We stayed up all night, debating our probable success of venturing out in search of their camp, waiting until they potentially settled in the city as they'd hinted, or if they found their way back to the prison. Namjoon appeared puzzled, a first since we met, unsatisfied with the risk of every plan we came up with and sure that we'd need to lean on negotiation if there wasn't a way to sneak them out.
"We can't keep playing the what if game. We'll have to make the best of what we know now and figure the rest out." Yoongi sighed, pressing his palms into the table.
He looked up at me, the others following his gaze, as if waiting for me to make the decision. "We'll go tomorrow, to them before it's too late." I confirmed, glancing around for their approving nods.
Crickets chirped in the night as we reloaded the trunk of the car with weapons and water to carry us through. With their group at a minimum of thirty men, we were significantly outnumbered, our plan to kill as few as possible and sneak Jungkook and Hobi out without detection.
I laid awake in the couple of hours we had until dawn, sure that the others were unable to fall asleep too, constant tossing and turning and the lack of Namjoon's snores letting me know we were all restless. We would use the daylight to travel, first to the city again and then west in search of their camp, letting the night provide more cover to avoid being seen.
After all of our planning, we never stood a chance at anticipating the group's move, learning quickly that they acted on a whim. The sound of an air horn woke me, an alert that meant trouble from Jin or Taehyung, on watch in the guard towers.
Jimin was at my bedside in an instant, handing me one of the two rifles he carried. "They're here." He announced matter of factly, giving me a minute to slip into my boots before we started down the hallway.
There was no time to process anything, to prepare for what would happen, but I took a deep breath as Jimin opened the door for us to go outside, making sure to shield me as we walked.
Namjoon stood behind the second gate, a barrier between the grounds and entrance, holding a rifle at his side. My breath drew in harshly when I took in the view beyond the entrance, over forty men lining the fence with guns pointed in our direction. Jungkook and Hobi were there, held by two men just as they'd been the day before, on either side of a one who appeared unarmed and at the center of everything, Leon. I pushed past Jimin to the gate, squinting my eyes to see them.
"Alena, get back." Namjoon demanded as Jimin tugged at my arm so that I was behind him. In the second I had to see them closer I noticed that Jungkook appeared unharmed but that blood trickled down Hobi's temple.
Leon laughed, a cackle that crossed the distance between us easily, his voice booming with projection. "Good morning! Is this really all of your people?" He asked, stretching his arms out to gesture at the grounds.
Namjoon took a step forward, matching his tone and energy. "There's more of us around." Namjoon responded, a silenced gunshot hitting the gravel in front of us before he could finish his sentence, a message to them that we weren't alone.
Leon found humor in everything, chuckling and rubbing at his thick beard. "Point taken but believe me, you don't want bullets to start flying around here. I hear you've made a good home and have a good group of men. I'd like to talk about how our groups can come together." His words were completely innocuous, the threat lying in his persona.
"It's hard to talk about coming together when you're holding two of my men hostage and pointing guns at us." Namjoon held up a hand as he pulled back the gate, stepping through confidently and walking halfway up the path toward the entrance, gravel crunching under his feet.
Leon shrugged, waving his hands so that his men no longer aimed at us, though I was sure that wherever Taehyung, Jin, and Yoongi were, their guns were still pointed and ready. "Your men aren't hostages. We did have to take them for the night, but just to see if they might be a good fit for our group. They're both alive and well." He assured Namjoon. I could see his deep yellow smile from where Jimin and I stood, his arms crossed over his chest as he nodded toward the two men at his sides.
I peered from around Jimin's shoulder, watching as Jungkook and Hobi's hands dropped from constriction. They looked down in a moment of disbelief before walking toward Namjoon, who pulled each of them in for a hug.
Hobi stayed next to him while Jungkook jogged to where Jimin and I stood. He caught both my arm and the gun that Jimin pulled from the waist of his pants at the same time, answering my question before I could ask it.
"I'm okay, get behind me." He commanded, Jimin smirking from next to us.
"I was covering her perfectly fine." Jimin rolled his eyes.
Jungkook gave a playful huff, teasing him. "You're not tall enough, I could still see her."
"Quiet, I can't hear." I chastised them, peeking through the tiny gap between them to see.
