Chapter 15
Niran
Ididn’t like the way Bento being upset made me feel—like I was crawling out of my fucking skin.
And there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do to help him because I didn’t know how he felt.
How was I expected to comfort him when I couldn’t relate?
I didn’t want to give him something half-assed.
That wasn’t who I was. But Bento was mine, and I was supposed to be able to take care of him in all the ways.
But I couldn’t, and that was just it. I had to hope I’d said the right things and leave it at that, even if I didn’t fucking like it.
Sighing, I grabbed my tablet off the charger and opened the employee files so I had everything ready when Bento finally made his way to my office.
Rico and I had gone through the list yesterday to find suitable guards for Anurak while Bento was out of commission, but Rico wanted Bento to make the final decision.
It spoke volumes about how much he trusted Bento when it came to Anurak’s safety.
Had Bento lost his life so Anurak could run, it would’ve been the ultimate sacrifice.
And I probably would have went off the fucking deep end. Rico would’ve had to put me down. Because regardless of if Bento’s attack had been Anurak’s fault or not, I would’ve lashed out at the boy. No one would have been safe from my wrath.
The door to my office opened, and I arched a brow at Bento. “Heard of knocking?” I drawled.
He rolled his eyes. “When have I ever fucking knocked?” he retorted. Then, like the true smart-ass he was, he raised his fist and knocked on the open door. I shot him a deadpan look. “Happy?” he asked, a smirk tilting his lips.
He seemed okay, but I knew Bento was excellent at wearing a mask. It was one of his aspects that made him such a good guard. He could mask anything he was feeling—except for me. Something in his eyes always gave him away to me, and as I studied him, I could see the lingering hurt in his eyes.
Anurak had done a fucking number on him, even if he hadn’t meant his words in the way Bento had taken them.
Seeing Bento hurt made me want to go upstairs, drag Anurak out of his room, and force him to his knees so he could apologize to Bento.
But I kept my urges in check. Rico would put a bullet in my skull so quick, I wouldn’t even see it coming.
“You’re such a fucking brat,” I muttered.
I pointed to the chair across from my desk.
“Sit.” Once he dropped into the chair with a wince, I grabbed the bottle of pain pills Rico had given me for him and dropped one out into my palm.
I handed it to him, then gave him a bottle of water.
“Take that. Then, we need to go through employee files to find three guards for Anurak while you’re out of commission. Rico wants you to have final say.”
Bento groaned after he’d swallowed the pill. “I don’t do admin bullshit, Niran,” he said, capping the water bottle and setting it on my desk.
“You do today.” I turned the tablet toward him, then slid him a notebook and a pen. “Write down who you think is suitable. Remember, you need three.”
He rolled his eyes. “Why fucking three? Isn’t that a little overkill? The mother fuckers who tried to kidnap him are currently wasting away in the basement.”
I rolled my eyes as I turned toward my computer so I could start on payroll.
I was supposed to be on leave, but I didn’t trust Alfonzo to get this done in time.
The man couldn’t sit at a desk long enough to handle something like payroll.
He was a field man through and through, even if he was Rico’s second-in-command.
“Because it will take three men to replace what you could do as one,” I retorted, pulling up the system I needed. “Now hush and do what I told you.”
Bento sighed loudly as if being forced to sit in a chair and do something as simple as going through employee files was such tedious work. “You better be glad I like it when you get bossy with me,” he muttered. “And I expect a workout after this. I’m restless.”
I shook my head, already punching numbers into the system.
“No working out for at least three months,” I told him.
If his jaw dropping could have made a sound, I would’ve heard it, no fucking doubt.
“Doctor’s orders. And even longer than that if your physical therapist isn’t comfortable with you returning to work. ”
My tablet made a loud clatter as it hit the wooden desk.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, preparing myself for Bento losing his shit.
And it was going to happen. I’d just ripped away the one thing that gave him a way to push out his extra energy and his feelings.
The one thing he’d been able to rely on since Rico had brought him here and put him under my command.
Stability.
“No,” he snapped. I opened my eyes to look at him.
He jabbed his finger into the desk. I turned my chair so I was facing him and steepled my fingers over my flat stomach.
“I’m already being ripped of my duties as Anurak’s fucking bodyguard.
I can come to terms with that, Niran.” He was already breathing hard, his eyes burning with anger.
“You can’t take this from me too, goddammit. ”
“You got the shit beat out of you, your head shoved through a fucking window, and you were shot, which required fucking surgery and blood transfusions, Bento. You are out of fucking commission until I give an order otherwise. Arguing with me and getting angry will not change the facts. It’s not safe for you to workout, and I will not put your safety at more risk than is needed. ”
He clenched his jaw so tightly, his molars audibly ground together. “Fuck you,” he growled, jerking up from his seat.
“Sit. Down,” I ordered.
He marched toward the door. “Go fuck yourself, Niran.”
“I said to sit down!” I barked, jerking up from my chair now, too. He curled his fingers around the door handle. “If I have to come around this fucking desk, kon-dii, you’ll regret it. Do not fucking test me.”
He spun to face me, his dark eyes heated with rage. “I’m out of commission, right?” He waved his good hand at the desk. “So, you and Rico can figure this out for your fucking selves. Maybe I’ll take a goddamn vacation. No reason for me to remain here, right?” he hissed.
The thought of him leaving filled me with a panic and a rage so visceral, it stole the breath from my lungs.
Snarling, I stormed around the desk, and it was then that Bento realized just how much trouble he was in.
He took a step back, his eyes widening in alarm, but it was too goddamn late.
He should have heeded my fucking warning when I gave it.
I wrapped my hand around his throat and pushed him up against the door. His breath punched from his lungs, and I leaned in, bringing our faces so close, our lips brushed.
“You’re not fucking leaving,” I growled. And then, I crushed my lips to his.