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[annapeace.livejournal.com]

Title: Load the Chopper, Let it Rain (part 1)
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Infinite
Summary: Sometimes, bad guys are the only good guys.

--

“The problem is, it’s all legal. These men...they can’t come to shore. They get paid next to nothing. Some of them don’t even know what they’re signing up for before they’re brought over. And everyone just looks the other way.”

“I understand your frustration,” Sunggyu said slowly, “but I can’t bring down the entire fishing industry.”

“I know. And that’s not what I’m asking. Plenty of owners treat their crews well. They don’t starve their crews or keep them in bedbug infested bunks. Deny them medical treatment. Work them to exhaustion and lose them at sea. But Paul Martin does, and he’s the one I need you to take down.”

--

Myungsoo didn’t often get to interact with their marks in person. Most of the time, his role had him in the office, the hotel room, the van. Somewhere in the background where he could watch everyone. But this time, he’d been given a role.

He’d made sure Tim Martin was invited to the gallery opening -- by mistake, of course, but Tim was the type of person who would take advantage of such mistakes. He’d sent the curator on a wild goose chase and replaced him with Woohyun. And then he’d gotten dressed in a nice, dapper suit, slicked back his hair and attended the opening.

Myungsoo had a glass of wine in his hand and was contemplating the cheese board when Woohyun signalled him over. He sighed, vowing to return later, and walked to where Woohyun was standing.

“He’s over there,” Woohyun murmured. “Walk with me, keep your voice pitched low, but speak clearly. Let’s go.”

L followed Woohyun, angling his head so they’d look like they were in close conversation. As they neared Tim, Woohyun said, “I needed the statues gone yesterday, we’re only here for a few more days. You told me you could get it done.”

“I still can. We have a flight out tomorrow night,” L replied.

“Planes are not worth the trouble with these local deliveries. Airports are too much of a hassle. You promised me a boat.”

L shrugged carelessly. He was remote, icy and untroubled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tim edge closer, trying hard to act like he wasn’t eavesdropping.

“My boat has become unavailable. When Mr. Goro requires it, he gets it.” Goro was the local yakuza boss, and that, more than anything, would solidify Tim’s interest. “You understand, Johnny.”

Woohyun sneered. “I understand that we are no longer doing business.” He veered off, leaving L standing alone in the middle of the gallery. L affected nonchalance, as one who routinely dealt the the yakuza would. He sipped from his wine glass and turned to a spectacularly ugly painting. What he wanted to do was go back to the cheese. But not yet.

Myungsoo listened as Tim made his approach.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear you and that guy over there...sounded like you need some deliveries made by boat?”

Woohyun glared at Tim suspiciously and said in a clipped voice, “That depends. Are you in shipping?”

“Heck yeah. I’m Tim Martin. My brother and I own a fishing fleet.”

Woohyun did his best haughty, talking down his nose voice, “How charming. I don’t really care for fish.”

Tim floundered a bit, then laughed awkwardly. “No, I mean, I got plenty of boats. And we can definitely do more than carry fish.”

Myungsoo smiled. That was neatly done, if he said so himself. Now he could go back to the hotel and take up his usual position behind the laptop. Although first, he was going to get some cheese.

--

“Ah, there he is now. Benny!” Woohyun turned from the man he was escorting and waved at a figure down the beach.

Sungyeol came jogging out of the ocean with his surfboard like a tall, bronze god. He had stripped his wetsuit down to his hips to better display his tapered waist and glistening arms. His blond highlights glowed under the sun and framed his face like a halo. As Sungyeol neared Woohyun and guest, his entourage approached as well.

“Howzit, brah?” He greeted them with just a hint of a lazy surfer drawl in his voice. He handed off his surfboard to Hoya and accepted a pair of sunglasses from Hyojin.

“Tim, this is my associate, Benny Ko,” Woohyun introduced to the man next to him.

“It sure is.” Tim grinned and reached out for a handshake. Sungyeol obliged like one used to meeting fans. “I saw you on the cover of Transworld, you’ve surfed some sick waves. You here for Billabong?”

Sungyeol smiled deprecatingly. As if Billabong were good enough for him. “Thinking about it. Surfing’s more of a hobby for me these days, though. I’m really here on other business.”

“Yes, that’s why I thought you two should meet.” Woohyun beamed and gave Tim a pat on the shoulder. “Tim was at the event I was hosting, he’s also looking to expand his...shipping business.”

“My family runs a fishery,” Tim said, as though prompted. He made a disgusted face. “It’s okay money and all but like, so much work and you’re surrounded by fish guts most of the time. It’s just not very classy and I keep trying to convince my brother to think bigger, richer. I mean, we’ve got access to all these boats and ports, we’ve got a bunch of disposable crew, we could be moving so much more than just fish, you get what I’m saying?”

