Wing of a Butterfly

Chapter 24

Pete tensed as the bed dipped next to him, hyper-aware of everything that happened after the tense day they had. He wasn't even sleeping, just lightly dozing as he had learnt to do during his years in the major family. It was a useful skill to have when one needed to stand or sit still for hours without even being able to speak.

He was ready to jump off the mattress at the slightest sign of danger, even though he knew that they were likely the safest they ever could be with all the guards on high alert after the dress-down they got from Ace mere hours ago. The head bodyguard was beyond pissed that his charge was almost killed in his room while he was away, even if the perpetrator was Kan who couldn't have been stopped from entering the property because of his status in the family. Ace argued that the guards should have still stayed around the living quarters so Pete would have been able to call them instead of acting alone. It was only a matter of Kan's arrogance that he didn't bring a weapon with him which could have ended his fight with his son much differently.

Pete felt dread spread around his chest once again as he remembered that he almost lost Vegas that day. If he'd hesitated just a little bit more to enter the room, he would have found Kan standing over his son's cooling body. Pete squeezed his eyes tighter as he turned to his other side when he heard the bathroom door close after Vegas. He tried to get his emotions under control, doing his best to stay strong for the other man. He was still waiting for the grief to kick in for Vegas, as the man was acting strangely distant about everything that had happened that day after that initial shock of seeing his father's body and talking to his brother. It seemed like Macau's reaction was more important to him than anything else but Pete couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't out of the deep yet. It was a strange thing. Waiting for Vegas to fall to pieces and wishing that it never would happen at the same time. The only thing he could do was stay strong and reassure the man that he would stay at his side no matter what.

How happy Pete was to be able to do that. When he reached for the gun under the bed frame and aimed it at Kan, he was resolving himself to the possibility that his action would cause his and Vegas' fledgling relationship to fall apart. But he was still ready to break his heart just to make sure that he never had to see Vegas being hurt by the man who should have been his greatest protector. Pete didn't have many memories of his father, but he had a strong connection with his grandparents, and he always had a strong view on how members of a family should act with each other. Maybe he was lucky in his life that he never saw the uglier side of reality until he moved to Bangkok and realised that not everyone had their best intentions for those who they shared the same blood with. He saw young men pushed back to the ring by their fathers and their mothers, not even caring how they swayed on their feet after a kick to the head. He knew of the young men and women basically sold to the Theerapanyakun to work as maids, cleaners or cooks in exchange for a debt.

But all of these were just an offshoot of Pete's life. Something that he was aware of but couldn't do much against it. But to see it happen to someone he cared so deeply about was something completely different. Ever since he learned what Kan demanded his son to do, how he sent Vegas to sleep with his business partners to gain some favour with them, Pete swore that he would do his best to keep Vegas safe from his father no matter what. Now he cursed himself that he let Vegas send him out of the room and leaving him alone with Kan. He could still see how weak and vulnerable the man looked while he lay on the floor with his father's hands around his neck. That image would torment him for a long while.

Pete kept his eyes shut as the bathroom door opened, silently waiting for Vegas to come back to bed, then looked up when instead of the mattress dipping next to him he heard the bedroom door click as Vegas gently closed it behind himself. Pete frowned and lifted his arm to reach to the bedside table and look at the screen of his phone to check the time. He sighed as he saw that it was only nearing four in the morning. Glancing to the side he realised that there was no natural light coming through the little holes in the rolling shutters. He bit his lip as he wondered if he should leave the bed too and go after Vegas, worrying if the man would find his behaviour too clingy and annoying if he did. At the same time, Pete couldn't shake the thought that reminded him of what happened the last time he let the man out of his sight for a longer period.