Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The trap tighten

Sky and I arrived at the local police station, the afternoon heat pressing heavy against my skin as we stepped out of the car. The air was thick with the scent of motor oil and dust, and inside, the station was bustling with officers moving between desks, phones ringing in the background.

Dunk and P’Joong were already inside, huddled over a table of documents and reports. Dunk was munching on a bag of dried squid, while P’Joong scribbled notes onto his notepad, completely focused.

“Anything new?” Sky asked, pulling up a chair.

Dunk wiped his hands on his jeans. “Yeah. Turns out our dead guy, Tuman Wichit, wasn’t just a former Kuapha accountant. He was trying to meet someone before he got on that bus.”

Sky’s eyes sharpened. “Who?”

Dunk flipped open the report. “A guy named Anucha Phromsak, mid-level operator in the Kuapha gang. Tuman called him three times the morning before the bombing, but Anucha hasn’t been seen since.”

I leaned forward. “So either Anucha knows who killed Tuman, or he’s already dead too.”

“Bingo,” Dunk said, popping another dried squid into his mouth.

Sky exhaled sharply. “We need to find him before someone else does.”

Joong nodded. “Already checking. Perth and Santa are also working on something—said they found something weird in the security logs.”

-----

Back at headquarters, Perth’s fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard, eyes scanning the monitor in front of him. Santa stood behind him, arms crossed, watching as lines of code scrolled across the screen.

“Tell me you found something,” Sky’s voice crackled through the speakerphone.

Perth adjusted his headset. “Yeah. Found something… and it’s bad.”

Santa leaned over the desk. “Someone tampered with the bus terminal’s security footage. The cameras were running, but the footage from two hours before the bombing? Completely wiped.”

Sky tensed. “Wiped? Who could’ve done that?”

Santa clicked his tongue. “Either someone inside the system or someone who paid the right people.”

I met Sky’s gaze. “Whoever planted that bomb had help.”

Sky’s grip on the phone tightened. “Keep digging. I want to know who covered their tracks.”

Perth’s voice was calm but serious. “We’ll get you a name.”

Santa smirked. “Give us two hours. Maybe less.”

Sky hung up and exhaled, rubbing his temples. “This just got more complicated.”

-----

The humid air pressed heavy against my skin as we stepped out of the Narathiwat Police Station. The sky had begun its slow descent into dusk, and the once-busy streets were starting to thin out.

Sky was beside me, his posture relaxed—but I knew better. Even in silence, he was hyper-aware of everything around him.

I had started to notice these things about him. The way his fingers tapped subtly against his wrist when he was thinking. The slight furrow in his brows when something didn’t add up.

And the way he glanced at me more often than before.

Something had shifted between us.

But before I could make sense of it, my instincts suddenly went on high alert.

A black sedan was parked across the street.

The same one from the crime scene earlier.

I didn’t react right away, just subtly nudged Sky. “Captain.”

His gaze followed mine.

We watched as the sedan idled for a moment too long—then, as if realizing we had spotted them, it pulled out of the parking space.

Sky exhaled slowly. “They’re tailing us.”

His voice was calm, but I could sense the shift in him. His focus had sharpened, his body coiled like a predator assessing its prey.

“Let’s lose them,” he muttered, already moving toward the car.

I barely had time to buckle in before Sky hit the gas.

---

The Chase

The car behind us followed immediately, closing in faster than I expected.

Sky made a sharp turn, cutting into a side street, dodging pedestrians and motorbikes.

“They’re keeping up,” I said, gripping the handle above the door.

Sky gritted his teeth, his eyes scanning for an opening. “They’re not just some random thugs. They know what they’re doing.”

He cut into a narrow alley, barely missing a parked truck. The sedan followed, but Sky suddenly jerked the wheel right, sliding into an even tighter passageway between two buildings.

The sedan overshot the turn.

For a split second, we were out of sight.

Sky took the chance and killed the headlights, guiding us into the shadows of an abandoned lot.

We sat there in silence, the only sound being our breaths and the distant hum of city life.

The sedan sped past our hiding spot, unaware we had vanished.

I exhaled, tension unwinding from my shoulders. “Damn.”

Sky let out a small chuckle. “Not bad, huh?”

I turned my head, meeting his gaze. We were close. The adrenaline still buzzed between us, the car feeling smaller than before.

His hand was still gripping the steering wheel, but his other hand had landed—unintentionally—on my thigh during the sharp turn.

I hadn’t noticed until now.

Neither had he.

For a second, neither of us moved.

His fingers twitched slightly.

I should’ve said something. Should’ve moved away.

But I didn’t.

Sky realized it at the same time I did. His eyes flickered downward—just a fraction—before quickly pulling back. He cleared his throat and pulled his hand away, gripping the gear shift instead.

