you're the little thing, my saving grace

Chapter 14

Vegas kisses him again. Fervently, persistently, without giving time to doubt. He turns his back to himself, his hands fiddling with the zipper on his jeans. Pete intercepts them, staring in fright:

"What are you, what are you! Don't you dare!"

"No," pressing his tongue to Pete's neck, swinging it down, skirting each vertebra, "let me, let me. I've been waiting for this for so long, I want you so much."

Pete's lips are shaking and his thoughts are confused. Vegas pulls up his T-shirt on the back and freezes. Pete doesn't understand why he stopped. But then he feels Vegas's lips touching the scars on his back. Quite in contrast to the old kisses — gently and affectionately.

"It's because of me that they stayed. You shielded me with yourself then. Pete..." Vegas hugs him across his stomach, resting his chin on his shoulder, "if necessary, I will cover you with myself, you and your son." 

"Yeah. I didn't shield you from a fifteen-year-old so that you'd die at twenty-five because of me."

"It's okay. You'll have the other Vegas."

Pete realizes that Vegas is joking, although inappropriately, but he is suddenly so offended by this carelessness. Twitching, he pushes Vegas away from him, hissing:

"You're an insufferable fool! How can you talk so blithely about your life?!"

Vegas wants to hug him again, but Pete prevaricates, pulling down his T-shirt and picking up a vibrating phone from the table.

And then fear and horror cover his face. Vegas understands that something terrible has happened.

***

"Dad, what if Mom comes back and we're not at home? Where will she look for us?"

"I don't know, baby, I don't know anything yet... get some sleep."

They've been driving for three hours now. Vegas can't drive too fast — there's a kid in the car. But he intends to take Pete and little Vegas far away, so far away that those who started the fire in Pete's cafe won't get to them.

They had to act quickly. When Pete recovered from the initial shock, Vegas grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and said peremptorily:

"I do not know who is behind this, but I will definitely find out. And now you need to get to a safe place."

Pete then broke out of his arms, started shouting that thanks to the Vegas family and their dirty deeds, there is not a single safe place in this world for them and the kid. Pete cursed the day and hour when he got involved with the mafia.

In the end, Vegas somehow persuaded him to take the most necessary things and at least check on him one last time.

Right now, Pete is glancing at Vegas' profile with a tired look. He can't stop blaming himself for succumbing to temptation and this tragedy happened. And his whole life is going downhill again.

"If you're tired, I can drive," Pete says to Vegas for the first time on the way.

"I'm not tired. There's an hour left. We'll be there soon."

Pete turns to the window. He's sure Vegas feels guilty, too. But if the arson was the work of his father's men… Pete doesn't know how he's going to be able to trust Vegas at all. No matter how much he convinces himself that Vegas is different, it doesn't have to be that way. He was and remains "his father's son".

"That's it." 

Pete looks back at little Vegas stuck to the window. Big Vegas picks him up in his arms and carries him out of the car himself.

"Do you like it?" He nods at the house.

It's not big at all compared to the Teerapanyakun family mansion. It is surrounded by a forest area. A real shelter.

"Come on. I'm going to show you your rooms and introduce you to Pistachio."

"To whom?.." Pete and his son ask at the same time.

"You'll find out soon enough," Vegas winks at them.

They are met by a few guards. The guys look very serious, which calms Pete down a little.

And then, with a loud purr, ginger, well-fed kitten with large light green eyes begins to rub against Vegas' legs - it looks like four or five months old.

"Hello, Pistachio!" Vegas picks up the kitten in his arms, "meet Pete and another Vegas."

Pete grins:

"I didn't expect it… Where is he from here?"

"I picked him up on the side of the highway once. Nobody cared about the baby. Maybe I wouldn't have either. But I've learned your lessons well, Pete. I remember what you taught me. I've remembered it for the rest of my life."

Pete's eyes are burning a little. So he turns his gaze to his son, to whom Vegas has carefully handed the kitten. Pistachio begins to purr even louder and cuddles up to the child. Pete smiles and asks:

"Curious name."

"Yeah. I decided, since I can't eat my favorite pistachios, let there be such a harmless Pistachio in my house."

"I see... does father know about this place?"

"No, Pete. No one knows — neither he nor his people. This is my safe haven. My little hermitage."

Pete nods, though he's still not relieved.

Today he insists that little Vegas lie down in his room. He'll feel better that way. Big Vegas tries to hug him before going to bed, but Pete avoids hugs.

"Pete. Don't blame yourself for what happened."

"And who should I blame, can you tell me?"

Vegas was hardly ready to answer him right now.

After a week in the Vegas house, Pete begins to feel that they have only grown apart. Vegas tried to establish contact with him, but Pete still has resentment, anxiety and... anger. Little Vegas, on the contrary, does not detach from its big namesake. Vegas even managed to get his beloved robops into working order. However, Pistachio was not at all happy about this, who at first hissed and snorted at the strange creature that appeared in his domain.

One evening, Vegas warned Pete that in the morning he would need to leave for a while. But neither he nor little Vegas need worry about anything.

"You're really safe here, Pete. Believe me."

"Where are you going, Vegas? Did you manage to find out something?"

"Pete. Leave it to me."

During the day after leaving Vegas, Pete experiences a variety of emotions. But what worries him most is the thought that he didn't tell Vegas something very important. And if I don't have time already? Vegas left him a gun, although he assured him there was no need for it. Pete thinks about everything for a long time and finally decides to contact the only person who, it seems to him, can still help prevent a new disaster.