Pol's POV
"I'm a fucking genious! Ha!"
When I walk into the weapons room, Arm is smiling like a child in front of his computers.
"Hey Arm, why are you so happy? You are as happy as Khun Noo after he found that red queen."
"Because two impossible missions were accomplished in one night! 'The Vault' and the 'Faceless Ghost'." Arm moves his hand like he's reading two movie titles. "I did magic!"
"Well...I kind of helped to open that safe...you know"
"Okay...okay...you can be Ron"
"Uhh?! Ron who?"
"Never mind!"
"BZZT, BZZT"
"Arm, your phone is vibrating"
"Oh! thank you...hmm...it's a message from Macau. He said Porchay wants to go to a bar."
"Did they go out together?"
"Yes...they went to the movies first."
"They're going out a lot together."
"Macau is trying to cheer up his friend...because of Khun Kim and his foreign friend, you know..."
"Ooooh."
"Macau is asking me if he can go...how cute. He does it every time."
Arm finishes answering and puts the phone on the table.
"What's your answer?" I ask curiously.
"No problem."
"Mhmm...."
"What?!"
"Don't you see, genius?!"
"See what???"
"Your boyfriend is checking if you care about him, and you simply encourage him to go out on a date with someelse every time!"
"ME?? NO! I'm just encouraging him to take care of a friend!"
"Doing what couples do...?! Going to the movies...eating out...?!" Should he go to a bar without you?! What kind of bar? Have you asked yourself?"
"You're scaring me"
"You should be scared!"
"You're staying too long with Khun Noo, Pol! You're talking like him!"
"Macau is screaming for you to show a little jealousy for him. It doesn't have to be on a psycho level like Khun Vegas...but a little is important to maintain a relationship."
"Seriously?"
"Otherwise, it looks like you just don't care about him."
"Shit...I had no idea"
"Now you do! Don't you feel a little jealous?"
"To be honest...I'd rather be with him doing all these things, but I've been so busy with those demands from Khun Noo and Vegas...I don't think I can deprive Macau of having fun.
"Hmm, you are already doing favors for your brother-in-law, huh?!"
"..."
"Anyway, don't forget that he is still very young and insecure. It doesn't mean stopping anyone from doing what they want. But...think...certain dynamics don't change that much. Think of a child. If parents let a child do whatever they want, it might seem like that child is very lucky! but at the end of the day that child will believe no one cares. That child will not feel loved."
"Wow...you really seem very knowledgeable about this, Pol."
Romance, crimes, thrillers, horror...family problems...I watched it all with Khun Noo...
"Sure"
"What do I do now?" Arm looks at the time on his watch. "10 p.m."
"How about you go meet him at the bar?!"
"Do you think I should?"
"Of course! He will be surprised...in a good way."
"Uh...It's far from here and he's with Porchay... we can't leave that boy alone."
"I can go with you. My shift is over. I can bring Porchay back to the main family mansion. And you stay with Macau. He can bring you back...or not." I wink at Arm.
"Thanks, Pol!"
Pete's POV
"You are lying." (in English)
His eyes seek the truth within mine, while his hand continues to press on my neck.
"Vegas...ugh...I can't breathe..."
"Who is he?"
Vegas seems to be losing control.
"WHO IS HE?" Vegas erupts in rage pressing my neck.
"THE WHITE KING!!"
I focus the strength on my hands and manage to get Vegas' hand off my neck. But he goes back to holding my wrists.
"COUGH, COUGH!"
"Another damn chess piece."
"He said we know each other... he said he saved my life."
"Friends how? Do you know him?"
"I don't know him! At least...I don't remember knowing him."
"If it was dark in that room, how did you see him?"
"In the chess room."
"Have you entered the chess room? How have you done that? I couldn't use the black king key...what else are you hiding from me, Pete? So you know who he is. Tell me the name!"
"No"
"Why? To protect him? If you don't know him, why do you care?"
'Cause if I tell you who he is, you'll try to kill him and I won't have any answers."
"I won't...not so fast."
"Will you give him a few months like you did with Sanya? I told you we needed him! Sanya is the purple king...he knows how the room works! Did you listen to me? No! You just wanted to eliminate him and work things out your way.
"Sanya... he told you how to use the room...when?? ...wait a minute...you know where he is!...you warned him about me, didn't you?! I should have known you'd be a few steps ahead of me. You don't trust me, Pete!"
"I couldn't let you kill our only lead, Vegas! I need to know why the white king saved me. I need to know who wants me killed and why. Is it because of the Theerapanyakul family? Is it because of YOU? I don't know! But I need to find out!"
