15. Threats

In spite of Jet’s hopeful words, he highly doubts anything in Rome’s envelope will be of any help. Of course, all he had to do to remove that doubt was to open it, but he’s not currently in the mood. He’s had enough of OmniVentures and everyone connected with it for one day.
With one exception.
Mali doesn’t look surprised when Jet asks her about her relationship with Rome. Actually, she’s delighted that Jet has finally asked her about it. She’d mentioned her boyfriend in passing during several conversations, but Jet had never wanted details until now.
“So do all these questions mean you like him?” Mali tries to keep the impatient note out of her voice as she asks the question.
Jet looks over the array of food on the table. “Are you going to be able to eat all that?”
Mali rolls her eyes. “Half is for you.”
Steam rises above the grill on the table between them, bringing with it a multitude of savory scents. The shrimp, kale and mushrooms bubbling in the broth mingles with the sizzling beef on the grill. Jet takes his time flipping a piece of meat over with his tongs rather than answer his sister.
“Hia.” Now Mali looks annoyed.
Jet smiles at her. “Yes, I like your boyfriend.”
“But?” Mali pushes. “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t associate with him because of his uncle. Rome and Chalam aren’t alike.”
“I know.” Jet puts another piece of beef on the grill, trying to figure out exactly how to say what he wants to. “He told me what the two of you have been up to.”
His tone isn’t accusatory, but Mali still looks a little guilty. “Hia…I meant to tell you—”
“I’m not asking you to apologize,” Jet reassures her. “I just wish you were the one to tell me you were also trying to find information about Chalam. It might have saved me some time if I knew I had another resource. I just want you to be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Mali smiles at her brother. “If Nail wants to attack me, he has to go through Rome first.”
Now it’s Jet’s turn to smile. “He told me as much. I like him; and I trust him; and clearly he trusts me, or he wouldn’t have given me the information. I haven’t looked at it yet, but I know it will help.”
They sit in silence for a minute. It’s companionable silence, but with a slight edge to it, as though there are words that need to be said but haven’t yet. Mali waits for Jet to finish grilling the beef before she asks her next question.
“Did you agree to come to lunch with me so you could talk about my boyfriend and I investigating Chalam right under his nose, or was there another reason?”
“Do I have to have a specific reason to treat my sister to a meal?” But Jet is avoiding her eyes.
Mali decides to push again. “You’re not treating me, because I’m the one who invited you. What happened in your ‘business meeting’ today?”
Jet raises an eyebrow. “Why did you put air quotes around ‘business meeting’?”
“You did the same thing.” Mali retorts without any heat. “We both know you convinced Kit to accept Chalam’s invitation so you had an excuse to see Chalam face to face. What did he say?”
Jet’s expression hardens. “Nothing I haven’t heard before.”
“Meaning?” Mali’s eyes narrow when Jet doesn’t elaborate. “He threatened Kai and me, didn’t he?”
“I never said that.” Jet finally meets Mali’s gaze, and holds it.
She doesn’t look away. “The look on your face says otherwise.”
“Because I knew this is exactly how you would react.” Jet sighs. “Mali—”
“Don’t do the protective big brother act with me, because it won’t work.” Mali leans forward. “I’m not going to let you do this by yourself.”
“Your hair’s in the broth.”
Mali flicks the trailing strand of hair with an impatient gesture. The wet hair takes a piece of kale with it. “I’m serious, Hia.”
“So am I,” Jet reaches across the table to pull the kale leaf from his little sister’s hair. “I don’t want you or Kai to get hurt.”
“So what,” Mali glares and shakes her hair out of Jet’s fingers. “We give you the information and favors you need, and then stand back and cheer from the sidelines?”
“Of course not—”
“Don’t you think Kai and I worry about you just as much as you worry about us?” Mail drowns out her older brother mid-protest. “What are we supposed to do if you’re the one who gets hurt?”
Jet is quiet—and not just because his mouth is full of grilled beef. Mali is right. He knows Mali is right.
“You’re going to tell Kai,” Mali makes it a statement, rather than a request. “You’re going to tell him everything Chalam and Nail said to you, same as you told me. And don’t try to make any excuses, because I know you see him every day. Don’t you two have some sort of deal that you need to spend as much time as possible together before Christmas?”
