A car arrived soon after they bandaged their injuries, and Karn and Fuse headed back into the city. On the ride, Karn tried to contain his ire, but it was like a grenade with a pulled pin. One wrong move, and he felt like it would explode. Each time he caught a glimpse of Fuse’s bloodied shoulder, he struggled to contain his pent up rage. That shootout wasn’t an attack. It was a declaration of war.

As much as he wanted to pull the pin on his fury, he couldn’t. Not with Fuse in the car. Fuse had not witnessed him at the height of his rage, and Karn didn’t want to put him through any more stress tonight. He’d been through enough.

He wanted to make Sharp physically suffer the way Fuse had clearly emotionally suffered. Seeing the flash of horror in Fuse’s eyes the same expression he had when facing his father was like a shot to Karn’s heart. Not to mention that Fuse had put himself in harm's way for his sake and had gotten shot as a result. Fuse didn’t deserve any of it. And Sharp deserved a world of pain.

Karn wasn’t short-tempered. In fact, his men had nicknamed him ‘P’Hinพี่หิน, hin means rock, and phi is an honorific in Thai.’ due to his immoveable disposition. No matter the situation, he wasn’t one to crack under pressure or resort to wrath. Anger was a dangerous trait. If not handled properly, it made a leader extremely vulnerable, as it blinded a man from being rational. As heir to the Tamisonan clan’s legacy, he couldn’t allow anger to control him.

However, Karn was still human, and from time to time, he’d slip up. When he was pissed, there was no one more dangerous than him. This was when his protective nature kicked in. Whenever someone threatened his sister or friends, Karn made certain that person regretted ever coming out of their mother’s womb. He achieved this mostly by fist. His temper made him impulsive. But thus far, his actions hadn’t caught up to him. Instead, his fiery trail warned others to stay away.

Karn wanted to rant and rave to his driver, Non, about all the ways he wanted to gut Sharp like a fish. But Fuse was sitting right next to him, staring out the window with somber eyes. So, he was going to have to suck it up and remain in his seat with a clenched jaw and tight fists.

He watched Fuse rest his head against the window and let out a slow breath. Fuse. He hadn’t said a word since they’d been picked up. Karn wasn't sure how Fuse was processing the events of tonight, but he hoped it wasn't too overwhelming. When Fuse nestled into his shoulder after they’d escaped, Karn immediately sensed distress from him. It wasn’t like Fuse to accept affection.

Circumstances aside, Karn couldn’t help relishing Fuse’s warmth and faint smell of coconut shampoo. He loved the way Fuse’s body felt in his arms and didn’t want the moment to end. Sadly, it was short-lived. Once the car approached, Fuse pushed Karn away.

The long journey came to an end as they pulled up to the front of the dorms.

Fuse didn’t budge. Alarmed by his lack of movement, Karn waved his hand in front of the spaced-out boy’s face. It seemed to work because Fuse rapidly blinked and snapped around to the window. With a long huff, Fuse opened the door and stepped out. He turned to Karn as soon as he realized that Karn wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” Fuse narrowed his eyes and bent over to gaze at Karn.

Karn’s chest tightened at his soft confusion. “There’s something I need to take care of first. I’ll be back before morning.”

“I can go with you.”

“You can, but you won’t.” Karn leaned over and shut the door. He lowered the window. “Just go to the dorms. I’ll send out Doctor Seua to check on your shoulder.”

Thankfully, he’d already arranged for shadow bodyguards to watch over the dorms. He wouldn’t have to worry about Sharp’s antics anymore tonight.

Arms folded, Fuse nodded in acceptance.

“Try to get some rest.” Karn reached out to reassuringly touch Fuse’s arm, but the male jerked away. A pang of guilt surged in his chest. He didn’t want to leave Fuse, but he needed to deal with Sharp.

Resisting the urge to join Fuse to their dorm, he raised the window and settled back in his seat.

“Take me to the Plathorn residence.” Karn clenched his jaw as he stared through the front window with a hot gaze.

