I buried myself in work. It wasn't hard to stay motivated with Pa breathing down my neck constantly. With Kinn in the hospital still, Pa wanted me to prove myself useful. Honestly, it was in our best interest to be on top of things as well. We weren't the only ones itching at the chance of a power shake-up. Several small gangs were using the same opportunity we were to get what we could before Uncle could stop them. It was a game of Jacks: everyone was willing to risk it all to be the piece Korn couldn't grab in time.
Case in point: someone was trying to sabotage one of the small casinos. Rather than team up from the beginning, Pa and Uncle Korn decided to be competitive, as usual. It suited me just fine. I wasn't eager to be taking orders from Uncle Korn or Kinn.
My team and I arrived at the casino in time to witness absolute mayhem. People were screaming and scrambling for the exit. The man who was the cause of the distress was shoving through the crowd, trying to get away. In a fluid motion, I kicked him in the chest, sending him flying to the floor as I drew my gun and pointed it at his face. Stomping my black boot onto his sternum, I held him in place as Pete, Porsche, and Big approached.
"A win for the minor family," I said, smirking at their looks of disappointment. At least this time, Pa could be proud of me. Not only that, but I had shown a glimmer of my potential to Kinn's men.
Together, the four of us and my team hauled our captive to the basement of the main house where we were joined by the nerd in the glasses who usually followed Thankhun around. Arm had been on my radar for a while because he seemed particularly close to Pete. I could tell he had a crush on him. Not even Pete seemed to be aware of it. Further proof that Pete was oblivious.
I half listened as Porsche spoke to Kinn on the phone from across the caged room. Pete stood mere feet away from me while we watched Big beat the captive. I was fucking bored. This was a child's game. I had better things I could have been doing, like literally any other shit. I let out a sigh as Pete told Big to stop, saying, "He could die."
Could he though? From that weak shit? Maybe after fifteen hours. Was Pete a softy? How could he be doing his job properly while feeling sorry for the trash we hurt and threw away? Ridiculous.
I picked up my travel kit and stood up, ready to get the real party started.
"Let me try," I said, unenthused.
"What are you doing, Khun Vegas?" Pete asked quickly, clearly distressed.
I was starting to become disillusioned with Pete. Perhaps that was for the best. Maybe I had read him wrong. Something in him had called out to the darkness within me, but perhaps it had just been wishful thinking.
"I've got my own method," I said, opening my small briefcase and putting on the raincoat to keep my clothes clean. "I think you all should go wait outside. You could lose your appetite."
I imagined that Pete and the others would be retching soon enough. The other three moved their feet quickly at my urging, but to my surprise, Pete lingered. I wish he would make up his mind. When he did things like that, he only got my hopes up that maybe he was different. Maybe he was special enough to play with me one day.
Or maybe he had just been slow because he was scared and stupid. That had to be it.
I took out my frustrations on the man sitting in front of me. Slowly. Methodically.
I was nothing if not patient. When things weren't just handed to you like they were to Kinn and the others, you learned to bide your time. Persistence was the key. You had to keep the focus on your goal. Eventually, the others would slip up.
With this mindset, I set about my work in the dimly lit cage. I had various types of pliers in my kit, and I had used most of them by the time I was finished. I had started with fingernails, then when he still wouldn't speak I decided to hit a little closer to home. It was funny how tongues often loosened when there were fewer fucking teeth in the way. Sure enough, he talked. I felt a little disappointed, to be honest. I had just started to get warmed up. Each time I glanced at my audience throughout the ordeal they had been in the same position. Porsche had his back turned. He was the newest to this, after all, so I wasn't surprised. Big and Arm looked nauseated. Pete on the other hand, Pete was something else. He watched my every movement with clear eyes. He didn't look shocked or sickened. On the contrary, he seemed to be studying my methods carefully. His expression was distant, and I wanted to snap him back to the moment and ask him what he was thinking about.
In an attempt to pull a reaction from him, I stepped closer to the bars that separated us, flashing the last molar I had removed like a trophy. Pete just kept looking at me in that same way which left me frustrated. I went back to examining the tooth. I had done a great job of pulling the root out as well, and I was admittedly a little proud.
After getting cleaned up, I joined Pa in a private meeting with Uncle Korn and his right-hand man, Chan. Kinn joined us via tablet from his hospital room. He was pissed but trying to maintain his composure.
We had learned that Don had been buying drugs from Big Wang, which was a direct threat to our business. We couldn't afford to have others encroaching on our territory. If we could remove the festering wound while embarrassing Kinn in front of his father, that was even better.
