Mek pulled up to the gate outside the Chen's house and called Run.

"I'm here."

"I'll buzz you in but you're on your own after that. My mother is going crazy waiting for you to arrive," Run said, laughing.

"Why, what's up?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Run had no sooner finished speaking when the front door opened and Mint stepped out and waved to Mek.

"Hello, Mek, come in! Have you eaten? Would you like breakfast?"

"Hi! Thank you but I ate breakfast before coming here," said Mek.

"How about some coffee then? We never chat anymore. Come in and sit down," she said.

As Mek neared the front door Mint deftly linked her arm with his and led him into the kitchen. Run was already there pouring coffee as they walked in.

"Mek, why didn't you tell me you and my son were dating?" Mint asked in a sweet voice.

"Mek, don't answer her!" said Run, laughing as he handed Mek a cup of coffee.

"We started dating recently. I hope it's okay with you and Khun Adi," answered Mek.

"Of course it is. We love you and your uncle. We couldn't be happier that the two of you have ended up together," said Mint.

"Mom, we're dating, not married. No one has ended up with anyone at this point!" Run turned to Mek, a flush creeping over his cheeks and reddening his ears, as he mouthed, "I'm sorry about her."

"Run, you have no reason to apologize! Would you rather we didn't like the person you're dating? You have supportive parents - you should be grateful. Not everyone is so lucky regardless of their orientation."

"Yes, Mom, I'm glad you and Dad are supportive. Truly, I am, but could you not embarrass me in front of...Mek."

"It's okay, Run, you can call me your boyfriend," said Mek. He smiled at Mint.

"You two aren't supposed to be ganging up on me!" Run was laughing even harder now.

"All of you are so loud you woke me up," said Tin, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What's going on?"

"Your brother and Mek are dating now. Did you he tell you?" Mint scanned Tin's face. She didn't want to think Run would tell his brother before her.

"No. Really? I'm glad, I like Mek. What's for breakfast?" Tin promptly returned to searching for something to eat.

"Thanks," said Mek, shaking Tin's hand. Tin smiled and puffed out his chest.

"We better go, we've got a bunch of stores to visit." Taking Mek's cup, Run put their dishes in the sink and with his hand on Mek's back, guided him down the hall and out the front door.

"Quick, in the car, Mek, or she'll follow us." Run got in the passenger seat as Mek slid in on the driver's side. They buckled up and waited for the gate to open wide enough to allow them to pass.

"Thank God that's over," said Mek. Run loved how Mek looked when he laughed, he held nothing back in his joy. Run's imagination ran wild and he wondered if he was as expressive in the bedroom. Mek gave him a quizzical look and started to reach for Run.

"Hands at 10 and 2, play with me later. Where are we headed?" Run asked, pushing Mek's hands away.

"I thought we'd park the car in one of the garages near the condo. That way, if we need to lie, we can say we were visiting a friend. If we park by the coffee vendor and show up over there, it might become obvious that we tracked his car."

"You're right. Should we park in the same garage? That way if we see him leaving we won't lose time while running to another garage for the car and possibly lose him."

"Good thinking. Hey, we make a great team. Maybe we should become private detectives," said Mek leaning to the side to bump his shoulder against Run's.

"10 and 2!"

"They are, it was my shoulder, my hands never left the steering wheel." Mek flashed him a devilish smile. Following the signal on his phone he pulled into the garage where Lom was parked.

"If he's parked here, then more than likely this is his building. He's the kind of person who wants everything convenient. I can't imagine him walking to another building after parking here."

They were about to step out of the car when the elevator door opened with Lom inside. He stuck his head out and looked around for someone. Run ducked down out of fear. Mek slid down in his seat but kept his head high enough to observe what was happening.

A nurse and doctor got out of a car parked close to the elevator. Lom greeted them and ushered them into the elevator. Lom turned a key inside the elevator, and the doors shut.

"Lom has a private elevator to his condo."

"How do you know that?" asked Run.

"He has a key that has to be turned, which makes sense given his business and his father's name. No doubt many people want to kill him or at least hurt him."