* * *

By the time Karn had arrived at the Plathorn residence, he’d managed to keep a firm enough hold of his rage to compose himself. Sharp’s men wouldn’t allow him into the building if he showed any sign of threat. Had they encountered Karn twenty minutes ago, he would’ve been forced to turn the car around.

After passing through security, Karn had no problem getting into the building. One of the employees walked him to Sharp. They came to a door painted in rich blue with a marble framework. Karn thanked the employee for showing him the way and stepped inside. The room was dim, with only a few candles on the table in the back corner and low lights on the walls. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata played from surround-sound speakers. Sharp was at the table, taking a slow bite of his chicken and washing it down with red wine.

Karn put on a fake smile, hiding the seething, heart-pounding rage that was building beneath his ‘pleasant’ facade. He walked up to Sharp, opened hands by his side to conceal his threatening edge, and stood next to him at the end of the table.

As Sharp reached for his glass, Karn grabbed his wrist and wrenched his fingers straight back, bone cracking underneath his grip.

Shia!” Sharp pulled his hand away and stared at his broken fingers in horror.

Karn idly watched the man cradle his palm and hiss in pain. He dismissed the glare that was shot his way and settled into the seat across from him. “I told you that if you laid a hand on Ai’Fuse that you’d lose it.” With a sinister smile, he leaned over and dragged the glass of wine across the table.

“I haven’t touched Ai’Fuse.” Sharp groaned and rested his wrist against the table, his twisted fingers hanging off the side.

Watching Sharp pathetically struggle in pain gave him a dark sense of pleasure. Karn twisted the stem of the glass and swirled the deep-red alcohol within its clear walls, the cherry fragrance filling his nose. “I don’t eat chaff and bran.Kin klaep kin ram. This is a Thai idiom that means 'stupid.' Basically Karn is saying he isn't an idiot. We both know those were your men in the warehouse.” Heart still fueled by anger, Karn took a sip of the wine and savored the bouquet.

“Those were my underling’s men.” Sharp snarled and ran his tongue along his teeth as Karn drained the glass. “I didn’t order any warehouse kidnapping. I mean, really? They gave you a fighting chance in that warehouse. I’m not so pedestrian.”

“Do you honestly expect me to believe that your hands are clean on this issue?” Karn registered the faint sting that raced down his throat as he finished the tart beverage. “Let me guess. Your underling ordered his men to commit arson too,” he said, his tone mocking the very notion.

“It’s amazing what simpletons do for attention.” Sharp softly chuckled. Wincing, he got up and retrieved ice from the mini-fridge to ice his injury.

Karn shoved the empty glass aside and rested his arm on the table, his gaze following his rival. His hold on his temper was starting to slip. “If you have a problem with me, you come to me directly. But don’t you ever drag Ai’Fuse into this again. Or it’ll be more than your fingers that I break.”

“You have every right to be upset.” Sharp returned to his seat and pressed the ice pack to his hand, grimacing at the contact. “But as I’ve said, I had nothing to do with either of those incidents. Trust me. When I found out what he did, I was just as appalled as you are now, and I took care of it.”

“Bullshit.” The male’s insincerity reeked stronger than an overworked prostitute.

“Am I on trial here?” Sharp sniggered. “Do you want proof?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously?” The light from the candle in the center of the table gently flickered across Sharp’s arched brow. Reluctancy hung in his voice, either suggesting apprehension or his bluff.

“Did I stutter?”

Sharp raised his hand in surrender. “Alright, If you insist.”

Karn gazed expectantly as Sharp shoved his uninjured hand in the depths of his jacket pocket. It was a bit too convenient for him to have the ‘evidence’ on hand. He doubted he had anything of consequence.

“He wasn’t my brightest underling.” Sharp flashed a wry grin and tossed a balled up handkerchief to him. He then sat back in his chair and gestured for Karn to open it.

