Part 18

After a weekend spent feeling like the an idiot she was, Tawan was in no mood for a Monday morning meeting. The two faces staring back at her on the video call didn't look happy about it either.

"So what you're saying is we're no closer to our mark than we were a week ago." She kept her tone carefully guarded. "That's what you're saying."

"We're making progress." Lin, elegant in a crisp pantsuit that probably cost more than Tawan's first motorbike, sat in a hotel room that looked too expensive for their budget. "I admit it's not as fast as I'd like."

"Where are you?" Tawan demanded. "Why do you look like you're about to have brunch with the Prime Minister?"

"Bangkok." Lin sipped her coconut-infused espresso. "And I look this way because, in about an hour, I'm meeting the head of Thailand's Film and Entertainment Board for background information."

"For the record, I'm in a gas station parking lot near Chiang Mai," Wei said.

He was in their company van/tech support/mobile command hub. On the outside, the van looked like every other black, windowless barge on the Thai highways, but on the inside, it was Tony Stark's lab shoved into a bread box. Wei was in his element, surrounded by all the gadgets and monitors. His hair looked wild and unwashed, and Tawan would bet money on his shirt being able to stand on its own. They'd been rattling at her for ten minutes, but the words "we found him" hadn't come out of their mouths.

She'd now spent more time in Kalasin than she had in years. People were getting used to seeing her. She was getting used to seeing Ira. Her rule book mocked her.

"Tawan?" Lin knocked on the fancy end table next to her. "Wei, is she frozen? She looks frozen."

Wei peered at a monitor off to the side. "No. The connection's fine."

How long had they been talking? Dammit.

"Run it by me again," Tawan said briskly, then pulled a pad of paper over and got ready to take notes old-school. Writing things down made information easier to process, and it also forced concentration. It was a trick she'd learned in military, and it still worked.

"I updated the shared spreadsheet," Lin said. "All five primaries are listed with details of their past associations and any other information I was able to gather. Wei's filling in some of the blank spots, and we've managed to strike two from the list already."

"Just two?" Frustration snapped her words like a whip. "It's been over a month. These people aren't MI6 or Interpol, right?"

Wei busied himself with something Tawan couldn't see. Lin arched an eyebrow in a way that put CEOs and politicians in their place.

"It's not like we have a big team on this. I'm playing rover, and Wei lives out of his van so he can hijack protected servers and sift through ridiculous amounts of data. If you want us to move faster, we need more boots on the ground."

Tawan held up both hands in surrender. "Sorry. It's been a lot of late nights this week. Tell me who you've eliminated and why."

"Late nights?" Lin asked, then shook her head. "Never mind. We've booted Thirapat Wisetsiri, and Prasert Kittiwat. Prasert was in Paris with his new girlfriend during the concert in question. The night of the break-in, they were spotted at a VIP bar in Bangkok."

"That place where the K-pop idol and that TV star got caught fighting?" Tawan asked.

"The memes that spawned from that are legendary," Wei said. "I've used that image of them getting drenched in whiskey to generate a few myself."

Tawan crossed Prasert off her list. "Great. What's Thirapat's alibi?"

"He was, shall we say, otherwise occupied the night of the concert." Lin looked coy.

Tawan raised an eyebrow. "What's her name?"

"Oh no, it's better than that." Lin smirked. "Thirapat Wisetsiri was having a procedure that lifted and sculpted his butt cheeks."

Tawan snorted.

"Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ass man," Wei deadpanned.

Lin beamed. "I love that this is something I know now."

"Is that a rumor or verified?" Tawan asked.

"It's fact," Wei said. "I checked the surgical center records through a back door they really should have eliminated when they upgraded their servers. He arrived early that morning and remained overnight for observation. He was also on extensive pain medication for the first forty-eight hours, so I seriously doubt he would have the physical coordination to work his way through a locked window."