A strange, warm feeling crept up my spine.

“…We should go,” he said, his voice lower than before.

“Yeah,” I murmured.

He started the engine again, but the tension didn’t fade. It just… lingered.

------

We had barely merged onto the main road when the black sedan reappeared—this time, coming straight at us.

I saw it a split second before Sky did.

“Capt!” I yelled.

Sky yanked the wheel, but it was too late.

The sedan clipped the back of our car hard, sending us spinning. My seatbelt locked tight as the world blurred around me. The tires screeched, metal scraping against the pavement before we slammed into a parked truck on the sidewalk.

The airbag exploded into Sky’s chest, pinning him against the seat. I was thrown forward, only stopped by my seatbelt cutting into my ribs.

Pain pulsed through my body, my ears ringing.

Then—gunfire.

The windshield shattered, glass spraying across the dashboard.

Sky ducked instantly, his instincts kicking in. “Shit!”

More bullets tore through the driver’s side, forcing him lower.

I didn’t think—I moved.

My hand shot out, gripping Sky’s arm, yanking him further down just as another bullet whizzed past, embedding itself into the headrest.

Sky turned to me, his breath sharp, eyes locked onto mine. Shock flickered across his face—not because of the attack, but because I had shielded him.

For a moment, we just stared at each other.

His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something.

But before he could—footsteps.

They were closing in.

“We need to move,” I said, my voice low.

Sky didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed his gun, kicked open the door, and we rolled out of the car, crouching low behind the wreckage.

Bullets continued to rain down, striking the car, the pavement, the surrounding shop windows.

Our attackers weren’t random gang members.

They were organized. Trained.

And they weren’t trying to scare us.

They were trying to kill us.

Sky peeked over the edge of the car, scanning the street.

“Three men,” he muttered. “One covering the road, one moving up, and—”

He grabbed my shoulder, shoving me down just as a shot nearly took my head off.

“Sniper,” I finished for him, heart hammering.

Sky gritted his teeth. “We split up. Draw their fire, take them out one by one.”

I nodded, gripping my gun. “Regroup at the local safe house.”

Sky hesitated for a fraction of a second—like he wanted to say something else.

Then, just as quickly, he reached out, brushing a small piece of glass from my cheek.

I froze.

The movement was quick, instinctive—but his touch lingered.

Just a second too long.

My breath hitched, and suddenly, the heat of the fight felt different—not just adrenaline, but something I didn’t know how to name.

Then Sky snapped back to reality. His jaw tightened. “Go.”

And just like that, we moved.

---

The safe house was a small, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Narathiwat, used by local law enforcement as a temporary fallback point.

Sky and I slipped in through the side entrance, locking the door behind us.

For the first time since the attack, the world was quiet.

Sky leaned against the wall, exhaling. His fingers ran through his hair, his chest still rising and falling from the exertion.

I stayed near the door, watching him.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Sky’s gaze flicked to me. His expression is unreadable.

“You moved first,” he said.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

“In the car,” he continued, his voice softer than before. “You pulled me down.”

I shrugged. “You would’ve gotten shot.”

His brows furrowed slightly, like he was trying to make sense of something. “You didn’t hesitate.”

I met his gaze, something twisting in my chest. “Neither did you.”

The tension stretched between us, something unspoken hanging in the air.

Then Sky exhaled, shaking his head. “Next time, be more careful.”

I smirked. “You too, Captain.”

His eyes flickered by the way I said it.

But before either of us could acknowledge it, the radio crackled to life.

---

Back at HQ

By the time Sky and I arranged a flight back, Joong and Dunk had already landed and briefed the squad on what happened.

The moment we stepped into HQ, the squad erupted.

Dunk nearly spit out his coffee, slamming the cup down so hard it splashed onto Perth’s keyboard.

“WAIT—someone tried to KILL you?!”

Perth sighed and grabbed a tissue. “Dunk, I swear to God—if you ruin my equipment again—”

Dunk ignored him completely, wide eyes darting between me and Sky.

Santa, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes. “I knew something felt off about this case.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “This isn’t just about gang retaliation anymore.”

Sky ran a hand through his hair, exhaustion creeping into his posture. “No, it’s not.”

Perth was already typing furiously, his gaze locked on the screen. “I’ll check city cameras and traffic logs. If I can pull up their license plates or find footage of the attack, we’ll know who sent them.”

Joong, standing near the table with his arms crossed, frowned slightly. “And you’re sure you weren’t followed back?”

Sky exhaled. “We lost them. But they’ll come after us again.” His tone darkened slightly. “This was a warning.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of the situation settling over us.

Then, to my surprise, Sky turned to me.

“Nani,” he said.

I froze for half a second.

Sky always called me Hirunkit. Always. It was sharp. Professional. A constant reminder that I was an outsider in his squad.

