Knox heard footsteps approaching him. He frowned. His bodyguards were supposed to keep anyone from approaching him.

Looking up, he saw his head of security point at his phone.

Looking down, he flipped up his cellphone. There was a text message that read ‘Teenage boy. Approaching.’

Flippin his phone closed, he scowled at the man sitting on the other side of the pond. His people were around the whole park dressed as hospital staff or patients. Visitors were being directed to a different rest area within the hospital.

How had this boy found his way here?

Had his brother sunk so low as to send children after him?

He nodded his head. The people around him relaxed. They would allow the boy to approach. It would be best to know what his motives were.

His body tensed as he heard a milky voice.

“Can I sit here?” The boy asked.

What was this? The boy would be in even more danger if he dragged out their meeting. Wasn’t he going to attack him?

Keeping his tone neutral. “Feel free.” He had a naturally scary aura. It was not something he could control. It came from doing business and having to survive dangerous situations.

The people who could stand to be in his presence weren’t normal.

There was no noise beside him for a moment. He began to rethink his original assumption. This person was unlikely to have been sent after him. Had this boy just wandered here by accident?

“Aren’t you going to sit?” His voice came out more compelling than he intended.

The boy standing at his back was making him uncomfortable. He didn’t allow people to stand behind him. It was dangerous to leave your back unguarded.

Knox heard the soft fall of footsteps on the grass. He turned to the side in time to see the boy sit beside him.

His side profile was beguiling. His face had yet to lose its baby fat. His features were halfway between boy and man.

Messy black hair fell against white skin. He could see long eyelashes and a straight nose that was slightly upturned. He could feel the confidence and pride radiating off this boy. It didn’t suit his age.

Pink lips parted for a moment before closing. Knox wanted to hear him speak again. He wanted to see what this boy looked like.

This person wasn’t ordinary. The longer Knox was near him, the more he realized it.

His head of security made a move to stand and approached. He shot him a glare and motioned for him to sit down.

This boy managed to sit beside him and remain relaxed. Knox found it interesting. While adults weren’t affected by him, other than to be wary, younger people tended to avoid him.

This boy would become a competitor. He could feel it. This person couldn’t be anything but successful at anything he did.

Knox took another look at him. It would be better if he was an ally. In ten years, this child would be a dangerous opponent.

There was already something about him that warned others not to approach carelessly. His innocent face paired with that dangerous feel made him charismatic.

This boy should have run. The minute he sat down, he already attracted Knox’s attention. How could he see such an interesting puzzle and not get to the bottom of it?

This boy was definitely not sent by any of his brothers. They wouldn’t have been able to control him. He would have followed their orders for a while before slowly devouring them.

“The view of the pond is better,” he found himself saying. His voice was hoarse. Was he nervous? What an inane thing to say. Couldn’t he have come up with anything better?

There was a pause before a soft voice replied. “ I am watching people .”

Was he lying? Knox started as he realized that he couldn’t tell. When was the last time someone was able to hide their intentions from him? It was years since someone was able to lie to him.

He couldn’t control his face as a shocked look distorted his features.

Noticing movement, he waved off his bodyguards as they started to approach. This child probably already noticed that something was wrong. If anyone moved carelessly, he would be alerted.

How could he allow their meeting to be cut short?

“Is that so?” He said, getting his voice back under control. Unable to resist any longer. He turned so that they were facing the same direction. “Who are you watching?” He didn’t care. He just wanted to hear this person talk more.

The boy didn’t seem interested in him. Knox looked across, but the boy was looking elsewhere. He was suddenly annoyed that they were not alone.

When did he become someone that engaged in small talk?

The boy finally designed to speak. That was what it felt like. It felt as if this boy was a king and everyone else should bow beneath his feet. What kind of parents raised a boy like this?

He knew most of the young scions from the powerful families. At this age, they had already been brought out to socialize and make contacts.

Was the boy the illegitimate son of someone? Even then, no one would hide this boy away. Not to mention this person wouldn’t stand for it.

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed what the boy was saying. That would have been a shame.

“I’m wondering who they were, and I’m making up stories in my head.” The boy’s voice had a shrill edge to it. His voice hasn't broken yet.

