Kim:Kim swiveled his chair around, waiting for the door to his study to open once again, with thoughts swarming in his head that only Kit could calm.
It hadn't been a whole lot of time since Aawut had gone in search for Kit, but Kim had little to no patience when it came to his lover. He couldn’t help but smile as he thought about how surprised Kit had been about their new bondage play in his bedroom the other night.
But now, Kim couldn’t help but think that it opened a door to whole new possibilities in bed. Because Kit had liked what they had done, although belts and ties were just the beginning for him. He couldn’t wait to try a whole new array of toys with Kit, because with him, every experience felt new to Kim.
Then, the silence in the room broke as his phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he couldn’t help but frown when he saw that it was P’First.
“What?” he asked upon picking up, the annoyance evident in his voice. “If you need help for anything, you’ve come to the wrong person. In case you’ve forgotten, the last time I helped you, I nearly died saving your ass.”
P’First’s laugh came from the other end of the line, boisterous and teasing. “Yes, I am well aware,” he sighed. “On the bright side, though, at least that bullet brought our clans together.”
“Bright side, my ass,” Kim muttered, annoyed. “What do you want? Or are you just calling to waste my time?”
“We both know that we’d rather be with our boys than wasting time on each other, Kim,” P’First said drily, before his voice turned serious. “I’ve got some news that might interest you,” he said, and Kim's thoughts immediately went to the shooting.
Was that what this call was about? Did P’First know what he was looking for?
“What about?” he asked. Kimhan Ayutthaya had no need for hopes; whatever he wanted, he sought to get them by himself. But this time, with his searches leading to one dead end after the other, he did hope that P’First would have some news about the culprit.
“I heard about the little shooting that happened on the day your warehouse caught fire.” Kim didn't bother asking about his sources; news traveled faster than high school gossip in the mafia.
“And?” Kim asked, wanting to know exactly where this was headed.
P’First sighed. “Well, I was—my car, rather—was attacked by an assailant too, an unknown black vehicle that had no license plate,” he admitted.
This made Kim instantly alert. A shooting, black car, no license plate—that ticked three of four boxes. “Did you find out who the vehicle belonged to?”
But even as he asked such a question, Kim could practically see P’First shaking his head.
“Unfortunately, no,” came P’First’s expected answer.
Not a surprise; Kim relaxed his tense back and leaned against his seat once more in disappointment.
“My men followed the trail but it went cold on a certain road.”
Again, that sounded familiar. Kim was more than certain that their situation was more than just alike…unless P’First was just testing him. However, he did realize that if P’First wanted him dead, all he had to do was leave Kim be when he was shot and simply turned his back. But P’First hadn't done that. So he had no reason to question his loyalty now.
“Forested area? No traffic cameras?” He asked instead, listing the common factors.
P’First didn't need to confirm it for Kim to know it was true. “Yes.”
Well, that makes four out of four boxes“When did the shooting happen?” Kim asked, just to make sure that this was the work of an individual and not an organization.
“Yesterday,” P’First confirmed. “A day after yours.”
“And did your men scout the forest?” Kim asked. He knew that if his finest men couldn't find anything, neither would P’First’s, but it didn't hurt to ask. And he couldn't help but think, what if? But to his dismay, as expected, P’First said, “They did. But the results were the same—there was nothing. Even though there was no rain yesterday, the tire tracks seemed to have been expertly covered up or…there was some other method used to conceal the identity of the car.”
He was silent for a bit, letting that conclusion hang in the air before he continued, “Kim, I think we have a common enemy.”
“I had figured as much,” Kim confirmed. “Do you believe that the people responsible for this bullshit are the Russian gang we took care of back at Pattaya?”
It wasn't a stretch to think that was the case. That was the most recent encounter they had of a third party, and the gang was their only shared adversary, as the two had been previously enemies themselves, too busy scratching at each other’s throats to get involved in other wars.
P’First made a thoughtful humming noise. “It's definitely a possibility,” he agreed. “Perhaps it is an underdog, now turned leader, out to avenge their fallen master.” The idea put another nagging thought on the table.
P’First was the one to say it aloud, “But if that is the case, then that means that the gang is already in Bangkok, and the fact that they shot at us meant that they are declaring an open challenge to the two most feared Chao phoKim remained cool and collected, even though under the surface, his blood boiled at the audacity. “All I’m getting from this is that we should combine our resources and rally against our common foe,” he summed up. “Surely the two most feared Chao phoP’First laughed. “I like your faith, Kim,” he said. “I thought the same as well.”
Kim made a mental note to let Aawut know of these revelations. The additional information would no doubt help narrow their search. “Then, if there is nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
“Hold on; you’re too impatient,” P’First teased.
“What?” Kim asked. “Is there more?”
“No, it's not that,” P’First sighed. “I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about Kit when he goes to college. I will send a trustworthy man to be stationed at their college so he will be looked after—and Ben as well. Both of them will be protected.”
Ben? Kim’s brow arched in surprise. Interesting. “Why is Ben still with you?” he asked. “Didn't I tell you not to mess with the kid?”
P’First was silent for a few long moments. Then, just when Kim was beginning to think he had hung up, P’First said, “Maybe this time I’m not messing around.”
And then the line went dead.