Black Diamond

13. Chapter 13

The silence in the car was both deafening and suffocating. Taeyong glanced worriedly over his shoulder every now and again to check on Kamella, who sat stiffly in the backseat. She hadn’t said a word, but the flow of tears on her cheeks had finally stopped.

Taeyong was thankful for that much, at least.

Sung Joon bit his thumb as he drove, watching Kamella’s completely dead expression in the rearview mirror. He hated to see her like this. He knew Kamella was terrified, and that worried him more than anything else. Kamella had never been afraid of anything, even when she had moved halfway around the world with her two best friends. She was brave and bold; the type that always made her own path.

The last time Sung Joon had seen her this upset was the night Yeo Na was killed. Sung Joon didn’t think Dealer would go so far as to kill any of them, but he also didn’t put it past the man either. Subconsciously, Sung Joon pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal.

No matter which direction he drove, it wouldn’t be far enough away from the House of Cards.

“Let’s stop here,” Taeyong proposed, breaking the silence of their uncomfortable car ride. Sung Joon finally took a look at their surroundings, recognizing the area they were in. They had driven all the way to Banpo Bridge.

The darkness of the night contrasted with the soft lights from the buildings that lined the river as Sung Joon finally pulled into a parking space and stopped the car. The cool night air greeted the them as Taeyong finally opened the car door. He made a beeline to Kamella’s door, opening it, and gently helping her out of her seat. Looking at her face broke his heart. She looked so lost and worn down.

Taeyong reached out to touch her cheek softly, but Kamella shied away from his fingertips. He bit his lips at the sting of rejection, but reminded himself not to be too hurt. She was suffering much more than he was.

Sung Joon cleared his throat, watching the exchange and feeling a pang in his own chest, “I’m going to get some ice… and water.” He explained, swiftly moving away from the car. Taeyong nodded, but Sung Joon had already turned his back to the two of them.

“Mella-yah…” Taeyong began, and Kamella’s eyes finally focused on him. She sniffed, just once, and he could see the liquid pooling in her eyes. She was one second away from crying again.

In response, he took her hand, and pulled her further away from the car. The two of them walked across the grass until they reached a bench just at the river’s edge. There was less light there and only a few people walking by.

“Noona, come here,” Taeyong commanded gently, as he pulled her down to sit on the bench with him. Kamella sat down mechanically, her gaze focused on the water. Taeyong sighed softly, pulling her form to his side by her waist, and that was all it took before she was crying again, this time leaning into his shoulder to hide her face.

Taeyong just held her tight and let her cry, patting her back and rubbing her hair soothingly. His shirt was probably ruined, but the thought didn’t even cross his mind. His heart felt so heavy for the beautiful woman in his arms.

After the second bout of tears, Kamella finally calmed down. She released Taeyong, but even as she tried to pull away, Taeyong was reaching for her, brushing the tears from her cheeks. Kamella stared into his eyes, and felt the weight in her heart get heavier, trying to get her thoughts together.

“How is it possible for someone to look so beautiful while crying?” Taeyong whispered sweetly, her cheek with his thumb.

Despite herself, Kamella felt the corner of her lips turning upwards, even as she rolled her eyes, “You don’t have to lie to me, Ty.”

Taeyong shook his head, “Did you forget, Mella-yah? I promised I’d never lie to you.”

At his words, Kamella released a shaky breath. How could she forgot any of his promises? Taeyong had always kept his word, no matter what it was. She was the one that constantly hid the truth from him, or lied by omission. From every angle, their relationship was completely unfair to him.

It was with that truth in mind that Kamella found the strength to say the words she had been mulling over in the car. So many thoughts had been running through her head but none of them were louder than how dangerous she was to Taeyong. Kamella knew she had to keep him safe. She had to try to get a hold of this situation. She couldn’t put anyone else in danger.

Kamella untangled herself from Taeyong’s arms, putting space between them. When she stood up to distance their bodies further, Taeyong frowned at the action.

“My Taeyong-ah,” she began, closing her eyes to get herself together. She had to do this. “I don’t think we should contin-”

Taeyong stood up, closing the gap she had put between them in a single stride. He grasped her hands tightly, because he knew exactly what she was about to say the look on her face, “I won’t let you take this on by yourself.”

“Taeyong, listen to me-”

Taeyong shook his head, “No! I’ll listen to anything else you say to me, Noona, but no matter what, I won’t listen to that. Ever.”

Kamella huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, “I’m trying to save you!”

Taeyong fixed her with a meaningful stare, “The night I became yours, you told me that we are bound to each other until I end the contract… Since I’m the only one that can end it, you have no say so in the matter.”

Kamella stared at Taeyong with open in disbelief, “Right now, of all times, you-”

Taeyong’s lips curved in a serene smile, “I belong to you, and you belong to me, Mella-yah. I won’t ever abandon you, especially not tonight.”

His words made Kamella’s heart pound unexpectedly. He was always surprising her. Taeyong gave a satisfied nod, tugging on Kamella’s hand again. The two of them sat back down on the bench with Kamella pouting at Taeyong’s ability to sway her emotions with a single word.

“This argument isn’t over,” Kamella warned, frowning.

Taeyong chuckled cheekily, nodding his head eagerly, “Let’s fight again soon. But for now, we need to figure out what to do… together.” And to further punctuate his words, Taeyong threaded their fingers together tightly.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Kamella explained sullenly, “There’s nothing either of us can do separately, so what’s the difference if we fail together?”

Taeyong shook his head, “We won’t fail because we’re together. There has to be something…”

Once again, Kamella turned an incredulous gaze on Taeyong, “Ty, Dealer said if I don’t go back in 24 hours, he’ll come looking for me. I can’t run away even if I wanted to.”