Karn hesitantly picked up the cloth, noticing that it was wrapped around something that resembled the shape of a cigar. He peeled back the thin layer of linen, and swallowed the thick ball of disgust in his throat as a finger was exposed. It was clearly ‘fresh’. The blood had barely clotted. Bone peaked out through the torn end. It’d looked like the work of a fucking blunt hacksaw.

He didn’t want to know if this meant the man was alive or had merely lost his trigger finger. It wasn’t worth knowing. Gulping back the urge to vomit, he wrapped the finger back up and handed it back.

“Does this satisfy you?” Sharp returned it to his pocket, seemingly unfazed by the body part. He’d probably executed it himself.

Karn pursed his lips. “I’ll let it go this once, but there will be consequences if this happens again.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” As the tension in the room somewhat dissolved, Sharp poured himself half a glass of wine.

For now, Karn would leave the events of tonight in the past. Though he was still skeptical, he’d had his fair share of employees eager to impress him. None had done something as drastic as kidnapping his enemies—not without permission at least—but there’d been some ridiculous attempts to please him. So, while it wasn’t totally convincing, it was a plausible explanation.

“Have you thought anymore about my business proposal?” Sharp split a large piece of chicken with his fork and shoved it on his spoon. “I’m sure you lost major profit from the fire.”

Millions of baht. But it wasn’t the money that upset him. It was never about the money. It was about keeping Mork’s memory alive.

“There is major damage. The damage is irreparable.” Karn admitted, his stomach coiling in devastation, the loss still a fresh wound. “But I’m sticking to my original answer. After I lost everything from that building, I realized that I couldn’t live with myself if I intentionally destroyed the rest.”

“Okay, so we don’t scrap them for parts. What if we rent out the places? A bit of mafia freelancing. I know a few underground doctors looking for a spot. Your building in Nakhon Saman would be perfect.”

“I have my own plans for my buildings, and they don’t involve outsiders.” Wanting to remain cordial, Karn held a firm yet tame expression. “I’m not open for negotiation.”

Sharp was well-known for his brilliant business strategies. Word on the street was that he’d generated millions of baht for him and his partners. Up until he’d dropped the ball on a deal a few months ago, which had cost him a pretty penny, many had insisted that Sharp was the man to go to.

Regardless, Karn didn’t approve of Sharp’s line of work. It was all dirty money. Any code of ethics went right out the window. As long as Sharp was getting paid, he didn’t care how he got it. His many affiliates had proven that. And Karn wasn’t about to put ‘Assassin Donor' on his resumé.

“Tough crowd.” Sharp sipped his wine. Flashing a disappointed smile, he said, “Though I can’t say I’m surprised.” He shrugged and let out a little sigh. “Oh, well. You miss all the shots you don’t take, right?”

Karn glared at him, the subtle jab about shooting feeling too coincidental. Anger surged through his veins all over again. No. He’d hold back. Sharp was trying to get to him.

“Do you need anything else?” Sharp collected the last of his meal on his spoon. “I have an appointment with a boy very soon. He charges extra when I’m late.”

Karn shook his head. “I’m done here.”

“Then I’ll have my men see you out.” Sharp gulped down his bite and gestured towards the door.

At the entrance was a young man who was about his height, had dark hair that was styled just like his, and even their faces were similar.

Stunned. Confused. Weirded out. Why would Sharp want a lover who would undoubtedly remind him of Karn—his worst enemy, unless of course the guy was a punching bag.

He shrugged it off. He was satisfied with the turn of events tonight, and that was all that mattered. He wasn’t comforted by any means, but the conversation went better than expected.

As he settled into the car, a vibration buzzed in his pocket. Curious, he pulled out his phone. A wave of shock and excitement stung his chest. Lek was calling. Minus the occasional text, Karn hadn’t spoken to him or Narong since he’d left France. Thailand was lonely without his two favorite people.

“Hello?” No response. Worry struck. Two bad events in one night?

Bonsoir, mon ami! It has been too long.” Lek’s voice happily exclaimed from the other end, and immediate relief washed over Karn.

