Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken (64 page)

The moment the man finished speaking was the moment Kyle noticed that his eyes had been closed the entire time. It was … amusing. And infuriating. And just so … fucking frustrating all this shit. So much shit when there really didn’t have to be. So much confusion … so much rage. And too much yelling.

Kyle needed silence, peace, just a little bit of it to keep his sanity intact. But he knew that was impossible. Here, with all this shit; the peace deal, a territory dispute, the mystery of what the fuck was happening with his mother. Kyle would only get peace when all this was over. Once everyone paid for knocking him off balance … then he’d be able to rest at home with his little family.

Releasing a long sigh, Kyle let his head fall forward as he shook it from side to side. “Alright,” he whispered to himself over and over, mentally preparing to end this.
Just … don’t snap
. Nodding to himself, Kyle opened his eyes, ran a hand over his face, and cleared his throat. “I kept my word, Bonaducci.” He’d barely been able to say the words without going into a curse filled tirade of his own. It was memory of both Reanna’s and children’s presence that had kept him tame.

As he had expected, Niko looked confused by what he’d said, so naturally, Kyle explained further.

“The meeting with David.” He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pocket as he took a step forward. “I kept my word. It was your consigliere who did not.”

“Bullshit,” Niko shot.

And he looked as if he wanted to say more, but Kyle lifted a hand, stopping the man, before tightly continuing his explanation. “Yes, it’s true that your David welcomed us safely into your newly acquired territory, but …” Kyle shook his head, lowering to his eyes for a quick woo-saa before he moved forward, “… but then you vexed me,” he finished.

“He
vexed
you?”

“Yes,” Kyle nodded, lifting his eyes once more. “I didn’t appreciate the tactics used by your organization to get negotiations to move in your favor.”

“So you attacked us?”

Kyle gave another nod of his head. “I attacked,
emphasis
on
I
.” When he was met with silence, he took a step forward. “My promise was made and kept. Not one of my men moved a muscle. I killed those men, I reclaimed the territory, and I …” he looked over to David. “… knocked your consigliere around a bit.” He shrugged, “You’re ranting like I killed the bastard or something. He’s fine … only has a few scratches, no real harm done.”

“Broken nose, broken jaw, fractured arm, and his left eye is swollen shut. Does that sound like a few scratches to you, Valente! Does it look like it?”

Kyle rolled his eyes at the list of shit Niko named off.

Fucking pussy.

“He should probably be in a hospital then, if he’s that hurt.”

“That isn’t the point, Valente!” Niko snapped, closing the distance between himself and Kyle until they were nearly face to face. “You had one job—make a damn deal—and you don’t seem to be competent enough to do it. You were too busy doing what you Salerno fuckers do all the time, starting trouble over a piece of ass. You’re a pussy whipped little bitch, just like your bitch ass Don over there. You can’t do shit! If you were half the consigliere Cesare was then you would have had the fucking deal signed already!”

Kyle blinked. Blinked. Then he blinked again.

That seemed to be a
thing
now, the constant Kyle/Cesare comparison that Kyle had come to hate so much. Why? Why did fuckers seem to think that Kyle assumed the role of consigliere just to do shit exactly the way his father did them? Was he not allowed to create his own methods and make a fucking name for himself? Was this something he just had to get used to? Constantly being expected to be the fucking
lesser Cesare
.

With a tight smile on his lips, Kyle removed his hands from his pockets. “Niko.” He gave the man’s chest a pat. “You’re right. My father was a great consigliere. He really got things done.” Taking a step back from Niko, Kyle slipped his hands back into his pockets, then gave a nod of his head in Niko’s direction. “Let’s make a deal.” He motioned between them. “You and me. Right here in front of everyone.” He pointed to Niko. “You make an offer.” He pointed to himself. “I counter with mine.” He slipped his hands back in his pocket. “Then we negotiate.” He smiled. “What do you say?”

Nothing. The man said nothing. He only stared at Kyle for about sixty seconds, before he nodded his head, chuckling for reasons only God knew.

