Bovian Image - 5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Hong Kong

Someone wanted him dead, really wanted him dead, SarEr thought with a deep frown.

Hot water sprayed over his head in the shower and he closed his eyes allowing the heat to ease his aching muscles.

Two days ago, he’d been walking through the back gardens of the estate hoping to escape into town when a bullet whizzed by his head. He touched the edge of his left ear, wincing as his fingers grazed the burning skin. The bullet had left a friction burn on his ear lobe. Years of self-defense had saved him. He’d ducked down fast, making sure to keep hidden in the bushes surrounding him.

He’d dialed Han and hadn’t moved until he saw his bodyguard rushing into the gardens with his men. As a result of that incident, Han was practically following him everywhere.

This afternoon, he’d felt so restless, they’d ended up in a sparring session in the basement gym. Han was unforgiving in training. Every muscle in his body was complaining. He hoped the hot water would help ease the aches enough for him to sleep.

“Are you alright?”

SarEr lifted his head at the intrusion, turning to find Jiro Nang standing at the shower door. Jiro was his father’s errand boy, and one of the men Han had following him around. Jiro leaned on the doorjamb watching him with an amused gaze.

“What do you want?” SarEr asked.

He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jiro. They’d once been friends, a long time ago, but that Jiro was long gone. Instead, a conniving, meddling bastard had replaced the nice young boy he’d known.

“Han was rough with you. Did you like it?” Jiro sneered, crossing his arms against his chest. “Although, I think he already knows how you feel about other men.”

“Get out of here, Jiro,” SarEr said. He really didn’t need this tonight. “You don’t have to stay. Han will be back shortly.”

“I wanted to tell you that I’m collecting rent this month. We need to keep you safe in the estate, Prince.”

Jiro chuckled, an evil sound that made SarEr wonder if Jiro practiced in the mirror.

“I’ve told you before to stop calling me that,” SarEr said, irritated. “You don’t need to collect rent. I can still do it.”

“But Master Nan is worried for your safety,” Jiro taunted. “You are not to leave the estate, and the rent must be collected.”

“I’ll talk to Father,” SarEr insisted. “Don’t do anything before I talk to him.”

Jiro’s answer was a wicked laugh as he turned to leave the bathroom.

Damn bastard.

Thinking about Zun and Xiao Wei, SarEr turned off the water and grabbed a towel. He dried his chest and back negligently and wore the robe he’d tossed on the sink counter. He stalked out tying the robe just as Han walked in holding a bottle of jojoba oil.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Jiro?” SarEr demanded, moving around Han.

In his bedroom, he headed for the closet. He needed to talk to his father about Jiro tonight. If Jiro went to collect rent down there—

SarEr shuddered. Zun always lost his cool around Jiro’s nasty temperament.

“I told you to say something when—,”

“Jiro won’t do anything,” Han said, placing the massage oil on the bedside table and hurrying after him into the walk-in closet.

“He is going to harass Zun’s family in the morning. I promised them it wouldn’t happen again. I have to talk to father,” SarEr said worried.

Han grabbed his arms from behind, holding him still.

“Stop freaking out. Jiro only wants to cause you trouble. Your father gave explicit orders. Everyone knows you’re responsible for those properties. Jiro has no authority there.”

“It’s difficult not to freak out when he comes in here and taunts me.”

SarEr strained against Han’s tight hold on his arms.

Han took a step closer, his heat surrounding SarEr. After spending an afternoon being thrown on a mat by this same man, those strong arms felt real good just holding him. SarEr closed his eyes and exhaled the heat building between them. He ached, and having Han so close was tempting.

“I’m so tired,” he murmured.

SarEr opened his eyes, staring into the mirror. He gave a silent gasp at the sight of his robe open. He hadn’t tied the knot tight enough and it had come undone. Han watched him intently. Those dark eyes cataloguing his body with such fervor, his erection filled.

“Han,” SarEr started to protest and would have shrugged Han’s grip away but Han only tightened it, holding him prisoner.

“I’ve missed you,” Han said in a heated whisper.

Han lowered his head and pressed a kiss on SarEr’s bare shoulder, trailing kisses to along SarEr’s neck and up to his ear. SarEr bit his lower lip to keep from moaning.

“All you think about these days is how to escape the estate.” Han nipped his earlobe, a gentle bite that had SarEr gasping. “You could have been killed two days ago, you know that right? What is it that Zun has?”

“I—

“Hush, I don’t want to hear it. This is my time, SarEr.” Han licked SarEr’s earlobe, sending delicious thrills down SarEr’s back. “Do you want me to stop?”

