Kiko struggled to lift Ramon’s body and toss him onto the bed. The man was dead drunk after finishing three bottles of wine. Kiko quickly left Ramon’s place and tried calling his three friends again.
“Damn it!”
He was out of phone credit. His data package was gone too. Lady Luck really hated Kiko today. He almost smashed the useless thing. Luckily, he remembered that he hadn’t finished paying it off yet.
He quickly rode Budi, his motorcycle, along Jakarta’s deserted streets in search of a phone-credit kiosk. The night air was unusually cold, perhaps because of the sweat pouring off Kiko as his worries refused to stop.
“Mon!”
Thank every magical shell on Nickelodeon. Kiko ran into Simon at his usual spot. The man immediately turned around and moved to hug Kiko, eager to make up for lost time. Kiko quickly shoved him away.
“Calm down. I’ve got bad news!”
Simon tensed and hurriedly swallowed. His phone had suddenly died, and now Kiko had shown up with anything but relaxing news. They had only just seen each other again after so long.
“Your brother told Rama and his guys to finish off Stela’s boyfriend.”
“What?”
“I tried calling Stela, but she didn’t answer.”
Simon panicked. He was still trying to pull himself together. His brain had suddenly run out of fuel. Maybe Stela was ignoring Kiko’s messages and calls because she hadn’t saved his number. The girl had been extremely cautious lately.
Simon reached into his pocket. Right—his phone was being repaired. That meant he couldn’t contact Stela.
“Bro, I’ve gotta go for now. Take care of Samsul.”
Simon ran to his motorcycle and grabbed his helmet. Kiko had already climbed onto Budi. He started the motorcycle the moment Simon managed to sit down properly.
“Where to?”
“Stela’s boarding house.”
Underground Pav.5, Gedung Bayur, 3M or die!
Maria’s heart wouldn’t settle. She kept rereading the incoming messages from an unknown number. They had suddenly demanded money and threatened to kill her son. Tears slipped from Maria’s eyes when she saw the photo of R and his two friends bound up.
Farhan rubbed the woman’s back, trying to calm her down. Right after Maria received the message, she contacted Farhan and her ex-husband. They still hadn’t made any decisions. As a member of law enforcement, Bari couldn’t act recklessly. Especially since the kidnappers had made it clear they would take action if Maria involved the police.
“What time did R get his shot earlier?” Farhan asked.
“Mbok said… a-around eleven, or twelve.” Maria’s voice trembled, and so did her hands.
“Then it’s time for another shot.”
Maria began crying again. There was no way her son had brought all the medication he needed to take. Even if he had, it would be useless—they couldn’t escape. Farhan took the initiative and pulled Maria into his arms. Bari was frantic. He couldn’t just sit there. He forcibly took Maria’s phone.
“Bar!”
“Plan B. They’re not contacting you anymore, so we make the first move.”
No connection. Damn it. They weren’t using that number anymore.
“Our only option is to take the money there, Bar,” Maria said firmly.
“Don’t be stupid! What if something happens to you? Three billion isn’t a small amount.”
“I don’t care about my own life, let alone the money. You can keep watch from a distance. Hidden cams, tiny mics, whatever. Use anything you can. Just let me go there.”
“Hey! Let us go, you bastards!”
Dean didn’t stop yelling. He couldn’t keep his body still as he tried to free himself. All he got for his efforts, though, was pain from the friction he caused.
“Give it a rest, De. Save your energy,” Loen cut in.
R only listened. He didn’t argue, much less shout. He was weak and short of breath, as if he were living on another planet without oxygen. It felt like he was fighting for air with an invisible creature.
Dean glanced at R, who kept his head bowed. He could clearly see the blood staining his friend’s collar. Even in the darkness, light from the window in the next room still reached them.
“Is your head bleeding, R?” he asked.
R turned toward Dean and smiled. After hearing Dean, Loen looked at R too. The boy only gave a listless nod. He had probably gotten the wound from whoever had hit him with a blunt object. Now R understood why his body was growing weaker. He was losing blood.
“It’s time for your Desferal too, isn’t it?” Loen asked.
The two of them stared at R anxiously. Already pale, R was growing even more colorless. His breathing was labored too.
R understood his own condition better than anyone. Every inch of his body hurt, as if it were trying to tear itself free. His head felt heavy, as though tons of rocks had fallen on it. His chest was tight, as if the already cramped room were pressing in even further. His stomach ached, as though it were being stabbed by thousands of needles he hated.
R also knew that he had to take his medicine regularly and inject Desferal every ten hours. He wanted to complain loudly, but he didn’t want to make Dean and Loen worry even more. He put on the bravest smile he could. He was sure someone would come and take him away. He just didn’t know what the price would be.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to drop dead just because I miss one shot.”
Crash!
The three boys flinched. Three masked men entered, one of them carrying a shopping bag. Two of them untied the boys while the remaining man raised a gun to keep R and his two friends from fighting back.
“What do you want?!” Dean shouted.
“Shut up!” The man aimed his weapon at Dean. “Don’t talk so much! Whether you live or die depends on you!” He shifted the gun toward R. His two companions had finished removing all the restraints.
They slowly backed away and hurried out of the room. Dean kicked the chair he had been sitting in. R tried to stand, but his body was too weak. He staggered to the right, and Loen quickly caught him.
“R!”
Loen laid the boy down and let R rest with his head in his lap. Dean panicked and hurried over to his two friends.
“You okay? There’s some water here. Did you bring your medicine?” he asked.
R shook his head.
“Your shot?” Dean asked again.
R shook his head again.
“Idiot!”
Dean got up and began cursing loudly and punching the innocent wall. R didn’t want to deal with it. He chose to close his eyes instead. Maybe the pain would ease.
“I’m going back to sleep.”
Loen nodded. Honestly, sitting there with R in his lap was starting to bother him. The surgical wound that had recently been punched was throbbing even more now. He bit down hard on his lower lip. He had to be okay.
Stela bit her finger. She knew where Rama’s hideout was. She had been there once when the man had taken her out. The place was incredibly far from any populated area. In fact, idiots sometimes used it as a spot to test their courage. Compared to ghosts, muggers were much scarier there.
“What are you waiting for, Stel? Let’s go!” Simon urged.
“Don’t be that stupid, Mon! Do you want all of us to die there?”
“Then what’s your solution?” Kiko asked.
Stela was still thinking. Her legs didn’t tire as she paced back and forth. She kept considering possible solutions, but every one ended with dangerous consequences. She angrily mussed her hair. Her heart was tired of cursing and railing against her blocked mind.
“Do you think they’re asking for a ransom?”
Stela turned toward Simon. “What do you mean?”
“They kidnapped R, but they haven’t contacted you at all. That means you’re not their target, Stel. It’s—”
“Money,” Stela finished. “Aunt Maria.”
It was true. Money was the lifeblood of society these days. Stela immediately grabbed her bag and jacket. She hurried out of the house and put on her shoes. Simon and Kiko followed her confidently.
“Ko, go to Ramon’s place, okay? Simon and I will go to R’s house. Make sure he’s still there. Contact us again if there’s any movement.”
Kiko nodded hesitantly. Stela quickly joined Simon and set off. Kiko let out a heavy sigh and waved.
“Be careful, Budi!”
The man reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He intended to open a ride-hailing app, since Stela didn’t have any vehicle. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and kicked at the air in annoyance.
“I still haven’t bought phone credit, damn it!!”