The Tenth Explosion

Chapter 16: The Shitting Wind🍃

Mr. Ben was not the kind of man people noticed immediately. That sounds strange considering he looked like somebody who could break a concrete wall simply because it annoyed him. The reason was simple. Dangerous professionals rarely advertise themselves. The loud ones usually end up dead first.

Ben belonged to a different category entirely. The kind of man who entered a room quietly, sat in the corner, and somehow knew who carried a weapon, who was lying, who was nervous, and who planned trouble before trouble even knew it was coming.

That morning was no different. While most people were still fighting sleep and negotiating peace treaties with their alarm clocks, Ben was already deep into his training session. Rain clouds hung above the city. The air carried that cool feeling that usually arrives before a heavy downpour.

Ben stood in the training compound behind one of Mr. James' properties. Sweat covered his arms. Around him, several security personnel were running drills. Some were practicing shooting positions. Others were working on reaction exercises. A few unfortunate men were currently learning that Ben considered excuses a disease.

"Again."

One of the guards looked exhausted. "Sir, we've done this twenty times."

Ben folded his arms. "And if somebody shoots at your principal twenty-one times?"

The guard immediately became quiet.

"Again."

Nobody argued. That was another thing about Ben. He never raised his voice. Never needed to. People listened because competence is louder than shouting.

He moved toward another group. One man was practicing defensive movements. Too slow. Ben swept his feet from under him. The man landed hard on the ground.

"You're dead."

The guard groaned. "Sir..."

"Dead people don't complain."

The others laughed. Ben didn't. The guard quickly stood up and resumed training.

Then suddenly a familiar voice appeared behind him. "Wow."

Ben turned. Mr. James stood nearby holding a cup of coffee. The CEO looked considerably better than he had during the previous week. Not perfect. Not healed. Just better. Grief still lived behind his eyes.

Ben noticed it immediately. People thought security professionals only studied threats. Truth was they studied everything. Emotions. Patterns. Habits. Changes. A sad man and a distracted man were both security risks.

James looked around. Several guards immediately straightened. One almost looked terrified. Ben noticed that too.

James laughed. "Do they always look this scared?"

"They survive longer that way."

James shook his head. "You run this place like a military academy."

Ben answered calmly. "I've seen what happens when people don't train."

That ended the joke quickly. Because everybody knew Ben wasn't speaking theoretically.

James watched another drill. One guard attempted to disarm another. The result looked embarrassing.

Ben sighed. "Again."

The guard immediately repeated it.

James smiled. "You know, sometimes I think you're secretly preparing for war."

Ben looked at him. "Sometimes war prepares itself."

That answer sounded exactly like Ben. James laughed. "You really should write motivational books."

"They would be depressing."

"Fair."

Rain finally began falling. Soft at first. Tiny droplets. The kind people ignore. Then it gradually became heavier. The training area slowly emptied. Guards rushed toward shelter. Ben remained outside for another moment. Looking around. Checking everything. Habit. Always habit.

James waited near the doorway. Then finally said, "When we get to the office, you'll stay inside with me."

Ben nodded immediately. "Yes sir."

No questions. No hesitation. That was the relationship between them. Trust built through bullets and survival.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Kate sat near her apartment window staring at the rain. And honestly? She wasn't thinking about work. Not even close. Her mind had become completely useless when it came to productivity. Every thought somehow found its way back to James.

The kiss. The conversation. The way he looked uncomfortable when she asked if he liked her. That memory alone made her smile. Which annoyed her. Because she was supposed to be a mature adult. Not some teenager replaying moments repeatedly. Yet there she was. Smiling at absolutely nothing.

She leaned her forehead against the glass. "Seriously?"

The rain offered no response. Very rude.

Kate sighed. The truth was simple. She hadn't expected it. Not even slightly. Her billionaire CEO developing feelings for her wasn't exactly something she'd placed on her yearly goals list. Yet now it existed. And the worst part? She liked him too. A lot. Maybe more than she wanted to admit. Eventually she grabbed her bag and headed to work.

The office felt unusually lively that morning. Employees moved between departments. Phones rang. Meetings happened. Deadlines chased people. Normal office chaos. Kate barely noticed any of it. She walked directly toward the executive floor. Straight toward James' office.

The secretary smiled knowingly. Kate immediately became suspicious. "Why are you smiling?"

"No reason."

That answer guaranteed there was definitely a reason. Kate rolled her eyes and entered.

Inside sat two men. James. And Ben. The contrast between them was almost funny. One looked like a billionaire CEO. The other looked like somebody who could survive being dropped into a jungle with nothing but a spoon.

Kate sat down. James smiled. Ben nodded politely. Then the meeting began.

James folded his hands. "Kate."

"James."

Ben remained silent. Watching. Listening. Exactly like a professional bodyguard should.

James took a deep breath. "Ben, I know you're one of the most skilled people on my security team."

Ben remained expressionless. Compliments never impressed him.

James continued. "But I need you to protect Kate."

Now Ben looked directly at Kate. Not suspiciously. Professionally. Evaluating. Assessing. Calculating. A few seconds passed. Then Ben asked a question. Not because he doubted James. Because clarity matters.

"From what exactly?"