SarEr cursed under his breath. He was painfully hard. They hadn’t done this in weeks and he wanted it. He hated that Han could overpower him this easily. His body seemed to react to Han no matter what. It was pure lust, there was no love involved, but damn it he couldn’t give it up.

“Do you want me to stop?” Han asked again.

SarEr stared into those dark eyes through the mirror. Han knew what he wanted. Still, Han held his gaze and sucked on the curve of his neck, driving him crazy.

“No,” he whispered.

Han smiled and pulled SarEr back against him. He shifted so that he held both of SarEr’s hands with one of his and ordered SarEr to watch as he moved his free hand down SarEr’s chiseled torso. That large callused hand toyed with SarEr’s nipples, slowly pinching one then the other. SarEr hissed in arousal, his breath coming fast as Han trailed maddening fingers lower to his stomach, lower still, gently tracing the soft juncture of his thigh before that hand found his weeping cock.

“I see you’ve missed me,” Han said with quiet approval. “I’m going to make you cum and then I’ll take you until you remember who you belong to.”

SarEr closed his eyes. Heat flooded his body. He couldn’t fight it even if he tried. Han was relentless, driving him to madness.

“Stop listening to Jiro Nang, he is jealous of you,” Han said into his ear. “What he thinks is not important.”

SarEr allowed his head to fall back on Han’s broad shoulder. He was at the brink, one more stroke that was all he needed. Han’s grip on his cock eased, refusing to give it to him. SarEr bit his lip in frustration. Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling for a moment.

“He—he could tell my father about us,” SarEr said, afraid.

“Your father should never worry you, SarEr.”

Han turned him around and took his lips in a punishing kiss.

***

SarEr woke up the next morning to find Han seated in an armchair across his bed.

Han was fully dressed in a black shirt, slacks and shoes. His attention on the cell phone he was holding.

SarEr rubbed his eyes irritated by Han’s ability to be so awake this early.

“Why are you going through my phone?” SarEr asked.

“I’m making sure you’re not getting threatening messages,” Han replied. “You shouldn’t get so angry in the morning, baby.”

“Cut that out,” SarEr said. He pushed the sheets away and sat up. “It’s irritating not having any privacy around you.”

“I’ve seen it all, SarEr,” Han said, flashing him a smile. “I know everything about you. That’s what makes me a good bodyguard. Zun has been texting you a lot.”

“So what,” SarEr asked, reaching for his white robe at the foot of the bed.

He pulled it on and tied the belt tight around his waist. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and stood.

“Zun is my friend. Why do you judge him more than my father does? Every time I’m with him, you can’t seem to wait to pull me away. You’ve kept me away from him for a week now. What is it with you?”

“Zun will never understand your world. He might be your friend right now, but tomorrow, he will turn on you. I’ve seen that happen to your father often enough. I’m trying to protect you from the same thing.”

“That’s bullshit,” SarEr said, and headed to the bathroom. Zun was different. Their friendship was different, stronger. “Don’t judge Zun, Han. He’s a good friend.”

“We’ll have to wait and see. You’re heading for college soon. You two won’t see each other for a couple of years. We’ll see if he’ll want to see you when you get back.”

SarEr closed the door against that judging tone. He didn’t want to think about a world where he and Zun would stop being friends.

***

“Can’t I go out for a while?” SarEr implored his father at breakfast. “Just for a little bit—, two hours. I’ll be at Zun’s. You can send two men with me. No one is going to try to—,”

“No.” Choi Yang cut him off, his face hidden behind a newspaper. “I’m not risking your life.”

“How long are you going to keep doing this?”

SarEr pushed his plate of eggs away, his appetite nonexistent. He’d been hoping to get out of the estate for a while today. Zun was starting to wonder if he’d left town.

“Come on Dad, please!”

“I won’t change my mind. Eat your breakfast and head to the gym.” Choi Yang put the paper down and reached for his coffee. “I’ll keep you in here until the new inspectors arrest the person shooting at you within the estate.”

“That could take years,” SarEr exclaimed dramatically. “In case you didn’t notice, there are shots flying at me everyday. I shouldn’t have to stop living my life.”

“If you keep whining, I’m going to take your privileges with Zun away.” Choi Yang warned his dark eyes flashing. “I’m serious, SarEr. Don’t disobey my orders this time. Follow everything Han tells you.”

SarEr sighed.

It was like arguing with a stone. No matter how many times he banged his head on the stone, he would be the one with the pounding headache. Frustrated, SarEr stood and left the dining table with a curt goodbye to his father.

