CHAPTER 13
BOO KI'S POV:
"Alejandro, this isn't what you think-"
"What is it then?" He cuts me off angrily. "Who sent you? I have nothing to do with my father or my brother's business dealings. Whatever you are after you won't get it from me! If you are here to kill me then just get it over with!"
"Alejandro, I am not a part of the Maeng family anymore."
"Is that so?" He asks bitterly. "Then why are you wearing this damn thing?"
"I am using their resources." I say calmly and he lets go of my arm. He still doesn't believe me and I hate seeing the hurt in his eyes.
"Are you using me too?"
"Yes and no. I left this life behind 7 years ago but then your father along with some people he is associated with tried to kill my best friend and people I care about. I won't let him try it again."
Alejandro pales at my words and runs a shaking hand through his hair. "He did that? But what does this have to do with me?"
"You're still his son. I needed to get close to him. I won't hurt you. You've done nothing wrong and for what it's worth, I do like you a lot. I won't let anything bad happen to you." I say sincerely. I pray he believes me. His friendship means a lot to me and I don't make friends very easily.
He turns away from me and sits down. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he rubs his face with his hands before looking up at me again.
"Why should I believe you?" he asks quietly.
"Honestly you shouldn't. Whether I like it or not, I can't change who my family is. They have done unforgiveable things. I… have done unforgiveable things." I say quietly and look down at my feet in shame. "I couldn't live with it. That's why I left. All I can ask is that you trust your gut. You have good instincts and good judgment."
"Do I?" He asks bitterly. "I never saw you for what you really are. I believed every word you said."
"That's because the only things I lied to you about was my name and what I do."
He searches my eyes for several minutes and I hold his gaze. I now have nothing to hide from him. Any questions he has for me I will answer him honestly. I feel I owe him that much at least.
"How do you know about the Maeng family?" I ask. It's his turn to look uncomfortable and he looks away.
"I caught Miguel speaking to one of them once. I don't usually listen in like that but the things I overheard them talking about were horrible. I couldn't believe my brother had really become so evil. I confronted him about it and he told me to stay out of it. That was the day I finally washed my hands of him. I was afraid that my father was involved with them too so I snuck into his study one night and hacked his computer. The things he's done… They are both terrible people." He looks at me with haunted eyes and I kneel in front of him, covering his hands with my own.
"I understand that feeling. I am so sorry for lying to you Alejandro. It wasn't fair to you especially since I know what kind of person you are. You don't deserve to be dragged into this." I stand up to leave but he grabs my wrist.
"Why did my father and his associates try to kill your best friend?"
"Her father worked for them. They felt she was a liability and once my other friends began to uncover their corruption, they tried to kill them too. Those men and your father will try it again. I have to protect the people I love."
"They didn't send the Maeng's after them? I mean if they had, your friends would have already been dead."
"My family would never agree to that job because it would have drawn too much attention. The most important thing to them is secrecy and my friends are in the public eye every day."
"I see. What will happen if your family does kill them?" He asks quietly.
"Then I will be living every day with only one purpose: to completely destroy them." I say coldly. He nods and searches my face. He seems calmer now but his eyes are still tinted with fear and uncertainty.
"What are you going to do to my father?" he asks.
"I am going to bring him down along with your brother. You know them well enough that I'm sure you realize Miguel will try to help him. I have to stop both of them."
Alejandro swallows hard and nods. "I understand. They both need to take responsibility for their crimes but… will you kill them?"
"I don't know." I reply honestly.
"If I help you, will you promise me not to kill them? They are still my family. I want the law to pass judgment on them and I want them to go to jail but I don't want them dead. Plus it would destroy my mother. She is already fragile enough as it is."
"I can only promise that I won't kill them unless it's in self-defense." I say quietly. He nods and looks down at our intertwined hands.
"I understand… That's fair. So… what is your real name?" He asks. I hesitate for a moment but I know I can trust him and for the first time in 7 years, I introduce myself with my real name.
"My name is Maeng Boo Ki."
"Boo Ki… It's very pretty. I'm Alejandro Dias. It's nice to meet you." He says and gives me a tired smile.
"It's nice to meet you too." I say and squeeze his hand.
"Are the two guys that are with you a part of this too?"
"Yes but they don't know about my past. I don't want them to know."
"Why? Are you ashamed? I mean, you should be proud that you walked away from that life."
"My family thinks I am dead and anybody that knows the truth will be in danger. That includes you." I say with concern. He nods and keeps his eyes locked with mine.
"It's not like my life isn't in danger already thanks to my brother and father. I refuse to be afraid and become a slave to that fear. We all die someday right?"
"Si. We do."
"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret. I'm very sorry for what my family has put you through. There are times when I often wish I was adopted. It sickens me to think that the same blood runs through my veins."
"I know the feeling but you don't have to apologize for them." I say and stand up to look out at the dance floor.
"So I'm guessing you are wearing that bracelet to find someone tonight?"
"That's the plan. It's someone that could give me information on the whereabouts of my family. They are up to something big and I want to know what it is."
Alejandro stands up beside me and nods his head. "Okay then. How can I help?"
As I look up at him, I can see that I have somehow managed to earn back his trust. I'm not sure how but I feel a lump in my throat as my heart swells with gratitude.
"Thank you." I say quietly and he shrugs his shoulders.
"No need to thank me. I want to help you and you already know that I like you." He says and brushes my cheek with the back of his hand. "I should be thanking you for not killing my father and brother already. It makes me happy that you trust me enough to be honest with me."