James expected that. "She was forced into the Sun Thunder gang."

Ben's eyes narrowed slightly. "The same people that came after you?"

"Yes."

"The same people from the funeral?"

"Yes."

Ben looked toward Kate. "So she's part of the gang."

Kate immediately spoke. "Not willingly."

James nodded. "Exactly."

Then he explained everything. The forced initiation. The threats. The circumstances. The conversation with Jackie. The escape condition. Ben listened quietly. By the time the explanation ended, the room became silent.

Finally Ben leaned back. "I understand."

James waited.

Ben continued. "You want me to eliminate anybody that comes after her once she leaves."

Direct. Simple. Accurate.

James pointed toward him. "You get the point."

Kate honestly appreciated that neither man was pretending. No false promises. No dramatic speeches. Just practical solutions.

James then added something that surprised even Ben. "Don't worry."

Ben raised an eyebrow.

James smiled. "I'll send you twenty thousand dollars on top of your salary."

For the first time during the entire meeting, Kate's eyes widened dramatically. Twenty thousand dollars. Just like that. For her protection. She looked at James. Then Ben. Then back at James.

"Wait."

James looked amused. "What?"

"You're paying twenty thousand dollars for me?"

James shrugged. "As a bonus."

Kate stared. "A bonus?"

"Yes."

Ben looked equally amused now. To James, twenty thousand dollars sounded casual. To normal humans, it sounded like a life-changing amount.

Kate shook her head. "I genuinely don't understand rich people."

James laughed. "You've mentioned that before."

"Because it's true."

Ben almost smiled. Almost.

The meeting eventually ended. Kate stood slowly. For a moment she looked at James. Then at Ben. And something inside her settled. For the first time since joining the gang, she didn't feel completely helpless. Scared? Yes. Concerned? Absolutely. But helpless? No. Because somebody was finally standing between her and whatever came next. She thanked them both and returned to work.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away inside prison walls, Jackie slept. The morning breeze drifted gently through a small opening near his cell. Prisons have strange sounds. Metal doors. Footsteps. Distant conversations. But sometimes, especially during quiet hours, even dangerous men fall asleep.

Jackie eventually drifted into a dream. And the dream felt unusually real. He stood beneath a massive mango tree. Not ordinary. Massive. The trunk looked ancient. The branches stretched in every direction. Mangoes covered nearly every part of it. Golden fruit. Green fruit. Ripe fruit. Hundreds of them. The tree looked alive. Powerful. Prosperous.

Jackie stared upward. Then noticed something. A monkey sat at the very top. Watching him. Calm. Unbothered. Almost mocking him.

Strangely, there was a gun in his hand. Dream logic never explains itself. It simply exists.

Jackie raised the weapon. Aimed. Fired.

The shot echoed. The monkey jumped. The bullet missed. Instead it struck a branch. The monkey fell. Crashing through limbs. Breaking smaller branches. Mangoes scattered everywhere. Eventually the animal hit the ground motionless. Dead.

Jackie walked forward. Satisfied. Then began gathering the fallen fruit. One after another. His hands filled quickly. Everything seemed fine.

Then he happened to glance upward. The tree had changed. Completely. The branches were dry. The leaves gone. The trunk looked dead. Only the fruit remained. The sight unsettled him immediately. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

Still, he continued collecting fruit. Then turned away. A few steps later... A sound. He stopped. Looked back.

The tree was alive again. Completely alive. Green. Healthy. Strong. And somehow... The monkey was back. Sitting exactly where it had been before. At the top. Watching him. Alive.

Jackie felt anger rising. He raised the gun again. Shot once. Missed. Twice. Missed. Three times. Missed. Every bullet missed. The monkey didn't move. Didn't panic. Didn't run. It simply watched.

Jackie moved closer. Determined. Frustrated. Then suddenly—

CRACK.

A massive branch broke free. Too fast. Too heavy. Too late. The branch crashed directly onto him. Pain exploded through his body. Everything went dark. And inside the dream... Jackie died.

He woke instantly. Breathing hard. Sweat covered his face. The prison cell looked exactly the same. Concrete. Metal. Bars. Reality.

Yet the dream refused to leave. Something about it felt different. Not random. Not ordinary. Meaningful. He sat upright. Trying to understand it. The monkey. The tree. The fruit. His death. None of it made sense. At least not immediately.

Hours later, several of his men visited him. The moment they entered, they noticed something unusual. Jackie wasn't speaking much. Wasn't smiling. Wasn't issuing instructions.

One of them frowned. "Boss?"

Jackie looked up. "What?"

"You seem troubled."

Another nodded. "Something happened?"

Jackie hesitated. Then surprisingly said, "I had a dream."

The room became quiet. Because Jackie wasn't the type of man who discussed dreams. That alone worried them. One of his followers exchanged a glance with another. Something had changed. They could feel it. Not physically. Mentally.

The dream sat inside Jackie's thoughts like a splinter. Small. But impossible to ignore. And for the first time in a very long while... The feared leader of the Sun Thunder gang wasn't thinking about power. Or revenge. Or control. He was thinking about a monkey. A tree. And the unsettling feeling that somewhere in that strange dream... A warning was hiding.