Damn man was so stubborn.

SarEr wished he’d been born in a simpler family like Zun.

***

Mei Lee sat in the Zheng Ren salon that morning, letting a short sigh escape as she looked around the salon. She’d just finished cleaning up in anticipation of a busy day. The windows gleamed in the morning sun, the tiled floor sparkled; reclining back on the revolving chair, Mei smiled at the sight.

Her mother was due in ten minutes.

Mei put her foot on the floor and swung her chair around. She savored the quiet calm before the storm because at eight o’clock customers would troop in and wouldn’t stop until five-thirty in the evening.

Her thoughts immediately strayed to her brother. Zun was unhappy and restless of late. He hadn’t been able to see SarEr for a week. Mei worried because her brother was only happy when SarEr was around.

What would happen when SarEr went off to college?

She’d heard rumors about the young master going abroad.

SarEr, she blushed.

SarEr with his beautiful eyes, handsome face, and really toned body, and that sexy mouth, she couldn’t help having a crush on him. He was always so nice and polite to her. Though, she’d once seen the other side of SarEr’s temper, the unrestrained, violent side that scared her. Late in the evening, Jiro showed up with his two cronies to harass her mother over rent. SarEr had raced in five minutes later and punched Jiro, pushing him out of the salon, his eyes flashing with anger. SarEr hadn’t been gentle.

Mei sighed. As much as SarEr had looked scary, he’d also looked handsome. Jiro deserved the beating he got. The bastard was always taking things without permission, disrespecting people and abusing the power that Master Nan gave him. She really didn’t like Jiro Nang. SarEr had won that day, but it hadn’t made Jiro happy.

She was imagining SarEr coming to search for Zun at the salon and finding her when the salon door crashed open. The sound scared her and she turned to stare at the men pouring into the salon. They were all dressed in black and red leather. Her first thought was that they were here with SarEr. A closer look cured her of this notion as she realized their expressions were all wrong. A gasp escaped when Jiro Nang strolled in with a sickening smile on his face.

“Hi, Mei,” he greeted, nodding his head to the men with him.

They closed the door behind him and pulled down the blinds, making Mei’s blood run cold.

Jiro wasn’t as handsome as SarEr was, although they were the same height. They also both kept their hair the same length. SarEr preferred to keep his in spiky styles that gave him a sexy edge, while Jiro’s style just made him look evil. He had dark eyes that were never friendly, and his mouth had thin lips currently curved into an ugly sneer. He looked bigger than SarEr and that worried her, if Jiro tried to restrain her, she wouldn’t be able to fight him off, even with the self-defense training Zun gave her.

Mei took a step back, and made sure there were several workstations between them. She hoped her mother would be back soon. Zun was out shopping for groceries and was due back in an hour, she wished him back right now.

“Don’t be so worried, Mei,” Jiro purred lazily, his gaze moving over the room. “I’m here on official business. Master Nan sent me because Prince is not available.”

SarEr hated that nickname.

She’d heard him tell Zun once that they called him that because he was Master Nan’s only son and there wasn’t a person as protected. At the slightest threat, Master Nan demanded the best for his son.

She frowned. SarEr would have called them last night if he were unavailable to collect rent. He’d promised her mother.

“The month is not over yet, we still have three days to go,” Mei managed through her fear. “My brother will be here soon. Can’t you wait for him?”

“No, no, I can’t do that,” Jiro said, shaking his head. “You’re trying to delay me, little girl.”

Jiro signaled his men and they started breaking equipment on the counters. The breaking mirrors made Mei scream in protest because this salon was her family’s livelihood.

“Stop.”

She rushed to one of the men, trying to stop him before he dropped a hairdryer. He pushed her off easily and she stumbled back with a sob.

She turned to Jiro.

“Why are you doing this?”

Jiro watched her with a slight smile of satisfaction. He wasn’t here for rent. She could see it now. He was here to punish SarEr in some way. Their pain would hurt SarEr and she couldn’t stand by while Jiro got his way.

She focused her attention on his men. Running to the dryers lined up on the right side, she tried to stop one of the men from breaking them with a baseball bat. He grabbed her hair and threw her out of the way. He swung the wooden bat over the dryer hoods crashing them. She bit her lip hard when she fell on the floor. Spitting out blood, she scrambled to her feet and rushed back to grab him again, but he shook her off. Behind her, one of the men broke a wooden chair the pieces scattered on the floor.

The destruction had her punching the man who’d broken the chair. Damn it, these bastards were wrecking everything.

