Chapter 25
Zero Gravity1Aniki: refer to one's own older brother (it is only used by a younger brother): also used by a yakuza to refer to one's own senior yakuza
“I’d take you to my family’s vacation home down south if this weren’t an overnight stay.” Henry draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Why is it so hard to have you to myself?”
“Because I actually have to work while someone here is the boss of his own company. There’s a huge difference you know, Mr. Lau.” Amber jumped on his back and he caught her without missing a beat. She rested her cheek on his head and admired the sunset before closing her eyes as the lapping waves set her at ease. “Thank you for bringing me here. I know it’s on a last minute notice.”
“Come on, you know I’d do anything for you. If you called me
in the wee hours of the morning, I would jump out of bed and bring you anywhere you’d want to go.” Amber rolled her eyes at his cheesiness even though a smile was on her face. However, the smile became a frown when he tossed her up to get a better grip on her and her jaw hit his head.
“Henry, do you know how to piggyback someone?” She slapped the side of his head when she slipped down his back once again. “You’re not holding me properly!”
“I am!” Henry winced when she hit him the second time. “Really? Henry, really?” He knew she was rolling her eyes at him at this very moment. “It’s more like you’re groping my .” Indeed, his hands were placed just below her bottom and he couldn’t resist running his hands slowly along her thighs before hooking them under her knees. “This right?”
“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” Amber narrowed her eyes and he craned around to look at her. “What?”
“You’re just taking this chance to me.” Henry scoffed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He grinned as his right hand slipped higher up her thigh and rested it on her right cheek.
“Okay, that’s it. Put me down.” Amber said firmly. She blushed hard at the position of his hand and slapped his other hand away when it reached for the other cheek. “Hey, that hurts. I’m only putting you down you know.”
“Oh, someone’s red in the face.” Henry and she hurried away. He caught her in an embrace and smoothly slipped his hands down the back pockets of her jeans. “Why are you being shy about this?”
Amber buried her heated face in the crook of his neck. “I’ve never been this intimate with a man, you know that.”
“Well, you better get used to that from now on.” He laughed. He gently squeezed her rounded bottom before pulling out of her pockets and reached for her hands. He brushed her windblown hair aside and dipped his head, but his lips never met hers. The next thing he knew, he was on the sands and his back hurts.
“Amber, the hell was that?” He whined and looked up at her as she straddled him. “Why did you flip me over? I’m not your enemy, and it hurts like hell.”
“Well, you better get used to that from now on.” Amber repeated his words and smirked as she closed the distance between them. “You know what I’m capable of.”
She pressed her lips to his and rested her hands on either side of his head, her hands leaving an imprint on the sands when she pulled away. “Feeling better now?”
“Nope.” Henry shook his head and juts his bottom lip out in a pout. Amber captured his bottom lip, nibbling it slightly and she could feel the smiles on both of their lips before she covered her burning face under the lapels of his coat. “I thought you’ve never been this intimate with a man in your life, so where did you learn to be this foxy eh?”
Henry s his arm around her waist and flipped her onto her back. “I think I remember seeing a couple of rated DVDs in your collection.” Henry tugged her hands away from her face. “Those aren’t mine.” He raised a lone eyebrow in suspicion. “They belong to the twins.” Her words trailed under his scrutinizing gaze.
“Righttt.” He nodded nonchalantly and planted a kiss on the area just under her ear and his lips lingered there. “I guess you wouldn’t know what they do in those videos.” He continued a trail of butterfly kisses down her neck and his nose nudged aside her winter coat.
“And how would you know what they do?” Amber shivered when his hand traced along her body inside her coat and rested them at her hip. “I have my ways.” His warm hand slipped under the hem of her shirt and gripped her waist firmly.
“Do you want to know?” His kisses made her dizzy and she just lay wordlessly with her eyes closed. “Do you, Amber?”
The silence of the place was shattered by a high pitched shriek as they stumbled to their feet when a wave crashed into them. Amber screamed again when he caught her waist and dumped her into an oncoming wave. She remained on the sands as the water receded and he knelt next to her.
