**Shit!** Tyler hissed under his breath. He was annoyed at this turn of events. He didn't want Big Boss' attention. He didn't need his attention. But Big Boss was persistent.
Well, Tyler was about to show Big Boss what the word *persistent* meant. He wasn't one to be easily intimidated. Clearly, Big Boss was asking for a challenge, and he was only too happy to oblige.
Tyler just stared right back. He knew it wouldn't be long before people gave up on him. That was human nature after all. They just do. Especially with him in the picture. And he was sure this scenario would play out the same way.
But Big Boss was already striding toward him and crouching down to his level, all before he could fully grasp the situation.
He was taken aback, and Big Boss wouldn't stop assessing him.
*Soon he'll turn away,* he thought to himself. *They always do.* He wasn't going to fool himself into thinking Big Boss took an interest in him.
But Big Boss was moving closer, and from this distance, Tyler could make out the exact color of his pupils. Black, filled with a type of spark he'd never seen before. Behind those eyes lay something sinister, but he was far too fascinated by the intricate phoenix tattoo wrapped around Big Boss' neck that he had lost focus on everything else.
The interlacing hues of red and gold fused together to form a brilliant orange against the fair canvas of Big Boss' skin.
And before he knew what he was doing, he had his hand out and was touching Big Boss' tattoo.
Tyler should have snatched his hand back because at that very moment, he knew he had sealed his own fate.
Big Boss snaked his hand around his wrist and gave his signature smile—the evil sneer.
"You are one very brave boy," he said.
And that was all Tyler could remember before he was dragged away from the inspection site and shoved into a black van.
He couldn't recall how long he had kicked and screamed, demanding to be let out. There were too many strong men trying to subdue him. He tried knocking one in the jaw, but they had fast reflexes. Now he was imprisoned between them.
The door of the van slid open and Big Boss appeared, sitting across from him, casually leaning back against the seat and enjoying watching the view of Tyler in distress.
Tyler wasn't one to make fun of. Sure, he liked solitude, but that didn't mean people could take advantage of him.
He directed his demand straight at Big Boss, his eyes fierce with determination.
"Let me go, old man."
"Old man?" Big Boss looked taken aback.
Tyler knew Big Boss was the boss of the other men, but he wasn't about to bow to the man and inflate his ego by calling him Big Boss.
"Who are you referring to as this so-called old man?" Big Boss asked.
"You," Tyler said, maintaining eye contact.
He knew in these kinds of situations, he shouldn't lose his cool. Because that would make him a loser.
And he wasn't some loser.
Though the response he got wasn't what he had expected.
Big Boss' eyes twinkled with delight, and with his head back and belly high up in the air, he burst into a fit of laughter.
Tyler was all fired up now. He'd had enough of being played with. He was about to give him a piece of his mind when Big Boss said in a gentle tone,
"If you must know, I am only forty-five."
"And I'm only ten, turning eleven in a few days, so that makes you an old man in my eye," he retorted.
"You picked the right one, Boss," one of the other men said.
"You are right, Emilio," Big Boss replied to that other man, his lips stretching from ear to ear, before turning back to Tyler to give that same broad smile.
Tyler wanted to hate Big Boss, he really did, but something about Big Boss' smile reminded him of Georgina and her warm smile.
"I believe I have picked the right one for our family."
The word *family* caught Tyler's attention.
"What do you mean you have picked the right one for your family?"
"He sure is smart, too, Boss," another man spoke out.
"Do you want to be a part of my family?" Big Boss asked unexpectedly, and Tyler was sure he must have misheard.
There was no way Big Boss was interested in him, right?
He had to ask again to make sure.
"What did you say?"
Big Boss' reply was nothing but genuine.
"I mean exactly what I said. Do you want to come live with me and become a part of my family?"
Oh shit! Big Boss really wasn't joking. Tyler couldn't believe his ears.
His heart was pounding so hard, he almost couldn't hear his own voice asking,
"You…you are really adopting me?"
Big Boss nodded, one hand reaching out to ruffle his blond hair playfully.
And that kind of made him feel all warm and cozy inside. He liked that feeling. The ice façade he'd erected melted a little.
But that niggly insecure person inside of him had to ask for the reason why Big Boss had chosen him among all the other kids in the orphanage.
"Why?"
"Why so many questions?" Big Boss bounced a question back, and it caused his world to come crashing down.
Tyler fixed his gaze on Big Boss' shoes, his voice wavering as he revealed his true feelings.
"Because I'm weird, that's why. Can't you see my green and blue eyes. They are different colors."
Large gentle fingers lifted his face and he made contact with those black eyes again.
"And that's the reason why I chose you. You are special, with your unique-colored eyes. You fit right into our family."
*Special.*
No one had ever said he was special, nor made him feel special, except when he was with Georgina and baby Rose.
But this man said he was special, and he felt it, like he was someone special in Big Boss' eyes.
"So. Will you come live with me?" Big Boss prodded him when he was lost in his own thoughts.
Tyler wanted to go. He really wanted to, but he didn't want to leave baby Rose behind. Rose was his family. Yeah, she might get adopted into another family in the future, but he didn't want to separate from her. If he had to choose between baby Rose or Big Boss, his choice was baby Rose.
"You seem reluctant," Big Boss said, eyeing him with concern.
"I don't want to leave baby Rose behind," he confessed.
"Who is baby Rose?"