How was her family going to recover from this?

Insurance always took a while to pay. They hadn’t insured all of their equipment because they didn’t have enough money to keep up with a large payment.

Mei screamed in anger and punched the man breaking their furniture.

He retaliated by pushing her hard and she tripped over a chair.

Mei lost her balance and fell back. Excruciating pain exploded in her chest. It felt like she was on fire, she couldn’t move, and breathing got harder. She gasped and closed her eyes as a wave of pain overtook her.

“Shit!” she heard Jiro say.

Mei opened her eyes, coughing out the warm liquid filling her mouth. It felt like her mouth was full of saliva, but it didn’t taste right.

Jiro came to stand over her.

“What the fuck, Dasi?”

“Call an ambulance,” one of the men said in a panic from across the room.

The man who had pushed her grabbed Jiro’s arm and started pulling him away from Mei toward the door.

“They can’t find us here.”

Jiro kept standing over her.

Mei mastered all the accusation she could in her eyes. The pain was getting unbearable and her mouth was filling faster than she could cough out the blood. She knew it was blood now; the metallic taste was choking her senses. She wouldn’t keep quiet about this. The moment she got up from here, she was going to have Zun call SarEr and tell him what Jiro had done.

Jiro’s men dragged him away, and the last thing she heard was the door closing after them before she blacked out.

***

Zun adjusted the grocery bags in his arms, walking leisurely as he planned his day on his way back to the salon. He was hoping to convince Mei to stay with their mum today so that he could go into the city. He wanted to check out his options on getting a job, and the colleges available as well. He’d been toying with the idea of getting trained on hair design and styling. It would come in handy for when they opened a more prestigious place in the city. His mother would then supervise hairstylists instead of work as one, which would mean less work for her.

It was time to move on, he thought.

Rumors that SarEr was leaving for college were getting persistent. Zun couldn’t ignore it any longer. SarEr belonged to a different world, where great things awaited him. Zun doubted they would see each other again if SarEr left.

He reached the salon and pushed the doors open with his back. He frowned when he noted the closed blinds. A quick glance at his watch told him it was just before eight o’clock.

Where was Mei?

She was supposed to have cleaned up and opened the blinds.

Zun stopped when his sneakers crunched broken glass. He looked around the salon suddenly noting the debris. His bags dropped to the floor when he saw the still figure lying in the middle of the salon, a pool of blood spreading on the tiled floor.

He let out a strangled cry and rushed forward when he realized it was Mei. He fell to his knees by her side, took her arm and tried to shake her awake. She didn’t seem to be breathing. He touched her neck to check for a pulse. Her black sweater was soaked with blood. Pushing up the edges of her sweater, he gasped when he saw the rugged two-inch thick wood in her chest.

“Oh God, Mei!”

***

SarEr finished his run in the basement gym and walked back to his rooms trying to formulate ways to get Han to let him visit Zun. He was tired of staying in the estate. Sweat trickled down his left temple and he used the edge of the towel around his neck to wipe his face. He walked into his room only to stop short when he walked into a man carrying a black snake in his hand. He jumped back in shock barely holding back a shout.

Han appeared at the door when the man walked off to discard the dead carcass.

“A cobra,” Han explained grimly.

SarEr leaned against the wall willing his knees to keep him up. Han came to wrap an arm around his shoulders and led him into the living room in his suite because a clean-up crew was in the bathroom.

“The snake was waiting in your sink.”

SarEr covered his face with the towel. He hated snakes. Han had trained him to react fast, but snakes paralyzed him. He shook slightly at the thought of what could have happened.

“Who is doing this?”

“We’ll find out soon.” Han promised. “I need to find out who was in your suite in the past hour. Your bathroom should be clear now. Will you be alright alone?”

“I’m fine,” SarEr snapped without looking at Han.

He really wasn’t but having Han hovering made it worse. He needed to leave this estate. It would be a relief to step out of the house and walk around the garden without fear. He wanted to run on the beach without fifty people following him to keep him safe.

Han sighed and gripped SarEr’s shoulder as though he could read his mind.

“I’ll find out who it is.”

“I know,” SarEr said. “Go on, I need to clean up.”

Han studied his face for a moment before he hurried out of the bedroom.

SarEr stood staring out the window at a loss. Despite the clear death threat, he still wanted to leave the estate. If he could do it without anyone finding out, it would be better.

His cell phone beeped at the bedside table. He hurried to check it hoping it was Zun. Instead, he found a short message from an unknown number.

