Page 45 of Assassin Daddy

Kyan burst out laughing before covering his mouth, still a little nervous that Faustino might storm up the stairs and dish out more discipline.

‘I think… maybe,’ Kyan said, composing himself. ‘Well… probablydefinitely.’

There was a moment between Kyan and Benjamin where it was clear that Benjamin had something on his mind. And Kyan could take a good guess at what it was…

‘Matteo, Faustino, and Michael are dangerous men,’ Kyan said. ‘It’s true. I know it’s probably obvious in some ways. It’s pointless denying it. And I don’t want to lie to you and Reece. You’re both my best friends, it’s only fair that you know.’

Benjamin smiled and gave Kyan a big hug as they sat crossed legged on the bed.

‘It’s okay, we both are so happy for you,’ Benjamin said, his voice full of sincerity. ‘And I’ve seen enough things in this city to know what you mean about Matteo and the other Fendi men. Ever heard of a little thing called Reddit?’

Kyan smiled. He should have anticipated that both Benjamin and Reece would have at least Googled Matteo. It was pretty much an open secret that the entire Fendi family were involved in crime on some level or another. Kyan was simply happy that neither Benjamin or Reece had an issue with it – or at least Reece didn’t before Faustino took him away for what was most likely going to end in a very stingy butt.

‘So…’ Benjamin said. ‘I know you can’t tell me the whole story. But how long do you think you’re going to be stuck here? Although, I have to say, it’s not a bad place to be stuck in.’

‘I don’t know,’ Kyan said, trying his best to smile. ‘I think that’s what my Daddy is away doing now. Hopefully when he comes home, he’ll have some good news.’

‘He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?’ Benjamin asked, putting his hand on Kyan’s knee. ‘I can tell. Do you think he might be… the one?’

Kyan felt his cheeks flush red. He had thought about it on more than one occasion but to actually speak it out loud was something else. Still, in the company of Benjamin it felt like it would be good to vocalize it and see how it sounded.

‘Okay, deep breath,’ Kyan said, summoning the courage to utter the words. ‘Yup. I think Matteo could be my Forever Daddy. What am I saying? I want him to be my Forever Daddy so, so bad it hurts!’

With that, Kyan and Benjamin embraced and then rolled onto their back and kicked their legs up in the air excitedly. It felt like such a relief for Kyan to admit his feelings for Matteo out loud and to someone else.

All Kyan could hope for now was that Matteo would be home soon, and more importantly than that, home safe…

Chapter 22

Matteo

The wind whistled through the tall trees and the leaves rustled underneath Matteo and Steele’s feet. Two killers at one with nature, ready to enact their plan with extreme prejudice.

‘All set?’ Matteo asked, looking across to Steele as the two of them crouched behind the large wall that circled the property deep in the woodland.

‘Always,’ Steele replied, his strong arms almost bursting out of his jet-black fisherman’s sweater. ‘Security has been disabled. We’ve got a free run.’

‘A free run? I don’t know if I’d call it that…’ Matteo said, his voice low and husky.

The pair of them had stalked their way through the thick, maze-like woodland to find the Fendi lodge, a place where only the inner circle of the family retreated to either for covert meetings or if they were being pursued by the law.

In fact, Matteo himself had always wondered whether the lodge was in fact real or simply a rumor that had been started by bored henchmen and devious street spies. Much of the Fendi mythos was built around tales of hidden mansions,underground escape routes, and private air hangers and runways. How much of it was true and how much was merely gossip was hard to tell. However there was no denying the reality of the lodge now that both he and Steele were one stone wall away from gaining access to it.

Steele had used all his contacts to not only get the precise coordinates for the lodge but to gain intel on the precise security detail that was going to be in operation. And speaking of the security detail, Matteo and Steele both knew that they had a very small window to make their play and gain access before a larger crew of men were set to arrive, along with other senior family bosses.

As of this moment, however, all that stood between Matteo and Alphonso Fendi was a triumvirate of his most loyal lieutenants. Matteo, by nature of being a hitman, was a skilled operator in close-up gun and hand to hand combat. Steele, with his military background, was as lethal as they came. Together the pair of them certainly backed themselves to take out the guards and then get to Alphonso.

Matteo took a moment to collect his thoughts.

This might have been a mission to save his darling boy’s life, but Matteo knew that the most productive mindset would be to treat it like any other operation. This was a hit. A cold, clean hit. The fact that it was against his own clan’s most senior boss couldn’t come into Matteo’s thoughts.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Make the shots. Complete the job.

Matteo looked across to Steele once more and gave the signal to move forward. Together, the pair of longtime allies clambered over the wall and moved with speed and precision over toward the lodge’s westerly side. There was a basement entrance that Steele knew could be accessed digitally – and if everything went to plan, it would take less than thirty seconds for his satellite phone to do the business.

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