REVENGE WITH LOVE : CHAPTER 91 – 100

REVENGE WITH LOVE : CHAPTER 91 – 100

CHAPTER 93 & 94.

A PIECE OF BOSE.

The sound of Bose rising from his seat grabbed her attention. But, instead of leaving, he leaned against the table, crossed his arms, and fixed his gaze intently on her.

His watchful eyes unnerved her. “If you have something to say, just say it.” she snapped.

“You really don’t know why the boss wants in on your mission, do you? It’s because he cares about you, Tesiera.” Bose stated bluntly, not mincing words.

Cares about her? No, that can’t be right. Her brows furrowed as she thought about it. It doesn’t make sense.

“He wants to protect you.” Bose added.

She scowled, “I can take care of myself.”

“Of course, you can. No one is disputing that,” Bose replied, maintaining his calm. “But even you would admit that you don’t think rationally when it comes to your father’s murderers. You’ve got a death wish in that area. You know that, I know that, and the boss knows that. If you don’t care what happens to your life, the boss does. He cares about you.”

She embraced the anger that rose within her, “Don’t say what you know nothing of. We were attracted to each other, we had sex, and now we’re way past that.”

Bose scoffed and fell silent, but only for a moment. His gaze remained locked on her scowling face.

“I think you’re lying to yourself, and you know it too,” he continued. “You’re not way past anything. I see the way you look at him when you think no one is watching.”

He paused, his voice softening. “You know, I thought your presence here was a bunch of bullshit at first. I never hid how I felt about it. Going from trying to kill a man to working for him to protect his life? It sounded like a sick joke, especially with you being the Torturer. I thought it was your idea of a twisted joke because, as far as I was concerned, you were a killing machine. Someone without feelings.”

Tesiera met his gaze, her expression still devoid of any emotion.

“Then, that night after you all returned from the island, you had that nightmare, and for a moment, I glimpsed your humanity.”

Tesiera stopped breathing. “You knew?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Bose simply shrugged, but there was a trace of sympathy in his eyes. “The screams were so loud, it was hard not to,” he replied softly.

Her throat tightened with denial. The revelation that Bose knew about her nightmare left her feeling exposed, vulnerable, and highly uncomfortable. It had been difficult enough to come to terms with Kracus knowing about her moments of weakness, but now Bose?

She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. “Who else knows?”

“Just me, the boss, and Clinton.”

Tesiera’s instincts screamed at her to run, to distance herself from this situation. But she forced herself to stand her ground. She wouldn’t run like a coward.

However, she was panicking, and if the look of pity in Bose’s eyes was any indication, it must have been visible on her face. That would explain their sudden niceness toward her. Did Kracus pity her? Was that why he’d kissed her that night?

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it.” Bose’s gaze darkened, and he spoke with a firmness that caught her attention. “Having nightmares is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“What would you know about it?” Tesiera snapped furiously.

“A lot!” Bose shot back immediately. “You’re not the only one who’s had to live with something awful from the past. You’re not the only one with demons, Tesiera. It’s just that some of us have learned to live with ours, to make peace with them.”

“Well, I’m going to learn to make peace with mine, and I’ll only learn how to live with them after I’ve wiped out all those bastards from the face of this earth.”

Bose deflated. He let out an audible sign, “I understand more than anyone. My point is, we all have our demons that make it hard to sleep sometimes. It doesn’t make us weak. It doesn’t diminish who we are. Your nightmares humanize you, Tesiera, but they don’t take away from strength.”

Tesiera started to speak but found herself at a loss for words. She had always viewed her nightmares as a sign to her weakness. A constant reminder that she’ll always be that scared little girl who stood by and watched her father get killed.

“We’ve all had nightmares, it doesn’t make us less of who we are.” Bose pressed on. “Hell, after what that despicable half-brother did to the boss’s mother, he had nightmares just like yours for months. And the boss is the strongest person I know.”

Tesiera’s chest fucking ached all of a sudden, and she fought the urge to rub the uncomfortable spot between her breasts.

The thought that someone could inflict such pain on Kracus to the point of haunting nightmares deeply unsettled her. She had no idea the extent of what Kracullian did to him—aside from the day he had captured her on the ship, he had never spoken about it.

You never asked, did you? A whisper inside her head taunted.

“You’re not the only one who wants to see that sonofabitch half-brother of his pay.” Bose stated, his anger palpable. “The boss, Clinton, and I would love nothing more than to get our hands on him. If we catch him first, you might never get your revenge, Torturer.”

“What did he do to the Doc’s mother?” She asked softly.

Bose averted his gaze. “You’d have to ask him; it’s not my place to tell that story. But what I can tell you is that the boss has been through hell because of Kracullian. That man didn’t just hurt his mother; he’s been tormenting the boss long before that. The boss learned how to fight because of him.”

Kracus had told her that. Given Kracus’s playful and easygoing ways, it was easy to forget that he’d had his own share of shitty life. She remembered the scars on his back, and that rage she’d surpressed came surging forward again.

“Don’t hurt him, Tesiera.”

Bose’s words hit her like a punch to the gut, and she recoiled as though he’d slapped her. “I would never hurt him,” She shot angrily.

“Not in the way you’re thinking. Not with your daggers and knives. Not physically.”

His words hung in the air between them.

Bose moved toward the door, grabbed the handle and swiveled his head back, “You’re keeping your distance because you don’t know how to face these new feelings inside you, and the boss is holding back because he doesn’t want to get hurt. When the boss wants something, he does everything he can to get it. He goes for it with everything he’s got. However, he’s holding back with you because he doesn’t think there’s any sort of hope down that road. He’s been hurt enough in his life.”

Tesiera felt a lump in her throat, and she couldn’t find the words to say. Her only response was to meet his gaze with her own blank stare.

Bose continued, “The boss is one of the kindest men I’ve ever met in my life. He’s a good man, and any woman would be lucky to have him. If you want him, let go of the fear of the unknown and give what you’re feeling a chance. Listen to whatever is going on here,” he touched his chest, “Listen to your feelings and give them a chance.”

“But if you can’t, then let him go completely. Stop looking at him like he hung the moon when you think no one is watching. Stop standing so close to him and inhaling his scent when you feel no one sees. Simply stop and let him go…completely. Do not hurt him.”

With that, Bose turned and walked out of the door.

REVENGE WITH LOVE : CHAPTER 91 – 100

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