“It has!” His voice matched his friend’s enthusiasm. The car slowly pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. “How have you been? How’s France?”

“France is magnifique. Everyone is super impressed with how much French I’ve learned in such a short amount of time.” Lek shuffled the phone and shouted something indecipherable over the line. After a moment, the rustling returned. “It’s still not the same without you here though. Ai’Narong keeps composing sad piano pieces about you.”

“No, I don’t!” Narong’s voice rang from the other end. Karn chuckled, shaking his head at his friend’s protest.

“Ever since he’s left, you’ve only been playing in minor key. Coincidence? I think not.” Lek retorted.

He heard sudden movement on the other end of the call.

Then barely audible bickering. Lek was muffling the phone’s mic, but the irritability in their voices was clear. He couldn’t help feeling out of the loop and tried to ignore his sinking disappointment. But he pushed the negative thoughts down. This was the time to be glad to enjoy the conversation with his friends, not feeling left out.

“Are you going to tell him why we called or shall I?” Narong snapped.

“Right.” Lek’s voice grew louder, finally putting him on speaker. “Ai’Karn, we will be on holiday next week and want to pay you a special visit in Thailand. Think you can free up your schedule for us?”

Karn smiled, his cheek pressing into his phone screen. “My book is always open for you two.”

“Great!” Lek cheered. “We have a lot of catching up to do.” The sound of a door slam echoed from his device. Cars honking and the blend of conversations in French came through the speakers and brought a sense of nostalgia.

“I’m going to have to call you later. I have to tutor quantum physics to a bunch of juniors.” Karn could hear Lek’s annoyance in his voice. He didn’t like tutoring, but he always had a hard time saying no to people.

“No problem.” It was a short-lived conversation, but Karn was glad for any time he got with his friends. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Salut, Lek!” A woman’s voice greeted brightly.

Un moment,” Lek whispered. Karn was definitely going to ask about the mystery lady when they came back. “Bye, Ai’Karn! We miss you!”

“I miss you too,” Karn said softly.

Beep.

Fuck. With everything going on with Fuse, Karn had forgotten how much he missed his best friends. After Mork’s death, it had been especially hard to separate from them. They’d gotten closer through their shared loss. For a while, Karn couldn’t bear to be away from his friends for more than a day, the presence of absence far too overwhelming.

They’d only planned to study for a semester in France, but Karn wasn’t surprised that Lek and Narong decided to stay for a full year. Lek had an amazing opportunity to intern in one of the world’s most renowned science labs, and Narong had been gifting Paris with piano performances that would make Mozart look like a novice. It was like the city was made for them.

While it was hard to leave his friends, Karn wasn’t entirely disappointed when his father had insisted he come back to Thailand. Karn was the odd one out. He didn’t have any passions like his friends. Sure, he had a few hobbies but nothing he was serious about. Most of his passion was invested in his family’s future.

As much as he missed them, Karn was glad to be back. He’d gotten to be close with the person he’d thought was nothing more than a wish. Against all odds, Fuse accepted him. Maybe not completely, but they were on the right track. Yes, their relationship was confusing and messy and frustrating, but it was also passionate, heated, and tender. It was rich with intense desire.

Fuse’s feelings weren’t clear, but tonight had to have meant something. He’d protected Karn, took care of him, and accepted his comfort. Because of his mixed signals, Karn tried not to be too optimistic. But the memory of Fuse leaning into his embrace had him smiling the rest of the car ride back to the dorms.

