Thieves and Thrones: An NCT Mafia Story

Safe and Sound

Mark is forcing himself to relax as he removes the ripped stitches in the opening in Nara's stomach. They are back in the oversized open kitchen, as it's the most sterile place to do this and Taeyong already bleached everything. He doesn't know what to say to her, so there's just this long and awkward silence enveloping the both of them.

It doesn't help him at all that she refuses to stop looking right at him. It's as if he can feel her eyes roam over the curve of his nose and the shape of his lips. But he won't meet her eyes. He has an excuse for now. He has no idea what he's doing, so it's incredibly important that he concentrate.

Taeyong gave him basic instructions on how to fix it and he's doing what he can.

"Do you only speak when you're saving lives?" Nara finally asks, trying to hide the tiredness in her voice.

Mark purses his lips as he wipes the wound with alcohol. She sips a gulp of air at the sting, but stays relatively still.

"No," he replies, at a total loss for words.

This entire thing felt like his fault. From the second the deal went bad, to this moment right here.

"I—you don't have to worry about being here, you know. I wouldn't have brought you if I didn't think you'd be safe," he offers, mostly trying to convince himself.

"I'm not worried about being safe," Nara shifts herself slightly with an exasperated breath. "I don't like people making decisions based on assumptions they haven't even bothered asking about."

Mark carefully threads a needle and dares to look her in the eyes. He never had to deal with an innocent bystander before and he's only now realizing how soft he is. Especially with the way his heart starts beating the second he sees those inquisitive eyes of hers.

He licks his lips, managing to pull himself together again. "To be fair, you've been passed out. It's not as if we could ask you."

"Okay...but you couldn't even be bothered to wait," Nara retorts. "I don't know where I am, who you are, and why I was shot. But I've heard enough to make my own assumptions."

Mark smirks, impressed by how she is so capable of making her point. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that if I was an actual threat to you, I'd be fucked," she replies. "You're going way beyond what's necessary for me. I promise you. It's a waste of your time."

Mark ties a knot on the end of the thread, battling with his gut feeling about her and the voice in his head. "Why were you there? I mean—why were you walking around that part of town so late...alone?"

"If you gave me my stuff back I could show you," Nara says.

Mark notices how her arms are shaking and that this tough act is taking a toll on her. "I'm gonna stitch this up. So you should lay down."

"And I'm sorry in advanced," he iterates.

"For what?" She asks, laying on the kitchen counter.

"I have never stitched anything in my life, so this is going to heal like shit."

—

Coordinating security protocols for this meeting at the Weishen compound was a nightmare. Jaemin got the call from Renjun at 3am, waking him from a dead sleep, and he had been in operation planning mode ever since.

On his third cup of coffee at only 10am, Jaemin looked at the crude drawing he'd made from Renjun and Chenle's verbal description of the Weishen compound. He didn't like going to places he hadn't already been able to scout for things like this.

But this was a priority meeting, apparently, so he was doing what he could to make sure they'd be able to get out swiftly in the event things went sour.

"I'm heading over there in a couple of hours to see what I can see," Jisung saunters up to the large mahogany dining table opposite where Jaemin is seated, dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white shirt. "When do you want me to report back?"

"We're supposed to be there at 7pm," Jaemin replies, looking up at Jisung's long, lean figure, "I'll need enough time to get security in place, so let's say five."

"Have you looked into this girl?" Jisung asks, leaning over the table and swiping Jaemin's coffee. "Seems like they're freaking out over nothing."

Jaemin watches Jisung take a drink of his coffee in anticipation.

"Oh my God, what did you put in here? Rocket Fuel?" Jisung asks in disgust, gingerly setting the coffee cup back in front of Jaemin as if he's touched something foul.

"I need to concentrate," Jaemin offers as a measly reply.

They all knew he liked his coffee strong, but always seemed to forget just how strong. "I don't think it's over nothing, though. I always do background checks on anyone we come in contact with for this very reason. We don't want to let anyone in who could relay information to the wrong people," Jaemin looks back down at his schematic, starting to make arrow marks with numbers next to them, indicating what exit route is best to worst.

"Maybe I just don't see how overreacting is the best policy. That's the easiest way of tipping someone off to your intentions," Jisung remarks.

"And that's why you're the spy," Renjun says, walking into the lavishly decorated dining room wearing a yellow hoodie and shorts. "We misdirect while you get the truth they don't want anyone else to see."

Jaemin smiles up at Jisung in a mocking sort of manner that he knows will annoy Jisung. Seconds later, the eye roll that Jisung responds with is so satisfying for Jaemin that he tilts his head back and laughs.

"It's not going to be as bad as everyone is anticipating, but I want everyone to prepare for the worst," Renjun continues, ignoring the exchange between them. "I've established relationships with both families and I choose to see this as an opportunity, rather than a burden."

"An opportunity to gain intel," Jaemin says off-hand.

"Sure. I think that is going to be expected," Renjun agrees, sitting down next to Jaemin. "But also to solidify our agreement amongst the families. There are a lot of opportunities we are missing out on simply because everyone is expecting someone else to stab them in the back."

"Aren't they?" Jaemin and Jisung speak in unison.

"Not everyone can be as devilish as the pair of you,"Renjun responds sarcastically.

"I think Jeno holds that distinction," Jaemin replies, looking over at Renjun with a question lingering on his tongue.

"I have him handling something else right now. He'll be here when it's time to leave," Renjun answers, already knowing what Jaemin was going to say.

"Is it about this?" Jaemin asks, his curiosity mounting.

Jeno was sent out on solo missions all the time. He and Jisung were the best at working alone. But Jisung never came back with a body count.

Jeno did. Every. Single. Time.

"It is. But I'd like to talk more about that once he's back so I have all the necessary information moving forward," Renjun says, reaching for Jaemin's cup.

"Unless you want to throw up, I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Jisung blurts out.

Renjun slowly recoils his hand.

"If you want everyone to trust each other and not expect 'someone else to stab them in the back', "Jaemin says with air quotes, "then why do you have our man, whose entire job is exactly that, out there handling something about this?"

Renjun offers Jaemin a stiff smile, with his brows raised. "It's a shame you abhor murder, you'd be very good at Jeno's job. So pretty, and smart too."