“You want to negotiate here? Now?” he asked, seeming amused by the suggestion.

Ignoring the man’s amusement, Kyle nodded his head. “Yes. Right now.”

Why the fuck not? It was what the fuckers came here for, was it not?

The fool laughed, shaking his head as he looked back at his father. Kyle watched as the older man sighed, then gave his son a nod of approval, before Niko turned back to face Kyle.

“Alright, then Valente,” he sighed. “As you wish.” Then with a shrug of his shoulders, he listed off the Bonaducci crime family’s demands for peace. “We want our territory back …”

Kyle nodded his head.

“… and for the Salerno Organization to pay for the damages to the place, and use some of those cops you got in your pocket to clean up the scene, you know, make some shit disappear.”

“Understandable,” Kyle nodded again, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You’re fucking right it’s understandable. And we want another promise of no retaliation, a repayment of the money you stole after you assaulted my father, an apology, and a seat at the Manhattan table.”

“Territory.”

“Exactly,” Niko answered.

“Here?” Kyle pointed to the ground. “In the city?”

“Yep,” the man smiled. “Got big plans for it too.”

Kyle chuckled. “I bet you do.”

“We do,” Niko nodded. “And this is all so a war can be avoided, Valente. Like I said, we got a lot of new allies out there that want to see the Salerno Organization crumble. If you don’t want a big war on your hands—because everybody knows how bad it can be for business—then just give what we’re asking for, and we’ll have peace.” He shrugged. “You know.”

No. He did not know.

Running his hand over his face, Kyle gave a slight shake of his head.

“Alright, Niko,” he sighed, locking eyes with the man. “You ready to hear my counter offer, then?”

Niko nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest, seeming to mirror Kyle’s stance.

It was amusing. Sometimes when Kyle looked at the idiot, he swore he saw a little boy dressed in a big man’s suit.

Clearing his throat, Kyle prepared himself for negotiation. He didn’t know why, but he had a good feeling, like this was really finally it. He worked so hard on this deal, and he hadn’t even gotten a chance to present it earlier. This was his chance, his chance to present his brilliant peace deal to the Bonaducci crime family.

“Nothing,” he said, feeling so fucking free when he’d said it too.

Of course there was confusion, that was to be expected. But it was okay because Kyle didn’t give a fuck. He was living free, releasing his inhibitions and creating his own fucking rules.

“You get nothing,” he repeated for good measure. And yes, it made him smile. “No perks, no territory, no money, as a matter of fact, you’re in the hole.” Kyle nodded his head. “The money that you took during your attack. We’ll be taking that back. No more demands, no more meetings, no more talks of handouts. You get nothing from us, but the assurance that you, and these allies you claim to have, are safe from the horror of war. You get a peace deal. And trust me, Niko,” Kyle took a step forward. “Peace is worth more than any territory that you would have received had things gone your way.”

And there it was. The speech he’d been wanting to give the Bonaducci clan ever since the negotiations for this blasted peace deal first began. It felt good getting that off his chest. This was what Kyle wanted. This deal. And since it was what he wanted, then it was what would be …

Sadly, though, Niko didn’t feel the same way.

“Have you lost your mind?”

Kyle blinked, his brows raising at the question. Had he lost his mind? Well … he hadn’t been feeling his best today, but he was pretty sure his mind may have still been intact in spite of it.

“No,” he answered, his brows furrowing slightly. “I have not. Have you?”

“You’re out of your damn mind if you think we’re going to except that shit fucking deal, Kyle!”

Kyle frowned, his jaw clenching at the man’s choice of words. “I thought I told you to watch your mouth in front of the children.”

“Fuck you!” He motioned behind Kyle. “Fuck all of you and your fucking kids! You’re asking for a war; you know that Valente? You’re asking for every family in New York City to turn against you.”

“Hmm …”

Pulling his hands from his pockets, Kyle ran his fingers through his hair as he thought over Niko’s sharp words.

