Chapter Text
Part I: You Never Walk Alone
Chapter 1
“Repeat after me: Whatever comes, I will not let them break me.”
I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my suit. It didn’t fit as well as if it were tailored, but it would fit well enough; it was Yoongi’s after all. As was the room. As was the compound. As was the clan. Not technically, but in name only, and as far as the world knew, technically too.
“Whatever comes, I will not let them break me. Now you.”
“Whatever comes, I will not let them break me.”
The words of our marriage vows kept spinning in my brain as I headed for the meeting room. The compound wasn’t some scary, unfamiliar structure to me now, nor was I confined in one single room. I officially ran it now, until we got Yoongi back.
“One more: I will do whatever it takes to make it back to my husband alive.”
“Yoongi…”
“Whatever it takes. I solemnly swear that I will not begrudge you any of it, as long as you make it back to me alive. Promise.”
“I will do whatever it takes to make it back to my husband alive.”
“I will do whatever it takes to make it back to my wife alive.”
There was a future waiting for us out there, and we had to make it back to each other alive. Whatever it takes.
I was the last to arrive to the meeting room. Namjoon was already there, at the opposite end of the table, eyeing a weary Jimin. Jimin was sporting large bags under his eyes, a shadow hollowing his cheeks. He looked pale, but wary.
As I took my seat at the conference table, exactly at the other end of Namjoon, with Jimin taking the side, I felt the weight of both their gazes on me.
Jimin was the first to speak. “How are you?”
We hadn’t seen each other much since we’d gotten back. Jimin had lost the last of his spark, surrendering to his fate as the prisoner of the Min Clan. My prisoner. As we escaped in the night on one of the life boats, and took a private jet from Santiago de Cuba back to the Min Compound in Seoul, I was too devastated and distraught to want to see anyone, hauling myself up in Yoongi’s room until I was ready to face them. I hadn’t even bothered to ask about Jimin.
I had to, sooner or later. We needed to get Yoongi back, and I needed all six of them to do it. So here we were, our first meeting of the Leaders: Jimin, the Leader of the Park Clan, me, representing Yoongi as the Leader of the Min Clan, and Namjoon, the former Leader of The 7 (and official Leader of the Min Clan, something no one else knew, and couldn’t know).
“Better. Yourself?”
He smiled a small, weak smile. “Better.”
I turned to Namjoon. “Give him and Taehyung rooms. You can keep them under surveillance, but make sure they’re comfortable. We’ll treat them as our guests for the time being.”
Both Jimin and Namjoon straightened. “What about Jungkook?” Namjoon asked, and I took it as was intended: a barb.
“Keep him in the cell.”
Namjoon only nodded. Then he took a key out of his pocket and slid it across the table. I took it and headed over to Jimin, freeing his wrists from where they were cuffed around the chair arm. He extended his hands and tentatively hugged me across my midriff. I hugged him back, but only for a few seconds, before I resumed my seat again.
“Any word from Interpol?”
“The standard: they want you in exchange for Yoongi,” Namjoon said stiffly.
“He’s still being held in America?”
“Yes. The Korean government has motioned for extradition, but the Americans are refusing to do anything until we have you.”
“Good. It gives us some time to figure out a plan.”
Namjoon had never stopped trying. Every day since we’d been at the compound, he’d knocked at my door late at night, when everyone was asleep. He’d tried to get me to eat more, to do something other than rot. Mostly, I think he was making sure I hadn’t killed myself.
When I had finally come to enough to call the meeting, he had immediately closed himself off to me. I knew it was only a matter of time before we had to speak privately, but our first priority was Yoongi.
“I suggest we set up a trade and highjack it,” Jimin said, getting more comfortable now that he was uncuffed.
“No, they’ll be expecting it,” I said.
“I’m always down for a good prison break,” Jimin shrugged. He was looking solely at me, as if Namjoon wasn’t there.
“You two protected yourself well,” Namjoon said. “Yoongi doesn’t have to testify against you now, which means he doesn’t have to testify against us.”
“That was the idea.”
“That, and the fact that you’re boss lady now,” Jimin said and winked.
“He’s gotten you into more danger than he realizes,” Namjoon said sternly. “You’ve married a criminal. Your life is basically over.”
