"Fuck!" Pete said, checking Tawan's bathroom as it became apparent that the sneaky roach had escaped. "Lock down the compound. Now!"

The other bodyguards ran out of the room as the alarm sounded, alerting everyone to a security breach. Everything had gone smoothly. Porsche was aware of the plan. He'd stayed in jail, even after Kinn told him what was going on. He wouldn't go free until they'd verified Pete's intel of Vegas selling information to the Italians.

Once that happened, Tawan was next. But the bastard was ahead of them. Pete called Arm as he marched down the corridor.

"Check the cameras around the prison, again. Porsche said Tawan visited."

"Why would he go back there?"

"Because he wanted to take Porsche. He came to get information. He won't go back to Vegas without information or leverage."

As Pete stepped into the emergency exit of the floor, he peeped down the center of the staircase, checking if anyone was there. Tawan was free. Someone inside the compound must have tipped him off. The mole was still operating. Kinn and Pete had done their best to keep the operation a secret, but by the time they started moving against Vegas, it must have leaked.

With his gun pointed at the ground, Pete rushed down the stairs, taking them two at time till he burst out the back exit of the building, coming face to face with Vegas.

Pete raised his gun.

"Where's Tawan?" Pete asked, looking around to be sure that there were no minor family guards present.

"What?" Vegas asked. "I- I have no idea."

"I know he's working with you."

"Not anymore."

"You'll excuse me if your word means fuck-all to me."

Vegas was a mastermind at fucking with people. He'd befriended Porsche in pretense. He'd done, god-knows-what to Tawan to the point that Tawan risked death to come back to Kinn. Nothing Vegas said could be trusted.

Surrendering when Kinn was about to mount a search and capture of Vegas was incredibly convenient.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," he said, walking closer.

"Stay where you are."

Vegas flinched as frustration washed over his face before he blinked and suddenly, it was gone.

"We've worked on the same side before."

"You used us to kill Don and get rid of the people who knew you'd betrayed your family."

"I never-" Vegas said, taking another step closer.

Pete fired at the floor.

"I will shoot you."

He meant it, because Vegas would never listen. Pete was a Theerapanyakul bodyguard. Vegas was a Theerapanyakul. Under normal circumstances, Pete recognised Vegas' inability to respect the threat that Pete was. He'd seen Vegas do it before, disregard Pete, push through his boundaries, handle Pete like Pete was a child who he could touch as Vegas pleased.

But these weren't normal circumstances. As far as Pete was concerned, Vegas was Kinn's enemy. Which meant that Pete would be well within his rights to shoot him if he ever tried to touch Pete again.

"Please, I need to talk to you, Pete."

"Don't worry. I'll take you to Khun-Kinn and you can talk to him."

"You, not him."

Pete hesitated, hands closing around his gun, more tightly. What game was Vegas playing? Because he was always playing a game. Had Tawan told him about Porsche being in prison? Had he changed strategies so quickly that his next plot included getting close to the next bodyguard who had Kinn's trust?

"Drop it," Pete heard, as he felt the nozzle of a gun press against the nape of his neck.

Pete was still standing, with his back to the door of the building, so he hadn't seen or heard Tawan coming, until it was too late.

He tried to turn but Tawan kicked him behind the knees, sending Pete to the ground as his gun fell.

"Pete," Vegas called, picking up Pete's gun.

Of course, Pete thought. They were working together... Whoa wait.

Instead of pointing the gun at Pete, Vegas raised the gun to the person behind Pete as he made a wide berth around the building door.

"Tawan?" Vegas sounded surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Don't pretend you're not working together," Pete accused.

Tawan hit Pete with the butt of his gun and Pete fell to the ground, his head pounded.

"Mind how you speak, you fucking bodyguard."

"Tawan, stop!"

Vegas shoved Tawan away when Tawan raised his leg to stomp on Pete.

"What are you doing?" Vegas asked.

"We have to go, Vegas," Tawan said, dragging Vegas away.

"This was not the plan."

"They're looking for me. I can't stay here."

Even though his head was still pounding, Pete was very aware how close both men were to him. With the added bonus of their distraction, Pete swiped his leg at Tawan, causing him to topple, as his gun fell from his hand. Before Vegas could react, Pete knelt up, knocking Vegas out with a clean uppercut that sent him falling back, unconscious.

Pete took his gun from Vegas' hand as he turned, just in time to see Tawan stretching to reach his gun.

"I dare you to pick it," Pete said, pointing his gun at Tawan. "Please give me a reason to shoot you."

Resisting the urge to groan in pain from his pounding head, Pete checked for his phone, thankful that his tumbling and falling had not broken it.

"Khun-Kinn," he said into the phone as Tawan lay back on the ground in defeat. "I've got Vegas and Tawan."

"I'll be right there."

Who did they think they were fooling? Pete didn't care to wonder why Vegas had stopped Tawan from hurting him. It wasn't his business to understand the horrid mind of such a man.

If Vegas wanted to talk to anyone, he'd talk to Kinn, who was well-versed and ranked high enough to cut through all of Vegas' bullshit.