“How was the cold shower? Your body was pretty warm so I thought you’d like to cool down.” He ignored her glare and swept away the wet hair plastered on her forehead. As quick as lightning, Amber locked him in her arms and threw him into the bone chilling waves.
“Ah-ah!” Henry tried pulling away but she crossed her legs around him and rolled them in the water. “Don’t be such a sissy, Henry. I’m a girl and I ain’t complaining about the cold just yet.”
“How are we even comparable? You ace in. Every. Single. Thing.” Amber silenced him with a kiss and he reached to pull her closer.
“You complain too much.”
“Shut up.”
He leaned in for a kiss but they jumped apart when another wave crashed into them.
~~
“Matsuka’s personal bodyguard is with him on the beach.” The man set aside the binoculars and warmed his hands by the radiator. “Why is she with him? Has Matsuka increased security around him as well? That woman is rarely seen away from his side.”
“I think they’re dating.” He pulled his hands away and turned to the man seating in the back seat. “The bodyguard and my nephew?” The man said incredulously and threw his head back in laughter. “What is this? A modern day Romeo and Juliet?” He took a pull of his cigar and blew perfect smoke circles.
“Akutagawa san, how do we proceed?”
“Finish the woman then the nephew. He’s useless without the woman to protect him.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s late. Let’s head back to the hotel.”
~~
She sat up in bed and strained her ears for the noises that woke her. Amber heard a door open and relaxed when Henry popped his head inside her room. “What is it?”
“Let’s drink. I can’t sleep.” He walked to her side of the bed. “And where’s my part in it? I want to sleep.” Amber pulled the covers over her head and turned away from him.
“Pleeeeease.” He draped his body over hers and pressed his face in her neck. “Amber.” She groaned while shoving him away and followed him out of her room reluctantly. “So annoying.”
“So your idea of a drink is,” Amber frowned at the glass in her hand and back to him. “Milk?”
“Yeah, have you forgotten? I can’t drink.” Henry happily sipped his milk while she mumbled grumpily. “I got woken up for a glass of milk.” She scoffed and gave him a stink eye. “Unbelievable.”
“By the way, out of curiosity, do you know how your parents met?” Amber reached across the table and wiped his milk moustache away. “I remembered asking my dad but he wouldn’t tell me and got red in the face.” They chuckled over his father’s reaction and a smile spread across his face as he stared at her but she knew he was thinking of something else.
“I snuck around my mom’s stuff and came across her diary. And let me tell you, it was so sickly sweet to read.” Henry faked a gag and she slapped his arm. “You’re not supposed to read those private moments anyway.”
“You’re right, but that’s the only way I can learn more about my mom.” Henry shrugged and the twinkle in his eyes returned. “So, I found that my parents met under a rather awkward situation.”
“They met in the ladies at some swanky hotel while my mom was on a business trip. According to her diary, apparently my drunken dad stumbled into the ladies and was taking a piss in the sink when she exited her stall.”
“He made a move at her and she responded with some self-defence thingy that left him passed out.” Henry paused and smiled at her. “In a way, you’re kinda like my mom. What’s with the men in my family falling for tough women who beats them up?” Amber grinned back. “What happened next?”
“They met again at a business conference in the same hotel and he apologized when he recognized her, and in my mother’s own writing, ‘the rest is history’.”
“I wished she was still here. She sounds like an awesome mom. If only she’d stuck around longer.”
Amber patted his cheek and brought their empty glasses to the sink when a peculiar sound caught her attention. She strained her ears as she entered the living room and Henry bumped into her when she stopped abruptly. “What’s up?” She turned to him with a finger over her lips and scanned the darkness.
The sight of a shadow outside the patio doors caused him to stop in his tracks. “There’s someone outside.”
“Turn off the lights.”
“Let’s get back to bed. I’m tired.” Amber raised her voice and looked over her shoulder as she pushed him into her room. Amber pulled out her gun from her overnight duffel bag and slipped the extra magazines inside her boots. “You go everywhere with them?”