‘Fuck you. Fuck all of you … and your fucking kids …’

The man seemed determined to push Kyle over the edge. But, luckily for Niko, Kyle was already over the edge. So there was really no more pushing needed.

With a sharp clap of his hands, Kyle turned away Niko to face his family. “Time for the kids to go,” he said, then as the kids began to pack their back packs and say their goodbyes to the adult, Kyle made his way back to where his fiancé stood, looking as if she were ready to bolt and get the fuck away from both Kyle and his crazy family.

She was perfect.

“Honey,” Kyle opened his arms, too fucking out of his mind at the moment to feel the panic that he probably should be feeling. “You alright?” he asked, even though her expression had already answered the obvious question.

“Kyle, what the hell!”

Kyle’s mouth opened slightly, but he had to be honest, he wasn’t sure what the fuck he could and couldn’t say in response. He didn’t want to scare her … though she was already scared so …

Kyle shook his head, deciding against being too free in his explanation. He’d be sweet instead. Reanna liked sweet.

So taking her free hand in his, Kyle pulled Reanna to him, cupping he cheek as he leaned down and kissed her. “I know, baby,” he whispered, and then kissed her once more. “I know. I’m so sorry you had to experience that.”

“Which experience do you mean?” she asked, still in obvious panic. “The crazy man screaming in the middle of the lobby about a war or the part where all hundreds of those men over there were pointing their big ass guns at us!”

Kyle’s lips twitched. “Both?” he shrugged.

“Kyle!”

“Baby,” he hugged her and the baby. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just …”

“You’re losing it,” she finished for him.

And Kyle nodded in response. “Yes,” he admitted. “A little bit.”

“Yea, well you’re not the only one, okay,” she frowned, hugging the baby tighter to her. “This day has been shit. I feel like pulling my hair out I’m so freaking done with it.”

“And I feel the same.”

She was preaching to the fucking choir; the day had been shit. It had started out so well, but now Kyle just felt like he’d been pushed to the end of his rope. He was now more determined than even to end this shit on a good note, so that he could go home later and spend time with his girls, then lie in bed and actually get some fucking sleep without all this shit weighing on his conscience.

“Reanna,” he murmured, running his hand up and down her back comfortingly. “Baby. I know you have questions …”

“Actually you're wrong, Kyle,” she said, surprising him. “I don't have any questions. I've seen enough mafia movies to know what's going on here.”

Kyle smiled. “Have you?” he chuckled. “Then I suppose you know what’s about to happen next?”

She nodded her head. “I do,” she answered confidently. “Negotiation, right? That’s why it’s time for the kids and I to leave.”

“Mmmhmm,” Kyle answered, bringing up his hand the mess with the loose curls at her shoulder. “I love you, baby.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding her head as she looked around the lobby.

Kyle wished he knew what she was thinking and how she was feeling about what just happened.

“I love you, too.” Giving him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, she reached up and gripped tightly to his shirt, pulling him down until they were face to face. She kissed him. “Kick that jerk’s ass, Kyle. You hear me?”

Amused, Kyle chuckled softly. “I hear you, baby.”

She tugged on his shirt. “I’m serious,” she said, her expression becoming concerned, fearful. “I’m not joking, okay?”

The amusement left as quickly as it came as Kyle nodded his head, expressing his understanding.

“Don’t get hurt,” she murmured, gazing into his eyes. “Don’t get shot. Don’t die. Just … end this and come home, alright? Come home to us.” She smiled faintly, and this time it reached her eyes. “We have to tell our sweet Sofia that we have a wedding to plan. Okay?”

Kyle answered her with a kiss, another kiss, then one last kiss before he released her and led her and Natalia past the Bonaducci clan to where Michele, the kids, and Anastacia were waiting for her. After giving his daughter a kiss goodbye, he nodded to his mother, silently telling her that he knew what he was going to do next, and he needed her and the security protecting her, Reanna, and the kids to be extra vigilant because of it.