I listened carefully as my father mollified Kinn, bragging that our family had connections which meant we were very much needed to ensure mission success. My father and I had worked all of this out before the meeting, and I was happy to see that Korn and Kinn had to fall in line for once. It meant that I might not get hit when I got home, for once. Shit, my Pa might even pour me a drink! I would have fainted if he ever did that.
Kinn was helpless, watching through the small screen as I laid out my plan. The highlight of the meeting for me was explaining that I wanted to take Porsche on as my assistant for the mission. Kinn was so pissed off at the notion that if I lacked self-control I would have gotten a little stiff in my pants at the power rush. I really did enjoy taking things from him. I didn't dwell on that idea for too long, for I knew that was one of the least fucked up things about me. Uncle agreed that Porsche would help me, and Kinn looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. I probably added at least ten days to his hospital stay.
I had briefed all my men before Porsche's imminent arrival. I wanted everything to seem chill. Happy. Welcoming.
I donned one of my most enticing outfits: fitted black pants and a maroon crushed velvet shirt. I managed to wear that top in the intense heat through sheer willpower. It was one of my biggest brags I would never voice aloud. A real fuckboy power play on my part. I thrived off of that energy.
My plans were immediately thrown off course when Porsche arrived. For a moment, it seemed great. I had been waiting for half an hour to greet him. Then, two other bodies climbed out of the car with him. It was Pete and that Arm guy again. Why didn't you just bring the whole fucking house? Seriously, didn't he know it was rude to invite other people when you were a guest yourself? At least Porsche had the common decency to look uncomfortable when he announced he hadn't come alone. No shit. I swallowed and glanced at Pete, my smile fading. Pete within my vicinity was the rock in my own personal Sisyphian Hell. Just when I got away from him, he snapped back like a torturous boomerang with that smile and those sparkling eyes. I wondered again what his soft body looked like under the suit.
Pete pulled a face and said, "Khun Kinn's afraid that Porsche alone wouldn't be able to handle everything." He finished with that dopey, self-satisfied smirk that hinted at his dimples. Not fair.
I had no choice but to invite the small party in, slowly leading them through the entrance, past the girls and gambling. Everything was set up like a small marketplace, which helped us blend in. Any civilian from the street glancing our way wouldn't look twice. There was nothing special to see. At least, not until you got to the compound.
We passed a food stall and I heard Pete say, "There's grilled pork!"
Before I could think, I was asking him if he wanted any, quickly passing him and the other bodyguard a piece. I needed to focus on the main goal. Turning to Porsche, I made sure to tell him to make himself at home and to let me know if he needed anything. Porsche still looked uncomfortable.
We passed our small spirit house, and I sensed someone had stopped moving. Sure enough, when I turned around, Pete was paying respects. Pete was religious? Interesting. From the look of it, he seemed to take it fairly seriously.
Thinking the pork wasn't enough, but not wanting to focus on Pete, I turned and asked Arm if he was hungry. Pete assured me they could eat with everyone later, but I knew he was hungry.
"I'll get you some food," I said, glancing at the other two before addressing Pete specifically. Just as expected, Pete was holding onto the rules and regulations the main house ran by. I wondered if Pete would flourish in a household more like ours. After brief consideration, I decided that Pete needed structure. He needed to be commanded. He needed to be controlled. I needed to stop thinking about it.
I showed them the main courtyard with a large table covered in food and drinks. After greeting my father, I hurried over to ask Macau how school was. The atmosphere became tense when Porsche sat down next to Macau and I made a mental note to speak to my brother again. He already knew about my plans with Porsche, so he was on his best behavior, but it was clear that Porsche still felt awkward. I needed Porsche to be relaxed and focused on the mission. If everything went well, perhaps he would want to stay with me rather than my controlling cousin.
I fed Porsche some bullshit about how we treat our bodyguards well because they were willing to die for me, but it was garbage. Happy men were more pliable and less likely to rebel. We kept them full of food and alcohol and women, just not so much that they couldn't perform their job as a human shield. The truth was these men were all interchangeable. Other than my personal guards, I never bothered to learn their names. I didn't want to waste my time or mental energy on something so useless.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Pete and Arm whispering to each other. Pete was uncomfortable, but trying to act like he was fine, smiling and sipping his beer. I had to stop myself from telling the other guard off for staring at Pete. Why did he need to look at him so much?
