— even the devil tells the truth sometimes —

Well, there goes my promise about being safe, Earth thought as his car was making its way through the city. He wasn't the one driving, though. His hands behind his back were tied with a rope that was digging into his skin so harshly, scrapping it all the way to the blood. His face was still covered with something that was making his breathing significantly harder, and the barrel of a gun he could feel pressed to his side, since the beginning of the ride, wasn't making things easier either.

He had no idea where they were going, the only thing he knew was that it was taking a lot of time. He wasn't sure if they were even still in the city. He was trying to count every turn they took and how long it took them to move again if they stopped for a moment. It was nighttime at that point already so the traffic wasn't that bad, but it was at least something. The more frequently they were stopping, the more sure Earth was that they were still in the city. But the last time they had stopped was twenty minutes ago—at least if Earth counted right.

They weren't going to kill him. They wouldn't bother to take him somewhere in the middle of nowhere if that was all they wanted to do. So what were their plans?

Earth wasn't worried, but he was frustrated. All he always had were questions but never any answers. Could they stop the goddamn car and tell him what they were going to do?!

And just then, the car really stopped. Earth was never so happy about the car stopping in his life.

They pulled him out of the car without any words and pushed him to walk... somewhere... He was walking slowly, trying not to fall down flat on his face—that was the last thing he needed right now.

"Move!" finally a word from someone. But then a hard push on his shoulder with a gun made Earth wince. If you want to fight then let me out of this stupid rope, and I'll show you how to fight! Idiot! Earth had to bite his tongue to not say it out loud, but goddamn, he really wanted to! But he also wasn't dumb. The more he would resist the worse this trip would turn out for him.

When Earth felt the change under his feet from the hard concrete to the soft carpet and heard the door being closed, he knew two things: 1. they were inside and 2. the place wasn't some old shabby cottage. It was probably one of the houses the mafia had outside of the city.

It had to be the mafia who got him. It must have been because Earth had no other idea who it could have been.

When a hand grabbed his wrist and sharply pulled him right... or maybe left... it was hard to tell the directions after being blindfolded and moved around for such a long time, but suddenly he heard another door being open and then he was pushed inside and dragged towards a chair. The moment he was sitting down, they took the cover from his head and the first rays of sunshine... no... no sunshine. It was night. I couldn't be the sun. Most likely just the light in the room. After being for so long in the complete darkness, it took him a couple of seconds to adjust his eyes to the change in light and the new environment.

He was right; they took him into one of those fancy mafia houses the mafia had outside of Bangkok. However, he wasn't expecting to be seated in the office of their boss. And the said boss looking right at him with a huge satisfied smirk. Earth's best guess was that he would end up somewhere in the cellar, tied to a chair and not seeing food or water for days. The usual torturing technique.

Well, he was still tied up and he was sitting at the chair, but he wasn't tied to that chair and he wasn't in the cellar.

After waiting longer than necessary for the mob boss to say something, Earth decided to break the silence himself.

"Is this the way you always invite someone to your house? I must say I had way more comfortable rides in my life."

The mob boss laughed. He laughed too much for it to be a natural reaction. Head thrown to the back, he slapped his thigh repeatedly, "Earth, Earth, you are a funny guy."

Am I? Earth wanted to say but he rather waited for the mob boss in front of him to speak again.

The mob boss stopped laughing and his face turned stoic, "funny guy to think that you can mess with my business and I'll just watch without firing back."

"I'm not messing with your business."

"You aren't?" the mob boss cocked his eyebrow and then nodded, "actually, you might be kinda right. It's not you... it's your stupid boyfriend."

"All Mix wants is to find out what happened to his father. I don't think there's something wrong with that."

"What happened in the past should stay in the past. Why dwell on it? Bringing the past into your present does nothing, but hurt you and those around you. You should tell him that, Earth."

"Thanks, but I think that he had philosophy classes at his uni."

The mob boss chuckled, "you know, Earth... I like the Fire Dragon, and I like the Shadow—I think that you are doing a remarkable job as a fighter there. You are the best one that was ever there. Not even your father or the father of your boyfriend was as great as you are. I really don't want to end this amazing era of yours. You are one of my most valuable assets after all."

"What are you talking about?" Earth asked.

"Kiet might be dead, but his debt isn't. The club has to pay me each month for a couple of more years. And you being there, generating the oh-so-very precious money, is guaranteeing that I'm getting that money right on time. You see, it's simple... you fight... I get my money. This also means you should get back to fighting very very soon. You don't want me to get mad, do you?"

"I'm not working for you!" Earth scoffed. "The money from my fights is for the club and for me and my father!"

"Well, yes, of course, that's how it works, Earth. It's just that most of the money you win for the club goes right to me. Or what did you think? That after Kiet died the debt died with him?"

"I didn't know there was any debt until recently," Earth shook his head.

"You seem to not know a lot of things."

"Yeah, for example, how exactly uncle K died," Earth tried his luck. Maybe he would get something important from this guy, or maybe even the whole truth. After all, he didn't need to be worried about his life. The mob boss himself just admitted that Earth is important to him.

The mob boss laughed, "I don't know."

"You killed him! Of course, you know!"

"I never said I killed Kiet. That's the conclusion you came to."

Earth took a deep breath, looking out of the window which was right opposite him. It was dark outside so he couldn't see much, but now he realized that it was raining, the rain was hitting the window harshly enough to make Earth's unsettling feeling in his stomach grow and his heartbeat becoming faster and faster.

"If not the mafia then who?"

"I said it wasn't me. I never said it wasn't the mafia," the mob boss smirked, clearly enjoying the way he was toying with Earth.

"So we are playing with each other now? Fine then how about this... a little birdy told me that one of your father's mistresses got pregnant so he kicked her away. She had a daughter, and that daughter had a son. The daughter is your half-sister and the son... your nephew... and the name of the son is..."

"Sahaphap Wongratch," the mob boss nodded. "I know... that's why he is still alive. That's why those bullets in front of the Fire Dragon didn't hit him. But just because I'm his uncle doesn't mean he can put his filthy journalistic nose into things he doesn't understand! My sister kept her distance and so should he!"

"Interesting you are calling her your sister. You almost seem like you liked her."

"I did like her. Even though dad disapproved. But she was the only sister I had."

Earth had to laugh. He clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, "you liked her so much that you have killed her husband and now even her? Impressive."

The mob boss shook his head, "I didn't kill Nara. That's why you are here."

"What?"

"Look, I may have killed Kiet, but I didn't kill my sister. And that's why you are here to help me."

"I think you missed that point where I'm a fighter, not a cop," Earth chuckled confused.

"If you can help Sahaphap, you can help me as well. Whoever killed her, most likely works at the Fire Dragon."

✧✧✧

When the plane touched down and Mix was able to grab a taxi, it finally dawned on him. He was miles and miles away from his country, from Earth. And all he had was one bag and a mind that was too full of unsettling thoughts and too busy to notice that he didn't come to Barcelona alone...

To be continued...

P.S. who is excited for EarthMix's new series??? MEEEE 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