"I shot him so he could no longer execute that assassination order against you, Pete!! Do you think I'm doing nothing? Why do you think I come back late every night?!"
"..."
So...is Vegas actually working so hard to find out who wants to kill me? I feel bad that I even thought for a second that he might be...oh! I can't even think about it.
"Ever since this all started, I have my people to investigate that chess room shit day and night after the answers to all these questions! I can't even sleep thinking about it! The assassination order is suspended, but for how long? I'm in a hurry too! I don't trust Sanya at all. I've dealt with too many mafia bosses like him to know he's a despicable and manipulative being, Pete. He can't be trusted! I've weighed the pros and cons, Pete. And eliminating him would be a temporary solution until we could gather more information...you wouldn't be killed by him. I don't act just on impulse to protect your life, Pete.
"Vegas...I..." I see so much sincerity in Vegas' words... still...there are so much misinformation...those untold meetings with Porsche...that warehouse...those financial transactions...I feel lost...my head aches..."What alternatives do we have?!...that order...it's not suspended anymore."
"What?? How do you know?"
"Sanya showed me his chess room records..."
"So it's a good reason for me to shoot Sanya again! Where is he, Pete? Tell me!"
"The order had already been renegotiated when you shot him. That order is no longer in Sanya's hands, Vegas. Apparently, any player in that chess room could have taken the order. And...besides that..."
"Tell me...what else?"
"There's a recorded dialogue between Sanya and the chess opponent...it was signed with a watermark...the same as this ring."
I show him my ring.
"The ring I gave you...Theerap..."
Vegas' gaze stays still for a few seconds contemplating my ring, as if what I was telling him was making some sense to him. His face shows a mix of ire and realization. Does he have someone in mind?
"You need to go back to the safe house." he says abruptly, coming to his senses.
Vegas releases my wrists and gets up quickly to pack my things.
"Calm down, Vegas! It can even be a trap to deceive us and generate distrust between us, especially because..."
I hold him and make him turn to me.
"There's more?!" He looks at me with inquisitive eyes.
"The white king...he said...he said..."
"SAY IT, PETE!"
"He said the order was issued by the Minor Family."
"WHAT?!"
Vegas gets stunned.
"Pete...you don't believe I..."
"OF COURSE NOT! They can say whatever they want. That's why we have to discover the truth for ourselves. Hiding me won't help. You know it, Vegas. The white king knew every place I was hidden."
"I'll get you out of the country then."
Vegas tries to break free to grab the suitcases.
"Vegas! VEGAS! I can't run away my whole life. What if there is an order against you? Against every member of our family? Macau...Venice! We must face the enemy. We must find out the truth!"
"THAT'S ALL I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO LATELY, PETE! FIND SOME KIND OF TRUTH FOR EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE!"
Vegas says these words with a mixture of anguish and despair. His anger gives space to a mix of feelings. And I feel like there's so much more behind these words that he won't share with me right now.
I speak calmly.
"Next month a new chess room meeting will be held... we have the keys. WE HAVE TO GO."
He runs his hands through his hair, trying to control himself.
"Where?"
"Taiwan"
"Who told you that? Your friend Sanya or your friend white king?"
"Both...they are not my friends, by the way."
"It's a trap."
"I know it's a trap. But we can be prepared for it. We must go. The white king will be there."
"Who is he?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"You know why."
Vegas turns toward me, making me walk back to the bed again.
"Who is he?"
"I won't tell you. Only when we get to Taiwan."
I fall onto the bed. Vegas leans on me again. His eyes search for mine once more.
"Why are you protecting him? He was going to take you away, don't you remember? Sanya tried to drug you so this guy could come pick you up at the Diamond hotel."
"I'm not protecting him. I just need to..."
"What do you need?"
"I need to know if we really met before and in under what circumstances".
"Why didn't you react?"
"Uh?"
"When he kissed you, why you accepted his kiss?"
Vegas seems deeply hurt asking me this.
"I did not accept it..."
Considering how many body parts Vegas has kissed before kissing my lips, why is he so upset about it?!
I'm the one who should be angry! Another man kissed MY MOUTH! Without MY CONSENT!
I'm still going to settle things with that guy Lian Wang. That was harassment!
Besides...you're not the only one who's jealous, Vegas! The difference is that I hide my inner struggles very well. Because every day is a battle inside me to be with someone hot like you!
"You know you did."
"I DIDN'T!" I take a big breath to relax. "It's just...it felt familiar...I felt like...like I know him."
I said, my voice almost fading, lowering my gaze.
"What do you think I should do now with this information, Pete?"
His gaze has changed again...
...