“Are you?” He could not keep the amused note out of his voice. All these men were on his security detail. What stories had this boy made up in his head? He didn’t take this person to be a dreamer.

He persisted. “What have you made up so far?” The more he talked, the more he realized that this child was indulging him.

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He wanted to engage with him more. He wouldn’t mind if their conversation carried on indefinitely.

The boy lifted a slender hand and pointed a finger. The entire motion was smooth and graceful. He looked fragile and delicious.

He paused at his errant thought. What was that? He was about to analyze it when the boy spoke.

“That person came out of a supply closet. A doctor followed out after him. They looked down the corridor before separating. I thought they might be having a romantic affair.” His voice was even and didn’t indicate any curiosity.

Knox tensed.

His security staff wasn’t authorized to be in contact with hospital staff. He looked up and took note of the guard the boy pointed out. He was annoyed.

It wasn’t the first time someone betrayed him. Why was his mood affected?

Parker would have to be investigated. His brothers sometimes managed to find a weak link in his organization. He hadn’t suspected Parker, but it didn’t change much. He would be debriefed and then let go.

The people with information about him were far and few between. After he left the hospital, the information Parker held would be useless.

Knox had planned to stay here a few more nights. However, his location might be compromised. He would leave after he was finished with his cub.

He opened his mouth and spoke before he realized what he was saying. “Are you wondering what they were doing in the closet?” His voice was hard.

It clicked in his mind. This boy was at an age where he would be curious about sex and relationships. Even if he was above average, he was only human.

The thought comforted and irritated him at the same time.

All he received from this person was a delicate shoulder shrug. “At my age, I am curious about a lot of things.”

Knox was relieved. Even if it was a lie, he was glad that his boy's voice didn’t hold any real interest.

“Is that so. How old are you?” This person had to be at least seventeen years old. It wouldn’t be long before he was an adult. Knox could wait the year until this person became an adult.

It took him a moment to notice since he was unused to experiencing attraction to another person. The eight-year age difference caused him to pause for a moment. Would his boy think it was too much?

It would seem like the world to a teenager just starting life. He wouldn’t let him get away, though. He experienced lust, but nothing close to this curiousness and desire.

There was another pause. It seemed to stretch on for eternity to Knox. This was the first time he wanted to hear an answer so badly.

“I am fifteen years old,” he said in an amused voice. A giggle followed his words.

Knox’s jaw dropped, and he turned a burning gaze to stare at the boy’s side profile. Fifteen?

“You are very young.” He didn’t even realize he had spoken. He pinched his thigh to regain his lost control.

How was he supposed to feel? He had been lusting after an actual child. His one-year wait had turned into three?

How did a boy of fifteen have this aura and charisma? It was illogical. What kind of environment was needed to raise a child like this?

Knox’s family situation was shitty. At fifteen, he was more mature than his peers. He was superior to people twice his age. Yet, even he had to admit that his fifteen-year-old self would piss his pants if he met his present self.

There was an edge that you got with age and experience.

For this child to have it?

He had thought to leave this boy alone to mature, but what if that wasn’t an option?

It was unlikely that his boy’s home situation was good. People from happy households didn’t have attitudes like this.

How many times had he wished for someone to hold out his hand to him when he was younger?

This boy fascinated him. He wouldn’t leave him to flounder in the dark if he needed help. If he did, he would not be shameless enough to approach him in three years.

Who would want a partner who deliberately ignored you in your time of need?

Knox was torn but had already made his decision. He would have to be careful he wasn’t relegated to the role of friend or mentor.

Their conversation continued, both hiding their inner thoughts.

Knox was curious to know what was happening in his boy’s mind.

Shifting, he stared unapologetically at the boy's face. “You are very young,” he said this more to himself than to the person next to him.

“I am?” He asked.

He looked at his guard’s milling around. Every now and then, they stole a look over. Nothing too obvious. He knew they were shocked by his actions. Parker would have to be neutralized. He didn’t want this encounter spreading to random ears.

He turned to look back at his boy. “You are. Aren’t you going to ask how old I am?” He made his voice as beguiling as possible.

“I thought it rude to ask. You are older than me.” His voice was meek.