“I’m always prepared.”
Henry helped her through her window and they kept their bodies against the wall before running for his car. “Damn it.” She cocked her gun when they found the car’s front wheels stabbed with screwdrivers. Amber guided him into the woods and forced him down when someone opened fire.
“We’re too isolated to get any help.” She made him duck and fired at the men without missing a target. Not long after, they were on their way heading deeper into the woods.
“I’ve contacted Kibum but it’ll take some time before they’ll reach us.” They crouched low when car lights shone at the edge of the forest and quickly hid behind the shrubs.
“None are replying.”
“They’ve failed to kill her.” The shorter man raised his rifle and proceeded into the woods. “She couldn’t escape by car, so the forest is her best option.” He turned to his partner. “Dispatch the other team into the woods. No matter what we’d have to kill her bef— “ A slender arm slipped around his shoulders and snapped his neck.
His body slumped to the ground and Amber stood with her gun aimed at him. The man standing by the Jeep fell back against its hood when she fired once in his leg and at the hand holding a gun.
Amber kicked the gun aside and made him kneel with his hands on his head. “Who sent you?” She demanded. The man sneered and she swiped the gun across his jaw, drawing blood from his mouth. “Who sent you?” Amber repeated.
“We’re here to kill you.” The man eyed her gun before it rolled up to meet hers. “But I have, we have failed our master.”
“I said ‘who’ and not ‘why’.” Amber ducked when he lunged at her and caught him around his neck. He struggled against her as she tightened her grip and swiftly snapped his neck.
They rushed for the Jeep and sped away before anyone can come forward. “How long before we reach the main road?”
“About fifteen minutes.” Amber reached for the rifles from the backseat as the Jeep entered a road with woods on both sides. She paused at the sight of the object and gingerly reached for the goggles. “What is it?”
Amber powered the night vision goggles and looked outside the window but saw nothing, and switched to thermal setting. She froze at the spots of body heat scattered around the edge of the woods. “They’re here.”
“What?” Henry swerved in alarm when the first rain of bullets hit them. Amber casts a glance over his side of the woods and was relieved to find no men. “Just keep driving. I’ll hold them off.”
One of the back windows shattered and smoke began emitting from a canister. Amber threw the object out of the window and switched off the car headlights. She aimed at the men with the help of the goggles and many fell, but more were replacing them. “There’s a vehicle catching up on us.” Henry looked at the rear view mirror and stepped on the gas.
“Six minutes and we’ll be on the road.” He shouted over the gun fire. Henry gasped when a ray of light shone on the road from above, and a voice sounded through the car speakers. “Which car are you?”
“First!” Amber shouted, already knowing who the caller was. An explosion ensued and the blast reverberated through the car. “Hyung, there are men in the woods on your right.”
Henry stuck his head out of the window and watched in awe as someone at the edge of the helicopter held what seemed to be a rocket launcher. The rocket met with its target and the ball of flame rose at the edge of the woods.
Amber switched drivers with Henry and the Jeep peeled out of the woods and onto the main road. Their hair whipped around their faces as the vehicle gained speed along the highway.
Henry merely sat in his seat and watched the speedometer inch more and more to the right. “Is this what you go through on your jobs? Guns and explosions?”
“Most of the time, yeah.” Amber glanced at the side mirror and two black vehicles were closing on them. She switched gears and the Jeep surged forward with extreme speed. His eyes bulged at the sight of the speedometer needle. “We’ve got two leeches. Get down.”
Amber fired at the first SUV when it pulled up next to them and turned the steering wheel hard, slamming into the next vehicle. The two vehicles were racing side by side and she swerved into the SUV again when they approached a road divider. The SUV crashed into it with a sickening crash before its engine exploded, enveloping the entire vehicle in flames.
“Henry, you drive!” Amber climbed to the back and ignored the pain shooting up from her knee as she took aim at the oncoming vehicle. Its tyre exploded and sent the SUV spiralling behind them before smashing into the road barrier.
