Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Line that can't be crossed

Even after the conversation died down, the weight of it didn’t disappear.

The squad went back to their tasks—Santa flipping through case reports, Perth analyzing financial transactions, Joong adjusting the crime board.

But the tension remained.

The way Santa’s sharp eyes flickered back to me between page turns.

The way Joong tapped his pen against the desk—slow, rhythmic, thinking.

The way Perth’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, like he was debating pulling up something.

They weren’t pushing anymore.

But they weren’t forgetting either.

Dunk, ever the one to break heavy moments, spun in his chair, looking between me and Sky.

“So.” He exhaled dramatically. “We’re just not going to talk about how you two came in together?”

I didn’t react.

Sky, predictably, didn’t look up from his file.

Joong raised an eyebrow. “Seems like a big coincidence.”

Santa hummed. “Almost like one of them was covering for the other.”

Perth, still typing, finally spoke. “More like both of them are covering something.”

I clenched my jaw.

Sky, however, remained completely unfazed.

Dunk whistled. “Damn. Not even a denial?”

Sky calmly turned a page in his file. “If I denied every stupid thing you said, Dunk, I’d never get any work done.”

Santa smirked. “Deflecting. Noted.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Can you all just—drop it?”

Joong gave me a long, unreadable look. Then, finally, he sighed and turned back to the board. “For now.”

---

Even after they let the conversation go, I could still feel it.

The way Joong lingered near my desk a little longer than usual.

The way Santa ‘casually’ passed me a cooling patch without looking up from his tablet.

The way Dunk, instead of making another joke, just muttered, “Be careful next time,” before spinning back around.

And the way Perth said nothing at all, but when I reached for my tablet, I noticed a case file already open and waiting for me.

A quiet reminder.

You’re still one of us. No matter what you’re hiding.

I swallowed hard. Didn’t say anything.

Just picked up the file and started reading.

--------

Undercover Briefing – The Mission Begins

The squad gathered around the mission table, the glow from multiple screens casting shadows across the room.

A map of Chiang Mai was spread out before us, marked with key locations—the meeting point, exit routes, and nearby safe zones.

Sky stood at the head of the table, flipping open the target file.

“We’ve got new intel. We’re going undercover in Chiang Mai.”

Joong immediately straightened. “Who’s going?”

"Everyone," Sky said.

Santa leaned back in his chair. “You’re taking Nani?”

Sky didn’t blink. “Yeah.”

Joong tilted his head slightly. “First time taking him into the field.”

Sky nodded once. “Won’t be the last.”

The squad exchanged glances.

Sky was never careless with missions. If he was bringing me along—he had thought it through.

Santa chuckled under his breath. “Not hesitating at all, huh?”

Sky picked up a pen and started writing notes. “Why would I?”

Joong exhaled. “Alright. What’s the plan?”

----

Sky flipped open the target file, revealing a photo of Wasan Chaiyakul—a mid-level broker for Red Orchid Exchange.

“Wasan handles money laundering operations, primarily through luxury imports and underground casinos. He operates under a legitimate investment firm but moves dirty money through shell accounts.”

Perth pulled up Wasan’s financial records on the main screen. “He’s smart. Runs transactions through offshore networks, which means he’s careful who he works with.”

Santa tapped the table. “Meaning if he even suspects we’re cops, the deal’s off—and we’ll be lucky if that’s all he does.”

Dunk frowned. “How dangerous is this guy?”

Sky’s eyes didn’t waver. “Bad enough that we don’t get a second chance if something goes wrong.”

I studied the photo of the broker.

I recognized the name.

I had worked around him before—not directly, but close enough to know his patterns.

Sky’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Nani.”

I looked up. “Yeah?”

His gaze was steady, searching. “You good with this?”

I hesitated. Not long.

Then I nodded. “Yeah.”

Sky held my gaze for a second longer.

Then he nodded back.

The squad noticed.

Santa exhaled, shaking his head with amusement. “Damn. Trusting him just like that?”

Sky didn’t look away from his file. “Should I not?”

Santa chuckled. “Didn’t say that. Just… interesting, is all.”

------

Sky pulled up the Chiang Mai club blueprint.

“We’re posing as buyers. Joong will handle external surveillance. Perth will track comms and financial activity. Santa and Dunk will be on standby as our failsafe.”

Dunk stretched. “Translation: We sit tight and wait until shit hits the fan.”

Santa smirked. “Basically.”

Joong tapped his knuckles against the table. “How cautious is Wasan?”

Sky exhaled. “Paranoid. He’s been burned before, so expect multiple security checks.”