Chapters

1 Comment

  1. Kaikai

    Karn is now reacting to the attack after it is over. He is displaying perhaps the strongest anger displayed as of yet. He truly cares about Fuse being in danger and being hurt.
    Each time he caught a glimpse of Fuse’s bloodied shoulder, he struggled to contain his pent up rage.
    To Karn this attack was a declaration of war.
    However, even while in a state of rage, Karn is caring. He does not want Fuse to be upset any further. He controls his anger.
    Fuse has not witnessed him at the height of his rage, and Karn didn’t want to put him through any more stress tonight. He’d been through enough.
    It was very painful for Karn to see the same fear in Fuse that was evidenced around Fuse’s dad. Karn is very sensitive and caring to notice this.
    Karn has been living under mafia restrictions his whole life. He has developed an immovable disposition, never allowing himself to be vulnerable, never allowing anger to control his actions.
    In his past the only times he overcomes his rigid control is when he is protective about those he loves.
    This was when his protective nature kicked in.
    Whenever someone threatened his sister or friends, Karn made certain that person regretted ever coming out of their mother’s womb.
    So Fuse has now entered the category of of being a special person Karn cares for. Fuse is not family or friend , but he is someone who Karn cares for so much that he taps into Karn’s rage and opens the impulsive explosive side of Karn.
    He achieved this mostly by fist. His temper made him impulsive. But thus far, his actions hadn’t caught up to him.
    Again while dying to vent this side, Karn continues to protect Fuse by not displaying it out of concern for Fuse. He notices Fuse is highly upset.
    When Fuse nestled into his shoulder after they’d escaped, Karn immediately sensed distress from him. It wasn’t like Fuse to accept affection.

    Karn cherished those warm moments with Fuse accepting affection with his head on his shoulder.
    Circumstances aside, Karn couldn’t help relishing Fuse’s warmth and faint smell of coconut shampoo. He loved the way Fuse’s body felt in his arms and didn’t want the moment to end.
    Is Karn hopeful that Fuse is showing a growing affection for him?

    As I suspected Fuse pushes Karn away , when a car approached.

    This next section is intriguing.
    Fuse appears dazed and unmoving.
    Why is Fuse dazed and unmoving ? Fuse has been in dangerous violent situations with his dad hurting him. Why is Fuse who tried to protect Karn so dazed.
    Is it because he cares for Karn and was truly worried about him?
    Then it appears that Fuse is asking Karn to come with him. He even offers to go with Karn, who says he is busy. This I see as affection.
    Karn takes his dominant side and asserts that Fuse is not going. I like this Karn.

    Is the tight confusion in Karn’s chest, because he wants to stay and nurture Karn, and not leave him? Yet Karn knows he must go after Sharp.
    I was right.
    A pang of guilt surged in his chest. He didn’t want to leave Fuse, but he needed to deal with Sharp.

