VegasPete : Chess Room (The Way You Taste sequel)

53 - The Devil inside

Assistant Lee's POV

"Oh, Lord...How many times I have to tell you all I'm not your flight attendant? And this is not a luxury jet, this is a cargo and combat helicopter. I'm already doing much bringing you back home on my Mil Mi-26."

"That's the least you can do after causing us all this damage. How am I going to tell my father I'm penniless?!?! And bringing back a possibly brainless Arm!"

"Tankhun, honey, don't say it out loud!! Macau might hear you! Arm still has a brain...an amazing one...his memory loss is not permanently...I think. He just lost some of his memories...not all...they will come back." I scold Tankhun. "Now, darling, get your ass out of this seat and go get your wine in that cabin." Under protest, Tankhun gets up and follows one of my men.

At the back of the helicopter baby Macau is sitting next to a sleeping Arm who is tied on a gurney. Arm regained consciousness after the data extraction but did not remember anything about himself. As he heard me speaking Mandarin with my team, he started talking to us in our language. A few hours after, when we delivered him to his friends, he started speaking Thai and his long-term memories seemed to come back.

Vegas demanded that we bring them all back to Bangkok. I didn't understand why Lian agreed to fulfill his request.

And here I am stuck with them for another three hours until we get to Bangkok. I should ask for vacation...and a raise.

Vegas and Pete are sitting across from me. The dynamic between them is very interesting.

From the time I spent in Thailand while working with Khun Sanya I had already noticed it, but being this close is quite evident. Vegas cannot live without Pete.

Can Pete live without Vegas?

"Pete...drink this." He puts juice into Pete's mouth, while literally giving food in his mouth too. He's almost making Pete choke.

"Thank you, Vegas...but...you don't have to do this...I can feed myself..." Pete is frankly embarrassed by the excessive pampering in front of me.

"You are just skin and bones. Damn Andy didn't give you enough food?!"

"Vegas...I'm fine...ouch!"

"What?! Are you hurt?!" Vegas inspects his lover's body.

"I'm okay...please...stop..."

"Why are you so agitated on your seat?! You look in pain!"

"...this is nothing, Vegas..." Pete gets all red.

"Tell me, Pete! Do you want some medicine?!"

"...?!..." Then he frowns to Vegas.

"He can't sit comfortably because of you, honey. Just get that pillow for him." I say it bluntly, pointing to a pillow in a compartment above his head.

"Oh...right...why haven't you said it before, Pete?!"

"..." Pete widens his eyes. He seems not to be used to be exposed about intimate matters.

Vegas gets up and takes the pillow. He makes Pete get up to put the pillow on the seat.

End of Pete's misery.

"In a few hours we'll be home" Vegas caresses Pete's face and hair.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about Venice since I dropped him off with Nop. We need to pick him up immediately."

"He is fine, Pete. Think of it as a vacation to Venice...though I doubt he's having fun there without you."

"You are not helping! Venice doesn't like noise...he's like you after all. He must be thinking of some way to get out of there."