Kylie Bray (Love, Hate and Billions) novel Chapter 43

Week five

“Can we talk ?”

I'm sitting on the floor in my bedroom, Beggar is sleeping on my bed, which has become our thing- sleeping together.

We get closer as the days go by, and more and more she opens up, except when Vincent steps into the room.

It is not that she isn't familiar with him. They are related, she knows he cares for her. The two of them talk about stuff and even laugh but she, like me keeps her guard up.

“What do you need to talk about Vincent,” I ask him, as my eyes remain focused on my project I'm drafting for finals.

He comes into my room, sitting directly next to me.

My carpeted floor where I am stationed at the bottom of my bed is decorated with open books, my laptop, stationery and Ipad.

His strong scent that at one stage made me melt into a puddle is something I am now gone used to.

He places his hand on my thigh and I tilt my neck to look at him,

“And now,”

My eyes go to that said hand on my leg, emphasizing my words.

“I know I have been a dick. I know I hurt you a lot Kylie. I wanted to keep you at arms length. I didn't want you to get close to me because I feel the same way about you, as you did about me. But my life, the mafia it is no place for you, people die, it is like an early death sentence.”

“You have a weird way of keeping someone you 'like' at arms length Vincent, you were a dick to me.”

He is saying things that I have never heard. Shocked it one way to describe how I am feeling. He is telling me words I have waited to hear, but life is so different now.

It no longer matters as much as it used to.

My feelings for Vincent aren't as bad as my regret for losing my best friend.

Diamond is gone.

“Kylie, these weeks with you here, I see your strength, your loyalty. I know you don't trust me, but to allow my cousin in your house, give her place says a lot. I know I should leave but I can't stay away from you, I don't want to. I want us to start over. Please,” his eyes are earnest.

I can hear this is hard for him, showing me this side of him and I think back to Beggar on my bed, and what she said, give him a chance.

I love Vincent but I am also in a crossfire of wills- right and wrong. I should say no, I know I should but my heart won't let me.

So I do it, I bend my head closer to him and kiss him. It is on this day I start my relationship with Vincent Stone. It is on this day I lay my final card down for my ultimate downfall.

Week six

'hey, miss me yet? Still have some stuff to do should be back in an hour. What you getting up to.' Vincent

I look at the screen of my phone, blushing from another text of Vincent's.

Beggar and I decided to leave the house today. We're on our way to a frat party at my University.

Vincent and I haven't been on an official date, but Deno has agreed to keep Beggar company tomorrow night while I accompany Vincent to a family dinner.

I am nervous and giddy at the same time.

He sends me text and kisses me until I am again melting in a puddle, but now he isn't staring daggers at me when I do.

Now I get chuckles and sweet words. We haven't had sex, not sure why I am still holding back but I am.

I guess when we finally get what we want things are different. I find that I am changing and I can't stop it from happening.

'on our way to a frat party. Wont be home b4 one.' Kylie

'Be careful, come straight back when you done, I will be waiting...' Vincent

Beggar is so quiet in the car, it is concerning. Stopping at the stop street, I drop the volume of the music,

“What's up, don't you want to go?”

She rubs the scar on her neck, “Can we stop somewhere else for a bit.”

Frowning at her sudden request, unease curls in my belly, but I shrug it off,

“Sure, where do you have in mind?”

“I have the address it isn't too far from here,” her hoarse voice laces with uncertainty.

“What's going on Beggar?”

The light changes and I drive to the side of the road switching the car off.

Turning to face my new friend. She's looking great tonight. I used a lot of make-up to cover the permanent scar on her neck.

Her jeans are a pair of Diamonds, fit snug on her thin body, with a loose cashmere lilac top.

I'm wearing a jeans and blue t-shirt with black boots, my normal OUTFIT when I go partying on Campus.

“When you were in the bathroom I heard the buzzer so I answered the door and found this.”

I look down at the tape recorder she hands to me. I didn't even know she had this.

Taking it from her outstretched hand with shaky fingers, I press play, and a man's voice comes through the small speakers,

“Tut, tut, tut, liar, liar, liar, always running, always hiding, you filthy dirty Beggar. Guess who I found.”

I hear a scream of a child- a little girl and I drop the recorder on the cars floor.

“Who is that?” I ask her, my eyes the size of saucers.

“My monster.”

“No Beggar who is the girl screaming?”

She drops her head not answering.

“Beggar, who the fuck is she sugar.”

“My daughter.”

I am shocked and stunned by this revelation, I thought her daughter was dead. From all sides of the stories

I have heard about Beggar, her daughter is dead.

Life has a odd way of turning out, secrets always coming to light in the worst of times.

“He had this address attached to it.”

She hands me the crinkled note. I remain quiet as I put the light of the car on to READ it, underneath the address which is an industrial area is a message,

'come alone, or she dies, tick-tock, you have 'til midnight.

“We need to call Vincent or Kevin.”

It is the logical thing to do.

I can't just let this kid die, Beggar's child. I can't believe she has a daughter.

“NO,” She screams holding her throat, “drop me there and leave.”

I start the car, “You can't go alone, I'm going with you.”

I send off an SOS to Kevin and drop my phone in the side door of my car so Beggar can't see it in case it rings.

“You will die, are you ready to die.” Her words scare me, but I don't answer that question because I honestly don't know the answer to it.

Sometimes we have to make choices out of obligation and this now is one off those times.

I won't be able to live with myself if I don't go and that little girl dies. So I don't really have a choice in the matter.

I won't leave Beggar on her own.

This is not a case of revenge for herself, but a rescue of her daughter.

We drive the hour to this place, a docking space full of containers stacked up.

My stomach is in knots and it has since darkened.

Parking on the outer parts of the docking area, we both jump out at the same time,

“Let's go that way,” she says moving to the stacks of containers.

I can't say how I never see it, I can't tell you how I don't hear them.

One second we are walking to the containers and the next we are surrounded by at least twenty men.

One of the men steps forward, as the lights in the dock blind me.

Squinting to try to get a good lock on him, I put my hand at the top of my head.

He is in a charcoal three-piece suit. Black hair that has been greased flat. His nose is prominent.

Coming closer to Beggar and me.

Close up, I finally get a good look at him.

And I know I have seen him somewhere, I just can't recall where that somewhere is.

“Where is she Lucca,” Beggar asks the man walking closer to us and I am praying that Kevin got my SOS message.

He laughs, and it is so evil, wicked like he is crazy,

“You are such a fool, do you really think If I had our daughter I would even contact you again.”

He walks right up to us and backhands Beggar across her face with such force, and so much menace that she falls to the ground.

I push him away and bend down on the floor to help my friend.

Hard fingers grip my hair by the scalp pulling me away from Beggar.

I scream, “No, leave me alone, you fucking bastard.”

He punches me in my stomach, gripping my hair tighter as the wind is knocked out of me for the second time.

Gasping for air, I heave.

Beggar sweeps his feet from under him. As he goes down he pulls my hair, ripping a large chunk of it out.

“This got nothing to do with her, let her go,” Beggar yells in a gruff voice.

“Now why would I do that, I am going to let my men rape her as they did to you, then I am going to send her back in pieces. Finger, by finger,” he laughs.

Beggar kicks him hard in the face, “Run Kylie, run,” she screams as loud as she can.

And I do, I run but not too far. I am tackled down hard to the rough ground, my face throbbing with the direct impact it takes. My tooth in the front cracks, my nose breaks.

I scream, it is so fucking sore.

The butt of the gun against my scalp is a welcoming pain, as it knocks me out.