Perth flipped through hacked financial logs. “He just pulled a large sum from an offshore account. The transaction was flagged as ‘secure delivery,’ meaning there’s a physical exchange happening soon.”

Sky nodded. “That’s our in. We make the deal look legitimate, get him to trust us, and track the money flow.”

Dunk frowned. “How much does he know about the buyers?”

Sky’s gaze flicked to me. “Not much. Which is why Nani’s cover works.”

I tensed slightly. “Why?”

Santa smirked. “Because you don’t look like a cop.”

Dunk nodded. “Yeah. You look more like someone who should be working for them.”

I didn’t react. But they weren’t wrong.

Sky continued, “I’ll handle most of the negotiations. Nani, you’ll be my associate—new money, looking to establish connections. You’re there to observe and confirm details about Wasan’s operation.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

Sky’s eyes lingered for half a second longer.

Perth zoomed in on the meeting location—a luxury club called Club Paragon.

“The deal is set for tomorrow night. Heavy surveillance, armed guards, and no room for mistakes.”

Joong tapped the Chiang Mai map with his pen. “That means we’re on the road tonight.”

Santa exhaled. “Ten hours in a car? Sounds fun.”

Perth, pulling up flight schedules, murmured, “We could take a flight instead.”

Sky shook his head. “Too risky. Wasan will be checking movements. If he sees two new names landing in Chiang Mai within 24 hours of a deal? We lose our cover.”

Joong nodded. “By car, it looks natural. Less traceable.” He adjusted the security feed. “Perth, can you tap into their internal systems?”

Perth’s fingers flew over his keyboard. “Already working on it.”

Sky glanced at the clock. “We leave in an hour.”

-----

The Long Drive to Chiang Mai

The black SUV cut through the highway, Bangkok’s skyline fading behind us.

Inside the car, the mood was mixed.

Santa flipped through a case file, muttering half-assed complaints about missing dinner.

Perth monitored a tablet, Dunk half-asleep against the window.

Joong drove in calm silence, occasionally checking the rearview mirror.

And Sky sat next to me, quiet as always.

I stared out the window, watching the darkened roads blur past.

Joong glanced at me. “First long mission with us.”

I shrugged. “Yeah.”

“You nervous?”

I tilted my head. “No.”

Santa snorted. “Liar.”

Dunk, still half-asleep, muttered, “He’s fine. Sky wouldn’t take him if he couldn’t handle it.”

That shut them up real quick.

Even I felt my stomach tighten slightly.

Because Dunk wasn’t wrong.

Sky never took risks with his team.

Which meant—whether I was ready or not—he had already decided to trust me.

---

At a rest station halfway through the drive, I walked to the edge of the lot, stretching out my stiff shoulders.

Then—

Footsteps.

I didn’t have to turn. I knew who it was.

Sky stopped beside me, hands in his pockets.

“Your cover story,” he said. “It’s simple. You’re a new investor looking for a discreet way to launder.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

Sky’s eyes stayed on me. “If anything feels off, don’t push it.”

“I can handle myself.”

Sky exhaled. “That’s not the point.”

I frowned. “Then what is?”

A pause.

Then—a small shake of his head.

“Doesn’t matter.”

I hesitated. Then, before I could stop myself—

“You trust me with this?”

Sky stilled.

The air shifted.

Then, quietly—

“I wouldn’t have brought you if I didn’t.”

And with that, he walked back toward the car.

Leaving me standing there, heart beating a little too fast.

---

By the time we reached Chiang Mai, dawn was just starting to break.

The safehouse was a small, nondescript apartment in the city. We unpacked, set up comms, checked equipment.

Joong and Perth ran background checks on Wasan’s latest financial movements.

Santa and Dunk checked the entry and exit routes for the meeting point.

And Sky?

Sky was watching everything.

Making sure there were no loose ends.

Making sure we were ready.

---

The Final Briefing

That evening, as we suited up, Sky went over the plan one last time.

“If anything feels off,” he said, “we abort.”

Joong, adjusting his earpiece, nodded. “We’ll have eyes on every entrance.”

Perth checked the signal feeds. “I’ll be monitoring security activity.”

Santa leaned back, arms crossed. “And if things go to hell?”

Sky’s jaw tightened. “Then we adapt.”

I zipped up my jacket, slipping my gun into the holster.

Sky glanced at me, expression unreadable.

“Nani.”

I met his gaze. “Yeah?”

His voice was steady. Controlled.

“This isn’t like your old work. You’re not alone in this.”

I didn’t answer right away.

Because for the first time, I realized—

Sky wasn’t just saying it for the mission.

He was saying it for me.

And I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.