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Donghae woke up with a start when someone landed on his back. “What the hell? Joon! I could’ve broken my back!”
“Hyung, get up and I’ll treat you breakfast.” Joon smiled and pulled one of Donghae’s arms to help him out of the bed. “Oi! Gently. I’m not as young as I used to be okay.” Donghae chided him.
“So why is my baby brother treating me to breakfast?” Donghae asked an hour later in the café where they were having breakfast. “Did you cause trouble again?”
“No, why do you always assume the worst of me?” Joon rolled his eyes and pointed at him with a sausage stuck at the end of his fork. “In fact, I just came back from the last mission where I almost lost my life, and you could’ve never seen me again.” Donghae snorted into his coffee. “Well, aren’t you always on the brink of death?”
“Hey, I’m being serious here. I. Could. Have. Died.” His brother nodded understandably. “Yes, yes, and I’m glad you managed to pull through to plant your on my back this morning, where I almost lost my spine.”
“Very funny.” He laughed dryly. “I’m being frank here. Amber and I nearly froze to death in that freezer.”
“And I’m glad you managed to pull through it.” Donghae said it with more seriousness this time and placed a few bacon strips on his plate. “Eat more, you’re getting awfully thinner every time I see you.” Joon responded by shifting his double sunny side up eggs over to his brother’s plate. “You’re not any different from me.”
“You should know that our line of work is never safe.” Donghae said without looking up from his food. “Our parents were victims of it.” Joon looked down at his own plate and pushed the half eaten sausage around his plate.
“We should’ve stayed away from this place, live a life elsewhere after their death.” Joon muttered.
“No, I want to avenge our parents’ death. Killing him will just be an easy way out for him, and we do not want that. I want the bastard who did this to them, live a life full of suffering.” Donghae finished his breakfast and set down the cutlery before looking into his brother’s eyes. “And we’re almost there.”
“What do you mean? You’ve found the person?”
“I’ve found him a long time ago. Working with Matsuka’s been a great deal of help, I’ve learnt a lot about him.” Joon’s eyebrows came together at his brother’s words. “So you’ve done nothing to the bastard? Why? Tell me who the hell is he!” Joon pounded his fist on the table and a few people turned to stare. “I thought you wanted revenge for our parents?”
“Lower your voice.” Donghae said firmly and left some paper bills on the table. “I want to bring you somewhere.”
“Why are we here? I thought you sold the place.” Joon stood outside his childhood home and watched his brother stepped onto the garden. “Hyung.”
“Good morning, ahjumma.” Donghae bowed at the elderly woman who had just walked out of the neighbouring house. “Ah, Donghae-yah. I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Her face lit up and approached the fence while Joon looked around the place warily. “Is that man your brother?”
“Yes. I thought I should show him around.” Joon bowed at her but didn’t offer his name. “How long have you been living here?” He stared at the unfamiliar face. “For the past six years.” Then she shouldn’t know about our real identity.
“Well, I’m glad that your brother here has taken good care of this house albeit its less than pleasant history.” Joon’s jaw tightened and hid his clenched fist behind his back. “What do you mean?”
“The previous occupant of my house told me that the family who formerly owned this place had a terrible accident.” She lowered her voice into a whisper. “The parents were found dead at the foot of the stairs in their home.” She peeked at the house from the corner of her eyes. “The police closed the case as a robbery-caused accident. Such an unfortunate event, I heard that they left two sons behind.”
“So that’s the story that has been circulating!” Joon shouted once they were in their former home. “They died in a robbery?” He scoffed and overturned a chair. “They were murdered. In cold blood!” He shivered when the very same stairs that his parents were thrown down, came into view. “Why did you bring me here?”
“So that we can talk.” Donghae led him into the cozy study, away from the dust covered living room. “This place has been my personal refuge. No one would have thought that the sons would return to this place after what happened.”
