One Gang and a Bronze Battle

Chapter 46, Don Vito Luciano

A soft breeze blows past us, ruffling my hair.

I snicker before taking two steps closer to Kyle. I don't let his silver gaze affect my judgment. All I allow myself is a lazy smirk, that of a chess player that already sees what their opponent is planning.

"You really have a way with words, Kyle Bowmen," I say as I walk past him, to the belcone where I lean against the sandstone much as he did earlier. "If you were going up against the average opponent, I might've believed you. But you fail to mention that the deal goes both ways. You get the North if something happens to me."

Kyle looks at me blankly for a moment, his expression in disbelief before that mask of his slips and he gives me a sly smile. I watch as he takes a cloth from his back pocket and wraps his hand with it.

"You really are infamous for a reason, Amber," Kyle chuckles, "I had my suspicions when you fooled me at the wedding, but now it's confirmed." He takes three steps closer until he's right by me and I have to crane my neck up to hold his stare. "You're not like the others. I can't seem to fool you no matter my acting."

"You can't fool the girl that has everyone fooled," I smirk right back.

"Right," Kyle grins. He takes a step away from me and I feel like I finally got some breathing room again. "We truly are one and the same. And that's why I'll be honest with you, Amber. More honest than I am with anyone else in my life."

I quirk an eyebrow as I watch this fool pace up and down the dimly light balcony.

"I'm honest when I say that I truly want this world to be better. Whether I live to see it, doesn't matter. My only dream is a world void of corruption and hate. I've tried achieving it your way. I've been where you and Xavier are now. Trust me, I tried doing it with as little violence as possible, but... that's just not how the world works, Amber. The human race is it's own worst enemy and the only way for people to come together is if they have an enemy greater than them. For peace... there must be fear."

"That doesn't make sense," I scoff.

"No, no, think about it," Kyle says, "The only way for people to stop fighting and stop hurting is if they know there are consequences to that. If they're scared."

"I thought you ruled with love," I contradict. What a hypocrite. Preaching about inspiring people when he's telling me fear is the only way to control people.

Kyle sighs and puts his hands in his pants pockets as he looks up at the stars. "I do believe in love," he says, "But that only works with people you know. If I had the time to meet every single person in this world, I'd do that. But I can't. And the masses..." Kyle says as he glances back down at me, "The masses need fear."

I want to laugh at this man. How can a world in fear be a world of peace? It's contradicting by nature.

But then... How does one make this world a better place? Where do you even start?

By defeating all the bad guys? There are too many out there. We could never get them all. And what happens when we do? If we kill every bad person out there, it would make us the only bad guys left.

Is that what Xavier wants? For us to be the only bad guys left in this world?

Either way, I know whatever Xavier and I have in store is a hell of a lot better than Kyle's world of fear. It might be an effective solution, but... it's not right. And the price for earning that fear would simply be too high.

"I don't trust you," I tell Kyle.

He gives a ghost of a chuckle. "I don't expect you to trust me. All I ask is that you give me a chance."