He eyed Hyojin, who was wearing a bold red bikini and had draped herself across Sungyeol’s arm. She winked at him and deliberately laid her head on Sungyeol’s shoulder. If Sungyeol was distracted by her, he didn’t show it. After all, Benny was used to this sort of attention.

“That’s the kind of thinking I like to hear,” Sungyeol said with a grin. “I pick up a lot of pretty items on my travels, and Johnny’s always looking for new ways to help me manage the collection. Why don’t we meet at my hotel later? We’ll tell you what I’ve got lying around, and you can tell us more about your operations.”

“I’m free now!” Tim said eagerly. Sungyeol could tell Woohyun was stifling the urge to roll his eyes and had to do the same. The kid was almost too easy. No wonder he wasn’t allowed anywhere near the family accounts.

“We’re not done yet.” Sungjong minced no words over comms. “Need an hour.”

On the beach, Sungyeol laughed easily. “Give me some time to get showered. And maybe tend to a few others things, too.” He wrapped an arm around Hyojin’s waist and gave her a squeeze, letting his fingers trail down to her hips. Tim’s gaze lingered enviously. It was clear Sungyeol didn’t have to do much else to sell this lifestyle.

“Let’s say 5 p.m.,” Woohyun cut in. “Does that work for everyone?”

Tim nodded.“Sounds good. I guess I can go pick up my brother then. He’s kind of a Debbie Downer but he gets final say on everything, so I’ll have to bring him in sooner or later. I’ll see you guys in a bit, super excited!”

Woohyun did the cheesy double finger-gun thing, which looked ridiculous even though it proved to be the right move when Tim pointed back. Sungyeol lifted a hand just enough for a lazy wave.

“Shoots.”

They watched him scamper off, then Sungyeol carefully removed his arm. He was always a fan of standing next to a beautiful woman in a swimsuit, but Hyoji wasn’t just any beautiful woman. She knew it as well, laughing and reaching up to pinch him on the cheek.

“It’s so cute that you’re still scared of me.” She sauntered off to find Hoya and her beach towel while Sungyeol rubbed his cheek gingerly. There was no shame in being scared of Hyojin. She’d trained Hoya, after all. She was probably more deadly with her pinky finger than Sungyeol was with his entire body.

“Okay, Tim’s on the hook,” Woohyun was saying, “but how is this going to work? Tim has no legal authority and his brother, though a greedy little bastard, is too careful.”

“Don’t worry about the brother,” Sunggyu said from whatever hotel bar he was currently occupying. “Dongwoo and Sungjong will keep him out of the way. Just focus on selling Tim.”

--

“Sorry,” Dongwoo said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Your brother was supposed to be here.”

“My brother is a fucking idiot,” Paul snapped. “All he wants is lifestyles of the rich and famous, but he’s never gotten his hands dirty a day in his life. I’m the one who turned this business around. And I’m the one who got us to where we are today. I’m not going to blow my savings buying this stupid yacht. Take us back to shore. Now.”

“Yes sir, Mr. Martin,” Dongwoo replied amiably. He went to start the engine and frowned when nothing happened. That wasn’t part of the plan. They were just supposed to get lost and sail into the wrong port. Could the yacht actually be having engine problems? They’d ‘borrowed’ it from someone who should have been able to pay for its upkeep.

“Well? Why aren’t we moving?” Paul demanded.

“Engine might be stalled. I’ll take a look, it’ll just be a moment.” Dongwoo hopped down to the rear deck where Sungjong had been pretending to mop. The thief was now staring out at the water, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Hyung. Are pirates a thing in Hawaii?”

Dongwoo raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and turned in the direction Sungjong was looking towards. In the distance, a small boat was fast approaching.

“L, is there a reason our boat isn’t moving and an unmarked boat is coming straight at us?” Dongwoo asked mildly.

“Um…” There was the sound of keys clacking, then L muttered, “the yacht should be fine, the owner takes really good care of it. Like, this Yamanaka guy is seriously crazy in love with his boat. And it looks like his wife isn’t too happy about that and she...oh. Oh no.”

Dongwoo waited patiently for L to follow the electronic trail of breadcrumbs, but Sungjong wasn’t in the mood to wait. It was hot and sunny out, and he wasn’t wearing nearly enough sunblock. “Hyung, spit it out.”

“So, looking at the wife’s deleted emails -- people always forget to clear the trash, why are people so dumb? -- anyway, she thought he was taking the yacht out today. So she sabotaged the engine and hired some people to make it look like an accident.”

Sungjong narrowed his eyes. “Make what look like an accident?”

L laughed nervously. “The boat...sinking. Her exact words were: if he loves that damn thing so much, he can go down with it.”

“And this is the boat that we’re currently on,” Sungjong said flatly.