“Moreover, we do not hold our previous identity. No one would suspect us.” Joon sat on the edge of the table and started the computer. “What’s the password?” He nodded at the computer screen. “I can’t tell you.” Donghae said.
“Why?”
“Inside this computer is everything that I have on the man that’s responsible for our parents’ death. There’ll come a day when you’ll be able to read its contents.” Donghae switched off the computer and headed out of the room.
“If that’s the reason, I have every right to look at it! You can’t trust your own brother to keep the secret?” Joon pulled him back by his arm and looked at Donghae with eyes filled with both hurt and anger.
“Yes, I can’t trust you.” Donghae said bluntly. “What?” Joon’s hand fell to his side. “The day will come when you can read what I’ve written and understand everything that I’ve done. But for now, stay out of it.”
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Amber winced and reached for her bandaged knee as she swung her legs to the side. She glanced at the clock and turned around when the bed shifted under a weight. “What time is it?” Henry yawned. His hair was sticking out in every direction and running a hand through it didn’t make it any better.
“Just slightly past seven.” She combed her fingers through his soft hair, hoping to tame the bed hair but it merely resumed its original direction. “Oh come on, it’s still too early.” He tugged her to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. “We only had three hours of sleep.”
He snuggled closer to her and pressed his nose against her neck and sighed contently as he went back to sleep. Amber, on the other hand, was wide awake. She rubbed the hand draped over her distractedly as her mind was on something else.
“We’re here to kill you.”
She liked being with Henry. Everything about him feels so right and nothing brings her down when she sees that bright smile of his. It was like nothing else mattered. All she wanted was to experience something normal in her life. Why does it have to be complicated?
“None of it will happen. You know that better than anyone else.”
Amber shifted in his grasp and lay on her side to face him. She traced a finger along his jaw and Henry opened his eyes upon her touch, and smiled.
“Sooner or later, you’d have to abandon your little fantasy.”
“What’s on your mind?” Henry asked. He cupped her cheek and ran a thumb over the smooth skin.
“That your breath stinks?” Amber wrinkled her nose playfully and pushed him away with a finger on his chest. “Funny, I can say the same for you too.” He slapped her hip as he sat up and winked at her. “Want to join me for a bath?”
“No, thanks. You go ahead.” Henry chuckled and headed for the bathroom. Her smile faltered once the door closed behind him and buried her face in her hands.
“I don’t want this to end.”
~~
“I ran a check on those men. They’ve only arrived in Korea two days ago, along with Akutagawa Ken.” Victoria looked up from her breakfast at the mention of the name. “Isn’t that Matsuka’s cousin?”
“Yeah, he’s one of the most respected clan members besides Matsuka and his trusted friend, Miyamoto Seiji.” Kibum took a large bite of his celery. “Akutagawa and Matsuka have never seen each other eye to eye. By the way, he’s Matsuka’s paternal aunt’s son.”
“Anyway, they’re here for the annual business conference held at W Inn Hotel. I suppose you’d be attending too, Henry?” He nodded and his eyes wandered over to Amber who was seated across him. “That man wanted to kill Amber, but why?”
“I suppose he wants to get rid of Matsuka’s men.” Victoria said. “This isn’t surprising. We’ve come across things like this before, but we’ll be fine. We already know who the orders came from, and Akutagawa should be aware of the current situation as well. The message has been sent.”
Even with Victoria’s reassurance, Henry couldn’t help but feel anxious about the entire situation. “Amber, won’t you still be in danger?” He asked as they headed for the garage. “There are men out there waiting to ki— I mean, you know.” He couldn’t bear to say the word.
“I’ll be alright. Like unni said, the other party should know what happened by now. They wouldn’t dare to do anything.” Amber handed him a set of keys. “Take my car.”
Henry enveloped her in tight hug and she pressed her nose in the crook of his neck. Lavender, she grinned as her nose filled with the smell of her shower cream. “You smell good.” She teased.
“Yeah, I smell like my girlfriend. What will the employees think of me?” Henry grinned.