Jet raises his eyebrows. “He told you about that?”
“More or less.” Now Mali is smiling for a different reason. “He doesn’t call you ‘asshole’ anymore.”
“But he won’t call me ‘Hia”, either.” Jet’s answering smile is bitter.
“Maybe he just needs a little bit more time. I think you hurt him a lot when you left without saying anything.” Mali continues before Jet can protest again. “Don’t say you didn’t have a choice, because I know you didn’t, but that’s not an excuse you can use anymore.”
Jet takes another spoonful of broth before he says anything. “Is there anything else you want to yell at me about before this meal is over?”
“I don’t yell,” Mali gives her older brother a half-hearted smack.
“Is ‘calling me out on my shit’ a better definition of what you do?”
This question earns him another eye roll. “Hia.”
“Is that a yes?” Jet cocks his head as he asks the question both know the answer to.
Mali flicks a piece of kale at him, but smiles back. “Just eat.”
They split the bill. Mali refuses to let Jet pay for lunch for the both of them, but that’s the last argument they have, at least for today. Jet let her win, just like let her win the last one, because he knows she’s right. No matter what he tells her, Mali will keep investigating Chalam and passing information on to Jet; and Jet needs to tell Kai what he’s been up to; and he’ll let Kai do some investigating of his own, if he hasn’t already.
Still, Jet can’t resist getting in one more friendly gibe at his sister as they leave the restaurant. “Has anyone ever told you how much of a pest you can be?”
“I’m your little sister,” Mali sticks her tongue out at him. “I’m supposed to be a pest. So do you feel better now that you’ve eaten?”
“I wasn’t hangry.” But Jet’s protest was feeble. Since the meeting with Chalam this morning, he’s been feeling angry and frustrated and hungry--so he supposes “hangry” is a good definition of what he had been feeling and why it felt so good to argue with Mali in the first place.
“Ok,” Mali winks at him, making Jet even more suspicious that she can read his thoughts. “But you feel better now, don’t you?”
Jet grunts in response. He has a sneaking suspicion that Rome had asked Mali to take her brother out to lunch to calm him down. But he wasn’t about to voice that opinion, just in case he was wrong, and Mali had simply wanted to have lunch with him. Jet’s phone buzzes and he chuckles when he reads Kai’s LINE:
KAI: I went back to the gym. Come if you want. Or don’t. Whatever.
JET: Whatever?
KAI: That’s what I said. [sticks out tongue]
JET: So it matters to you that I know where you are? [wink
KAI: [middle finger] I just thought you might want to hit something after meeting the shark, that’s all.
JET: Something or someone?
KAI: Both? Are you coming or not?
“Hia?” Mali sounds a little impatient, like she’s been talking the whole time Jet was texting. “Are you coming?”
The revving of an engine mingles with his little sister’s voice, and Jet looks up in time to see a bright blue Kawasaki Ninja veer off the road and onto the curb. In Bangkok’s congested streets, motorcycles often weave through traffic. Except the Kawasaki Ninja isn’t trying to cut around the afternoon gridlock.
It’s headed straight for Mali.
Jet lunges forward. Mali’s yell isn’t from fear, but surprise as she is yanked out of the way of the oncoming motorcycle. Her arms flail as she tries to maintain her balance. One elbow catches Jet in the ribs, and the whoosh of air that accompanies the motorcycle nearly knocks both of them off their feet.
“What the hell?” Mali says what the both of them are thinking, but for different reasons.
“Are you ok?” Jet’s question is rhetorical, considering that both of them are still on their feet, but he asks it anyway.
“I’m fine,” Mali shakes her older brother off, her brow furrowed with annoyance. “That jackass would watch where he’s going. Hia, don’t stare at me like that. I said I’m ok.”
“I know, I heard you.” But Jet’s eyes are still on the retreating motorcycle, which skids off the curb and jumps back into traffic. Although he wants to dismiss the incident as an accident, there’s something about it that Jet can’t shake.
“Hia,” Mali is staring at him. “Are you ok?”
Jet forces himself to nod. “You elbowed me in the ribs.”
