9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I stay in the convenience store for a while, but when the cashier gives me an impatient look after the third time I pretend-browse the ice-cream freezer, I can't stall any longer. Nerves on edge, I trudge over to the counter and pay for the now-lukewarm Momo soda I decided on twenty minutes ago, then slowly make my way outside.

Club Guy and his two goons are standing by the bike racks near the trees, smoking. I approach slowly, ready to bolt at the smallest hint that my life might be in danger. He seems to notice my apprehension, a subtle smile tugging at his lips as he shoos the two men away with his hand.

They comply without a question, giving us some privacy. I raise an eyebrow in question and catch Club Guy's gaze.

"There's a nice park nearby," he says with a thumb hooked over his shoulder.

I've been meaning to check it out, but doing that at three in the morning with a suspicious man who looks like he could make me disappear and get away with it is definitely not how I roll.

"Nah. I'm good here. Who are you and what do you want?" I snarl, realizing as I prop my shoulder against the trunk of the closest tree that him being here can't be a coincidence. And not just because he knows my name. "How do you know my name?"

We are just out of sight of the cashier, though I think the camera at the entrance was facing this way, so it should be enough to dissuade him from trying anything. Then again, his expensive suit and the two men hovering twenty feet from us? I bet he's loaded, so he could probably have the surveillance scrubbed anyway.

I scowl at him. Is he a businessman? A politician? Mafia? The heir to something? Secret services? Does Japan even have secret services?

He plunges his hand in the pocket of his suit vest, taking out a pack of cigarettes. It's the same white with gray-green from that night, but in my freak out, I forgot to check at the cash register which brand it is. He pulls out a smoke, clutching it between two slender fingers, and lights it up. Then he takes a puff and trains his eyes on me.

My heart skips a beat, really digging the bad boy image he's sporting. I wonder if I'd look even half as cool if I dressed up and acted the same.

"My name is Kwanchai Akiyama," he says finally, exhaling smoke. He does it with his head turned to the side. "You can call me Chai."

Kwanchai. Chai… I cross my arms. While I'm not the most knowledgeable about Japan, I've met quite a few people in the past week to be able to tell his first name isn't Japanese, based on the letters and syllables combination. But I can't begin to guess where it's from .

"Chai…" I trail off. His lips upturn in a triumphant smile. "That's not Japanese, is it?"

He nods. "It isn't. I'm half-Thai."

Self-satisfaction bubbles up in me for having deduced right. "Are you a… businessman?"

He observes me with slightly slanted eyebrows, but I try not to feel intimidated. I mostly succeed, though only because of the fluttering in my stomach his intense focus causes. It feels like I'm a target caught in crosshairs, and the sensation spreads from my stomach to my chest in tingling hot waves. Adrenaline floods my system, putting me on alert.

"You could say that," he muses casually, taking another pull.

I bristle. He's lying. He doesn't look like it, but he is. I can tell. Or at the very least, he's not telling me the whole truth.

I don't like this. My gut screams it can't lead anywhere good. I shouldn't get involved. It's the same bad feeling I had when I went with Cindy to meet her ‘work friends' that first time. I didn't listen then, too blinded by my infatuation with her, and I got myself in the biggest mess of my sorry life.

A shudder makes my chest rise and fall quicker. I realize that this past week I haven't really thought about them , or the fact that they are probably turning every stone to find me. I was supposed to retrieve a shipment yesterday, so by now they know something is up.

"Right. Okay…" I think it's best not to call him out on his bullshit. If I play along and pretend I believe him, I can probably get this over without any unfortunate incidents. "Uh, so what do you want?" I say, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the peaceful time I've had since I left the US. I want it to last, forever preferably, but I know that it won't be as easy as me running away from New York. For one, my visa lasts only a year and there is no guarantee I'll figure out a way to stay longer or go to another foreign country. Legally or otherwise.