“That you got lucky last night?”
Their laughter bounced off the walls of the garage and he placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
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Nichkhun stormed out of the building and ignored the calls for him as he proceeded down the slope towards the main street. His fellow police officers greeted him but they received none in response.
“Yunho, that son of a b—” Nichkhun was caught by surprise when he found her standing at the gates. A smile instantly spread across his face and he jogged to her.
“Victoria.” He made a move to hug her but she pushed him away. Her behaviour further confused him when she ran pass him without a word.
Nichkhun’s eyes followed her retreating back and the sight of her long brown hair whipping behind her caught his attention. The scene suddenly brought him back to the night at the dockyard when he was chasing after the woman. He watched in daze as she pulled a child away from the busy road.
He shook the thought away and approached her while the child’s mother was thanking her profusely. Victoria looked around and smiled apologetically at him when their eyes met.
“Sorry about what happened earlier, there wasn’t the time to explain.” Victoria said during their walk in the park. “I thought everything was going downhill for me today.” He chuckled and swung their hands between them.
“I just received a transfer notice today. I’ll begin work at Busan starting next week.” Nichkhun led them to a bench and plopped down in dismay.
“Have you talked to your superior about this? Maybe he could help you with the transfer decision.” Victoria knew nothing he says will change the decision since it was already decided by Amber. “Yunho?” He scoffed and kicked the pile of snow. “He was the one who convinced the upper management to approve the transfer.”
“Treat this transfer as chance for you to gain experience. Isn’t that what you always wanted? That’s the reason why you decided to join Yunho’s department in the first place isn’t it?” She leaned back against the bench and shoves her hands inside her pockets.
“If it were any other day, I’d jumped on the opportunity but there’s something that I have to do here.” Victoria stiffened. “Can you tell me about it?”
“I can’t.” Nichkhun shook his head and a cloud of hot breath appeared when he sighed. They watched people skate on the frozen lake and cries of pain and delight punctured the silence when a few skaters took a fall.
“I’ll visit you whenever I get a break.” Nichkhun mumbled. “The long distance relationship will be tough.” He turned to her and noticed the black box in her hand.
“I don’t want this long distance relationship.” His mind went blank and wordlessly watched her wrap his hand around the box. He stared at the box then at her. “Are we breaking up?”
“No, I’m saying that I don’t approve of the long distance idea.” The sides of her lips lifted into a smile. “I’m accepting the marriage proposal.” His face was a look of bewilderment. “Then..this..”
“Well, I’m not going to put on the ring myself, am I?” Victoria clucks her tongue in feigned annoyance when he remained unmoving. “If that’s the case, I’ll stay single for the rest of my life. Goodbye, Nichkhun.” She got to leave but he reached for her and tugged her next to him.
“No, no. I want to marry you.” Nichkhun quickly got to his knees and nearly slipped on the icy surface which evoked a light laughter from her. “Will you, Victoria,” She helped him with box that his trembling hands were struggling to open and he smiled sheepishly. “Victoria, will you marry me?”
Victoria nodded and watched him slip the simple gold band pass her ring finger. “You’ve made me a happy man.” Nichkhun pecked her on the lips and embraced her. “Thank you.”
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“Amber, did you watch the news?” She looked up from her work and frown at Kibum’s grave tone. “No. Why?”
“I’m sending something over to you.” Amber opened the message and her jaw dropped in shock as she read the content of the news article. “Amber, how is Henry, Matsuka’s nephew?”
“Where did this come from?” She leaned back in her seat in alarm as to how this piece of information came to light. “A gossip site posted this an hour ago and it’s now gaining the public’s attention. This is just a rumour right?”
“No, hyung. Henry is his nephew.” The other line became silent and the sudden loud ringing of her desk phone jolted her from her confused state. “Does he know?”
“He doesn’t. I have to go.” Amber ended the call and answered the direct line from Matsuka’s office where she was summoned to.