Tawan crossed Thirapat's name off her list. "Good. That leaves Niran Saengthong, Suthep Anurak, and Jakkrit Phanuphong."

"Nene and I met with Jakkrit," Lin said. "He's currently working on one of those royal family docudramas in Bangkok. Gorgeous traditional Thai costumes."

She held up a picture of one to the camera. "I should send this to Ira. It would make a great stage outfit. Anyway, he knows Ira, in a roundabout way. They were both at the screening for one of Phong Anuwat and Kate's animated releases."

"That's the day Ira punched Phong on the red carpet," Wei chimed in. "You remember our stalker mentioned that in the letter he left in her dressing room."

"I remember." Tawan made a note on her list of potentials.

"Do we think that's what set this whole thing off?"

"Maybe," Lin said thoughtfully. "But he said he was disappointed, not angry, and that he understood. That doesn't sound very 'inciting incident' to me."

"Were any of the others on our list at the red carpet that night?" Tawan asked.

"Not that we've been able to figure out so far," Lin said. "Jakkrit's the only one I know was physically present. He did some of the costumes, so he was working that night, and he remembers seeing all the siblings there."

Tawan nodded and jotted down loose connection next to the guy's name. "Your take?"

"Not sure yet. That's why I'm meeting with the Thailand's Film and Entertainment Board this morning. I need more background." Lin looked doubtful. "Honestly... it seemed to me like Jakkrit was more impressed with Phong's outfit than Kate's, if you get my meaning, but that might not mean much since he's a designer. He says he was at a weekend wellness retreat during our concert window. We tried to verify, but the place was uncooperative."

"They also keep their digital records on pretty tight lockdown," Wei said. "They have more security than the Ministry of Defense."

"Nene is still digging," Lin said. "She might get lucky, but I have to admit it's a long shot. Unless you want to spring for a spa weekend for me to get pampered and snoop onsite?"

Tawan gave her a deadpan look.

Lin shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for asking."

Tawan checked her notes. "What about the stunt guy?"

"Suthep Anurak's been in Greece setting up stunts for Phong Anuwat's new action movie," Wei filled in. "Both Phong and his mother gave Suthep a glowing recommendation. He's known as one of the best in the industry, and he's worked with just about everybody, although Kate couldn't remember if she or Ira had met him personally. You might check with Ira. She could have met someone while Kate was busy."

"We couldn't find anyone who would say a bad word about him," Lin said, "other than one of the low-level staffers. She said he was rude to her once during one of the shoots for Ultimate Redemption. But several others hinted that he rejected her advances, and she was just an angry ex. Their words."

"Are they right?" Tawan made a note.

"Until I meet him in person, there's no way to know," Lin said. "He's missing in action. He's either in transit to Portugal, on location in Greece, or taking a break on a beach somewhere. Behind-the-scenes guys don't post online the same way the stars do, and we can only be in so many places at once. Unless, of course, you change your mind about bringing in extra help."

Tawan shook her head. "No. Keep it tight. We already have too many ways for information to leak out. Besides, we don't have any solid evidence that our stalker is any of these guys."

"Suthep isn't totally clear," Wei said. "He was back in Thailand for a couple of days surrounding the second concert, according to immigration records. He had opportunity."

"Not much of one," Lin pointed out. "He was in meetings for his next gig. If he was our guy, his window was incredibly tight. And during the first concert, he was on location in Krabi. I mean, it's one province over, but that's still quite a distance to cover."

Tawan tapped her pen on the desk as she visualized. "He could have flown to Bangkok."

"It's only a one-hour flight," Wei said, nodding in agreement. "But there's no way to track him if he used a private car service."

"Maybe." Lin looked doubtful. "Niran Saengthong seems more the type to me. He's a rabid-dog kind of fan, and he tried to bust into a concert before."

"I can't find a trace of him online since just before the bedroom break-in," Wei said. "According to his publicist, he's on a deep-woods fishing trip with a couple of buddies, but there hasn't been any chatter about it."

