Devil's Flaw, Angel's Sin

Twenty Four

Pete

"What are you doing out of bed?" I hurried towards Vegas as soon as I enter the room with his breakfast and see him standing. "The doctor said you need to stay in bed for at least two weeks!"

I set the tray down on the nightstand and reach for Vegas. I try to move him back onto the bed but he doesn't budge.

"I've been in bed long enough." Vegas comments.

"It's only been two days! Not two weeks!" I complain.

"Two days too long. If not for you, I would have been out of bed the moment I opened my eyes." Vegas wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Did you bring me breakfast?"

"Vegas... please get back into bed. I'm worried..." I pleaded looking at him with concerned eyes. I really am. I know he and these people are built differently from me and their mentality and pain tolerance probably triples mine but still... he was shot.

"It's nice, this. You worrying about me." Vegas leans down and traces the tip of his nose slowly over my face. "But... I need to figure out who's to blame for this new scar on my back."

"But the other day you said Tankhun can handle it?"

"Yeah. But I still haven't heard anything useful. Macau, that young man is a tough one to crack according to Khun, which doesn't surprise me. He is Kim's brother after all. Since Khun can't make him speak, I will." Vegas says, his eyes back on my own now. He had this look of evil determination burning in his orbs and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"What have Tankhun done to Macau? What are you going to do?" I ask with a shaky breath. I know Tankhun came in here a few times over the last couple days to report to Vegas but not about what since I wasn't allowed to listen in on them.

"He's done the basic. Beat him. Starved him. Carved his skin, little by little. If you ask me, Khun's going easy on him." Vegas relays to me and I gasped. He sees the horrified look in my face and clears his throat. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you."

If what Tankhun did is considered basic than I don't even want to begin imagining what Vegas will do.

"Vegas... I already told you, I don't think it's them. In fact, I know it's not them. I just know it. Please make Tankhun stop because if it's really not them, Kim will only get angry and seek retribution for what has been done to his brother. It will be a never ending cycle of revenge and war. Please listen to me Vegas." I pleaded desperately with him as my palm grips the front of his chest.

Vegas sighs and walks me over the short distance to the bed. He sits me down and gets on one knee in front of me with his face slightly contorting in pain as he moves. He grabs both of my hands in his and looks up at me.

"Pete, love, listen to me. I know you hate this. I know you hate everything about this life. I know it's all my fault for bringing you into this dirty world of mine. But that's just it. This is the kind of world I live in. My world, my life. There's no more escaping it for me. I will always be wanted dead from someone just as heinous as me. The only way for me to stay alive, is if I continue to fight. But you..." Vegas smiles and cups the side of my face with one hand. "You can still escape this dirty world. Just say again you want to go home and even if that's the last thing I ever want to do, I'll let you go home. So now Pete, tell me. Do you want to go home?"

I inhale a shaky breath as I stare at Vegas. Behind those dark orbs hides a thick layer of pain. Not the kind of pain from a gunshot wound, but the pain caused only by a fragile broken heart. Yet, here he is again, offering me another out.

"I..." I close my eyes and exhale slowly before opening them again. I shake my head. "I'm staying. For now, I'm staying."

Vegas nods, understanding. There's no way I can leave the idiot when he's not even fully healed and already, he's stupidly jumping into another possible and very dangerous fight.