"What if someone like that came for him and hurt Fah?" Run worried about his brother becoming an innocent victim.

Mek shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. A black car with tinted windows entered the garage. It pulled into a spot marked reserved. A man in his late forties stepped out. Mek and Run both thought he appeared familiar.

"Who is that? I've seen him before?" asked Mek.

"That's Lom's father. After they kidnapped us, my dad dug up everything online about Lom and Ton; he wanted me to run if I ever saw them. Why is he going up? Do you think he's going to hurt Fah?" Run was now frightened for his brother's safety.

"Relax, they're not going to murder Fah in front of a doctor and nurse, okay?" Mek spoke in a soothing tone, his left hand lightly rubbing the back of Run's neck.

"Mek, you don't think they're going to kill him? Or move him to Ton's house do you? While we were being held prisoner Lom said his whole family hated Fah now. What can we do? We can't go up there. We don't have an elevator key and they have guns."

"Give me a minute to think because we're not supposed to know where Lom lives," said Mek.

"Well, we can't spend the day sitting in your car."

"Let's take the elevator. We can say we parked here to visit a friend and were here when Lom took the doctor and nurse up. If they have CCTV cameras they'll know we're telling the truth. After that, we'll say we decided to check on Fah. What do you think of that?"

Run mulled over Mek's suggestion.

"I doubt we'll make it to the upper floor without a key but we can try. Should we give our imaginary friend a name? How about Ukrit?"

"That's okay with me. Shall we tell Lom we're dating now? I could tease Lom that we're dating brothers," said Mek.

"Mek, you have no idea what's going on between those two so I wouldn't say that. However, after Fah is better, if he and Lom are dating it, would be fun to go out together. I'll never get to double date with Tin unless I'm single for another ten years."

"You're not single now," said Mek, winking at Run. It helped ease the tension. "Come on, let's try the elevator door."

They walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and waited nervously. After what seemed an eternity, a ding alerted them of the elevator's arrival. The doors opened and out stepped the doctor and nurse. The doctor's head jerked back and the nurse let out a small gasp upon seeing them.

"Doctor, how is Fah? Is he doing any better?" asked Run. He couldn't help himself.

"Fah? Oh, yes, he's doing much better. You can speak with Lom as I have already shared the diagnosis with him. I'm late for another appointment. Good day," said the doctor as he walked past.

"Look!" said Mek, as quietly as possible. He pointed at the key in the elevator. They hurriedly got in and were about to turn the key when the elevator doors shut and it began to ascend.

Without thinking, Run grabbed Mek's hand. The elevator glided to a stop. When the doors opened Fah was sitting up in bed while Lom and his father stood next to the bed talking to him. No one was aware of their arrival.

"What do we do?" whispered Run.

"Hi Lom!" Mek yelled out in a cheerful voice.

"Mek?" Lom grimaced as he spoke. Narrowing his eyes he glared at the intruders. "How did you get in here?"

"We parked in the garage below to visit a friend who lives nearby. When you came down in the elevator for the doctor and nurse we saw you but we didn't want to interrupt. We assumed it was to check on Fah. Once they went back to their car we came up to visit you two."

Mek, still holding Run's hand, walked across the room to where the others were gathered. Letting go of Run's hand, he greeted Ton with a wai, "Hello, sir."

Ton noticed Mek and Run holding hands. No doubt these were friends of his son's. He said nothing but watched how Lom would handle the situation. He had satisfied himself that Fah's memory loss was real after putting him through multiple tests.

Ton greeted Mek and Run although he did not know who they were. He might be a Chao pho but he knew how to behave in public. Run silently thanked his father for having kept him home and photos of their family out of the public domain. If Ton recognized him he doubted he and Mek would be safe.

Lom knew he had to introduce Mek and his friend. He was struggling with how to introduce Run.

"Dad, this is my friend, Mek. And his friend, Run."

He did not allude to Run's relationship with the judge in any way. Mek and Run gave him a slight nod of gratitude. Run felt less scared and it supported Mek's belief that Lom did not want to harm Fah. After some small talk, Ton excused himself and left.

After the elevator doors shut with Ton inside, Lom spoke. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"