“We can work with this,” Sunggyu mused almost absentmindedly, the sound of sipping filtering through. He was supposedly with L back at the hotel, but Dongwoo was pretty sure their mastermind was down at the bar again.

Dongwoo sighed, watching the would-be assassins circle in. “Should have known it’d be too easy.”

--

They were in a nightclub behind the red velvet ropes, having spent the night wining and dining. Giving Tim a taste of the good life, letting him see just how well crime paid. Sungyeol was sprawled on a banquette in a slim, sharp suit, looking decadent and well-pampered by Hyojin, who was perched on his lap. She’d swapped her bikini for a barely there glittering dress that was distractingly mesmerizing under the flashing lights.

“Of course, as a show of good faith, we’ll need you to put up some money in advance. Once our shipment reaches its destination, you’ll get the money back, and your payment on top of that.” Woohyun smiled like everything was sunshine and sangria. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

Tim was checking his phone, but looked up at Woohyun’s question. He forced a grin. “Hell no, man. No problem at all.”

Back in the hotel room, Myungsoo snorted. “It’s totally a problem. He’s got next to squat in his personal accounts and his brother’s not answering his phone. He’s going to dip into their emergency funds.”

Woohyun ignored Myungsoo’s commentary -- something he was really quite used to -- and said, “That’s good to hear. You’ll have to move fast though. We have a few items that absolutely must be moved tomorrow, and if you’re unable to sail…”

Tim swallowed, glancing at Sungyeol. He was running his hand lazily up and down Hyojin’s bare arm, showing off his Patek Phillipe as well as the diamond bracelet on her wrist.

“No, I’ll have everything ready. I swear. I might have to give you cash, but I’ll have it.”

Woohyun lifted his gin and tonic in a toast. “Cheers, then.”

“Nah, Johnny, we should celebrate our new partnership with some champagne.” Sungyeol signaled for a server to come over, but three men in dirty jeans and t-shirts showed up instead. They looked rough, nothing like the type of clientele the club catered to. Woohyun discreetly glanced at Sungyeol, who discreetly shrugged. Not something either of them had planned for, then.

“Martin. So this is where you’ve been hiding.” The leader of the men stepped forward, but paused when Hoya made his presence known.

“Is something wrong?” Woohyun asked shortly, shooting Tim a cutting look. Tim shook his head, eyes wide.

“No, I don’t even know what this is about.”

“Our man died on your fishing boat,” the leader snarled. “And we’re here to collect.”

“A few months ago a kid fell overboard and they never found the body,” L reported quietly. “The company was supposed pay reparations, but it looks like they never did.”

“No, that’s not me,” Tim was protesting. “I don’t deal with any of that, that’s my brother.”

“One brother’s as good as the other,” the leader snapped, reaching out to grab Tim by the collar. Hoya grabbed the leader’s arm first.

“You don’t want any trouble,” Hoya said, voice low, each word rounded and clipped precisely. “I suggest you walk away.”

“Fuck you!”

The fight was short and one-sided. Hoya stepped back, easily dodging the wild punch thrown at him, and knocked the leader out with three quick jabs. He grabbed the next man to rush at him by the neck and threw him to the floor, where Hyojin held him in place with a strategically placed stiletto heel. Woohyun nodded appreciatively.

The last man proved to be a more worthy opponent and managed to land a few hits. Hoya responded by dislocating the man’s shoulder.

Hoya leaned down to the leader, who had managed to sit up, and hissed, “Walk away. We’re gone after tomorrow. Then he’s all yours.”

The leader sniffed, wiping blood from his nose. He glared at Hoya as he got to his feet.

“This isn’t over.”

Hoya shrugged. Behind him, Hyojin lifted her heel and let her man to crawl back to his friends. Then club security was there. Hoya waved them all off, allowing security to escort the men outside.

“Damn,” Tim breathed in awe, his eyes flickering between Hyojin, Hoya and Sungyeol.

Sungyeol only sprawled looser, like this was nothing he hadn’t seen before. “He’s good, right? Best money can buy. Need a little ice there, Henry?” He gestured at the bruise blooming on Hoya’s cheek.

Hoya smiled faintly, tugging at his sleeves to straighten out his suit jacket. “I’m fine, sir.”

“How about some champagne, then? Speaking of champagne, where’s our server?” While Sungyeol called over the server once more, Woohyun turned towards Tim.

“That...mess...won’t be a problem, will it? Benny’s too nice to say so, but we’re not fond of dealing with people who are unwilling to pay when they must.”

“No! No, no problem here.” Tim checked his phone again and took a deep breath. “Like I said, that’s my brother, not me. I’ll have the cash for you tomorrow. Absolutely.”

Woohyun glanced at Sungyeol and smiled.