The wail of the siren cut through the warehouse walls like a serrated blade, growing louder with every heartbeat as the police cruisers drew closer. Through the cracks in the boarded-up windows, rhythmic flashes of crimson and blue danced across the rusted interior, painting the shadows in colors of warning.
I lit another cigarette, the cherry-red tip glowing in the dark. My eyes never left Sai. Every time the siren peaked, her hand trembled a little more, and her lips parted in a silent, jagged breath. She was pathetic. A coward hiding behind expensive silk, nothing like the silent iron I saw in S.
I exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, my voice cutting through the tension. "Why the fear, Sai? Does the sound of justice make your skin crawl, or is there something else you're hiding?"
She didn't look at me. "I... I didn't even notice the sound," she stammered, her voice thin. "I'm just worried about my sister."
"Relax," I said, leaning back against a cold iron pillar. "The call was for the club in the back alley. They aren't coming for you. Not yet." I took another long drag, letting the nicotine settle my nerves. "But you're still lying. How did you really find this place? S never told you where we were."
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. Then, in a blur of motion I didn't expect from someone so frail, Sai pulled a switchblade from her coat. She lunged, the cold steel hovering inches from my throat.
"Enough questions for one day, Detective," she hissed, her facade of the 'crying sister' vanishing. "You saved her, and your part is over. Don't dig into graves that don't belong to you."
I didn't blink. Before she could even register my movement, I lunged forward, catching her wrist in a vice-like grip. I squeezed until I heard the bone groan, and the blade clattered to the floor. She let out a sharp gasp of pain.
"I am the one who decides when the questions stop," I whispered, my face inches from hers. "One more move like that, and I won't need a warrant to throw you and your 'sister' into a cage. Next time, choose your enemies more wisely."
I shoved her back, her shoulders slamming against the brick wall with a dull thud. She stared at me, breathless, her eyes wide with a mix of fury and genuine terror.
...
I woke up to the sound of an impact—a body hitting wood and stone. For a split second, I thought Typhon's hounds had finally caught up. My hand instinctively went to my side, searching for a weapon that wasn't there. But as my vision cleared, I saw Ming standing over Sai, the air between them thick with hostility.
I forced myself into a sitting position, the stitches in my side screaming in protest. They both rushed toward me immediately.
"You're awake," Ming said, his voice softening slightly, though his eyes remained sharp. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine," I rasped. My gaze shifted to Sai. "Why did you risk coming here alone? You're a fool, Sai."
"S... I was so scared," she began, but I cut her off with a look.
"You're taking the flight back tomorrow," I commanded. "I'll follow after I settle a few things here. Tell me... how is Father?"
"He is... concerned," she replied, regaining some of her composure.
"Tell him Junho is back," I said, my voice cold as the rain outside. "And tell him there's something else we need to discuss when I return. Now, get up. We're leaving."
"You can't," Ming stepped forward, his silhouette blocking the exit. "You're in no condition to walk, let alone disappear. You're still a person of interest, S. The law is looking for you."
I looked at him—really looked at him. The man who had dragged me through the mud and blood. "Mr. Ming," I said softly, "don't interfere in things that are beyond your reach."
I saw the confusion in his eyes. I leaned in, my voice a barely audible thread of silk and steel against his ear. "Sir... your superior at the station? He works for me. With one flick of my finger, I can erase your career, your pension, and your name. There is no 'law' in the world of Tian Long. Because in that world... Tian Long is the law."
I reached out, grabbed Sai's hand, and walked past him into the shadows. We vanished into the rain-soaked alley before he could even find his breath.