Lee Mei is in the hospital.

SarEr hadn’t been down to the business street in a week but Zun would have told him if Mei was in hospital. She’d been fine when he left them. He dialed Zun’s number, when there was no answer, he tried Xiao Wei’s number.

Panic filled him when none of them answered.

He paced the length of his bedroom windows trying to think whom he could call. The property manager in town would alert Han that he had called. Cursing under his breath, SarEr dialed the number that had sent him the text message. When no one answered, he threw the phone on the bed and ran to his bathroom for a quick shower.

When he was dressed, he tried calling Zun again. When there was no answer, SarEr decided to head to the hospital.

SarEr sneaked out of his suite of rooms, and used the service wing of the mansion. He walked fast and only slowed down when he made it to the back garage where the employees parked. He’d parked a sports car there a month ago after another covert jaunt outside the estate. The black Lamborghini was covered with the white cover he’d used to hide it then.

Ignoring it, he headed for a black Toyota with a staff sticker used for errands. The keys were always left inside. The windows were tinted and the guards would assume one of the kitchen staff was going out to the grocery store.

SarEr drove out of the garage fast headed to the small town. He headed straight to the salon to find a crowd outside Xiao Wei’s salon. The mess he found at the salon left him unsettled. The neighbors directed him to the hospital with solemn faces. SarEr drove fast and what seemed like an hour but was only thirty minutes later, he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

He ignored the curious glances that came from living in an area where everyone knew who he was. He headed straight for the inquiry desk and the nurse in-charge directed him to a small waiting room in the emergency wing. He found Zun and Xiao Wei sitting on a hard bench, their faces wrecked with grief. Zun sat beside his mother an arm around her shoulder as she cried silently into his shoulder.

Panic had SarEr rushing to Zun’s side. He touched Zun’s shoulder.

“What’s happened to Mei? Why aren’t you picking my calls?” SarEr asked.

Zun shrugged off his hand refusing to acknowledge his presence.

Surprised by the rejection, SarEr frowned.

"What’s going on, Zun?”

“How can you ask me that question?”

Raw anger tinged Zun’s voice.

The four people in the waiting room glanced up at his angry tone. Zun didn’t notice. His eyes glazed with grief, Zun got to his feet and grabbed SarEr by his shirt collar. SarEr held his hands up in surrender when Zun shook him hard, then slammed him into the wall behind them.

“My sister is dying in there and you have the nerve to ask what’s wrong?” Zun exploded. “Your people put her in here. Why couldn’t you leave her alone and come for me?”

“Damn it, Zun,” SarEr said, holding on to the tight fists at his neck. “Calm down, and tell me why Mei is in here. I need you to tell me, so I can help.”

Zun stared at him trying to gauge his sincerity.

SarEr kept his tone calm.

“Zun, tell me what happened to Mei.”

“That bastard, Jiro Nang,” Zun said, the anger coursing through him making his body tremble. Tears in his eyes, Zun continued.

“Jiro assaulted Mei. I found her on the floor, a big wood splinter in her chest. She was bleeding so much—, I couldn’t get it to stop.”

“Hush,” SarEr soothed as the fists at his neck loosened and he was able to break free of Zun’s tight hold.

Jiro Nang again, SarEr frowned wondering why the bastard had gone to Xiao Wei’s salon.

He reached for Zun’s hands holding them gently. There was no resistance because Zun was falling apart. SarEr walked him back to where Xiao Wei watched them with worry. When Zun hugged his mother again, SarEr cursed under his breath. He should have trusted his gut about Jiro Nang. He’d worried about what Jiro would do after his threat last night despite Han’s assurances. He could never have imagined something like this.

SarEr crouched by Xiao Wei and took her trembling fingers. He squeezed them gently.

“I’ll find out what I can,” he promised her. “Zun, what time did you come in?”

“Around eight-thirty in the morning,” Zun said. “They’re not telling us much except that she’s in surgery. I’m worried that if they find out we have no insurance they won’t help us.”

“Stay with your mom,” SarEr said, standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

SarEr went back to the inquiry desk. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his personal credit card, and handed it to the registration nurse in charge.

“Lee Mei, charge everything to that account and find me someone to tell us what’s going on with her.”

“Mr. Nan,” the nurse stood up staring at his black card. She tapped a few keys on her computer. “She’s still in surgery.”

SarEr glared at her feeling murderous. He leaned over the counter and unleashed his temper.

“Her mother has been seated in that waiting room for hours. Two more minutes and that will be too much, lady. Get me someone who can help me!”

***