I gave those guys an annoyed glance. I really hated it when male customers tried to hit on me. Some even had the balls to catcall me or give me their numbers. There was nothing I could do except smile politely. I wasn’t a homophobe, but I knew I didn’t swing that way…
“Look at their outfits… Luxury brands from head to toe. If you accept their advances, you’d be set for life!”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna kick your ass,” I replied coldly, giving Tem a death glare.
“I’m just kidding, yeesh! Oh, look—those girls are calling for you!”
I hushed Tem and went over to Vivi’s table. She beckoned me over as if she wanted to order something, so I smiled at her lightly while leaning closer…
“Could you tell me where the restroom is?” Vivi whispered, her face beside mine. My lips curled up when I felt her delicate touch on my hand.
“In the back, to the left,” I said, giving her a knowing smile as she caressed my hand.
“Can you show me…please?”
Everything went as anticipated. Vivi couldn’t wait to pull me into a dark corner at the back of the club near the storage room. She immediately leaned in and kissed me while I pushed her slender body against the wall, hungrily devouring the taste of her lips.
This corner of the club was a blind spot where people came for a quick hookup; I was a frequent visitor myself. The area was often deserted, and being interrupted was unlikely. I’d grab a girl and come here to get off during work.
I was fondling Vivi’s ample breasts with one hand and trying to unbutton my jeans with the other when a loud commotion suddenly stopped us in our tracks.
CRASH! CLANK!
“P’Porsche, we’re screwed!” I heard someone yell and saw one of my colleagues approaching in alarm.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, agitated. I tried to pull my pants up while Vivi smoothed out her dress, confused.
“Look for yourself!” he yelled. I sprinted after him to the bar and saw half the room in chaos. Tables and chairs were knocked over everywhere as customers fled from the commotion. Shards of broken glasses and beer bottles were strewn across the floor. More than ten men dressed in black crowded the bar, destroying the place without paying any attention to Madam Yok’s pleas.
“Please calm down, sir! We can talk!”
I hurried to Madam Yok’s side. “What happened?”
My two best friends and some waiters surrounded her, trying to stop the men to no avail. I squinted at one guy in front of me who looked vaguely familiar. He attempted to charge at me when he saw my face, but my reflexes were faster than his. I kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling backward.
Now I knew where I recognized him from. He was the guy I fought off last night. Although he and his henchmen looked pretty banged up, I was sure it was them. Now that I’d figured out why they came here, I wasted no more time and returned their punches with my friends fighting by my side.
“You are—!” he raised his fist and I caught it mid-swing.
“I’m what?” I asked sharply, my eyes glaring at him hard.
“Why did you think you could mess with us?!” he barked furiously while his underlings fought my friends and colleagues. Madam Yok also joined the fight. In a rage, she hit the thugs with a chair; she looked more like an angry hulk than her usually feminine self.
“’Cause you’re a pussy,” I chuckled before landing another punch to his face. The man swayed to the side, then grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it on the tabletop. He launched himself at me again, trying to stab me with the broken bottle.
In your dreams, asshole! I thought, laughing and dodging his attack, which enraged him even further.
I hadn’t realized they would figure out I worked here. I was taking out the trash and locking up last night when I got caught in the crossfire. Yeah, I probably brought this trouble on myself. I wasn’t afraid of them, but I was fearful of how much I was going to have to pay Madam Yok in damages.
“Arrogant bastard!” the man hissed, the muscles in his jaw tightening in anger. He tried several times to stab me, but I blocked him by kicking him back.
“Thanks for the compliment,” I said with a mock salute, and turned to the side, trying to knee him in the gut. Suddenly, some jerk put me in a chokehold from behind, knocking me off-balance. The guy with the broken bottle, who seemed to be the boss of this gang, smirked triumphantly. I looked at him calmly as he approached, trying to find an opening to evade his attack, when suddenly—
“Stop!” someone yelled from the entrance. His loud, authoritative voice commanded attention, making everyone stop and look at him.
Some of the thugs swore loudly. “Shit! It’s Kinn!”
All eyes focused on a man in a black shirt. He was flanked by a group of bodyguards in suits swarming into the bar.
“For fuck’s sake!” Madam Yok shrieked shrilly. “How am I supposed to fix this mess?”
The fight started up again. I felt relieved when the primary target changed from me to the newcomer. The guy, Kinn, fought back with much more skill than he had yesterday. I looked at him while doling out punches haphazardly, confusing both parties. I seemed to not belong to any particular side, but let’s just say I mainly attacked the guys who went after me first.
“Mr. Kinn, watch out!”
I turned just in time to see one of the thugs punch Kinn in the face; the force drove him backward into the wall with a loud thud. It was five men against one, and one of them tried to stab Kinn with a knife. I quickly made up my mind and decided to fight on Kinn’s side. After all, the watch he gave me last night was worth six figures. I roundhouse-kicked the ankle of the man with the knife, yanked a guy punching Kinn by his hair, and threw more kicks and punches until I’d knocked all five of them to the ground.
“Thanks.” Kinn’s voice was hoarse as he glanced at me.
“I’m gonna charge you for that,” I said smugly before returning to the fight. Damn, are these guys ever gonna tire out? I thought as I tried to block the goons from getting to Kinn.
“More of them are coming,” Kinn whispered.
“What?! Did you burn down their house or something?”
Kinn huffed. “I’m being hunted down.”
More thugs rushed into the bar right after Kinn finished his sentence. This time, Jom, Tem, Madam Yok, and some of my colleagues decided to flee. No matter how good you were in a fistfight, even if you had ten Buakaws3 on your side, you wouldn’t stand a chance if your opponent fought dirty. The situation had taken a turn for the worse: these new guys came heavily armed with knives and guns. I figured there was a high chance we were going to get ourselves killed if we stayed here any longer.
“Let’s go!” I yelled.
“Go where? We’re surrounded,” Kinn replied calmly. He stared down the angry mob as if he could handle them.
“Just follow me!” I didn’t know why my conscience suddenly wanted me to play the saint, but I grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him away. We exited through the kitchen and into a different alley. I didn’t dare escape using the same route as last night, fearing that we might not make it.
“Where are we going?” Kinn asked.
I remained silent. When I got on my bike, I realized what I had just done. I cursed at myself. Why the hell did I drag him along with me? Admittedly, some of this mess was on me, but wasn’t he the one who started it all?
I pulled him onto my bike, feeling fortunate that I parked in the alley here tonight since the parking lot was full. This way, we didn’t need to circle back up front. I started up the engine and zoomed into the night.
Everything seemed so familiar; it was like I’d pressed a rewind button to last night, the same events replaying. I even took the same road and saw the same gas station up ahead where I’d dropped him off last night. It felt like déjà vu.
So…how much should I charge him this time?