"Fishing," Tawan mused. "Sounds like code for something to me. Rehab?"

"Maybe," Lin said. "From what Nene found, Niran is brilliant but unstable. Could be drugs, or maybe he's getting ready for a new role. He's the method-actor type. He throws himself into a character and stays there until shooting is done, according to the tabloids."

"Yeah, he played an escape artist for the Legends reboot, and he actually studied with Anthony Martin." Wei's enthusiasm lit his face. "He's the guy who does those escape-or-die stunts. According to IMDB, that big scene at the end wasn't a stunt double. Niran did the whole thing himself, including the jump from the fifteenth floor."

Now that was interesting information.

Tawan leaned forward. "Could Niran hack websites, or pick the lock on a window, or mess with the electronics on the gate?"

Wei flicked a few keys. "Martin is a bonded locksmith, so Niran certainly could have learned how. And Niran once played that creepy cable guy, which would have given him technical skills with surveillance cameras and wiring if he followed through on the whole method approach. One more thing that's interesting is that his linguistics are a close match to the headlines posted in the last two weeks."

Wei's face vanished, replaced by a website. "This thread is all about possible Ira sightings. I'm pretty sure that Niran is IraEra42."

If we don't see her sweet sunny face soon, we need to demand proof of life from her sisters and her manager. Why are they hiding her?

The post had generated over five thousand responses so far, and resulted in the suggestion that they storm Phong Anuwat's estate.

"Keep Tan informed," Tawan said. "He should think about additional security in case they follow through on that idea."

"Already done," Wei said.

Tawan leaned back in the chair and studied her notes. "Primaries now are Niran, then Jakkrit. Suthep's not off the list yet unless you can pinpoint where he was during the break-in."

"I'll have more information after brunch today. Maybe it'll eliminate Jakkrit," Lin said as she smoothed the jacket of her suit. "Speaking of...I need to leave in thirty."

"Almost done here." Tawan mulled over all the information they had so far. Nothing quite fit. There were pieces of the puzzle missing, and without them, they'd never get the big picture. The shortlist seemed weak.

"None of these guys are making my gut happy. We need to kick things up. Let's switch sides. Wei, how hard would it be to plant a false trail on those forums?"

Tawan wrote Trap? and circled it.

"Super easy. I just need to create a new account." Wei started tapping on his keyboard.

"Good." Tawan glanced at Lin. "What would make our stalker take the bait?"

Lin leaned back. "Fake a picture of her out and about somewhere believable. Nothing too obvious, like anywhere near her siblings. Our psycho's probably watching them. He'd know it was fake."

"Agreed," Tawan said.

"What about Singapore?" Lin said. "She used to live there. It's easy to believe she'd come back. I could get some shots while I'm out today that Wei could doctor."

"I can deepfake Ira into whatever you send." Wei turned to another monitor and typed something. "Maybe you should get shots around her former apartment."

"Good point." Tawan doodled arrows around the word trap. "Let's take it one step further. See if you can find anything for sale or rent that's similar to what Ira used to own and post that along with the doctored photo. Make it look like she's moving back to Singapore. He didn't like her living there. Maybe that'll trigger him into something stupid."

"On it." Wei sounded distracted. He'd probably already drafted the fake post and had moved on to writing a follow-up news story. "I'll text you when it all goes live."

"Good work. Both of you." Tawan reached for the button to end the session.

"Hang on. I need to run something by you," Lin said. "I'll text you updates, Wei."

"See ya." He waved and signed off, leaving Tawan and Lin alone on the call.

"So," Lin's face was a mask of calm concern, "is there anything going on in that sleepy little town that we should know about?"

Tawan leaned back in her chair and kept her face neutral.

"No."

"Let me rephrase." Lin looked like she was chewing her words carefully. "What happened? You have that tick along your right temple that you get when you're wrestling with something. Did Ira have another party?"