I pounded my fist on the table, making both of them jump. “I told you, my life was over the moment you decided to kidnap me. At least this way, I can get something out of it.”
“Fine,” Namjoon hissed. “Fine, whatever. You are not our priority now. Yoongi is.”
“Yeah, and she needs the remaining six of us to get him back,” Jimin turned to me, leaning back on his chair, arms crossed on his stomach. “Personally, I’d much rather follow her than you.”
“Before you start lusting over Yoongi’s wife, think rationally. She’s not capable of leading.”
“Leading? Maybe not,” I shrugged. “But I was brought here for a reason. And I intend to see it through, as well as get my husband back.”
Namjoon shot me a glare, but I stared him down. I knew how to get Jimin; hell, Yoongi himself told me how to get Jimin. But Namjoon would be a problem neither of us had time to discuss. And if I had both of them on my side, I had them all. And if I didn’t have Namjoon, I might as well be dead.
“See to it that our guests get their rooms,” I said, glaring at him. “Then get that brain of yours working and help me come up with a plan to get Yoongi out of prison.”
Namjoon nodded, once, then left the room in a fury. Jimin followed his every move, then slumped in the chair as soon as he was out. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Pretending you’re okay.”
I slumped a little too, rubbing at my temples. “Yeah.”
“They’ll execute him, you know,” Jimin said quietly. “They might give up on you and just execute him.”
“I know.” My voice was barely a whisper.
Then Jimin was there, leaning on the edge of the table, tilting my chin up. “You don’t have to bear this alone, you know.” My heart thrummed as I looked up into his eyes. “Yoongi won’t begrudge you a little comfort while he’s away.”
No, Yoongi said he would forgive me if I did what I needed to do to survive. I just wasn’t ready to let anyone as close as I’d let him. Games needed to be played, and Jimin needed to be kept on a tight leash, around me at all times to stop him from going berserk. To keep him on my side. Yoongi knew what it would take, no matter how much it hurt both of us. He believed we were strong enough to get through it; I was afraid I would shatter like porcelain.
I took his fingers and planted a soft kiss on them, then let his hand drop to my thigh, fingers still entwined with my own. I heaved a long sigh, mostly for show. “I don’t know how to do any of this.”
I looked up at him from under my lashes, and knew that if I didn’t have him before, I had him now.
He squeezed my fingers. “Mostly, it’s just bossing people around. That’s the fun part. The hard part is making sure everyone stays in line.”
“And how do I do that?” I whispered.
Jimin leaned a little closer. “Fear. Or respect. Whichever one you prefer. If you decide to go with fear, I’ll gladly be your right-hand man. Just tell me who needs to get in line, and I’ll do it.”
I sighed, feigning innocence just a bit more. “There’s no fear there, not yet. I only need to convince Namjoon Yoongi trusted me for a reason. And I think I can handle Namjoon.”
Jimin chuckled. “I don’t think anyone can truly handle Namjoon. Then again, I never thought anyone would be able to handle Yoongi.” He pulled my hand up and entwined my fingers so that our palms were pressing against one another. “I always knew you were special.”
I stood up, getting more into his personal space than he was expecting. “Special how?”
He swallowed, forcing his eyes to lock on mine and remain there. “There’s something about you. I can see it in your eyes.”
Tentatively, he reached up and smoothed a lock of hair behind my ear. “Thank you. For getting us out of that filthy dungeon.”
His fingers still rested in my cheek so I decided to dissolve the situation. “Yeah, I thought it was time for a bath. I could smell you before I entered the room.”
He blinked, then burst out into a laugh. Before retracting his fingers, though, he muttered, “I meant what I said: I’m your man. Whatever you need.”
I nodded. “Thank you. It means a lot.”
It did and it didn’t, but I didn’t have time to think about that. There was one person I needed to get on my side, and it wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, walking out of the room and leaving Jimin behind almost felt like I was leaving my protective cocoon for the first time.
I truly was all alone out here, and my marriage to Yoongi was the only thing keeping my head on my shoulders. If I didn’t turn the tables soon, I would have to spend all my evenings looking over my shoulder, eating little to make sure the food wasn’t poisoned. I barely slept as it was, getting a measly two or three hours a night. God only knew how haggard I looked. All thanks to one man that could potentially decide my fate.
And he was waiting for me in the bedroom.