Knox had the impression that his boy was playing with him. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not much older than you. I just turned twenty-five.” What kind of bullshit was he saying? Wasn’t he worried about an eight-year age gap before? He couldn’t help but be amused.

Ten years was a big deal the younger you were. He would have to lay a sweet nest for his little tiger cub to rest in. He had to be careful. His boy might be snatched up by someone more age-appropriate.

“Old.” It was so soft that it almost went unheard.

That one word was a punch to Knox’s gut. His tiger cub knew how to go for the jugular even at this age.

His boy stiffened up beside him. “Sorry, didn’t mean that.”

This was the first genuine response he had gotten from his tiger cub. He couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. Why did it have to be about this?

When he was younger, he couldn’t wait to get older. Now his boy would hold ‘old age’ against him. The world was never fair. It was a good thing he never cared about the odds stacked against him.

“I guess to you I must seem very old. I am a bit hurt by that.” He would keep score. His tiger cub would have to answer for this later.

It wasn’t nice to poke at his sore spot.

“I need to get going.”

Knox frowned. His mind had drifted. He reached out and held onto his cub’s wrist. Shit. He froze and chastised himself. If he came on too strong, his boy would be wary of him.

He didn’t don’t that his boy was capable of denying him. He wasn’t an impulsive person. He could already see the effect this person would have on his life.

Three years never looked this long. “I’m sorry.” He said, releasing his hold. “What is your name?” He finally managed to ask the question that had been eating away at him.

He didn’t need the information to find out who his tiger cub was. It would just make it easier to approach him in the future. If he showed up without having an explanation, he would put his little tiger on edge.

Knox hoped his boy didn’t lie. That would create a whole different set of problems.

There was a pregnant pause. Longer than any of its predecessors. He knew instinctively that his tiger cub was weighing the pros and cons of telling him the truth.

“Bai Li.” He tossed carelessly over his shoulder before walking off.

“Bai Li,” Knox said, savoring the taste of the name on his lips. It was his name. He was glad his cub didn’t lie to him. He didn’t know how he knew, but he was certain. “Bai Li.”

He watched Bai Li’s back. His little tiger cub. “Aren’t you going to ask my name?” He called after him, unable to control his happiness.

“I thought it rude to ask.”

His cub didn’t bother to turn around. The words were clearly meant to dismiss him. It was adorable. He wanted his cub’s soft spots. He hoped Bai Li would show them only to him. He would make it so that Bai Li’s claws were aimed at everyone but him.

It was as he watched Bai Li’s retreat that he realized something. The edges of his lips turned up in a smile. He lifted his hand that had held his boy to his lips. His smile continued to widen.

Bai Li, his cute dangerous boy. That sharp child had been wary and nervous of him. It took him until now to realize that his boy hadn’t looked at him once. He would have to check the security cameras, but he was sure of it.

His boy didn’t want to know who he was. He had been self-conscious and on edge. He had just hidden it.

Bai Li was a tiger cub pretending to be a rabbit. He wouldn’t let him have his way.

A shiver ran down Knox’s spine. He would have to fight Bai Li at every turn.

He was looking forward to it.

The fight would make victory that much sweeter.

After he could no longer see Bai Li, he stood up and motioned for his head of security to approach. “Boone,” he said when the man was beside him. “Parker has been compromised. Kill him. Prepare to move tonight.”

“Knox?” Boone questioned.

He could understand his surprise. He didn’t often use deadly for, but this was no longer about his life.

What if his brothers got hold of his little cub from the information Parker provided? He would already be a target.

Knox was not the type of man to sit and randomly have a conversation with a teenage boy.

He didn’t explain himself. “Do it. I want all the information from the security cameras transferred to me and then erased from everywhere else.” He rubbed the finger on his left hand together. He could still feel the soft skin in his grip.

“Find everything you can about Bai Li. Use a picture of him for confirmation. Do it yourself, and make sure no one finds out.” His voice had an edge to it. He felt manic inside. He wouldn’t allow the shit happening in his life to affect his cub.

If anything threatened his little Bai Li...he couldn’t think about it.

He would burn the world down to keep him safe.