Tawan sighed. "You know me too well. We should work on that." She did her best to smooth her expression, but she could tell Lin wasn't buying it.

"There's nothing for you to be concerned about," Tawan added.

She put her hands behind her head and leaned back, scowling at the ceiling. Ira had gone upstairs to take a shower when she'd jumped on this call, which meant that right now, above her, she was wet and naked.

Gods, she wanted to see that.

"Interesting."

Lin's voice snapped her back. She glanced down at the screen. Lin had one leg crossed over the other like a very expensive therapist.

Tawan dropped her arms. "Do you have a point? Because I have other things to do, and you have somewhere to be."

"You seem... edgy." Lin's gaze sharpened. "The longer you're in that town, the crankier you get. Why? What'd she do?"

Tawan thought about how to answer that, but all she came up with was a non-answer.

"Nothing. She's coping pretty well, all things considered, but we can't keep her here forever. Sooner or later, her cover will break. We don't need that kind of shit storm. We need to get this wrapped up. Now."

Lin considered her. "You know what I did for a living before you found me, Tawan. You know my background."

"Meaning?"

"I know what it's like to have to play a role a little too long. It gets confusing. Lines get blurred."

Tawan's stomach tightened. "What are you trying to say?"

"You know what I'm saying."

"Why don't you spell it out."

Lin didn't hesitate. "Have you slept with her?"

Tawan's jaw clenched. "No."

She wanted to. Hell, she wanted to right now.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you had." Lin's tone was casual, but her eyes were sharp. "It's a high-stress situation for both of you, and you are spending a lot of time together. You wouldn't be the first to—"

"I have not slept with her."

Tawan gave her a look that used to make rookies in the field tremble.

Lin didn't even blink. "Uh-huh. If not that, then what? We're a team. What affects you, affects us, so spill."

Tawan exhaled through her nose. "You know I'm your boss, right?"

Lin blinked. "And?"

"I tell you what to do, and you do it. You don't interrogate me."

Lin smirked. "Right. So you didn't sleep with her, you... what, saw her naked? Did you peek at her while she was in the shower?"

"No." Tawan ran a hand down her face. "I took her to see the sunflowers. We had a... moment."

"Uh-huh." Lin leaned closer to the screen. "Did this moment involve less clothing?"

"No." Tawan glared. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"If you want my mind somewhere else, it's going to take details."

"We almost kissed. That's it."

Saying it out loud hurt. Physically hurt.

Because it put her right down there with every other idiot who'd let their personal feelings get in the way of the job. All the scathing commentary she'd had for people who got too close to their assignments came rushing back.

And now she was one of them.

"Almost," Lin said. "But not quite?"

"No."

"No body parts actually touched?"

"No, dammit. No."

"Okay." Lin nodded as if she were working through a complicated problem. "It could be worse. This is fixable."

"There's nothing to fix." Tawan reached for the bottle of aspirin she'd had on standby. "I should go."

Lin peered at her. "One question."

"Just one?" Tawan popped three pills and washed them down with water.

"Do you like her?" Lin's expression told her she already knew the answer. She just wanted to hear Tawan say it.

Tawan shifted, uncomfortable with this entire conversation. "She's doing a fantastic job blending in. My family loves her. The whole town thinks of her as Ira Liang. Nobody suspects anything. They all think she's my girlfriend."

Lin tilted her head. "It's a simple yes or no question."

Tawan wished like hell she could scrub the image of Ira standing in a field of sunflowers out of her head.

She was attracted to her. There was no denying that.

Her body reacted every time Ira was close.

"Silence will be taken as a yes." Lin made a tsk sound. "I get it now. You've committed the cardinal sin of falling for your own cover. You've started thinking of her as your actual girlfriend, but a part of you knows what a bad idea that is, so you're flogging yourself for it."

"No."

She didn't sound nearly firm enough, so she forced herself to meet Lin's stare and repeated it more emphatically.

"No."

"Denial." Lin arched an eyebrow. "The first sign of truth."

