Fathers and Law: Lom and Fah Book One

Chapter 30

Lom kept pulling Fah backward, surprised that Fah didn't try to escape. Reaching the car, he forced Fah to sit in the passenger seat.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Originally they were going to use the handcuffs on Khun Adi, but they used rope instead. He cuffed Fah's wrist and attached the other cuff to the bottom of the headrest.

Lom shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. Sitting down he turned to Fah and spoke for the first time.

"I need to buckle your seatbelt. Don't try anything, I've still got the gun here and as you've seen, I'm not afraid to shoot you."

Fah didn't reply he just stared straight ahead. Lom leaned over, pulled the seatbelt across Fah's body, and buckled it. A large amount of blood had soaked through Fah's shirt and it worried him for a second before he remembered Bank's lifeless body on the floor.

Fah killed Bank and almost destroyed the whole mission. Lom knew he was going to be in trouble with his father.

As he drove away he spotted Khun Adi and the family emerging from a doorway at the far end of the building. He drove along back streets until he reached the highway, saying nothing. Fah remained silent as well.

Lom had no idea where he was going. Unable to put it off any longer he pulled out his cell phone and called his father.

"Yes?" Ton answered on the second ring.

"The papers are signed. If you don't have them already they should be there soon. Art and Tao have them."

"I've got them, good job."

"I've got a small problem," Lom said. He hated telling his father. "There are three bodies at the location: Bank, Ek, and Kiat."

Ton said nothing so Lom continued. "I need them removed and Bank's body must go to Lada so she can have a funeral. I don't know how to tell her since their baby is due any day."

Ton replied he'd take care of it within the hour.

"One last thing, I need to lay low for a few days. I'm going to the suite." Lom turned to see what Fah was thinking when he realized Fah was asleep.

What a cold bastard, he kills three people and then falls asleep? What happened to the sweet, innocent guy who didn't want me beating up people who owed money? Lom pocketed his phone and headed to the suite.

Twenty minutes later he parked the car in the private garage. Fah was still asleep. "Fah, wake up, we're going inside. I'm going to unbuckle you so don't try anything." Lom was sure this was a ruse to make him let his guard down and Fah would try to take control once he unlocked the handcuffs.

As he reached across Fah to unbuckle the seatbelt Lom's arm brushed against Fah's cheek. His skin was cool and clammy. Taking a second look, Lom noted Fah was unusually pale. He got out of the car, came around to Fah's side, removed the cuff from the headrest bar, and tried to wake him up. Several slaps did nothing.

"Fuck, Fah, do you have to cause problems everywhere?" Lifting Fah onto his back he walked to the elevator which went directly to his suite. One of Ton's subsidiary companies owned the condo building and Lom had a penthouse suite. He seldom visited it because it was in the middle of nowhere.

Inside the condo, the stale warm air and silence made Lom realize it had been even longer than he remembered since he'd last visited. Ton gave him this condo shortly after Fah left for the university. Ton told him, "I gave Fah a condo by his school, it's only right I give you a condo as well."

Lom had been excited, thinking he would either get a penthouse in an upscale area of Bangkok where he would be able to crash after going out with friends, or a beachfront condo on Kamala Beach. When he finally visited this place, he wondered if Ton was trying to be an asshole on purpose.

Today, however, he was grateful for it. Leaving Fah on the bed, he turned on the air conditioner and air purifier.

"Fah, wake up," said Lom, slapping his cheek again. A peppermint inhaler under his nose had no effect. Removing Fah's shirt he examined the bullet wound; it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Previously he removed a bullet from Bank's arm after an attack while collecting money.

Lom gathered everything he needed and went to work. He sterilized a cutting needle and some forceps, removed the bullet, and sutured the wound. Grabbing some gauze and medical tape he covered the wound.

Still unconscious Fah's color began to return. Lom wrapped his body in a duvet to warm him up and put a pillow under his feet to help with treating shock.

He called a nearby doctor on Ton's payroll and asked for help. Arriving at the condo the doctor inserted an IV, started IV fluids, gave Fah a shot of antibiotics to fight infection, and advised Lom to keep him quiet.

After inspecting the wound he complimented Lom on his sutures saying they appeared almost professional. Lom thanked the doctor and paid him extra to not tell Ton.

Relieved Fah was getting the care he needed, Lom took a shower.

He tried not to think of earlier events but every time he closed his eyes, he saw Bank's body and felt guilty. He shouldn't have involved Bank when the birth of his child was so near. Now Little Bank would grow up fatherless. Lom had no idea if Lada would ever speak to him again.

Stepping out of the shower he regarded himself in the mirror. He looked exhausted, thin, and pale. After getting dressed in some shorts and a shirt, he checked on Fah who was now awake.

"Fah, try not to move too much. The bullet is out of your arm and you have stitches. You also needed fluids because you were in shock."

"Why?" asked Fah.

"You were in shock from losing blood," said Lom.

"No, why are you doing this? Aren't you going to kill me? Why save me?" Fah slowly blinked, waiting for a reply.

"I don't know. Just be grateful and shut up," said Lom. He walked to the couch and sat down to call in a food order. He called out to Fah, "What do you want to eat? I'm calling in an order."

"Lom, why are you doing this to me? What is going on?" Fah was crying. Everything was hitting him now. He was responsible for killing three people. He began shaking his head slowly back and forth, his eyes continuously filling with tears. He clutched his throat with his right hand before suddenly leaning forward and vomiting.

"What's wrong? Are you allergic to the medicine? What's going on?"

Lom ran to his side and set a trash can next to him in case he vomited again.

He returned with paper towels, a bowl of water, and a rag. He cleaned the vomit up, cleaned Fah's face, neck, and arms, and wrapped him up in the duvet. "Fah? Are you okay?"

"No."

"What's wrong?" Lom asked, leaning closer.

"What is going on?" Fah continued to repeat this question over and over. Secretly he wondered if Lom was helping him so he could psychologically torture him before killing him.

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you going to kill me?" Tears began to build again in Fah's eyes and soon they were streaming down his face.

Unable to say anything more he laid back and closed his eyes. He'd killed other human beings. It bothered him how effortlessly he had done it. What had he done in a past life that karma allowed him to find his father, and meet his brothers and Mint, only to end his life a day later?

He remembered Lom saying no one had ever loved him in the Sataeng family. He kept hearing Lom telling him how stupid he'd been to believe he'd ever loved him. That statement alone destroyed his soul.