That sounds like a legitimate excuse for his silence, right? Better that Mali think he looks like that because she knocked the wind out of him, not because of anything else.
“Expose my skeletons, Jet, and you’ll have your own bodies to bury.”
Chalam’s words buzz around inside Jet’s head, accompanied by a more insistent buzzing from his phone. Jet’s jaw clenches as he glances down at the caller ID. The phone number isn’t one Jet recognizes, but the voice on the other end is.
“Your sister is gorgeous, you know that?” Nail’s voice is deadly calm. “I’ve only seen her at the office before this, but she has quite the sense of style.”
Jet’s spine turns to a column of ice and his fingers tighten around the phone. “How the hell did you get my number?”
“Your business card. How else?” There’s an amused note in Nail’s voice now. “I hope you remember everything Chalam said. Because it would be a pity to see a beautiful body like Mali’s splattered all over the road.”
Kai stares at his phone. Usually, when he sends Jet a snarky text, Jet will snark back; and when he asks a question, Jet will answer. He doesn’t usually leave Kai hanging like this. Does that mean something’s wrong?
“Kai.” Rome’s voice breaks into his thoughts. Mali and Jet are having lunch together today, so Kai called Rome to give him a ride to the gym. At least, that’s what Kai had told Rome when he first called him--that he needed a ride. But Kai also wanted to talk to Rome for another reason, and talking in the car was as good a time as any.
“I’m not changing my mind,” Kai puts his phone back in his pocket and looks up at his sister’s boyfriend. “I’ve been on ‘medical leave’ from OmniVentures for long enough. So I’m going back.”
“You really think that’s a good idea?” Rome’s voice is neutral, but Kai can still hear the concern beneath his words, so he answers a little more defensively than he initially wanted to.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a ‘good idea’. I’m going back.”
“We can find you another internship.” Rome offers.
“You’ve said that before, and I’ll give you the same answer,” Kai shakes his head. “You know why I need this one. I did what you told me to--I stayed away from OmniVentures and spent my time doing other things, but I can’t do that anymore.”
“What do your brother and sister think?”
“It doesn't matter what they think. It’s my decision.” Kai jaw is set. “You haven’t been able to find anything--”
“And what makes you think that you can?” Rome is genuinely curious. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kai’s hand stray to his pocket, where his phone is.
“Because I already did. Only it’s useless if I can find other information to back it up, and I can’t find what I need if I don’t go back to OmniVentures.”
Rome is quiet as they pull into the gym parking lot. “Did you know that my uncle met your brother this morning?”
If Rome is expecting to surprise Kai with this information, he’s disappointed.
Kai nods. “I was with him when he got the meeting invite. Which means you’ve met him too now, right?”
“Yes,” Rome doesn’t even bother to deny it. “And yes, I told him that I was investigating Chalam, and I gave him everything I’ve found, but I didn’t mention you.”
“Thank you.” Kai sounds a little relieved.
“Because I think you should tell him yourself.” Rome turns off the car and keeps talking before Kai can protest. “Tell Jet what you stole from my uncle, and maybe that will help.”
“You want to know what I stole from Chalam? Fine,” Kai pulls out his phone and tosses it to Rome. “All I did was take the financial records you and Mali found and put them in a timeline. I even cross referenced what you found in the public records with the ones kept in OmniVentures’ corporate archives after you turned off the CCTV cameras.”
“If you were in the archives that would certainly explain why Chalam thought something was missing.” Rome scans the hand drawn infographic on the phone screen. “This is…really good. Why didn’t you show it to me before?”
Kai snatches the phone back. “Because I don’t want you to use this information until I find the other information I need.”
“About my uncle and what he did to your parents?” Rome had heard pieces of the story before--Chalam had done something to Kai’s parents and Kai wanted Chalam to pay for it and he didn’t want Mali to know what he was doing. But Kai had never given him any specific details until now.
“Chalam killed them.” It’s one of the few times Kai has said it out loud, and he fights to keep his voice steady. “I can’t find evidence to prove that if I can’t get into the building, and I can’t get into the building unless I’m not on medical leave anymore.”
“Tell you what,” Rome stops Kai before he can get out of the car. “You tell your brother what you’re up to, and I’ll take you off medical leave.”