Chai gives me a slow once-over, his eyes lingering on my arms. A car passes by, illuminating one side of his face and making him look twice as intimidating. I am confident I can hold my own against him, but if the two men he's with can fight, I'm not sure I'll be able to take them on, too.

"A bodyguard," he says, inching in closer.

Little sparks pepper my skin. I feel a sudden urge to step back, but I have nowhere to go with the bike shed behind me. Swallowing hard, I squint at him. "Excuse me?"

He takes another drag of his cigarette and extinguishes it by crushing the tip against the metal wall. "I'm looking for a bodyguard, and I think you are a good fit."

What? I gape at him, mouth and eyes wide. He wants me, a random exchange student, to be his bodyguard? Is this dude high or something?

"Uh, thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'll have to decline."

He slants one thick eyebrow, as if to challenge me. He's an arm's reach away and I am technically trapped. The smart thing would be to give him what he wants, but I really don't want to be part of whatever this is. I came here to hide and maybe start over, if luck is on my side, not to get involved with shady characters with suits that likely cost more than what I got paid working multiple jobs.

"You don't want to turn this opportunity down," he says, his voice dipping a little lower. A hint of danger lurks in it, authority too, as if he's ordering me to accept rather than asking me .

My nostrils flare. Hot waves assault my body again, but I don't venture to explore the reason for them. I saved his life, so I don't owe him shit. Besides, who said I'm the type that does the smart thing? Doing the unsmart thing is my trademark.

"I do and I am. Look man, I'm not interested, okay? I don't know what gave you the idea that I would be a good fit, but that's totally not true," I throw back at him, raising my hands in a placating manner.

The smile he flashes me is wicked. It showcases his dimples and sends my heart rate through the roof, making the back of my neck burn. No one has ever smiled at me like this, like they are having the time of their life just talking to me. Witnessing it gives me this weird feeling in my stomach. It's part-fluttering, part-nerves and part something akin to excitement, and it sends a thrill up my abs that I have not felt since those days at the start of my relationship with Cindy where we still used to flirt.

Fuuuck, I can't let him get to me. This is approaching dangerous territory that I have no idea how to navigate.

"What I saw at the club suggests otherwise," he says and enters my personal space.

My hackles rise, my senses going alert. The moment he reaches for me, a switch flips in my brain. I don't think, I just act, letting my instincts and reflexes guide me as I grab his arm by the wrist, twisting it. In a movement that comes to me as naturally as walking or running, I plant my foot firmly on the ground, yank and pull, shoving him into the wall. His back crashes into the metal, a loud thwack ringing across the parking lot.

Then I hear two clicks.

Oh fuck. His men. Don't tell me they are actually armed !

Panic floods me as he raises his hand, the smile not dropping from his face. I snap my head back at the two men. They halt mid-step, hands tucked under their suit vests, where I can see the outlines of concealed guns.

"And so does your history of training Muay Thai. You even competed at the national level back in the US, I'm told."

My attention snaps back to Chai. Holy shit. How does he know that? What have I gotten myself into?

I scowl at him. "I'm not interested, man. I'm sorry." I angle my body so I can keep an eye on the two goons he came with. In case they end up being the trigger-happy type. "I trained, yes, but that's in the past. I'm just an exchange student now, okay? I'm here to study, not to look for trouble." Wrinkling my nose, I let my eyes roam him. "No offense, but you look exactly like that."

For some reason, that has him smiling at me again, his eyes shimmering with glee. I take a few steps back, breathing out in relief when he motions his men to stay put as they attempt to follow me. He sags against the wall, looking amused rather than annoyed as I expected him to.

"Think about it, Leo. You get a lot of perks if you agree to work for me."

Maybe he's telling the truth, maybe he's messing with me. I don't care either way because I've made up my mind. I smell danger here and I don't want any part in it.

"Sorry, no. Have a good night," I say as I keep putting distance between us.

He doesn't move from his spot, observing me until I cross the intersection and we are no longer in each other's line of sight.