But just now—he hadn’t.

I looked up. “Yeah?”

Sky’s brows furrowed slightly, like he was debating something internally. Then, with a sigh, he finally said, “You did good back there.”

For a beat, nobody spoke.

Dunk’s mouth dropped open slightly.

Santa raised an eyebrow, shifting in his seat as if he’d just heard something impossible.

“…Wait,” Dunk said, grinning like a devil. “Did Sky just—”

“Shut up,” Sky snapped immediately, his glare sharp.

Dunk’s grin only widened. “I didn’t say anything~”

Joong tilted his head, his smirk slow and knowing. “No, but your face did.”

Sky sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “I hate you all.”

Santa, still watching him closely, hummed under his breath. “Huh.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Santa shrugged, picking up his tablet. “Nothing. Just… interesting.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly, about to press further, but Perth suddenly let out a low whistle.

“Oh, you guys are gonna love this.” His fingers flew over the keyboard, enlarging a grainy image on the screen.

It was a still from a traffic camera near the ambush site.

The black sedan.

And inside—a face.

The squad instantly snapped to attention, all traces of humor gone.

Sky stepped forward, his jaw tightening. “Who is it?”

Perth zoomed in, adjusting the contrast.

A man in his early 40s, scars lining his jaw. A face that had been missing from police records for years.

I inhaled sharply.

I knew that face.

Sky’s gaze flicked to me immediately, catching the change in my expression.

“Nani.” His voice was quieter this time. Not demanding. Not sharp. Just searching.

I clenched my fists.

“…He’s one of Thupa’s men,” I said.

Silence.

Then Joong muttered, “Well. Shit.”

Sky’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “How sure are you?”

I swallowed, my pulse picking up. “One hundred percent.”

Sky’s fingers tapped against the table once, a silent beat of thought.

Then, with renewed determination, he turned to Perth. “Find out where that car went next. I don’t care if you have to hack every camera in the city—get me a location.”

Perth cracked his knuckles. “Already on it.”

Sky turned back to me, his eyes still searching for mine, like he wanted to ask something else but wasn’t sure how.

Instead, he just said, “Get some rest.”

I hesitated. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” he countered, too fast, too certain.

I wanted to argue.

But the way he was looking at me—focused, unyielding, different—made my throat feel tight.

“…Fine.”

His eyes lingered a second longer before he turned away.

Santa smirked. “Sky, since when do you tell people to rest?”

Sky shot him a look. “Do you want to join Dunk on my hit list?”

Dunk gasped dramatically. “You have a hit list? I’M ON IT?!”

Joong clapped a hand on Dunk’s shoulder. “Congrats, kid. You’ve made it to Sky’s Special List of People He Tolerates.”

Dunk groaned. “I don’t wanna be tolerated—I wanna be loved.”

Sky pinched the bridge of his nose. “I swear to God—”

The banter continued, the tension in the room loosening just a fraction. But underneath it all, I could still feel the unspoken weight of what had just happened.

Sky had called me Nani.

And even though it was just a slip—a small, fleeting mistake—it didn’t feel like one.

-------

Eventually, the energy in HQ began to fade. The urgency of the ambush, the teasing, the tension—it all settled into something quieter. A hum of clicking keyboards, flipping pages, and exhausted sighs filled the space, replacing the sharpness of our earlier discussion. But the weight of what happened still lingered.

Dunk was still buzzing with leftover adrenaline, rambling about how I apparently had "main character energy" for surviving an ambush. Santa had given up listening halfway through, choosing instead to watch me silently over the rim of his coffee cup.

Perth was glued to his monitors, running background checks on every suspicious face caught on traffic cameras near the ambush site. Joong, as usual, played the role of the responsible one, redirecting everyone’s focus back to the case files laid out on the table.

Sky?

Sky wasn’t saying much at all.

I felt his presence more than usual, his movements always just within my line of sight.

And maybe I was imagining it, but…

He was watching me differently now.

Later that night, while everyone else was buried in files, he quietly walked over and sat next to me.

He didn’t say anything at first.

Then, in a voice so low only I could hear, he asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”

I stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Sky leaned in just a little. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his jacket, the faint scent of coffee, metal, and something distinctly him filling the space between us.

“You do,” he murmured.

I swallowed. “Captain—”

“Sky.”

I blinked.

He had never corrected me before.

I turned my head slightly, our faces closer than they should be.

For a moment, we just sat there.

I could hear my own heartbeat. Could feel the warmth of his presence beside me.

Then, finally, I forced myself to look away.

“I can handle it,” I said quietly.

Sky didn’t move.

Didn’t push.

But when he finally spoke, his voice was lower. Softer.

“…You don’t have to.”

And for some reason, that was what scared me the most.