Close To Midnight

Chapter 9

Sana smirked. Momo's eyes were locked on her chest, a hunger visible in her gleaming eyes.

"How was work?" She asked leaning on the bed, emphasizing on the assests that had her girlfriend hypnotized.

Momo licked her dry lips, and Sana's knowing smirk grew wider. "Same old same old.  Dead ends everywhere."

"Yeah?" Sana tugged through the waves of her silky hair, her hand wandering to slide down the shoulders to massage Momo's tense muscles. "How can I make your day bet-" She didn't get the last word out. Momo's lips were on hers, hot, insistent and needy. And Sana gave up trying to hold back her moans when soft lips trailed down her neck to suck a quickening pulse.

Jeongyeon gave Momo as she walked into the precinct a wide grin that looked innocent but the wiggling of her eyebrows said it was anything but. "Someone's in a cheerful mood today." She teased.

"What can I say!" Momo clicked her tongue, shoving Jeongyeon's shoulder playfully, "I have a hot Japanese girlfriend."

"You're detectives, not fratboys." Tzuyu shook her head amused while the two continued to grin shamelessly. They put on their serious faces on, pretended to be engrossed in work when Dahyun passed by the cabin with a stern look on her face.

"I've made enquires at the Central Hospital. No footage of Dong-Hyun and Yi-Jun inside of their premises. Only a security camera footage of the exterior that shows them meeting, exchanging few words and then leaving." Chaeyoung walked into the cabin, skimming through the notes as she spoke.

Jeongyeon stood there, mouth slightly agape. "You're wearing glasses."

"Yes." The younger girl chuckled, tilting her glasses up on her nose ever so slightly. "I've asked a lip reading expert-"

"You look nice with glasses." Her mouth seemed to have lost its filter. Chaeyoung was giving her a look that was amusement mixed with teasing. Jeongyeon cleared her throat, her cheeks a little aflame with colour. "When is the lip reader coming in?" She gave herself a mental pat on the back for her quick recovery.

"This afternoon." Chaeyoung laid the file on the table and took a seat beside Tzuyu. Jeongyeon let out a soft breath. She was safe.  "And thank you for the compliment detective." Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

Jeongyeon walked out the cabin, muttering an excuse about wanting coffee without so much of another look in Chaeyoung's direction, the colour on her face more prominent.

_____

A well placed kick to the shin. A quick stomp to the foot. A strong elbow connecting to the chin as he bent over in pain. That was all that took for the six foot man to tumble to the floor.

Chiho looked up at Nayeon with reverence in his eyes. She was not tall by any means, not nearly as muscular as the giant that she had just slayed, but she had a skill borne of natural talent in agility, a skill so unassailable that it guaranteed a minimum of fracture and a sobbing trip to their mother's arms in the heftiest of men.

The three men behind the fallen guy shared looks that said they were rethinking their decision to attack her.

"Five minutes." Min-jun placed a bet confidently.

"Ten minutes." Chiho knew Nayeon was tired from a long night of drinking. Surely she couldn't finish them all off within five minutes.

Six minutes later, Min-Jun smiled sickeningly sweetly at Chiho as he collected his wager, scoffing at the men on the cemented floor writhing in pain.

They made their way out of the empty basement parking, into the shopping mall. "This is not the first time Yu-sok's men have tried this. It can't go on." Jihyo pressed the button to the third floor, not tearing her eyes away from the defined jawline that was visible under the hoodie. The tightening of the muscles in them told her Nayeon was thinking the same thing.

"They're getting braver with these sudden attacks." Min-Jun said strutting out the elevator into the crowded mall. "We need to remind them who we are, who you are Nayeonnie."

Nayeon kept her eyes on the floor, as she slided through the swarm of people around her.

She stopped abruptly when she heard Chi-Ho's voice. "Your fangirl is here." There was a slight something in his voice. A little mockery that said she was going soft, a little accusation that it was one of the reasons why the attacks have become frequent, why the fear has diminished.

Nayeon turned around, her tone hushed and brusque. "Say that again." A jolt of terror hit him hard. He took a step back. There was a loud buzz of the mob chattering around him but he couldn't hear anything. All he saw, heard and felt was fear as Nayeon stood inches away from him, her face still angled to look at the floor.

"I-I said that girl is here." He lifted a trembling finger to point at the escalator.

Jihyo tried to signal to Mina with her eyes that this was a terribly dangerous time to approach Nayeon. Mina darted up the steps, her eyes never leaving Nayeon like she would disappear if she blinked, unaware of the peril she was putting her own life into.