you're the little thing, my saving grace

Chapter 8

Vegas arrives ten minutes before the arranged time. The cafe is empty inside, Pete let the stuff go home, and quickly checks if everything is okay.

"Take any table. Can I bring you anything? Tea, coffee, water?"

Vegas pushes back the chair at the table in the center and shakes his head.

"Thanks, Pete. I came to talk.

When Pete sits down across from him, Vegas notices the disbelief and anxiety on his face.

"Pete. I really won't hurt you or your family. Stop thinking that I'm here because I want to get you to work for my dad again. That's not why I'm here."

"I'm not worried about myself. I have a kid, Vegas."

"I get it." Vegas nods. "And a wife."

Pete frowns and looks away.

"Uh... is something wrong?"

"Well, you or your people will find out anyway.… It's better if I tell you how it is. So that you don't make up your mind."

Vegas nods slightly, indicating that he is ready to listen to him.

"Layan is not my wife. We're friends. But... yes. We have a mutual son."

"How did it happen... I'm sorry, I'm getting too personal."

"You'll dig everything around if you want to, and you won't ask me, right?"  Pete chuckles. "There was a party in honor of the opening. We were drunk and lonely. Then, as it usually happens, we began that life-talk stuff. And... everything happened. I persuaded her to keep the baby. I wanted to do what was right and asked her to marry me, but she honestly admitted that only sees me as a friend. For the sake of Vegas, we decided to live together so that the baby would have a mom and dad. Apart from the responsibility for raising a child, we don't owe each other anything."

Vegas has a vague feeling about what he heard. He's afraid to scare off hope.

"I don't even know what to say, Pete. Do you like this kind of 'family' life yourself?"

"And what's wrong with it? The child grows up in a healthy environment, without scandals, breaking dishes and other things. His parents are nearby."

"Well, yeah... I'm not the one to judge you, Pete," Vegas agrees. "I guess if my parents were such close friends, even without love... I would give anything for it."

"Is your father still with that woman, Noon?"

"No, not at all. He's already got a third or fourth one after her.… I didn't count. He is venerably trying to make an ideal mother of future heirs out of everyone, but so far in vain. Oh, Pete! I wish he had another son. He would have left me alone then, and I would have been free!"

"You're not just some ordinary bodyguard, Vegas. You're a member of that family."

"And if he hadn't been? Would it make any difference to you?"

Pete rolls his eyes,

"Don't start it, Vegas. And at all… You wanted to talk about the case. So what's in there?"

Vegas is looking at him too seriously. And then he says:

"They want to build something like a small pharmaceutical factory. We even signed an agreement with someone from India. But of the pharmaceutical products they are interested in, only amphetamine will be here. Everything else is for cover. Your cafe and several houses are in the coastal area. Traffic will pass along the river. You're really bothering them, Pete."