House of Cards | Bulletproof book 2 | A BTS Gang AU

05: Uh-Oh

I paced around the room with my phone pressed tightly against my ear. I had been trying to reach Kai for the last hour, but he wasn't answering. Angry that he would ignore me, I threw the phone across the tiny studio, relieved when it bounced on my bed instead of shattering against the wall. With a huff, I scrubbed my hands over my face and plopped down in the middle of the floor, unsure of what my next move should be.

Somehow, I needed to get into that theater. I knew my guys could handle themselves, but it had been months and nothing had happened. What if they thought the threat had passed? They were holding their auction again, so Jin had to have some sense of complacency. Hakyeon had bided his time long enough to allow them to let their guard down. But knowing what I did about Hongjoong and the rest of ATEEZ, their security would still be tight. Whoever Hakyeon had going in would be someone they wouldn't see coming. Maybe it would even be someone they trusted.

Nervous energy rolled through me like a dump truck. My stomach was in knots, my skin clammy and cold, and my head felt a little too heavy for my neck. If I didn't calm myself down, I was going to have a panic attack. With nothing else to do, I decided a shower was my best option.

I turned the water as hot as I could stand it and just propped myself up against the weak stream and let it hit me in the face and chest. I stood there, breathing through my mouth, until the water went so cold I was chattering. When I stepped out, I was freezing but my skin was still hot. And I was no more relaxed than I had been before. My mind just wouldn't stop running away from me. Finally, I threw myself back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling until exhaustion won out and I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up in a panic looking for my phone. When I picked it up and saw that there were no missed calls, I was even more angry than I had been the night before. How dare Kai ignore me like that? Realizing I had no more options, I quickly got dressed and left the apartment with one mission in mind.

I found Soojin in her booth across from mine. It was still early, but she already had a client on the table so I quietly pulled myself onto her prep counter and waited for her to notice me.

"What do you want, Selene," she asked without looking up.

I took a deep breath. "So I heard there was some auction going on in a couple days. Think anyone needs any help with security?"

She looked up from her client and narrowed her eyes. "Why would you want to work that? Didn't you hear what happened at the last one? Took them a month to clean all the bits of some guy's brains out of the carpet."

"I need the extra money," I said with a shrug.

Soojin sighed and shook her head. "It's your funeral," she said as she turned back to her work. "We've got a job that night, but I hear Mia with Everglow is working security for Red Velvet. Maybe you could get in with her. Yuqi has her number."

I grinned wide and hopped down, nearly running to Yuqi's office behind the front desk. She and Miyeon were looking over the books while Shuhua counted supplies in the inventory closet. I knocked on the door and waited for Yuqi to look up. It was weird having to ask permission to enter a room like a kid, but this was their world, not mine and I had yet to earn my place in it.

"What do you need, Selene?" Yuqi's husky voice was curt, but not aggressively so.

"Soojin said you might have Mia's number from Everglow. I want to see if they need help for the auction this weekend."

Miyeon and Shuhua both stopped what they were doing to join Yuqi in staring me down. Yuqi was the first to speak.

"You do know what-"