Kai hesitates, using that as an excuse to dig into his gym bag and make sure he brought his gloves. Rome isn’t fooled. He just sits there, waiting for Kai’s answer. Kai’s phone buzzes. Jet has finally texted back.
JET: Of course I want to hit something. I’ll be there in ten minutes.
“There’s your opportunity.” Rome has read the text over Kai’s shoulder.
“Fine,” Kai sighs. “I’ll tell him.”
“Really?” Rome raises his eyebrows. “You’ll tell Jet everything?”
“Isn’t that what I said?” Kai’s voice warns Rome not to push, so he doesn’t.
“I’ll see you at OmniVentures on Monday then.”
“Fine,” Kai closes the car door before Rome figures out he’s lying.
The gym’s atmosphere feels different at night. The room still rings with the slap of leather against leather, and yells of training fighters, but they seem to be more in sync than during the daytime. It smells different too. Under the blend of sweat, liniment and gym mat cleaner there’s another scent Kai can’t quite identify at first.
Cologne?
Kai scans the room, trying to figure out what idiot decided to wear cologne to a gym. A few individuals are throwing fists and feet at the bags at their own pace and seem oblivious to everyone else. In contrast, a large group of men are milling around the ring, and from what Kai can see, they’re dressed in casual clothes and a few are in business suits. There’s no one in the ring at the moment, but the conversation among the waiting spectators hums with anticipation.
Kai wrinkles his nose. Businessmen wear cologne. But why are they here of all places?
On the opposite side of the room, one of the classes is finishing up. Kai can tell it’s a specialty class because the participants are wearing the distinctive Muay Thai shorts rather than regular gym clothes. The basic movements are the same, but techniques they’re using are not routines Kai will be comfortable doing any time soon.
Maybe coming here tonight was not such a good idea.
He feels slightly less uncomfortable when one of the participants comes over to him after the class ends.
Talay’s eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline as he joins Kai. “Did we decide on a double session today?”
“Nope. Just felt like coming to practice.” Kai drops his gym bag on a nearby bench, unsure if he should glove up or not. “Don’t you do the same thing?”
“I’m here before and after work,” Talay confirms. “Unless I have overtime or a date. There’s a competition in a couple of weeks, so I want to get as much training time in as I can get.”
Kai jerks his head in the direction Talay came from. “That’s what the class is for?”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Talay warns. “You’re nowhere near ready enough to learn any of those moves.”
“I wasn’t going to ask.” Kai feels a little awkward, just standing next to his gym bag. He’s less and less sure he wants to practice anymore. Not if there’s this many people. “Jet’s meeting me here. We’re both free tonight—“
“So you thought you would get in a little extra practice?” Talay finishes for him, not unkindly. “You know observation is just as helpful as doing an actual routine. Gives you something to aspire to.”
Kai glances over at the businessmen around the fight ring. “Is that what they’re all here for?”
“A demo,” Talay confirms. “Well, actually, it’s a demonstration followed by a couple of sparring matches. Those are potential sponsors—if a fighter is impressive enough, he can get financial backing for equipment, training and an additional paycheck in exchange for endorsement of a company. Sponsors are important even in the amateur circuit.”
“Do you have one?”
“A sponsor?” Talay looks amused at Kai’s question. “I’m not as serious as some of these other guys. To me, this is a hobby. A hobby I take seriously, still just a hobby.”
Kai takes a few steps toward the ring, curious in spite of himself. “Who’s giving the demonstration?”
“No idea,” Talay shrugs. “Apparently, he won national awards when he competed at university, so he might be worth watching.”
The crowd around the ring shifts enough that the man in question comes into view, and Kai stiffens when he sees who it is.
Coming here tonight was definitely not a good idea.
Jet doesn’t arrive at the gym in ten minutes.
It takes fifteen.
And that’s only partially due to traffic.
Rather than driving to the gym immediately, he wastes about five minutes on the phone trying to call Talay. It takes two failed phone calls before Jet remembers the other man will already be at the gym for a class, so Jet can warn him in person.
Because if Jet can’t keep Nail away from Kai then maybe Talay can.