Leon waited with his brow raised in question, Namjoon giving the cue for their chat. "We'll go inside to talk. Three of your men and three of mine."
Leon called on the men he wanted to bring, giving the cue for the rest to wait outside of the fence before walking through the entrance. Namjoon turned around when they met, shaking hands with Leon before giving a subtle cue to those higher up to keep their positions. Jungkook moved over so that I was in view as they approached, waiting for Namjoon's instruction.
"Jimin, stay here." He indicated so that Jungkook, Hobi, and I were aware that we'd be joining them.
I was sure there was a tactful reason for bringing me along. I remembered my training with Jimin, his message that even behavior could act as a tool. I debated whether to appear fragile in front of them, recalling Jimin's favorite play on behavior, so that his true threatening nature would be a surprise when it became necessary, or if I should lean into my strength since I was surrounded by a menacing group of men.
It was as if Jimin read my mind and I didn't doubt that he could in a way, a master at understanding body language. He leaned into my ear before we could walk away, giving the answer in a whisper. "Powerful."
Namjoon led us to one of the other empty units and I reached out in the dimly lit hallway, touching Hobi's cheek with relief that he made it back. He put his hand over mine, the faintest smile showing with the tug of his lips. Namjoon let Leon and his men enter first, and they stood side by side while Leon looked around, finally taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room. We assumed a similar position across from them, Jungkook and Hobi at either of my sides.
"I have to ask, how the hell did a bunch of Asians end up with a chick in a prison?" Leon leaned across the table with a smile. When we were quiet for so long that he knew we wouldn't answer, he piped up again with a joke, his accent thick and attitude one that made my skin crawl. "Sounds like some weird porno." He laughed, waiting for his men to join in with him.
I could feel Jungkook fuming next to me, his jaw clenched tight, on the edge of exploding. I linked a finger with his, watching the tension leave his shoulders as he breathed deeply.
"You said you want to bring our groups together." Namjoon gave off the energy of a friendly but serious leader.
Leon slouched in his seat, so relaxed that it left the impression that he didn't see anyone or anything as a threat. "I do, your boys back there seemed plenty resourceful, and I'm not in the habit of killing folks when we can help each other out."
"If we're all to stay together there will have to be rules." Namjoon replied.
"Of course, what were you thinking?" Leon asked, the first question he'd given.
Namjoon leaned forward in his seat. "We don't carry guns inside the prison. It's clear inside so we don't need anyone getting trigger happy and leading the undead here."
Leon made the decision quickly, with just a nod of agreement as they hammered out the details. "How many of you are there?" He replied with another question.
"Eight." Namjoon answered. Every ounce of trust we had was settled on him, Leon leering with the knowledge that his group could take us out easily. "And you?"
"Forty-four. Tell me about your supply." They were all business, my mind tuning them out when my focus was brought to another feeling. Across the room there were two pairs of eyes on me, tracing the line from my face, over my chest and down to my hips and legs.
My breathing quickened and I swallowed, shaking off the feeling of disgust and replacing it with a determination to appear unfazed. My attention was brought back when Namjoon stood, his seat scraping against the floor and the deal nearly finished.
Leon followed his action, his lips pressed together in thought as he held up a finger. "One more thing," he nodded, tilting his head to look behind Namjoon, "about the girl?"
Jungkook flew forward with the same force and speed as he had after our first interaction, his fists hitting the table with a bang. At the same time Leon's men lifted their guns to point at him, met with the barrels of ours aimed at their foreheads.
"No one touches her." Jungkook's voice was nearly a growl, Namjoon gripping his shoulder to hold him back.
Leon wore that same cocky grin the entire time, silence taking over until Namjoon pulled Jungkook behind him, reclaiming the lead. "Don't underestimate her. Believe me, she could take out any of your forty-three men." Namjoon's confidence was in me.
"Even Graham back there?" Leon chortled, holding onto his stomach as he pointed at the burly man to his right, looking as if he weighed at least two-fifty and thick with muscle.
"Even Graham." There was no hesitation in Namjoon's response.
Leon held up both of his hands. "No one touches her." He repeated Jungkook's order. "But it's been a long time since my men have been in the presence of a woman. I can't promise they won't look." He gave a final statement, slapping his hand into Namjoon's for the shake that sealed the deal.