Hobi and Jimin had to go to the club for the night, so they took the SUV and left me and Tae to walk back to the warehouse where we'd first met so he could pick up his other car. A fine rain was just beginning to fall, but the night was mild and I didn't mind. I just tilted my head to the sky and let the cool water wash away the stress of the past few days. The farther we walked, the more the streets filled with the fog caused by the changing temperature.
"You look at peace," Tae said quietly as he pulled his coat higher around his neck.
"I love weather like this. When it's cool, but not cold, and the fog settles in like the breath of something vast and powerful."
"You also have a way with words."
I chuckled and shoved my hands in my pockets. "One tends to wax a little poetic when all they have to pass the time are the words in their own head. Some of the most beautiful things I've ever heard came from those on the fringe of society."
Taehyung turned his head back to the street in front of us, nodding slightly. "I get that. Sometimes after a job I have to disappear for a while. When you're alone with just yourself, you learn things."
I nodded, too. "Sometimes it's things you never wanted to know."
We both fell silent, with only our steps on the wet pavement to break the stillness of the night. Finally, Tae turned to me and shoved my shoulder playfully. "So, I've got to do this thing for Jin. Since you're one of us now, you want to come help?"
I looked him over from his playful smirk, to the way his gun wasn't quite hidden in the holster under his jacket. Spending the evening with him wouldn't be bad and maybe it would give me a chance to figure out more about the way I was starting to enjoy what we were doing. My heart sped up in my chest as I nodded my head.
His boxy grin grew. "Great! Let's move, then."
Tae picked up his pace. I had to struggle to keep up with his long legs, but in no time we were back at the tuna packing warehouse where he'd first threatened my life. The place looked different in the light of the street lamps and considering my new position in life. Still, my stomach did a nervous little flip remembering all the shit I'd been through before being taken in by Bangtan.
Taehyung scanned his iris and punched in a code on the front panel. The bay door clicked and whined as it rolled up into the ceiling. I'd always wondered what was inside that place and now I was about to find out. Lights clicked on overhead as we stepped inside and triggered the motion detectors. I couldn't see any security cameras, but I had no doubt the place was littered with them. My eyes went wide as I looked around and saw what was inside.
There was every kind of product or thing for as far as I could see. Boxes and crates stacked to the ceiling with the equipment to move them neatly beside them on one side. Various kinds of exotic, and expensive, vehicles lined the other side. I walked over to a crate with its lid partially removed and looked inside. It was packed full of different kinds of military-grade weapons. Tae walked over to another and reached inside, pulling out a couple SIG Sauer P320s. On a nearby shelf, he grabbed a box of ammo and a holster. He handed it all to me.
I looked up at him, still wide-eyed, as I slowly took everything from him.
He shrugged. "If you're going to be one of us, you should be armed. And since you can obviously handle whatever Jungkook threw at you this morning, I figured a couple guns should be nothing for you." He turned and walked across the room to the vehicles. "Besides," he called over his shoulder, "I don't plan on you needing those tonight anyway."
As I strapped the holster on my chest and loaded the pistols, Taehyung ripped the cover off a sleek, matte black street bike. He stripped off his good coat and threw it to the side, then pulled on a black leather jacket. I tried not to drool, but I was losing the fight. Once I'd strapped all my guns down, he tossed me a helmet and jacket, too. As good as I may have been with my fists and weapons, I'd never been on a bike before and fumbled with the helmet straps. I could hear Taehyung's muffled laugh as he walked over to help me.
I felt so small standing in front of him, but when he knelt in front of me to strap on some more leather gear, something inside me snapped. I had never had someone take care of me before and even though I didn't need him to, the fact that he was did something to me that I couldn't explain. Maybe it was his quiet intelligence, or his confidence, but in that moment, I knew I wanted him. I needed him. He tapped the side of my helmet and his voice exploded in my ears.
"Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, a little too well."
He tapped something else and the volume went down, then he grabbed my gloved hands and showed me where the control was. "Tonight we ride in style. Ready?"
I simply nodded and followed him to the bike. He threw his leg over and grabbed the handles, looking back at me as I slid onto the seat behind him. He grabbed my hands and wrapped them around his stomach, locking them around the other side and patting them for effect.
"Don't let go."
I didn't even have time to respond before he was peeling off through the warehouse and into the night. At first, I was terrified that we'd wreck on the slick streets, but Taehyung was an excellent driver and easily navigated both the hazardous conditions and the few drivers that were out on the ground level that night. I hugged him tight and fit my body against his, leaning with him on every turn and enjoying the hum of the machine between my legs. I wished I could feel the air in my hair, but I wasn't dumb enough to try and go without a helmet. Good driver or not.
A few minutes later, we left the city center and the highway yawned open in front of us. Taehyung hit the throttle and everything around us flew by in a blur. He wove through the traffic like a pro while the bike thrummed like it was alive and enjoying the ride as much as we were.
Too soon, Taehyung was slowing down as we made our way into the run-down industrial section of the city outskirts. He pulled up to a stop in front of a dilapidated building about thirty years past its demise. I was pretty sure if someone didn't tear it down in the next few months, it was going to fall down all on its own. How it was still standing was anyone's guess. Taehyung took off his helmet and put it on the seat, motioning for me to do the same.
He stepped up to the door on the decrepit building and knocked, looking back at me as if to tell me to stay close. I didn't need to be told twice. I simply nodded before taking in my surroundings. The panel on the door buzzed and then there was a clicking sound, presumably of a lock disengaging. Taehyung pushed the door and it swung open with a loud scrape.
