I'm in over my fucking head.
The entire drive I felt agitation flowing through me. Every flicker of his gaze that came my way, every little smirk he pulled, felt like he was holding some inside joke that I was on the outside of. The sleek leather seats of his car were cool, and I thanked everything that they were so I wouldn't melt into a goddamn puddle.
Beside me was a monster. Who the fuck would believe that this huge puppy looking man with baby face and small pouty lips was actually a criminal lord? His face was well-known to most of the police force but for me, it was especially prominent. I remembered my father looking at these case files in the basement, pouring over them as he tried to find some way to unravel the Kims. I would know that dark hair and those chocolate brown eyes anywhere. Although, he'd gotten older since those pictures, more mature and refined.
Shit. Will you shut up?
My arm throbbed, but I ignored it. The drink at the bar had made more blood rush to it. At first, it hurt more, but now it was becoming a fading, background kind of pain. Hopefully, if I needed to, I would be able to kick his ass if he tried to kill me. But why would he? As far as he knew, I was just some guy he'd hit on in his bar. Mingyu had no idea I was going to be the one who lit the match and incinerated his worthless family.
The car stopped, and I glanced up at a tall building. "A hotel?"
Mingyu looked me over as if he was dissecting me. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
Yeah, it's a big problem.
I'd been hoping to get back to his place, see what I could find, or at least know the location so I could return when he was out. A hotel was a problem. It showed me nothing about who he was or what he'd been doing.
Maybe I can still use this. Get close to him. He doesn't have to know who I am.
I smiled at him. "Nope, not a problem at all," I said as I grabbed the handle and let myself out.
Looked like I was going to have to play the long game. He rounded the car and dropped the keys into the valet's palm. The young man jogged off, but not before Mingyu passed him what looked like a huge tip.
"Are you coming?" Mingyu asked.
I stared at the building and then at his retreating back. He wasn't waiting for me, as if he was much too busy and important and didn't give a damn if I went with him or not. It felt like a leash had been looped around my throat, and I followed him, my feet moving on their own.
What was it about him that intrigued me?
"Good evening, sir," the woman behind the counter smiled at him. "Your laundry has been delivered to your door, and your dinner will arrive in an hour. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Mingyu shook his head. "That'll be all. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, sir."
"Are you some kind of big shot or something?"
"Or something," he answered shortly.
I examined the side of his face, but he gave nothing away. He didn't so much as glance at me, but I felt like he was watching my every move. Reaching up, he adjusted the black-metal framed glasses that were perched on the bridge of his nose.
How the hell is this man in the mob?
Most gangsters had an air to them; tattoos, greasy hair, thick accents, and too much damn bravado. He had the last trait, but the rest? Mingyu looked neat and clean, like a professor who worked at a top-notch college. Even the long, blue jacket he wore seemed tame and unassuming. But I knew the truth behind that innocent facade. His family was responsible for countless atrocities, ones that we couldn't prove. No one in the Kim family was innocent.
