Crimson Park

Chapter 30

Your hands shook as you dialled the number on your new burner phone. You didn't want to do this. You didn't want to go back in. But Jungkook was right. If you didn't end this your whole life would be spent in isolation looking over your shoulder. What kind of a life would that be, really?

The phone rang four, five, six times until finally it was picked up.

"Hello?" you said when no one greeted you. "It's me."

"Why are you calling me?" asked Minho.

"Because I want to take your deal. I want in."

"What changed your mind?"

"The police offered me a deal. To spy on you."

"That's not very comforting."

"I'm tired, Minho. They promised me freedom after Dongnam. They fucked me over, several times, then sold me out to you. I have a fucking bullet in me right now and now they have the audacity to ask me for more. I want to fuck them right back. Plus, I owe you one. But I do have a condition."

"And what is that?"

"I want to do this one job for you. Put me back on the payroll until this is over. Then I'm out. I want nothing to do with any of it from then on. Can you promise me that?"

The phone was silent, and your heart began to pound as you waited for Minho to answer.

"Please, Minho. Friend to friend. I need out."

"How can I trust you won't do to me what you did to Dongnam?"

"Because Dongnam was a bastard who killed people who wanted to leave. If he had only let me go when I was ready, I never would have had a grudge against him. That's why I'm being upfront with you now. If you let me leave when this is all over, you won't have to worry about me. Ever."

You heard a long sniff from the other end of the phone. "Call me at the west casino tonight and we'll talk."

"Thank-you," you hung up the phone then called Jungkook. "It's done.

⁂

Several weeks passed, and Minho pulled through on his promise, putting you back on the payroll as he rebuilt his new empire. You'd be lying if you didn't think often of just escaping and leaving everything behind. But – as if he could read your thoughts – Jungkook was always there to call you and talk you off the ledge before you jumped.

"It'll all be over soon. Then it's just you and me," was the sorts of things he would say.

"I found Namjoon's burner phone," was what he said tonight. "We're so close, Y/N. Just a little bit longer."

"That's good," you said into your cell. "When should we do it?"

"As soon as possible. When do you see him next?"

"This afternoon. We have a meeting. I'll text you if I can pull it off."

"Be careful. And if something goes wrong, fuck them all and you get out safely. Call me right away."

"I'll be fine."

Hours later, you were in Minho's office ending your report on the profit statuses of the various lines of business. Despite you dragging the meeting on for as long as possible, he never got up to go to the bathroom. You weren't sure if you would have enough time even if he did. You needed another plan. You didn't like it, but you knew one other weapon you could use.

"Is there anything else?" Minho asked. Now was the time. You rolled your shoulders back and licked your lips.

"There is something," you put on your best sultry tone. Minho seemed to notice immediately and looked up at you. You batted your eyelashes at him.