“Should I suspect you, Amber?” Matsuka asked, his voice never betraying the emotion under his stoic expression. “I didn’t leak the news, sir. I benefit nothing from it.” She stood straight with her hands clasped behind her back as she looked straight into his eyes.
Matsuka studied her closely before looking away and tapped the table nervously. “Has he contacted you?” She shook her head. “No, sir.”
“Many people will be attending tonight’s conference. By then, everyone would have heard of the news.” Matsuka’s hand reached up to massage his temple in hopes of dispersing the racking headache. “What are you goi—” Amber was cut off by her ringing phone and he gestured her to answer it.
“Is it true?” Amber turned away from Matsuka and headed to the other end of the room. “You’re not surprised.”
“Henry—” “How long have you known?”
“Only recently.”
“Tell him not to attend the conference. I’ll take care of the media.” She nodded and relayed Matsuka’s message to Henry.
“Why should I? I have nothing in common with him other than being blood relations. None of this will deter me from my normal duties.” Henry scoffed as he went through different articles that all reported the same information. “He’ll deny all allegations made.”
“The damage is already done. Everyone knows Matsuka’s connections with the yakuza. It’s a well-known secret.” He watched his secretary fend off the never-ending calls, all wanting to get his comment on the news. “But—”
“I’ll see you tonight.” He ended the call before she could say anything.
~~
“Ah, Ken-san.” Matsuka greeted a man of small built who approached him with a wide smile. “I haven’t seen you in a long time aniki1.” Akutagawa bowed in greeting before his eyes fell on her.
“Let me introduce,” Matsuka motioned for her to step forward when he noticed the attention on her. “This is Amber, my personal bodyguard.” She nodded stiffly in Akutagawa’s direction. Recognition flashed pass his eyes and he reached for her hand. “I’ve heard much about you.” Amber resisted the urge to throw him on his back when he planted a kiss on her hand.
“What happened to your knee?” They looked down at her bandaged knee and she forced a smile. “Amber was the target of an assassination attempt and she’d managed to escape with some light injuries.” Donghae stood beside her and directed his glare at the man. “It was a relief that help came in time, or else we would have lost an excellent fighter.”
“You must have been frightened out of your wits, dear girl.” Akutagawa expressed his shock and pity for her and tightened his grip on her hand when she tried to pull away. “I’ve had my fair share of near misses and I’m accustomed to it. This is nothing.”
“Matsuka-shi! Matsuka-shi!” A man rushed into their circle as security personnel trailed behind him. “Is it true that Henry Lau is your nephew? I’d like to he—” He fought against the men who were pulling him away and Amber stepped between him and Matsuka.
The reporter managed to break free from their grasp and rushed for Matsuka but Amber intercepted him. She caught his wrist and twisted it behind him, holding it above his shoulder blade.
“Amber, let him go.” She refused and forced the man’s arm higher which earned a pitiful whimper of pain from the man. “Amber.” His hand closed around her wrist and her grip on the reporter loosened. “You’re causing a scene.”
“Henry-shi, what’s your comment on the rumour?” The reporter was back on his feet and his voice recorder in his face. Amber stepped forward in response but Henry held her back and the sharp eyed reporter noticed his hand on her waist. “Henry-shi, what about this woman? Are you two in a romantic relationship?”
“I have no intention of disclosing my private life, and as for the rumour, an official statement will be released once the DNA results are out.” Henry nodded curtly and turned to leave while the security personnel escorted the reporter away. “Matsuka-shi! What about your stance? Matsuka-shi!”
“As Mr. Lau said, please wait for an official statement.” Amber guided Matsuka away and her men formed a circle around them. “Matsuka-shi, before they kick me out, can I have a picture of you and Akutagawa-shi? Please Matsuka-shi!” He paused and Amber shook her head. “Sir, it’s not necessary.”
“Come on, aniki. It’ll only take a short while. Besides, we never had a picture taken together.” Akutagawa chuckled. “Help out the poor kid. His head might be on the chopping board if he doesn’t get a picture of us tonight.”