Tawan's jaw tightened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You like her. You really do." Lin said it with certainty and more than a little concern.

"I'm sorry, Tawan. I should have said something sooner."

"I don't need to hear a lecture about boundaries, Lin. I know where the lines are. I made the lines."

"This kind of cover has a way of erasing those carefully constructed lines. It messes with your head. Believe me."

Tawan stayed silent, but she could feel the weight of Lin's experience pressing into her like a warning.

"There are tricks for handling this kind of assignment," Lin continued. "I just didn't think you needed any because she's a celebrity, and we all know how you feel about celebrities."

Tawan's stomach turned. Lin's next words were a knife to the gut.

"I should've realized all that bluster was foreplay."

"We're not doing this." Tawan readied to hit the End button.

Lin wasn't finished.

"It's understandable, you know. She's pretty, she's charming, and she has that 'it' factor. That's how she gets thousands of fans screaming for her at concerts."

"I'm not some groupie."

The idea made Tawan recoil in disgust.

"No, you're not." Lin's voice turned gentle. "It's worse than that."

Tawan's grip tightened on the desk.

"You don't like Ira the pop star."

Lin's eyes burned straight through her denial.

"You like the small-town girl Ira is pretending to be."

She let that sink in for a second before delivering the final blow.

"She's not that girl, Tawan. She never will be."

Tawan's stomach dropped.

"You haven't seen her lately," she muttered.

Lin didn't even blink.

"I told you in our first prep meeting—she's a skilled performer. An entertainer. She's spent a lifetime perfecting her craft, and she's damn good at it. But that's all it is.

"You're caught up in the fantasy right now, but trust me—reality is waiting just around the corner to kick you in the ass and take your lunch money."

Tawan exhaled sharply.

"I know."

She looked out the window at the storm clouds rolling in.

"Believe me, I know."

She raked a hand through her hair, her mind flashing back to the almost-kiss, the way Ira had looked at her like she wanted it just as badly.

Christ, what the hell is wrong with me?

"Nothing, actually."

Lin picked up her coffee and held it up in salute.

"Turns out Tawan Liang is human. These things happen. Hell, they've happened to me several times."

She smirked. "Welcome to the 'Shit Happens' Club."

"Not helping."

Tawan leaned back, feeling utterly defeated.

"I need a drink."

Lin sighed dramatically.

"You can push past this, you know. The last time I mixed a little business with pleasure, I told the guy we had to keep things professional until the op was over and that we could hook back up after."

Tawan stiffened. She'd basically done that. Only... she hadn't been as nice about it.

Lin had probably let the guy down gently, with a soft smile and a sexy little kiss to seal the deal.

Tawan?

She'd pulled away like she'd been burned and acted like nothing had happened. She took a deep breath.

"Did you get back together with him?"

"Are you kidding?" Lin scoffed. "Of course not. He was a stodgy, middle-aged Russian mafia guy with a nasty temper. But it worked. Kept him cooperative and compliant. He didn't find out the truth for at least a week after I shipped out to Milan."

Tawan heard footsteps on the stairs and leaned forward, hand hovering over the End button.

"Got to run. It's almost time for her shift."

"Wait. Just one more thing." Lin held up a hand. "If you want to pursue something with Ira—not Earn, but Ira—do it after this job is done."

Tawan's fingers twitched.

She already knew where this was going.

"That way, you'll have a clear head and you can sort out what was real and what was just pretend."

She wanted to argue.

Wanted to say that she already knew what was real.

But did she?

Lin pressed on.

"She's not a small-town girl at heart. She's a big-city, spotlights girl."

Tawan's jaw locked.

"Remember that the next time she flashes those sweet amber eyes at you."

The call disconnected.

And Tawan sat there, staring at the blank screen, trying to ignore the truth that had just been dumped in her lap.