    So a deep rage and violent side of Karn is exposed. This was a surprise. I had expected strong cold rage but this was even more violent.
    I like this image. The fake smile, the pleasant facade, covering ire.
    Karn put on a fake smile, hiding the seething, heart-pounding rage that was building beneath his ‘pleasant’ facade.
    I was surprised at Karn’s immediate violence. I did not expect the breaking of the fingers or such quick action.
    Then the cold aside of Karn is out. Again a very cold rage Karn that has not shown.
    This was a chilling response.
    Karn idly watched the man cradle his palm and hiss in pain.
    It is sinister Karn protecting his man.
    Karn is clear about his threat to Sharp.
    . “I told you that if you laid a hand on Ai’Fuse that you’d lose it.”
    With a sinister smile, he leaned over and dragged the glass of wine across the table.
    Karn remains detached and is very content to see Sharp suffer.
    Watching Sharp pathetically struggle in pain gave him a dark sense of pleasure.
    Karn has truly frozen his caring side.
    He is dark and cold. More than I expected.
    I like this image. Lovely.
    Karn twisted the stem of the glass and swirled the deep-red alcohol within its clear walls, the cherry fragrance filling his nose. “
    Sharp in typical Sharp denial, claims he did not order the act. He claims his underlings did the attack.
    With a heart fueled by anger, Karn is rightfully distrusting, even mocking.
    Do you honestly expect me to believe that your hands are clean on this issue?”
    I like this image with the faint sting raced down his throat.
    Karn registered the faint sting that raced down his throat as he finished the tart beverage.
    Karn is definitive and strong and threatening.
    “If you have a problem with me, you come to me directly. But don’t you ever drag Ai’Fuse into this again. Or it’ll be more than your fingers that I break.”
    I call bullshit on Sharp as does Karn.
    Trust me. When I found out what he did, I was just as appalled as you are now, and I took care of it.” I don’t believe this.
    “Bullshit.”
    The male’s insincerity reeked stronger than an overworked prostitute. This was a good image.
    This is beautiful writing.
    The light from the candle in the center of the table gently flickered across Sharp’s arched brow.
    Reluctancy hung in his voice, either suggesting apprehension or his bluff. I love this verb use.
    I agree with this. This whole Sharp reaction is fishy.
    . It was a bit too convenient for him to have the ‘evidence’ on hand. He doubted he had anything of consequence.
    The evidence surprised me but would be typical of Sharp.
    However, I still do not trust that this gory finger proves Sharp’s honesty.
    Does Karn?
    I think Karn chooses to accept it while skeptical. He does admit it could be plausible.
    For now, Karn would leave the events of tonight in the past. Though he was still skeptical,
    Sharp changes to business offering to do mafia rentals for Karn.
    While Karn knows it was not losing money from the fire, but rather the devastation of destroying a tribute to Mork that upset him, he refuses to deal with Sharp.
    The damage was irreparable emotionally.
    The damage is irreparable.” Karn admitted, his stomach coiling in devastation, the loss still a fresh wound. “But I’m sticking to my original answer. After I lost everything from that building, I realized that I couldn’t live with myself if I intentionally destroyed the rest.”
    Sharp is obsessed with money at any price. He is dangerous without scruples.
    It was all dirty money. Any code of ethics went right out the window. As long as Sharp was getting paid, he didn’t care how he got it.
    Karn does have moments of feeling left out with these two. That is interesting. Why?
    Karn especially grew close to these two after Mork passing.
    After Mork’s death, it had been especially hard to separate from them. They’d gotten closer through their shared loss. For a while, Karn couldn’t bear to be away from his friends for more than a day, the presence of absence far too overwhelming.
    Karn definitely felt close to these two.
    This answers why Karn felt left out.
    Karn was the odd one out. He didn’t have any passions like his friends. Sure, he had a few hobbies but nothing he was serious about. Most of his passion was invested in his family’s future.
    This was intriguing to learn about Karn. He felt he did not have any passion in life outside of his role in the mafia family.

    Karn muses that despite missing them, he was glad to be back in Thailand.
    He liked getting close to his crush Fuse.
    I love hearing Fuse had accepted him. Karn is optimistic that this is true.
    Karn is realistic knowing that the acceptance is not total but it is on the right track.
    This passage I love. It so accurately describes Fuse and Karn. Karn is perceptive.

    Yes, their relationship was confusing and messy and frustrating,

    Their relationship is confusing and messy. It is not clear and clean love. There are elements that tangle these two up and make it a messy situation. Fuse with pressure from his dad, potentially should hate Karn, but he may not. Fuse is confused. Karn gets confused by Fuse’s reactions.
    Both get frustrated by their interactions. At times passionate , at times cold.
    But despite the messiness and confusion, true tender caring and passionate sensuality developed.

    but it was also passionate, heated, and tender.
    I love this description.
    It was rich with intense desire. This is true and beautiful. Both of them feel the exquisite intense passion.
    I love Karn’s ending thoughts. Karn is hopeful and trying to trust Fuse’s actions as signs of caring for Karn.
    Fuse’s feelings weren’t clear, but tonight had to have meant something. He’d protected Karn, took care of him, and accepted his comfort
    Karn dares to hope, even with mixed signals.

    . Because of his mixed signals, Karn tried not to be too optimistic.

    This is so beautiful.
    But the memory of Fuse leaning into his embrace had him smiling the rest of the car ride back to the dorms.

    Happy Karn smiling thinking of Fuse.

    I loved this intriguing chapter showing a steely vengeful Karn , a dangerous deceitful Sharp, two warm friends and a potential of sweet hope for karn.

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