“Okay, we’ll do it.” Amber looked on disapprovingly and Matsuka patted her hand on his arm consolingly. “It’s alright. Why don’t you bring Henry somewhere else?” He offered a small smile at him but was promptly ignored by his nephew. “No, I’ll wait for you.” Amber crossed her arms, not budging from her position.
“I’m sorry.” The reporter apologized guiltily as he fished around his bag. “My camera’s awfully small and there are just so many things inside my bag.” He finally stopped searching and smiled at them. “I’ve found it.”
Instead of a camera in hand, he pulled out a gun and shot the security personnel around him before the gun was aimed at Matsuka. The ballroom erupted with screams when he fired several shots into the air before Donghae took him down with a bullet through his head.
The waiters in the ballroom threw their trays of food and drinks aside, and fired wildly which further raised the level of commotion. “Take him away!” Amber’s men left with Matsuka while Victoria and Sulli guarded the entourage.
Amber looked around the chaos and shot the man dressed in a waiter’s uniform who was aiming at Henry. She reloaded her gun and fired at the men who were approaching Henry in alarming numbers when Donghae rushed to her side. “Go to Matsuka. I’ll take care of Henry. Go!” She covered Donghae and left after Henry was escorted away to safety.
She caught sight of Joon and Luna eliminating the gunmen as she pushed her way through the crowd, heading towards the stairs. “Where are you?”
“We’re en route to the hospital.” Amber skipped down the stairs precariously and stopped to kick her heels aside. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, we’ll se— Sir? What?” She stopped in her tracks when a man’s voice called out to her. “Amber.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t go to the hospital. I’ll be safe with Victoria and Sulli. Get Henry to safety instead. Is he with you?” Amber changed direction and bounded towards the ballroom floor. “No, but Donghae is with him.”
“I want him out of there safely. I beg of you, Amber.”
The fire door opened a small crack and she observed the aftermath of the chaos earlier. Potted plants were broken, and lost shoes and pieces of clothing littered the ballroom as she moved along the wall with her gun raised.
“Luna, Joon.” She whispered into her mouthpiece and stepped over a body. Amber noticed movement at the buffet table which was angled like a barricade and stalked towards it.
“Holy sh—” Luna clamped a hand over his mouth when Amber rounded the table with her gun at ready. “Why didn’t you answer me?” She fell to her knees when a man appeared from behind the ice sculpture and the table was continuously embedded with bullets. “How many left?
“Less than ten.” Luna peeked above the table and fired at her targets. “Have you seen Donghae?” Amber asked before joining Luna as Joon covered their backs. “Hyung? No. Why?”
“Henry’s with him and Matsuka want him out of here.” Joon reloaded his gun and immediately fired at the man that crept up on them. “They could’ve already left this place.”
The last gunshot rang across the ballroom and they rested their backs against the table, and the sound of their ragged breathing was exceptionally loud to their sensitive ears in the quiet room. Amber fished out her phone and held it to her ear after pressing a speed dial.
“He’s not answering.” She frowned as the operator directed her to leave a message after the beep. Amber hugged her knees and her heart was beating hard against her chest while waiting for the call to go through and let out a sigh of relieve when it did.
“Henry, where are you?” Silence greeted her instead. She glanced at the screen to find the call was still progress, and she called out again. “Henry?” Luna looked over in concern.
“Hey dude, answer me. Hen—” Amber showed them the okay sign when she heard him mumble over the phone. “I can’t hear you.”
“I.. Amber— I-I killed someone.” She froze.
“Where’s Donghae? Let me speak to him. No, nevermind. Just tell me where you are.” Amber got to her feet and the other two mirrored her actions. “Did you hear me?”
“Henry?” “I killed him.”
“What?”
“I shot him.” She heard him broke down on the other line and she stood rooted to the spot when his words finally made sense to her – the reason why Donghae never answered his phone.
Joon raised his eyebrows questioningly when she turned to him and her deduction was confirmed by Henry’s next words.
“I k-killed Donghae.”
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