The atmosphere eased as the food was consumed and the drinks flowed freely. Afterward, I showed Porsche and the others to their rooms, which weren't too far away from my own. I decided to avoid temptation by placing Pete in the room farthest from my own. Porsche was the closest, which would indicate my intention that he was my focus. Quickly, I found Macau. He was still in his school uniform.
"How's it going, Bro?" he asked.
"It's going well. But can I ask you for another favor?"
Macau sighed but nodded his head for me to continue.
"I want you to smooth things over with Porsche, Mac. If he's stressed about pissing you off again, he's not gonna relax."
"What's in it for me?" Macau asked, wearing a shit-eating grin.
"I'll get you a copy of that new game you want before it's released."
Pretending to mull over my offer, Macau rubbed his chin. I sighed and he surrendered, agreeing to my terms.
We found Porsche checking out my bike. Perfect.
Macau did just as I asked, although it was clear from where I was standing that it physically pained him. Macau did not let go of grudges easily, evident from the year I had to check every pair of shoes I owned for tacs before putting them on. I had accidentally crashed his moped, so I guess I deserved it. Truthfully, I was lucky he had gotten bored after only a year.
After fulfilling his duty, Macau slipped past me, nodding proudly. He wasn't a bad kid if you knew how to convince him. I made my way to Porsche, telling him I had asked Macau to apologize so there were no hard feelings. Porsche had a younger brother himself, so he never would have believed Macau would have come to make peace out of the goodness of his heart. Again, I reminded Porsche that he and I were on the same side. I needed him to join our names in his thoughts so I could burrow myself into his subconscious. Then, he would feel comfortable enough to trust me.
"What if I fail?" Porsche asked in a sudden moment of vulnerability. The cracks were forming and he was letting me in.
In a moment of brilliance, I responded, "Then don't fail."
Wow. That should be on a motivational poster. Seriously, sometimes I impressed myself.
To distract Porsche from my not-so-helpful advice, I told him that I planned on giving him the Ducati for helping me, so failure wasn't an option. Right then, Kinn called Porsche, summoning him to the hospital. God, I would never be so fucking needy for a piece of ass, that's for sure.
I followed Porsche to the hospital, letting him go into the room alone to take a phone call that I had been expecting. Making my way into an empty stairway, I accepted the call.
"Did you miss me?" Tawan breathed on the other end of the line, waiting for my response and I had to think carefully. I knew the motherfucker was unstable, and it sounded like he had been thinking about me during his exile. Suddenly, I had an idea.
"Baby, are you back in Thailand? God, I've missed you so much," I said, my voice sounding on the verge of tears.
He sighed heavily and I could hear him start to cry. "Vegas, I've missed hearing your voice."
"Sorry, baby. You know why I couldn't call. It was too risky."
"I know. I know."
He was agreeing quickly to whatever I said. It seemed like he had never been released from my spell. Part of me wanted to pity Tawan, but if I was honest I just didn't fucking care enough.
"When can I see you?" he said.
I glanced around, making sure I was still alone in the stairwell. "Soon, baby. Soon. I need your help with something."
I filled Tawan in on a version of events that made him eager to jump to my aid in taking Kinn down a notch. After all, it was Kinn's fault that Tawan had to play dead and stay out of the country for years. I mean, technically, it was my fault. But it was partly Kinn's fault I acted the way I did, so I was ready to just place the blame on his shoulders. That felt much easier to process.
Ending the call, I went back to Kinn's room, knocking on the door before letting myself in. The atmosphere inside was tense. It was clear they had been fighting. It was probably over me, which was a pleasing thought.
I told Kinn that I needed his bodyguard back because we had a meeting and Kinn snapped, "Right now he's yours. Do whatever you want."
Dangerous words from a salty bitch.
With Porsche in tow, I left the room, ready to smooth things over. Kinn and his mood swings made it that much easier to make him look like the bad guy.
I told Porsche that Kinn was just worried I was going to steal him away. I played the understanding cousin while I dropped crumbs for the naive and kind Porsche to nibble on, telling him about Tawan. Again, it was my particular version of events. I couldn't let anyone know that Tawan was back and helping me, so I told Porsche that Kinn was a paranoid bastard who shot and killed his lover, thinking he was a spy. In Kinn's eyes, no one could be trusted.
With a smirk, I walked away, giving Porsche some privacy to mull over my words. And just like that, another phase of my plan was completed. Not only did Porsche know that I understood him and I was welcoming, but he now knew that Kinn could snap over the mere idea of betrayal and kill him. Rather than pushing forcibly, I was gently nudging Porsche into my corner. I was doing him a favor. I was just trying to look out for him.
It was time to enact the next part of my plan.