Devour || AU VegasPete Fanfic

Chapter 14: Trapped

Pete realized he had never actually seen Yumi in action before-which was surprising because he had known her for almost eight years.

"I thought I said it was just a chat, Mr. Saengtham." Detective Time was trying to appear unfazed, but his irritation showed beneath his signature smile. Only because Pete was good at reading people, he saw it. "There was no need to bring your lawyer."

"Oh, don't be alarmed, Detective," Yumi smiled sweetly. "I'm just a friend visiting another friend for brunch."

The first thing Pete did after hanging up the call with Detective Time was call Arm. Arm had then suggested that Pete call Yumi and brief her about this whole ordeal. She had insisted she was there when Time came to talk to Pete.

So that was how the three of them found themselves in a mildly crowded cafe on a Monday noon. Yumi sat next to Pete with a cup of ice cubes (the woman was just chewing them like Pringles at this point), and Time sat across from Pete.

"Right when I asked to talk to him?" Time toed the line.

"What can I say? Life is full of coincidences, detective." Yumi broadened her sweet smile.

Pete felt incredibly guilty for dragging his very much pregnant friend into this, but the selfish part of him was a little glad, too. He feared Time would have gotten something out of him-something he didn't want to share.

"I bet it is." Time held his tight-lipped smile as he turned to Pete. Pete tried to keep his cool and appear nonchalant.

Yumi's words echoed in his mind. "He has nothing on you yet. That's why he is trying to push you."

"So, Mr. Saengtham, as you know, we have found Oleg's decapitated body in an abandoned parking lot."

Pete tried not to flinch. He hated this thing the Theerapanyakul family had about betrayal. They would do this to not only their men who betrayed them but the ones from other families too-whom they tortured in the first place to get information. Then, they would send the heads to the rival family as a taunt and warning.

Pete despised this more than anything. He was pretty sure the missing head of Oleg was parcelled, sent, and received by whichever family he had worked for.

It also meant that Vegas had gotten whatever information he was looking for from Oleg. And he was probably already lining his plans. Pete felt a crippling fear threatening to take over him every time he thought of that.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Detective," Pete simply answered. He suddenly needed a glass of cold water.

"This... method of annihilation is quite popular among the Mafia families. I'm sure you are quite aware of that."

"What are you implying, Detective?" Yumi asked. Her lips still adorned the smile, but her eyes were sharp.

"Nothing really, Mrs. Hashimoto. It's just that Mr. Saengtham lived with the Theerapanyakuls for almost a decade. So, I guess one might wonder about the connections." Time didn't take his eyes off Pete for a second as he spoke to Yumi. Pete tried not to cower away or gulp under the scrutinizing gaze.

"What connections are you accusing Mr. Saengtham of? Also, do you have any evidence supporting this... wonderment?" Yumi was fantastic at her job, Pete realized. Throughout the whole exchange, she kept her tone even and posture relaxed.

"I'm looking into it." Time's smile faltered a little, his growing annoyance taking over his face. "I only seek some assistance from your client-my apologies-you friend."

"I must say you have a nice way of asking for it, for sure. Hinting that my friend had something to do with the homicide." Yumi sipped the water that was once ice cubes.