“And he’ll definitely come looking,” Sung Joon added from behind the two of them.

The couple turned to find the older man standing behind them, with a plastic bag of water bottles in his hand and a small ice pack pressed against his face. He held out the bag to them so they could each grab a water bottle, taking a seat on the bench on Kamella’s right side. Sung Joon purposefully avoided looking at how close the two of them were sitting together -- it would sting more than the red mark on his cheek.

“Please talk some sense into him, Oppa. He’s as bad as you are,” Kamella pleaded, hoping that Sung Joon would be the voice of reason.

Taeyong wasn’t sure what Kamella meant by that. Kamella’s words hinted at something more between herself and Sung Joon, and Taeyong didn’t like that idea one bit.

“Mella-yah, what…?”

Sung Joon smirked, not entertaining Kamella’s suggestion in the slightest, “I’m still going to get you out of the House of Cards. If we can’t run, that just means we’ll have to face him head on.”

Kamella groaned, “Head on? What part of there’s nothing we can do, don’t you understand? Are either of you listening to me?!”

The two men answered immediately, in unison, “Nope.”

A frustrated growl escaped Kamella’s lips, “Ugh! We can’t do anything. I’ve exhausted every option I know of. If I don’t go back tomorrow night-”

“Noona, you have to go back.” Taeyong told her urgently, squeezing her fingers to her attention, “I’m sorry -- I know you don’t want to. It’s a lot to ask of you, but you have to go back. Let us figure out how to get you out.”

From the other side of the bench, Sung Joon hummed in instant agreement.

Kamella sighed heavily, “Once I go in there, I won’t come back out for a while. Dealer might even send me out of the country.”

“Ok. Will you be able to contact anyone? Do you have a way to let us know you’re safe?” Sung Joon questioned, a plan already forming in his mind. Taeyong was chewing his bottom lip, his own ideas springing to life.

“Even if he locks me up for a few weeks, I should be able to contact most of my clients, possibly Liv… maybe the King of Diamonds?” Kamella recounted, not understanding where these questions were coming from.

Sung Joon nodded, “Good. Taeyong-ssi, I’ll be holding on to your Ace card for now.”

Taeyong held his free hand out, reaching across Kamella, “Actually, I was going to suggest that we trade cards for a little while.”

Kamella looked between the two men on either side of her, “Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?”

“If I’m your fake Ace, then you should have no problems contacting me. He won’t turn down my money.” Sung Joon explained, as he reached for the Ace card in his wallet. He handed the card over to Taeyong.

“And if I want to get into the club without anyone suspecting me, I’ll need a red Ace, even if it’s not mine,” Taeyong added, taking Sung Joon’s card, and sliding it into his pocket.

“I’m not following,” Kamella admitted, still wondering what both guys were up to.

“I’ll be safer with a red Ace card than my own black Ace card. I can still come to the club and find you with a red Ace, can’t I?” Taeyong asked.

“Well, probably, but-”

“So then, with this red Ace, I can still come to you. And with my black Ace, we can force Dealer to let you see Sung Joon-hyung. It works out. Dealer still doesn’t know who I am, and now if he checks in on me, I will just be a regular Ace cardholder.”

Sung Joon dropped the ice pack into his lap, turning to face Kamella directly, “Kammie, while you’re in there, I’ll need you to come up with a way to collect evidence.”

“Evidence? Oppa, what are you planning?”

“I told you; if we can’t run, then we’re bringing the fight right to him,” Sung Joon announced resolutely, and Taeyong nodded, the wheels in his mind spinning faster. “I’ve already started talking to our family’s lawyer.”

“You’re crazy,” Kamella uttered, shaking her head adamantly. “Are you saying… You want me to snitch?”

“Isn’t the correct term ‘whistle blowing’?” Sung Joon replied wryly.

“Are you serious? No, you can’t possibly be.” Kamella couldn’t believe what she was hearing right now, ”Oppa, I can’t snitch! That’s even worse than whatever hell Dealer has waiting for me!”

“Listen to me, Kammie-”

“No, you listen! Both of you!" Kamella cried, in exasperation, "There is no plan to save me; there is no stopping him. There is nothing we can do, and that’s that. This is my problem. You two getting involved is just going to make it worse.”

Taeyong sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “....It might be the only way to stop him, Mella-yah.”

Kamella growled, standing up from her seat abruptly, “I can’t do this. I’m not going to sit here, and listen to you two plan to get us all killed because you refuse to let me go.” She tried to walk away but was stopped by two different hands grabbing her wrists from either side.

“Kammie…”

“Noona.”

Kamella heaved a sigh. They were trying so hard to protect her, and all she was trying to do was keep them safe. A pang in her chest left her choked up, but Kamella refused to cry a third time.

“I know you want to take this on by yourself, but you’re not alone. If we don’t stop him, this will never end.” Sung Joon warned, glancing over at Taeyong out of the corner of his eye. The younger man nodded in agreement.

“Mella-yah, if you do this, it won’t just help you. This will help Liv-noona, and all of the Diamond kids under your suit.” Taeyong added, hoping that his words would appeal to her heart.

Kamella groaned, keeping her back turned to the two of them. Damn it all, if Taeyong hadn’t said exactly what she had been thinking. She couldn’t let Dealer keep abusing his power like this. There was a trail of bodies that led directly to Dealer, and most of them were innocent.

“...Fine…” Kamella whispered on a sigh. Once she reached this point, there was absolutely no turning back. “Tell me what I need to do.”

End Chapter 13