"So you're not afraid of me?" I ask mischievously.
"Are you kidding? I've been afraid of you from the moment I laid eyes on you because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Since then, I have discovered how amazing you are on the inside as well and now tonight I find out you are also a deadly assassin. Honey, I am shaking in my shoes." He says with a laugh. "But you're well worth the risk."
(^_^)
WOO BIN'S POV:
I find it funny that after all the time I have spent in clubs and bars over the years, that it's now when I need to be here the most that I would rather be anywhere else. Juliana is so superficial and fake that I wonder if she even knows who she really is inside. She isn't happy, that much is obvious. She tries to drown herself in booze, sex, and most recently cocaine.
I've grown tired of her throwing herself at me but the more I resist the more interested in me she becomes. She is a girl that isn't used to being told no.
I miss Boo Ki. It's been two days and I'm anxious for her to come back. My heart aches with the thought of her sleeping with Alejandro. I pray that she doesn't. I wish she would just tell me what she is trying to protect me from. I know that I said I wouldn't try to dig into her past but she isn't leaving me with many options.
"What's on your mind sexy? You seem distracted tonight." Juliana asks and nibbles my ear. We have a private booth with some of her friends who have managed to find their men for the night. They really should just move their fun to a hotel room.
"I just have a lot on my mind tonight and I'm not really in the mood to be here." I say coldly. She gives me a wicked smile and her hand starts rubbing the inside of my thigh.
"Well we can always go someplace else, someplace more private." She whispers and presses her chest harder against me. It takes every ounce of my self-control to not push her away from me in disgust and anger. I already know that I'm not doing a very good job at hiding my distaste in her company. I have a job to do but I want nothing to do with Juliana. Forcing a sexy smirk on my face, I look down at her and untangle her arms from around my waist.
"As much as I would really enjoy that-" I start to say but she cuts me off by crushing her mouth to mine. I respond to her half-heartedly and after a reasonable amount of time I break the kiss. "I'm going home. Stay and have fun."
"Are you trying to play hard to get? Why are you resisting? You know you want to." She says as she grabs my arm to stop me from leaving. I shrug her arm off of me and give her a cold smirk over my shoulder.
"I already told you. I'm not in the mood tonight." I tell her and walk away.
As I make my way towards the exit of the club, I keep my eye on the guy that has been following me since the night of the Senator's party. I haven't told Ji-Hoo or Boo Ki about it yet because I am not exactly sure who this idiot is working for. I've been ignoring him so that I don't arouse his suspicion but he's really starting to get on my nerves. I see him everywhere I go. It's possible that Juliana's father or brother want to keep an eye on me because of her. I would do the same thing for my sisters. I don't think they realize who I really am. Nobody has been following Ji-Hoo and I don't think Boo Ki is being followed. It's just me.
I've been a little on edge lately and Ji-Hoo has been concerned about me. Part of it is because of Boo Ki but the other part is because of Angiolo Botticelli. That sneaky bastard has been doing everything in his power to keep his ass covered. How the hell he managed to convince the Maeng family to help him is beyond me. I can only suspect that he must have something they want.
Once I make it outside the club, I take a deep breath and look up at the night sky. The longer I am away from home, the more I miss it. I miss Yi Jung & Jun Pyo, I miss my family, and sadly enough I miss my bed. Having Ji-Hoo and Boo Ki here has made it a little easier but I look forward to going home. It will be nice to be called by my real name and be able to be myself again. I'm frustrated that I missed Min Jae's birth. I know that Yi Jung would have wanted me there.
Still deep in thought, I turn towards my car when someone bumps into my shoulder. Even though I wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings, I knew that this guy did it on purpose. I glare at him over my shoulder and he glares back at me. I know that he wants to pick a fight with me and as great as beating the shit out of him would make me feel, I can't afford to draw any attention to myself at the moment. So I turn away from him.
"Hey! Where do you think you are going? Don't you think you owe me an apology?" the man snarls and grabs my arm. I jerk my arm out of his grip and turn to face him. I've seen him before. He's one of Miguel's thugs. If I don't keep my temper in check, this could end badly but my patience is already paper thin and I've hit my limit.
"I'm sorry that you weren't paying attention to where you were going." I say calmly and give him a smirk.
"Look at this asshole. He thinks he can disrespect me." He says to his friends who "magically" show up at the most convenient moment. He takes a step towards me and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins in excitement. I'm looking forward to this.
"What's going on?" Juliana asks as she rushes up to us. I had been so focused on this idiot that I hadn't even noticed that she came out here. She looks at him and steps in between us. "Carlos what are you doing?"
"It's nothing you need to worry about Miss Dias. I was just going to teach this bastard some manners." He says and takes another step towards me.
"No! Leave him alone! I mean it!" she says.
"Thanks Jules but I don't need protection." I darkly tell her.
"Just go home Choi Young. Please? For me? I'll take care of these morons."
I clench my jaw in disappointment but give her a curt nod. As badly as I want this fight, it isn't a good idea.
"I'll be seeing you around pretty boy." Carlos sneers at me.
"I look forward to it." I say with a cold chuckle and walk away.
A/N: Oh boy! It's starting to get exciting! Haha! I am a silly author! :P I get excited over my own plots. Lol. I can't help it though. I know what's coming up and it's going to be scary/exciting and a little sad! How's that for a tease? :P Lol. Thanks for reading, everyone! ^_^
To WooKi fan: Thank you so much for your review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. I still have plenty of twists and turns planned so I hope you are looking forward to it. ^_^