Arm has a top-secret file that he keeps on a separate partition of his hard drive, locked behind three different password walls. It’s a list of all of the main family’s bodyguards, ranked by how likely they are to be the mole.
(It’s top-secret because he’s not supposed to be looking into this. Chan explicitly ordered him not to.)
There’s a handful of people Arm doesn’t even bother putting on the list. Pol, for one. Pete. Erika. Chan.
By contrast, every single one of Kinn’s personal bodyguards, past and present, is a prime suspect. Kinn’s had a notorious streak of bad luck lately. Four murder attempts in four months cannot be a coincidence.
Ken is just aloof enough that nobody seems to know what he’s up to on his off-days. This rockets him straight to the top of Arm’s list, tied with Big, who has fallen so far out of favor with Kinn that Arm can’t help but wonder if Kinn is doing it on purpose.
And then there’s the name directly under those two.
“Be honest,” he says to Pete one day. They’re sequestered in his armory, but he keeps his voice low: there’s no harm in being careful with matters like this. “Do you think there’s any chance Porsche is the mole?”
Pete is silent for a good, long moment.
“You live with him,” Arm says. “You’ve been on more missions with him than me. If anyone here knows him best, it’s you.”
“There are reasons to suspect him,” Pete says slowly. “A lot of his missions have gone wrong. He didn’t stop that girl from attacking Kinn in the bathroom. The casino stakeout was a mess. The diamond auction was worse.”
“But…?”
Pete sighs. “I don’t know. He’s young. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s improving.”
Arm stares forlornly at his list, cursor blinking innocently next to Porsche’s name. “Pete, I can’t clear his name just because he’s young.”
“No,” Pete concedes. He leans back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. “But he’s kind, too. He’s principled. He won’t betray people he cares about.”
“And that’s enough? You trust him?”
“I do.”
The knot in Arm’s chest jerks tighter. “But… he’s so likable.”
“Ohhh, right, he’s nice. Never mind. Death by firing squad.”
Arm smiles, sheepish.
“Okay,” Pete says. “So you think he’s tricking us?”
“Shit, Pete, I don’t know,” Arm splutters. “Isn't it possible?”
“I don't think so. Porsche isn't like that.”
Arm considers this, then plops his face into his hand.
“Did you want me to say something else?” Pete says, faintly amused.
“Yes,” Arm groans.
“Why?”
“Because…” Arm trails off.
Because the security of the main family rests on his shoulders. Arm cannot afford to be anything other than objective; he needs to leave Porsche on his list.
But the problem is that Porsche barreled into their lives and immediately made Khun Noo happier than Arm had ever seen before. The problem is that Pol hasn’t been this comfortable around someone since Arm himself. The problem is that Arm vaguely remembers being carried home from Hum Bar by an equally drunk Porsche, who took off his shoes for him and tucked him into bed and grinned brightly over his shoulder before staggering out the door.
The problem is that Arm is biased.
Pete, on the other hand, is the most level-headed person Arm knows. Leaving Porsche’s name on his list wouldn’t feel so terrible if Pete agreed with it.
“I wanted you to give me a reason to keep him on here,” Arm mumbles. “I feel bad. He’s our friend.”
“You’re doing your job,” Pete says sincerely. “There’s no shame in that. But…” He reaches over to pat Arm on the shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with trusting your gut. If you think he’s innocent, leave him off.”
Arm mulls over this. Then he pokes Pete in the side. “I think I trust your gut more than mine.”
Pete lets out a laugh, incredulous, and pokes Arm back.
-
Later, Arm highlights Porsche’s entry with his cursor and drags it to the bottom of the file. Then he pauses. His hand hovers over the delete button.
He thinks about Pete saying, I trust him. He thinks about what Pete didn’t quite say: you should trust yourself, too.
He hits delete.
-
#kpanniversary2024 episode 9 + prompt 9: trust
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