Free Bangkok Burn by Simon Royle Page B

through the eye-hole. One of the estate’s security guards stood outside, talking into his radio. Bullshit or bribe? I opened the door. The guard was skinny, tall, long bony throat lost in a shirt collar four sizes too large.
     
    “Um, excuse me, sir. Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we’ve had calls about gunshots being fired, sir. Is everything all right?”
     
    “Come in,” I said, opening the door.
     
    He had a worried expression on his face as he sidestepped past me into the hallway, his eyes wary, body language screaming, “I don’t want to be dealing with this.” His mouth opened when he saw the guy with the broken neck behind me and then he saw the guy on the stairs. The guard's Adam's apple bounced in his throat.
     
    “What’s your name?” I asked him, voice even.
     
    “Somchai, sir.”
     
    “Okay, Khun Somchai, here’s the thing. I just came home and found these two guys like this, but I don’t want to be involved, so here’s what I suggest as the best way for us to handle this. One, we could report this to the police and spend the next twenty four hours explaining how these two guys got past you guards and into my house. Or two, we can keep this to ourselves and I’ll tidy everything up. You remove the CCTV tape for tonight. I was never here, and this never happened. You go home twenty thousand baht richer.”
     
    Somchai, looked at me, and looked at the bodies. His Adam's apple bounced some more.
     
    “Fifty”, he said, his eyes almost apologetic. Almost.
     
    ***
     
    I bought a packet of Marlboro red and coffee at the 7-11 opposite Big C on Lat Phrao, Pim's Audi 6, engine running, curbside. I put the coffee on the roof of the Audi and tapped on the window. I handed a coffee through to Pim. She took it and the window shut again. Even at night the temperature was hot, about 27 Celsius, and the fumes from the traffic on the road were heavy. It was 2 am, and normally a lot of traffic on the road now as closing time for the bars, clubs, and karaoke lounges hits, but tonight it was quiet, empty. Wars do that to a city. And not a good time to be driving around with an unlicensed weapon. The army had set up road blocks all over town. My mind was spinning with the latest attack.
     
    A black Benz ran the red light on the other side of the road, used the U-turn, crossed three lanes of fast moving traffic, cutting in front of an eighteen wheeler and pulled up behind the Audi. The truck slowed, the driver’s boy yelling out of the window at the Benz. Chai stepped out of the car and took three fast steps towards the truck, his hand reaching into his jacket. It pulled away with a belch of black smoke. I thought I saw a grin on his face as he turned but it was late and I was tired.
     
    I handed him the keys to the house and the entrance card to get into the compound.
     
    “Two of them. One had Cambodian cigarettes on him.” Chai nodded, looked at the cigarette burning in my hand. “Mother's sending a couple of guys to clean up. I need you to take Pim to stay with Mother.” He nodded again, and handed me a sports bag. I raised my eyebrows in question.
     
    “Phones, I've programmed them all, cash, Glocks and I put in a couple of hand grenades.” He looked disgusted with me, his expression dark, eyes flat, angry, hot. “You shouldn't have been unarmed and alone. Next time I'll stay.”
     
    “Okay. We'll talk about that later. Take Pim to Joom’s place and stay with her until I get back. I should be back about eight in the evening. It's the Thai flight. I'll leave Pim's car at the airport. If they knew where we lived they might know the car. Pick me up tomorrow outside exit four, eight twenty. Bring Pim with you tomorrow. Okay?” Chai nodded. I went back to the Audi and got in, tossing the bag in the back seat. I reached over and stroked Pim's cheek.
     
    “You've got to go with Chai. Okay. You'll be safe with him. I'll be back tomorrow. Chai will pick me up tomorrow, and he'll bring you