The CEO's Painted Skin

Back somewhere in the village of Santa Monica...

Caroline was watching a television show in the living room of the 2 story house~she calls it hideout that his drug dealer boyfriend Greg owned.

Her boyfriend sells all kinds of illegal drugs that are available in the underground market. The reason why he was still not caught because he had a relative who is a Major General in their town. The police can't get to him due to the said 'General's' protection of her drug dealer boyfriend.

That was before...

Greg entered the living room and kissed his girlfriend's cheeks. He sat beside her.

She can feel his tense muscle when he draped his arms around her shoulder. She glanced at his eyes and saw his haggard face that was not there since yesterday.

"What happened? What's bothering you?" she asked.

Greg runs his fingers on his beard a few times signaling that he was in deep thought.

"We got a big problem. The Police will be hot in our heels from now on. My Uncle who is a Major General in our town has already retired. He is no longer in the top position to protect and shield me. He told me during one of our conversations last week that I should stop dealing illegal drugs and go somewhere else away from this town because I'm already wanted and the police will come to me anytime to arrest me. To make things worst some of my men are already arrested by the police yesterday, I know they won't reveal my name but if they are under extreme torture they might be forced to reveal where is our current hideout."

Caroline's heart was beating faster in fear and panic.

"You mean to say the police can come to us anytime from now?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes. So, I suggest that you start gathering your belongings now, only the important stuff in your backpack. Right now Caroline!" his voice was firm but gentle.

Caroline rose to her feet and went in a hurry inside the room she shared with Greg. She gathered all her clothes and other important belongings and placed them inside the colored brown backpack. She fished out her cell phone from her shorts pocket then muted it and put it in the bag as well. Now she's ready, if something goes wrong today she's ready to run with Greg. She saw Greg's backpack that was already full pack sitting idle in the corner, she placed her backpack beside it.

She went back to the living room. Greg was no longer there. She saw the wall clock hanging above the television, it's already 11:00 AM in the morning, time for her to prepare their lunch. She went to the kitchen. She cooked rice first in the rice cooker and then she started reaching out for the canned foods in the cupboard, using the can opener she opened all ten cans of corned beef, then she chopped onions and garlic with the knife she was holding, then she placed the large frying pan in the electric stove and put some oil on it. As she waited for the cooking oil to get heated, she was thinking about how dangerous her life was with Greg, but she can't leave him. Greg was her first boyfriend and her first love, she will stick to him through thick and thin no matter what. She brought her attention back to her cooking. She sprinkled the onion and garlic into the heated frying pan and when they were turning into a bit browned in color, using the spoon she began emptying the cans one by one from its content and then using the wooden ladle she mixed the corned beef with the onion and garlic inside the large frying pan.

Fifteen minutes later...together with Greg and ten of his men who guard the hideout they started eating their lunch in silence.

Done with eating Greg went back to his men and monitor the outside perimeters of the hideout which was situated and partially hidden behind a dense jungle of trees, vines and wild bushes.

Caroline washed the plates and the frying pan. Done cleaning the kitchen, she released a sigh of satisfaction.

She took a bath in the bathroom and went back to the living room to resumed watching entertaining shows on the television.

Today's afternoon is humid and dry, there has been no rain for the last few days.

At 3:00 PM in the afternoon the first gunshot can be heard near the vicinity of the hideout. Caroline immediately turns off the TV and listened for more gunshot.

That appears to be a lone gunshot but the frantic beating of her heart told her otherwise.

She rose to her feet from the sofa and run into the bedroom to get her backpack. From this point onwards, more gunshots can be heard and they were getting nearer to the hideout. Once inside the room, she snatched hers and Greg's backpack which were both heavy for her petite frame.

Greg burst into the room, he wears his backpack securely on his shoulders and holds Caroline's arms firmly pulling her towards the door.

"There is no time to waste, let's hurry Caroline! The police are already circling this area. My men are being taken down one by one. We need to get out her alive!" Greg's voice registered panic and fear.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

The northern part of the house exploded right before Caroline's eyes. A splinter of wood from the explosion flew past her head, if not for Greg's quick hands that shoved her head down she might be already knocked out from the sudden impact of that piece of loose wood.

Rapid fire was now being exchanged between the uniformed Policemen and Greg's men in front of the hideout.

Greg and Caroline run for their lives and descended in a hurry down into the long staircase that will take them to the ground floor, towards the hidden basement where a tunnel was being dug in the underground as an escape route that will end up inside the house of Greg's friend a half kilometer away. From there they can ride a vehicle that will take them away from the town.

As they were nearing the entrance of the basement, the second floor was being smashed into pieces with explosives that shook the foundation of the house, the 2nd floor of the house crumbled into the ground, thankfully they already entered the tunnel's entrance. Once they were inside the tunnel, two of Greg's men were locking the door with stainless bars and anything they could find in the tunnel, later they would blow the entrance up so that their pursuer can't follow them to the end of the tunnel.

They started clawing their way into the length of the dark tunnel, Caroline was having a hard time crawling because of her heavy backpack. One of the men took and carry her backpack for her so that she can move and crawl faster.

After thirty minutes of endless crawling, they finally reached the end of the tunnel which opens up to a garage area with 3 vehicles ready on a standby mode.