Page 50 of Assassin Daddy

‘Why?’ Matteo asked, towering over the fallen henchman. ‘Why did Alphonso do this?’

‘Because… because…’ the henchman said, spitting blood, his eyes closing. ‘Because… he knew you were the king in waiting. He needed a reason to kill you. The boy was just part of the plan.’

As the dying henchman shut his eyes for one last time, Matteo sent him on his way with a merciful shot to the temple. Matteo was a ruthless man, but a man of honor. And Matteo could see that the henchman was only following orders – from both of their points of view, it was clearly nothing personal.

As Matteo covered the dead henchman’s eyes, he heard a familiar call from above.

‘Daddy! Daddy! You came!’ Kyan shouted, bursting out from the panic room and charging down the stairs and into his arms. ‘I was so worried. I thought you might be dead. I thought I was going to…’

Kyan burst into tears and buried his head deep into Matteo’s blood-splattered chest. The young man was overwhelmed, and Matteo knew that he would need to keep a check on his own sense of triumph in order to make sure that Kyan was handling the situation as best he could.

‘It’s okay, darling, you’re safe now,’ Matteo said, placing a soft kiss on top of Kyan’s head. ‘Daddy’s here. No one will ever hurt you again.’

‘Matteo, I’m getting some news,’ Steele said, reading a message on his cell phone as he spoke. ‘It’s Alphonso. The car he was in was gunned down and firebombed as it made its way to Fendi House. It’s over. The whole thing is over.’

‘Are you sure?’ Michael enquired, walking down the stairs with Faustino and the other boys not far behind him. ‘How do we know for sure?’

‘Trust me, this is from a cast-iron source,’ Steele said. ‘Alphonso’s gone. It’s done.’

Matteo felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The main threat to both his and Kyan’s life was gone now – and gone forever. There would be a lot more to deal with in the coming days and weeks. A power vacuum at the top of any mafia family was a perilous and unstable time, and this was even more true with the Pirlo clan looking so dangerous.

However the first thing on Matteo’s mind in that moment was the fact that his darling boy was safe. Everything else seemed unimportant. There was one thing left for Matteo to confirm though – and now was the time to make it happen…

‘Baby boy,’ Matteo said, gently lifting Kyan’s head so that the pair of them were looking at one another in the eyes. ‘I know this is all a bit scary. And I know that your head is probably all over the place. But I must tell you something.’

‘Yes, Daddy?’ Kyan asked, his tears gone and a smile on his face.

‘I love you,’ Matteo said. ‘I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. And I want you to be mine forever. If that’s what you want too, then I want us to make a life together that lasts for the rest of our days.’

Matteo was a man whose life was ruled by hard, emotionless decisions. Kill or be killed. But when it came to Kyan, it had always been a different story. Matteo had found his dream partner, a boy who he could cherish and look after until his dying breath. The only question was whether Kyan truly felt the same way about him…

‘Daddy, I love you so much,’ Kyan said, his eyes filling with emotion once more – but this time they were tears of unadulterated joy. ‘Of course I want to be yours Forever. Of course, of course, a million times of course!’

Kyan went up on tiptoes and planted a kiss on Matteo’s lips.

The pair of them had been through hell and back, and it had culminated in a day and night they would never, ever forget. But now wasn’t the time to think about the past, or what might happen in the future. Now was the time to embrace, feel the love from their closest friends and allies, and enjoy their perfect moment of Forever Love.

‘Come on, I think we all need a drink,’ Matteo said, wiping the sweat from his brow. ‘And I don’t even want to think about the cleaning bill for this place…’

Matteo, Kyan, and their friends all laughed and walked into the kitchen together. And with Steele making things right with his contacts in the police, they could all be assured that there would be no more unwelcome visitors arriving that night.

But in the morning, there would be a long list of jobs that needed to be done – including arranging a gift for the most unlikely heroine of the whole evening, Mrs. Goldstein…

Chapter 25

Kyan

After a busy couple of days tidying the house with Matteo and watching on as Steele reevaluated and got to work on a world class security setup, Kyan was feeling far more relaxed than he had in a long time.

As he stood on the steps outside his townhouse, Kyan turned to his left and saw Mrs. Goldstein approaching, a big smile on her face.

‘I must say, that was a wonderful bunch of flowers I received this morning, Kyan,’ Mrs. Goldstein said, her sweet little dog at her heel.

‘I’m glad you liked them, I picked them out myself,’ Kyan said. ‘And thank you again for how you helped D… I mean, Matteo.’

‘It’s okay, I know he’s your Daddy,’ Mrs. Goldstein replied, a knowing look on her face. ‘I had a wonderful Daddy too. Cameron became my husband, and we lived happily until he passed three years ago. Cherish the time you and Matteo have. You’ve got so many wonderful years ahead of you.’

Kyan was a little taken aback by Mrs. Goldstein’s revelation at first, but it felt great to know that he now had a neighborwho truly knew what it meant to be a Little. As Kyan watched Mrs. Goldstein walk down the block with her happy canine companion by her side, he became conscious that Matteo was standing behind him.

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