Homecoming weekend in Kalasin meant one thing—basketball. The gymnasium was packed, banners in red and gold draped across the walls, and the rhythmic pounding of a drum echoed in sync with the excited chatter of the crowd.

Ira had never experienced anything like this before—a town coming together, cheering for their team, celebrating something that had nothing to do with her. Beside her, Tawan sat stiff and silent, her arms crossed over her chest.

After a week of cold avoidance, Ira was relieved to be spending time with her, even if it was in a crowded gym. At least here, Tawan had to acknowledge her presence.

"I love this," Ira said, nudging Tawan. She pulled the banner that Wanthanee had passed down over both their laps, settling in. "Everything about this. Do they always kick off the festival with a basketball game?"

"Not always," Wanthanee replied. "It depends on the season. This year's harvest was early, so they moved the schedule up. More people come when the timing works out."

The gymnasium was alive with movement—the squeak of sneakers, the sharp sound of the referee's whistle, and the rhythmic stomp of feet on the wooden bleachers. The energy of the crowd, the chanting of the fans, the laughter—it was exhilarating.

Well, almost perfect.

Tawan was way too stiff, her jaw set, eyes locked on the court like she was forcing herself to be anywhere but here.

"If you're cold, I can get you a jacket," Tawan muttered.

"Why would I need that?" Ira turned her head just enough so their faces nearly touched. From an outsider's perspective, it probably looked intimate. "A good girlfriend would put her arm around me to keep me warm."

Tawan's jaw clenched. "Ira..."

Something about the way she said her name sent a shiver down Ira's spine.

She smiled sweetly. "Yes, dear?"

Tawan abruptly stood, the banner slipping off her lap. "Let's get some some refreshments. Wanthanee, Oom, you want anything?"

"Sure," Wanthanee said, eyeing them with mild amusement. "Get me a soft drink."

"Same for me," Oom added.

Tawan grabbed Ira's hand and practically dragged her.

"Is there a fire somewhere?" Ira teased as they weaved through the crowd.

"Here." Tawan pulled her away from prying eyes.

A few teenagers huddled in the shadows, sipping something out of a plastic bag—probably some drink from a festival stall.

Tawan crossed her arms and stared them down. "Go home."

The kids bolted without argument. Ira raised an eyebrow. "Are we making out now?"

"We need to get something straight." Tawan stepped closer, the heat radiating from her body making Ira hyper-aware of how close they were. "Until your situation is resolved, the only relationship we have is fiction. I have a job to do, and I have rules to follow."

Ah. Here we go again.

"Rules?" Ira folded her arms. "What rules?"

Tawan clenched her jaw. "Rule five: Don't be out of contact."

"Unless it's me, in which case, I'm supposed to be invisible?"

"These rules aren't for you, Ira. They're for me. Rule four: Don't be intoxicated while on duty."

"I've seen you drink."

"One drink. And only after—"

"After I drove you to it?" she supplied helpfully.

Tawan's jaw tightened. "Rule three: Always trust your instincts."

"Really?" Ira tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Or do you mean trust them except when it comes to what might make you happy? Because I was there in that sunflower field with you. I know you were having a good time."

"Rule two: Never let your guard down."

She sighed. "As if you ever would. And I'm still not seeing a rule that means we can't have one tiny kiss. Maybe two."

"Which brings me to rule one." Tawan's voice dropped lower, heavier. "Don't get personally involved with a client."

Ira stared at her. "You can't be serious." She hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. "What am I saying? Of course, you're serious."

"Always."

"You know that's insane, right?"

"It's vital."

She shook her head. "It's setting yourself up for failure. The second two people meet, they become personally involved. Not to mention, it's impossible to avoid being involved with someone you're with twenty-four-seven."

"Not impossible. Necessary."

Tawan's gaze fixed on hers, and the noise of the game faded into the background.

"Whatever happened or didn't happen in that field stays in that field. While I'm on the job, that's all there is. That's all there can be. I can't afford to split my focus. I won't. You... your safety... is my only priority."