"Who's home," he called. His voice echoed on various metal working machinery and long-disused tools like plasma cutters and rusted wrenches the size of my whole thigh.
"Nobody good," a voice called back. I tensed up. It was familiar, but in a far off way. When a man with bright orange hair stepped out of the shadows, I thought I was going to throw up. He looked over at me like he was trying to decide how he knew me, too. His narrow eyes and dimples were unmistakable, but my damn memory couldn't place him.
"Jooheon," Taehyung said, extending his hand, "good to see you again."
"You too, brother," Jooheon said cautiously, not taking his eyes off me. "Who've you got here?" His eyes were like liquid fire and his deep voice like honey, though there was an edge to it that suggested the temper behind his sweet face would be dark and swift.
"New recruit. She's learning the business."
Jooheon smiled devilishly, showing off dimples that rivaled Namjoon's. "She's almost too pretty to be in such a business, isn't she?"
"Don't let the pretty face fool you," I said with a smirk. I wasn't going to be someone's meal and I damn sure wasn't going to look like some kid going to work with her big brother. Taehyung turned and gave me a warning with his eyes, but I brushed it off with a tilt of my head.
Jooheon just threw his head back and laughed. "Feisty. I like her. Come on, we talk deals in the back."
Taehyung narrowed his eyes at me again as Jooheon turned his back. I winked up at him. I would be good as long as I needed to. I just needed to prove my worth up front so everyone was clear about my position in the situation.
"Who's here tonight," Taehyung asked casually.
"Me, Changkyun and Shownu. Everyone else is out on jobs."
Taehyung nodded without another word. Jooheon lead us around the equipment and a foreman's booth to another area filled with huge vats that once held all kinds of nasty chemicals but now were just filled with a hazardous array of scrap metal and debris. I couldn't imagine why anyone would choose to meet, or work, in such a dangerous place. A person could get tetanus just breathing in the metal dust too long.
Two other guys were standing at the back with their arms over their chests, watching us walk in. The taller one with dark hair and small, puffy lips looked a little slow with his droopy eyes and messy hair, but I had a feeling that was his goal. The smaller one looked young and chaotic with light brown hair that fell just short of his eyes. The taller one smirked as we got closer.
"Bringing a pet with you this time, Tae. That's not like you."
Tae's hand shot out to catch me before I could even take a step. I tried to control the anger that was building up inside me to keep it from triggering my powers. That was all I needed. These guys were obviously colleagues of Bangtan's and I didn't want to fuck up some kind of alliance. The tall one gave me a scrutinizing look as he ran his tongue around the inside of his lip. He wasn't slow at all.
"Shownu, this is Morgan, our new hire. Morgan, this is Shownu and Changkyun of Monsta X. Don't kill them."
Laughter echoes off the steel beams and supports around the room, making the weaker ones groan. Changkyun stepped forward with his hand out. I took it cautiously. "Call me IM."
I nodded and tried to ignore the strange pop of energy coming from IM's hand. Something flashed in his eyes, but it was too brief for me to catch. "Nice to meet you." He tipped his head back as he returned to his spot beside Shownu.
"So, you're here for the shipment, I suppose," Shownu said, sitting down onto the arm of a scratched-up leather chair.
"That we are," Taehyung said. There was a tension in the space between the two men that didn't make sense if they were supposed to be friends. I could tell by the tightness of Taehyung's muscles that he could feel it, too. Like the crackling of static before a lightning strike.
IM and Jooheon shifted on their feet.
Shownu nodded, "well, that's a shame, Tae, because it just so happens that you guys have been outbid."
"Outbid? By who?"
"Someone you guys shouldn't have pissed off. You gotta understand, brother, this is business. And with the kind of money Cha Hakyeon is throwing around, it seems he is very pissed."
I groaned under my breath. The beast inside me was dying to come out and I struggled against her. IM narrowed his eyes at me as I squirmed on my feet.
"Like you said...brother... it's just business."
Shownu shrugged. "And sometimes business doesn't go the way you want it to. I'm sorry."
With a speed I hadn't expected, all three men pulled out weapons on us. My own hands went to my holsters, pulling my guns and flicking off the safeties without a thought. I rolled right and shot at the men, catching Jooheon in the shoulder. Taehyung rolled left, diving behind some crates. Shownu and IM broke off after Tae while Jooheon took off in a sprint after me.
My heart pounded in my chest as bullets flew over my shoulder. I hated to leave Tae, but I had to assume he knew what he was doing. I wanted to blast the guy with my powers, but I was scared I'd slip off into that space and wouldn't make it back. I just had to pump my legs and try to make it back to the bike. I looked behind me and shot wild, but Jooheon dodged my bullets with ease, dipping and diving behind metal and wooden crates.
Somehow, Taehyung was already at the bike when I got there. I didn't see Shownu or IM anywhere, but that didn't mean we were in the clear. I heard the revving of a bike motor behind us and saw Jooheon hopping on his own. As Taehyung punched the throttle and spun the bike around, throwing up a spray of gravel, I focused on Jooheon's bike. I took a deep breath and held it as I aimed for the front. The shot was good and blew out his tire just as he was getting up to speed. The force threw him off balance and he lost control of the bike, putting it down and sliding across the gravel. Taehyung punched the throttle and we took off into the night once again.
Once we were out of range and it was clear we weren't being followed, I tossed my head back and laughed into the rain.
Here I am writing late again...
If I fucked something up, let me know! Meanwhile, enjoy some Monsta X goodness!