The Kingpin's Possession

48: A Warning and a Distraction

Kit:Kit went into his own room, where he sat on the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight.

His mind went straight to the earlier incident and he couldn’t help but take a shaky breath. He hadn’t been able to feel the depth of his fear, even when he and P’Kanya had talked about it with NongBut now that he was finally alone… He could remember the fast and loud beating of his heart, and the way his throat had tightened and dried up. And worst of all, he could never forget the look on his sister’s face—those wide, frightened eyes, teeth biting so hard on her lip that she drew blood.

They had a narrow escape from death itself, and even though Kit had watched several horrifying incidents before, this once scared him most since this was the first time P’Kanya was involved.

He remembered P’Kim shooting at those thugs who has tried to hurt him in front of their old apartment. He remembered the danger he and his friends had encountered after getting kidnapped by P’First…and he certainly remembered how P’Kim had laid on his hospital bed, looking so pale and frail after getting shot by his enemy.

But those incidents seemed to pale in comparison to having his own sister in the line of fire. Maybe now…he could somewhat understand what P’Kla had felt when he had seen his own father die in front of his eyes, that too after protecting him from danger…

Just as the room became too silent and oppressive, the door opened, and Kit turned to see who it was.

Of course, it was P’Kim.

Kit didn’t waste any time as he ran to him just as he closed the door behind him, and they held onto each other tightly, letting the other feel the warmth of their body. In P’Kim’s arms, Kit felt safe, and his earlier anxieties melted away as he buried his face in P’Kim’s strong chest.

Kim kept his grip firm and secure, as though he was trying to assess Kit’s condition simply by this embrace. And when they finally pulled away, Kim’s eyes roamed all over Kit the way he always did, taking everything in and ensuring that the love of his life was more than well.

At this, Kit couldn’t help but laugh. “Woah, there. Slow down,” he joked. “Should I strip naked for you? So you can do an even more thorough inspection?”

P’Kim must have been seriously worried because he wasn’t amused by his joke. “Don’t tempt me,” he said with stern, narrowed eyes.

The other man simply shook his head. “Come on.” He tugged P’Kim toward the bed. They settled comfortably on the mattress, laying side by side. P’Kim didn’t seem to be satisfied by this because he eventually pulled Kit back into his arms, holding to his chest tightly.

They didn’t speak for a long while, staring mindlessly at the ceiling, enjoying each other’s warmth, and Kit welcomed the silence. It was better than dwelling on the incident and scaring himself even more.

Ah, right. There was something Kit had wanted to ask P’Kim about, but it was only now that he remembered it. “Can I ask you something?” He asked a bit hesitantly.

Kim shifted his head so his chin rested on Kit’s cheek. “Yes, what is it?”

“Earlier, as we were about to leave the clinic, you had to leave so suddenly,” Kit recounted. His hand seemed to have a mind of its own because they started playing with P’Kim’s long fingers. “What happened at work today? It sounded serious.”

P’Kim sighed. “Ah, that,” he said tiredly. “There was a minor accident, and it resulted in a part of our warehouse catching fire. Thankfully the place had been cleared out just a day prior, so nothing particularly important was burned.”

“Oh, that does sound awful,” Kit said worriedly. “Did anyone get hurt?”

P’Kim nodded. “One employee got his hand burned while trying to put out the flames, but he’s getting the treatment he needs at the hospital. We got experts to take care of his wounds.”

Kit was visibly relieved, the tension leaving his body at the good news. “I’m glad you weren’t with us in the car,” he said honestly, making P’Kim shift his head again, this time to get a proper look at Kit. “Whoever shot at the car may have done worse if you had been there with us.”

Kim caressed his cheek with a thumb. “That shot was fired to scare you,” he said gravely, his voice a stark contrast to the gentle way he held Kit. “It wasn’t meant to actually hurt you, because if they actually wanted to cause damage, they wouldn’t have fired only one bullet, and they sure as hell would have followed you to the ends of earth instead of disappearing into thin air midway down the road.”

“Is that true?” Kit twisted his body so that they were now nose-to-nose, and he could have a proper look at his lover’s face.

“Unfortunately,” Kim sighed. “The fire in the empty warehouse had been a distraction, that bullet a warning. And I am more than certain that the person behind this is none other than my uncle.”

“What?” Kit looked surprised and more than worried at the same time, as though he couldn’t believe that someone would want to hurt another family member like this. “But he’s your uncle—”

But Kit couldn’t even finish that sentence, remembering vividly the way he had looked at P’Kanya, and he felt an involuntary shiver make its way across his skin at the thought of that man going anywhere near his sister.

No,Then, suddenly… another thought occurred to him. This one horrifying enough that his eyes widened in fear.

Kim noticed that he had fallen silent and nudged him gently, that was before he saw the expression on Kit’s face. “What?” he asked, urgently. “What are you thinking about?”

Kit’s voice sounded small as he slowly said, “P’Kim… do you think it’s possible… that the person who shot at our car…could’ve been my father?”