Page 17 of Assassin Daddy

But as he closed his eyes, Kyan knew that this was far from a case of Little meets Daddy, and they live happily ever after. In fact, Kyan could barely think of a more complex situation.

OMG. That was hot.

He’s a bad man. He’s a killer.

But… I know he could be a perfect Daddy…

Chapter 8

Matteo

The boy was back at home. Matteo felt like he could trust Kyan enough to leave the young man by himself at his place. Sure, there was the possibility that he might try and snoop around, but Matteo kept nothing even remotely incriminating regarding his life and business interests at home and hadn’t done for many years.

But as he walked the busy streets, Matteo couldn’t help but wonder precisely what Kyan might be doing back at his house. He was a Little after all, and Littles would often find a way of getting themselves in trouble.

He better not go into my gallery room.

I told him that was out of bounds.

I don’t want to regret keeping him alive…

Matteo allowed himself a wry smile. Of course there was no chance he would ever want Kyan dead now. But there certainly would need to be consequences if Kyan ventured into the one room that Matteo had banned him from entering.

Over the years, Matteo had taken an increasingly passionate interest in the art world. And with an increasingly high disposable income, Matteo had taken to collecting the most interesting and often expensive art that piqued his curiosity.

Whether it was abstract pieces or more traditional portraits, Matteo had developed a keen eye and would love nothing more than going to the city’s most Avant Garde galleries and new exhibitions. And with his large townhouse to fill, Matteo had allocated one of the large downstairs living rooms as his unofficial art gallery.

‘Maybe I’ll show him around later…’ Matteo mused as he wondered whether Kyan might in fact enjoy being given a little tour of his collected pieces of fine art.

However Matteo knew that now wasn’t necessarily the time to be imagining what he and Kyan could do together. There was far more serious business to handle first. And after having given it some serious thought, Matteo knew that a problem shared would be a problem solved… or so he hoped.

‘Good morning, cousins,’ Matteo said, stepping into the downtown diner and seeing both Faustino and Michael were already at the window booth nearest the front entrance. ‘I know, I know, it’s not our usual kind of hangout.’

‘Hey, I’m not complaining,’ Michael laughed. ‘I’ve already ordered the triple-XL breakfast.’

‘And this coffee ain’t half bad either,’ Faustino added, taking a big gulp of his jet-black coffee. ‘But this meeting isn’t about trying out new food and drink spots in the city, is it?’

Matteo nodded in acknowledgement of Faustino’s comment.

Whenever any one of the three of them needed to talk about a sensitive matter, it was always the unspoken agreement that they would meet at somewhere that was outside their usual hangouts. Aside from the fact that they would be away from other men in the business, it also meant that they would be far less likely to be spotted or overheard by any potential street spies.

Alphonso Fendi was an intensely paranoid and controlling boss and had run a complex and far-reaching network of spies, rats, and informers for many years. Perhaps this was how Alphonso had managed to stay on top for so long, but as far as Matteo was concerned it was also a reason for why so many good mafia men had died for no reason other than Alphonso’s paranoid mind.

‘Okay, there is a situation in play,’ Matteo said, his shoulders stiff from tension and the need for his triple espresso to arrive growing by the second. ‘You might want to strap in for this one, men. It’s not like anything we’ve dealt with before…’

Matteo’s espresso duly arrived, and he set about explaining the situation regarding Kyan, Alphonso, and his faked death scene. To say that Faustino and Michael were taken aback was something of an understatement.

‘Jesus, that’s heavy,’ Faustino said, reclining in his seat and shaking his head. ‘I’m not saying I don’t agree with what you did, but fuck… you’ve got yourself in a real tough spot.’

‘Rather you than me,’ Michael said, an ironic laugh following up his words. ‘But screw it. I’m with you. Whatever you need, I’m down to help. As always.’

‘Same for me, of course,’ Faustino continued. ‘You’re right too, Matteo. Something doesn’t add up. Why the hell wouldAlphonso want him killed? I mean, the real reason. Not some jumbled up bullshit. The truth is…’

‘Keep going,’ Matteo said, sensing that Faustino had a lot more to say.

‘Come on, we all know the truth,’ Faustino said, looking back and forth between Matteo and Michael. ‘The old man is on the way out. He’s been at the top for too long. We know how this works. Alphonso is way past his peak. And now he’s making crazy decisions. Does the family truly need this guy to lead them into war with the Pirlo clan?’

‘This is the kind of talk that could get us killed,’ Matteo said. ‘But I think we’re probably way beyond that stage. Well, I am at least.’

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