The case

chap 7

A Dangerous Pact

As Thanh and Mai sprinted through the narrow, dimly lit streets, they both knew they were in deep. The sirens were closing in, but more dangerous than the police were Vinh's men, who would stop at nothing to silence them. Their only hope was to disappear, at least for the moment, to regroup and figure out their next move.

They eventually found refuge in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was dark and musty, with only faint beams of moonlight filtering through cracked windows. Mai leaned against a wall, her breath still heavy, while Thanh checked the entrance to ensure they weren’t followed.

“We can’t stay here long,” Thanh said, trying to mask the turmoil inside him. “Vinh will be sending more men, and we’re running out of options.”

Mai shot him a glare, her anger barely contained. “Options? You mean like the one you took when you decided to work with those criminals behind my back?”

Thanh winced. He knew she had every right to be angry, but he also knew they had to stay focused if they wanted to survive. “Mai, I know I screwed up. But right now, we need to figure out how to stay ahead of Vinh. He’s not going to stop until we’re either dead or working for him.”

Mai paced the room, her mind racing. “We need evidence. Something we can use to expose ‘The Circle’ and put an end to this once and for all. But after tonight, it’s not just Vinh we have to worry about—the police are going to come after us too. We’re going to look like criminals on the run.”

Thanh nodded grimly. “We’re out of allies. The only people who might help us are those who want to see ‘The Circle’ fall as much as we do. But that’s a short list.”

Mai stopped pacing and looked at Thanh, her expression softening slightly. “There’s one person who might be able to help. Someone who’s been working against ‘The Circle’ for years, but from the outside. An investigative journalist named Lan. She’s been digging into the organization for a long time, but she’s never gotten close enough to blow the whole thing open.”

Thanh raised an eyebrow. “And you think she’d trust us? After everything that’s happened?”

Mai nodded. “She’ll be skeptical, but if we can give her something concrete—something that proves we’re on her side—she might be willing to take the risk. But we’ll have to move fast.”

Without wasting any more time, they made their way to Lan’s last known hideout, a small apartment above a closed bakery in a quiet part of town. When they arrived, Mai knocked on the door in a specific pattern, one that indicated they weren’t a threat.

A moment later, the door creaked open just enough for a woman with sharp eyes and dark, shoulder-length hair to peer out. Lan’s gaze hardened when she saw Mai and Thanh, and she quickly closed the door again.

“We need to talk,” Mai said urgently through the door. “It’s about ‘The Circle.’ We have information you’re going to want to hear.”

There was a tense pause before the door opened again, wider this time. “You’ve got two minutes,” Lan said coldly, stepping aside to let them in.

Inside, Lan’s apartment was cluttered with papers, photographs, and maps, all connected by strings of red yarn—her ongoing investigation into ‘The Circle.’ She motioned for them to sit, but neither Thanh nor Mai did.

“We don’t have time for the full story,” Mai began. “But we’ve gotten in deep with ‘The Circle.’ Thanh infiltrated one of their factions, but now they’re onto us. We need your help to expose them before they take us out.”

Lan’s eyes narrowed as she studied them. “Why should I trust you? You’re both police, and for all I know, you’re still working for them.”

“I’m not,” Thanh said firmly. “I made a mistake getting involved with Vinh, but I’m trying to make it right. They’ve been watching you, Lan. You’re a target, and if we don’t take them down together, none of us are going to make it out alive.”

Lan’s skepticism was palpable, but she couldn’t ignore the urgency in their voices. “What exactly do you have?”

Thanh pulled out the file Vinh had given him and handed it to Lan. “This is a start. It’s a list of key players within ‘The Circle,’ the ones Vinh wants to take out. If we can connect them to the organization and expose their activities, it could bring the whole thing down.”

Lan flipped through the file, her expression unreadable. “This is good, but it’s not enough. We need proof—something that will hold up in court and in the public eye. We need to hit them where it hurts, and we need to do it before they can regroup.”

Mai nodded. “That’s where you come in. You’ve got the connections, the network of informants. We can work together to gather the evidence, but we need your resources, your expertise.”

Lan looked between them, weighing her options. Finally, she closed the file and set it down. “I’ll help you, but on one condition: we do this my way. No more secrets, no more games. If we’re going to take down ‘The Circle,’ we do it right.”

Thanh and Mai exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement. They were in too deep to turn back now, and Lan was their best chance at bringing ‘The Circle’ to justice.

“Alright,” Lan said, her voice steely with determination. “We’re going to need a plan, and we’re going to need it fast. First, we have to find out where they’re vulnerable, then we strike.”

As the three of them huddled together, plotting their next move, Thanh couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking a tightrope over a chasm. One misstep, and they would all fall. But for the first time in weeks, he felt a glimmer of hope. They had a chance—however slim—of ending this nightmare once and for all.

But as they made their plans, far away in a darkened room, Vinh was already moving his pieces on the board, preparing for the final showdown. He knew Thanh and Mai wouldn’t go quietly, and he was ready to do whatever it took to protect ‘The Circle,’ even if it meant destroying them both in the process.