Two Years Earlier - Nakhon Nayok*

Lom realized he was trapped. As the car in pursuit gained on him, he turned onto a dirt road that led into the woods. He knew the trees could protect him.

Unfortunately, the people after him must have foreseen this possibility and had several men on motorcycles much bigger and newer than Lom’s, waiting in the woods, They blocked his way at every turn.

He spun his bike around and headed back to the road.  A car sped towards him, he tried to dodge it but it slid perpendicular to him, blocking most of the road. His bike fishtailed on the gravel and he barely kept it upright. He pulled in on the clutch, eased off the rear brake, and slowly drove to the opposite end of the car. Instantly, several men stepped out and pointed their guns at him. 

Lom knew he couldn't dodge bullets in such a small space. He turned off the motorbike and got off. He stood and waited for someone in the group to speak.

“So you’re the infamous Lom, the one who was supposed to replace Ton. I don’t see it - you’re not impressive at all. No wonder your father wants you dead," said the tall man who had driven the car.  Lom remained silent.

The tall man continued. “Right about now, the rest of the team should be dealing with the other half of the contract.” He sneered at Lom. 

“What contract?” asked Lom in a lighthearted voice.

“The contract promising 20 million baht for getting rid of you and your lover,” said the tall man. “I guess your father doesn’t want a gay man in charge of the family, and neither do your cousins since they put up half the reward. Your family sure hates you.”

“20 million for killing me?” asked Lom. 

“For killing you and Fah,” said the tall man. Lom had hoped they didn’t know who his lover was, but they did. 

“I have money; I can pay you to leave us alone. We aren’t going to bother my father or my family at all. We just want to live quietly and far away.”

The tall man laughed. “You have money? And you’re riding that?” 

“I didn’t want to attract the attention of the police. They think I’m dead.”

“Well, soon you will be,” said the tall man as he let out a small laugh. Another car sped towards them. For a few seconds, Lom was relieved, believing the distraction would allow him to escape. However, the car pulled alongside the first car and more men dressed in similar outfits joined the group.

Lom addressed the tall man again. 

“Fine, do what you need to do with me, but please, I beg you, let Fah go. He has nothing to do with my father’s business. I’m the reason he’s mixed up in all of this. Let him go and I’ll give you money and you can take me to my father.”

“Oh, sorry, it’s a little too late for that offer,” said Pok. 

“He begged us not to kill him and just like you, he begged us to leave you alone. If it makes you feel any better, we killed him quickly since he broke my friend’s nose,” said a mustached man.

“I don’t believe you!” Lom yelled.

“Believe this,” said the mustached man as he threw the AHAW necklace at Lom’s feet. Lom bent over and picked it up. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Fah was dead and they hadn’t even been apart for one day. As he realized the finality of what he’d just heard, he turned to the side and vomited. He heard laughter all around him. 

“Not so tough, are you? Crying and vomiting over another man? You're pathetic and disgusting.” The tall man shook his head and grimaced as others jeered. 

Lom held onto Fah’s necklace as tightly as he could. His mind went numb and he barely felt the blows as they rained down on his head and body. His knees gave way and his cheek scraped the road as he fell. Boots kicked his sides and his head, and someone stomped on his legs. Not once did he attempt to evade their feet or fight back. He felt the warmth of the blood spreading from his head to his face. His last conscious thought was a prayer that he and Fah would be together in the next life. 

After several minutes of kicking Lom’s unmoving body, the tall man called for everyone to stop. “Someone check if he’s still alive. You,” he said as he pointed at Pok, “see if he's breathing.”

Pok knelt and checked for a pulse in his wrist and neck but couldn’t find one. He put his finger under Lom’s nose but felt nothing. 

“He’s dead.”

“Good. Take a photo to show the family. I’m not putting that bloody mess in the car with us. We can tell them where to find it if they want it back,” said the tall man as he pointed at the mustached man. 

The moustached man didn’t want the photos on his private cell phone so he reached into Lom’s pockets and found two cell phones. The nicer one he handed to the tall man to give to Ton as proof. 

The other was a basic burner phone. He opened it and was glad to see it was unlocked. He took several photos of Lom’s bloodied and bruised body lying on the ground, still clutching the necklace, and sent them to the tall man’s phone. 

He was about to shut the phone when he saw an unread text from an hour ago. He read it and quickly sent the photos to that number as well, with the message Lom is dead.

*This chapter was the final chapter of Fathers and Law: Lom and Fah Book One