Rome's POV
Two days.
That was all it said on the itinerary. Two days in Hong Kong, stamped urgent in a font my life had trained me to respect. Still, my hands moved slower than usual as I packed.
Mhok leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, like he is pretending not to watch me. He had been there for a while. Long enough for the silence to grow comfortable.
He walked in, picked up a watch from the bed and held it out to me. "You'll forget this."
I took it, as our fingers brushed. It's just A small thing. But My chest reacted like it was a headline.
"You always do that," I said.
"What?"
"Notice what I forget."
He shrugged. "Someone has to keep you functional."
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You are sending me off or supervising me?"
"Both," he said adjusting his glasses. "khun thee asked me to take care of the protocols"
I leaned in, almost instinctively, my arms lifting like they knew where they wanted to be.
Almost.
I stopped inches away. Close enough to feel his breath, to notice the faint smell of soap and smoke. Close enough to say something
I absolutely should not have.
"its just two days mhok ," I murmured. "Try not to miss me too much."
His eyebrow lifted. "That's the thing you wanted to say coming near me like that?"
"There was a worser version, do you want to hear?" I admitted smiling.
He brushed past me, my shoulder nudging his.
He rolled his eyes, but I saw his ears went red. That felt like a win. I smiled.
Outside, the car waited. Our men already alert. Mhok stood by the steps, hands in his pockets now, his posture more authorised than before.
I paused and turned back.
I smiled at him. Then I got into the car.
Only when we were moving did I reach into my coat pocket, checking for my phone. My fingers touched something else.
I frowned, pulled it out.
A bracelet.
A small silver charm attached. Four letters engraved on it.
HBD R
My breath stalled.
I recognised it instantly. I had given one just like it to him years ago. Different charm, same knot, same thread. A childish gift.
He had kept it.
And he had put it in my pocket.
I leaned back against the seat, heat creeping up my neck. "Idiot," I muttered, unsure if I meant him or myself.
The car slowed at an intersection.
Then everything broke
.
Gunfire ripped through the air, sharp and sudden. Glass exploded.
The driver swerved, shouting. My hand was already on my weapon as pain tore through my shoulder, hot and blinding.
I gritted my teeth. "Ambush," I barked. "Left side."
Another shot hit the door. I fired back through the shattered window. One down. Another staggered.
Blood soaked into my sleeve, warm and slick, but adrenaline drowned the pain. We pushed forward.
"Status," I snapped.
"Clear behind us," one of my men yelled. "Two vehicles disabled."
Good. Good enough.
The city swallowed us, turns sharp and fast until the noise faded into distance. Only then did I let myself breathe, pressing my palm to my shoulder.
It hurt like hell.
I laughed anyway. Soft and breathless.
All I could think about was Mhok. His quiet smile. The bracelet burning against my skin.
I closed my fist around it.
That's the last thing I knew as I closed my eyes.
_____
Mhok's pov.
I don't know why but I have a gut feeling that something bad is gonna happen. I never had a feeling like this before but something so strong about the voice that made me unable to ignore it.
"Get it together," I mutter to myself.
As I tried to calm myself down by drinking some cold coffee, I heard some commotion at the front door. It's master's voice.
I ran fast to the door. There he stood with an anger Ive never seen on him .
My chest tightens instantly.
His jaw is clenched so tight it looks like it might crack. His knuckles are white around his phone, veins standing out on his hands. I have never seen him like this.
"What happened?" I ask before anyone can stop me.
He turns sharply, eyes snapping to mine. For a second, he looks surprised to see me there. Then his expression hardens again.
"Where is Kian?" he demands.
"He's upstairs," I answer immediately. "Should I-"
"No need" he cuts me off. "Stay."
One of the men beside him speaks, voice low but urgent. "We lost contact for twelve minutes. The car was ambushed."
Ambushed.
I feel the word before I understand it. Khun thee came down and looked at me confusingly.
Master's gaze never leaves the floor. "He's alive," he says sharply, as if daring the universe to argue. "He returned the fire and Escaped."
Escaped.
My lungs finally remember their job and drag air in, but it doesn't help. My hands are shaking. I shove them into my pockets before anyone notices.
"Where is he now?" khun thee asks as he looks at me worriedly.
"Safehouse," one of the men replies. "Doctor is with him."
I swallow hard. "Is he injured?"
"in the shoulder," the man says. "Bullet grazed his muscle. But No major organs.were sffected."
My vision blurs at the edges. I look away quickly, fixing my eyes on the doorframe, grounding myself in something solid.
Master exhales sharply and finally looks at me. His anger hasn't softened, but something else flickers there. Recognition.
He closes his eyes for a brief second, then opens them again. "Go get your lady. Don't tell her everything yet."
I hesitate. "And khunRome?"
"He'll call," master says. "When he's ready."
I turn to go, my legs felt heavy, with my thoughts louder than the chaos downstairs.
As I climb the stairs, one truth settles painfully clear in my chest.
That bracelet.
I left it with him without thinking.
And now all I can think is how close I came to losing the chance to take it back.