Ira's breath hitched.

"My... safety."

It was both incredibly reassuring and absolutely heartbreaking.

"Yes."

There was something cold and distant in Tawan's eyes. A closed door that refused to open. She absolutely meant what she said. But what she said was not what Ira wanted to hear.

Except...

"Until," Ira whispered. "You said until my situation is resolved."

Tawan's jaw tensed. "Yes."

"What then?"

She shoved her hands into her pockets. "That's irrelevant."

"No. It's not. Not to me."

Tawan opened her mouth, then closed it, as if battling herself.

Before Ira could push further, a voice called out—

"Hey, lovebirds, everything okay?" Ira turned to see Rong standing a few feet away, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

Tawan exhaled sharply. "We'll be right there. Four iced drinks."

Rong smirked. "Don't take too long. You're missing the game."

Tawan turned back to Ira. "What happens when this is over is a future problem." Her tone was final. "Today is all that matters."

Ira glared at her. "You keep saying that like it's supposed to make me feel better."

Tawan didn't respond. Instead, she started walking back. Ira wrapped her arms around herself and stared after her. Tawan could lie to herself all she wanted. Ira knew the truth. What they had—this tension, this chemistry—it wasn't pretend. It never had been. And sooner or later, Tawan was going to have to admit it. Even if Ira had to make her.

By the time they returned to their seats, the game was about to start. Ira adjusted, shifting closer to Tawan. Tawan shot her a look but didn't protest.

"What?" Ira shrugged. "It's not a big bench."

"Right."

Tawan focused on the field, but Ira couldn't get past the contradiction of her bodyguard's personal rules—never get attached, trust instincts but not people, never let your guard down.

"That makes no sense," she muttered.

Tawan winced.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Wanthanee chimed in. "We can explain the game as we go. I just watch Kai anyway."

Ira blinked, confused. "Oh. Um, okay."

Tawan exhaled hard. "Stop talking."

Ira narrowed her eyes. "Is that a rule too? Normal people talk, Tawan. That's how relationships work."

Tawan tossed the banner off and muttered something about popcorn before storming off. Ah. Avoidance—the last resort of the emotionally stunted. Wanthanee pointed toward the field. "There's Kai. Number seven."

Ira watched as the team huddled around Kai in a pregame ritual. "Oh, so that's why Sevens is named Sevens?"

"Nah," Oom piped up. "It's because that was Tawan's number. Before she left."

Wanthanee flashed her daughter a warning look. "It's both their numbers." Oom rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but Dad opened the restaurant when Tawan was still playing." Ira caught a glimpse of Rong near the players' bench. "Why isn't he sitting with us?"

"He always watches from the sidelines," Oom explained. Oom's phone vibrated. Ira turned to Oom's screen and froze. A paparazzi shot of herself—or someone who looked exactly like her—crossing the street outside her old condo in Singapore.

"Faking Ira Suwannathat"

A chill ran down her spine.

Oom scrolled down. "They're saying this is a deepfake. That Ira wasn't actually in Singapore. That the condo story was spoofed."

"What condo?" Ira tried to sound normal, but her hands trembled around the cup.

Oom kept scrolling. "Some real estate blogger said Ira bought a new place in Singapore after a fight with her sister."

Ira's breath caught. Kate. Had Kate seen this? Would she believe it? She instinctively turned to where Tawan should be—but Tawan was still missing. Her fingers hovered over the panic button around her neck. Not an emergency. Not yet. As if summoned, Tawan appeared at the bottom of the stands, handing her a bundle of candy. "What's going on?"

Ira kept her voice low. "There's a picture."

Oom held out her phone. "It's a fake sighting. Someone's trying to mess with her."

Tawan's eyes scanned the screen. "Looks real to me."

Ira turned the phone back. "There's no tattoo." Tawan swore under her breath. "We need to talk."