Unless Nail gets to Kai first.
There are more cars in the parking lot than usual, so it takes longer than Jet likes to find an empty stall. Some of the cars are so high end, Jet’s only seen models of them in Kam’s showroom. If there are businessmen at the gym tonight, that means someone is looking for a sponsor, and to get sponsors, that fighter would have to demonstrate his prowess.
Which means there will be a crowd of spectators, and the likelihood of Nail doing anything to threaten Kai is decidedly slim.
If Nail decided to go after Kai tonight, that was.
Even as he gets out of the car and goes into the gym, part of Jet’s brain is screaming at him that he’s being paranoid. What he’d seen as a hit and run attempt on Mali could have been some random motorcyclist trying to get around traffic. The subsequent phone call from Nail could have been a coincidence--a way to threaten Jet with words rather than actions. Except, if Jet’s instincts are right, Nail is the kind of person who doesn’t talk, but acts. The thought of Nail going after Mali and Kai in one day turns Jet’s blood to ice, and his pace quickens.
But any thoughts of paranoia evaporate as Jet enters the gym in time to see the man in question face to face with his little brother.
In the time it takes Nail to cross the room, Kai is sure of two things. First, there are no brand logos on either Nail’s shorts or his gloves, which means that he is the fighter who is looking for sponsors and doing the demonstrations. Second, the look on Nail’s face makes it very clear that his choice to demonstrate his fighting prowess at the same gym Kai frequented was deliberate. Kai’s breath catches hard in his chest, and he’s grateful that Talay hasn’t moved. In fact, Talay takes a slight step forward as Nail stops just in front of Kai.
“A gym is the last place I expected to see you.” Nail’s face is polite when he addresses Kai, but there’s a definite sneer in his voice. “I thought you preferred running from challenges, not fighting them.”
“I’m just as surprised as you are,” Kai is extremely grateful his voice doesn’t shake. “I thought only those who could follow well defined rules went to gyms.”
Nail’s gaze travels insultingly over Kai. “This is how you spend your medical leave?”
“This is part of my physical therapy.” Kai’s tone is just as sarcastic as Nail’s.
Talay steps between them. “He’s not ready.”
Nail’s eyebrows shoot up. “Did I ask to spar with him?”
“You’re not going to.” Talay emphasizes. “He’s not ready.”
Nail’s jaw clenches, and Kai can see Talay’s body tense. The tension in the air is so thick Kai finds it hard to breathe--or maybe it’s fear? Either way, he’s not sure which of the three of them will throw the first punch, and he’s not sure he wants to know.
“Sorry, I’m late.” Jet’s interjection is smooth as his pace as he steps up next to him, and Kai can’t stop the wave of relief that washes over him when he hears his older brother’s voice. Some of the relief must have shown on his face, because Jet smiles at him. “Traffic was heinous.”
Nail’s gaze flicks to Jet. “What about him?”
“He’s not interested.” Talay speaks before Jet can open his mouth, taking a step closer to Nail. They’re the same height so they can look each other in the eyes. “Your potential sponsors are waiting.”
Nail rolls his eyes and tries to step around Talay. In one swift movement, Talay grabs one of Nail’s arms, bringing him to an abrupt halt. Before Nail can react, Talay wrenches Nail’s arm behind his back, wrapping his own arm around Nail’s neck.
“I said Kai isn’t ready and Jet isn’t interested. But I am.”
Nail tries to break free, but Talay effortlessly sweeps his leg under Nail’s feet, bringing him crashing down on the mat. When Talay gets to his feet, Nail stays down.
Kai is staring. “Can you teach me how to do that?”
“Let’s get more power behind your elbow strikes first.” Talay says.
Neither of them stay at the gym after Nail returns to the ring to demonstrate for potential sponsors.
By unspoken agreement, they go to Jet’s car, and Kai shrinks into the passenger seat and lets Jet drive. The only sound is the hum of the engine and the hiss of air when other cars pass them.
Kai’s phone buzzes and he tilts the screen so that his older brother won’t see the text.
NAIL: Tell your jackass brother to back the hell off if he likes his anatomy the way it is.


"16. Distraction" 


Read from beginning: "1. Ignored"