacking.”

Alaric crossed his arms. It was quite amusing to watch Reese as she listed the inefficient things of the weapons inside the armory. “Anything else?”

“Yes.” Tumingin si Reese kay Alaric. “You’re relying too much on brute force. Your systems need smarter integration.”

Namayani ang katahimikan.

Kapagkuwan, tumawa nang mahina si Julian. He realized one thing. His Boss had found his match.

“You’re already redesigning Shadow.”

Kalmado namang nagsalita si Reese. “Only mentally.”

Alaric chuckled.

“You’re tired.” Sabi niya. “Let’s go back, so you can rest.”

Tumango si Reese.

Habang pabalik sila sa itaas, biglang napaisip si Alaric. And he had come to realize why many people were coveting the Sinclair System and the heir. It is worth billions, and at the same time, it is dangerous, especially for the heir.

Reese Sinclair was an asset.

And he will protect her.