"Show me where the bathrooms are, honey?" Ira stood abruptly, grabbing Tawan's hand and pulling her along. Wanthanee nodded. "Hurry back. Game starts in five minutes."

Once they were away, Ira whirled to face her. "Did you plant that story?"

"Yes."

Ira's chest burned with anger. "You had no right!"

"We planted the story as bait," Tawan said flatly. "And it worked."

"You used me—and Kate—as bait?!"

Tawan's grip on her arm tightened. "We used a story as bait."

"It's the same damn thing!" Ira shoved her. "You should've told me! Oom asked about it, and I wasn't prepared. And Kate! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to fix things with her? You could've ruined it all!"

Tawan's face was unreadable. "What would you have said if I told you?"

Ira faltered. "I would've given you something else. A fake fight with my manager. Or an ex. Anything but my sister."

Tawan hesitated, then sighed. "You're right."

Ira blinked. "I am?"

"I should have told you. It won't happen again."

Ira's anger deflated a fraction. "Now what? He caught your lie. He's pissed. What does that mean?"

Tawan's expression turned lethal. "It means he's getting sloppy. We're closing in."

Ira swallowed hard. "So this will all be over soon?"

Tawan took her hand as they walked back toward the stands. "No promises."

The game started, but Ira wasn't focused. Somewhere, Kate was fuming. Somewhere, Wisanu was worried. And somewhere, her stalker was angry. She wrapped her arms around Tawan's and put on a bright smile. She needed to be Earn Phongphiphat.

For now.

The after-game crowd packed into Sevens. Kai strolled in an hour later, glowing from victory. Tawan slapped him on the back. "That pass was perfect."

Kai preened. "Professional, here I come."

"Whatever you do, you'll be great," Tawan said, pulling him into a rare hug. "I'm proud of you."

Ira hugged Kai next, whispering in his ear, "Can you sneak away later? The show's tomorrow. I want to hear it."

"Absolutely."

Later that night, Kai met her in the storeroom. He pulled out his guitar. "Let me run through it one last time." Ira swayed as he sang. His voice was magic.

"You're going to kill it," she said. "She's going to love it."

Kai rubbed his neck. "The ending's flat. Any ideas?"

Ira hummed. "Try shifting the final verse a half step up."

Kai played the change, and Ira softly harmonized to show him how it should sound. The result was perfect.

Kai grinned. "You have to sing it with me tomorrow."

Ira patted his arm. "Nope. This one's yours. Focus on Emi. Ignore everything else."

A scuffling sound caught her attention. She turned her head, thinking someone was coming to get supplies. The door was slightly open, but nobody was there. "Did someone try to come in earlier?"

Kai packed his guitar away. "I didn't notice."

She could have sworn she'd closed that door. She got up to check the hallway, unease making her tummy flutter. She caught sight of Ken turning the corner at the end of the hall.

He'd probably just come from the bathroom.

Maybe he'd heard the music and took a peek. She would have.

Had he heard her singing?

Maybe he hadn't noticed. His focus was on his phone, and it was pretty noisy back here with the radio blasting in the kitchen.

She reassured herself that even if he had heard them, he certainly didn't think it was someone famous in there.

Still. She should tell Tawan. She knew she should. If anyone recognized her, anyone at all, she was screwed. She knew exactly how Tawan would react.

She'd relocate Ira immediately. No goodbyes. No festival. No more Earn Phongphiphat.

Her heart ached at giving all this up. At not hearing Kai sing to his girl. Of going back to the way things had been at the beginning with Tawan. So cold. So distant.

Surely, this wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a few seconds. All Ken would have heard was Kai and Earn playing around with a song. And Earn had kept her voice soft and low. She'd been background, and nobody paid attention to the background. Kate had certainly told her that often enough. There was no need to tell Tawan. Nothing had happened. Not really.

She ignored the uneasy twitch in her belly and the distant warning bell going off in her head.

She was just being paranoid.

She softly patted the panic button pendant and went back to work.