Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken (62 page)

“… I tried to calm him down, but …” she sniffled, lowering her eyes sadly as she wiped another tear off her cheek, “he wouldn’t listen to me. … And I keep on trying to convince myself that it wasn’t that bad, that I’m not afraid of him, that I know him, and … that he would never hurt me, but the truth is …” She shook her head, lifting her fearful eyes back to his. “I don’t know him, Kyle. And he probably would hurt me … if I gave him the chance. And I know he’s waiting for me, at my house. I’m not going to be there tonight, and when Tamara comes home and finds him out there waiting, she’ll say something to him, and I can’t let anything happen to my sister.”

“Stop.” Kyle cut her off, placing gentle hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her shaking. “
Stop, stop, stop, stop
.” Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’re shaking, baby.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t mean to.”

“Shh …” he shook his head, then nudging her head backward, he leaned down even more and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. “Don’t apologize,” he murmured. “Alright?

She nodded, sniffling once more.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m glad you told me.”

Because Kyle was going to beat the fucker senseless.

“That’s not all.”

Her soft words surprised him a bit, causing a confused frown to fall over his face. Not all?

“What do you mean?” he asked, unable to imagine what else she could possibly need to tell him.

Releasing a long sigh, Reanna pushed back from Kyle. “I don’t want you to be angry at me when you see these later …”

Kyle shook his head, his brows furrowing deeper. “See what Reanna—”

And then she pushed the long sleeve of her large sweater up her left arm, and Kyle just … paused. Every part of him seemed to go numb for about a thirty seconds.

Bruises.

Bruises.

Bruises
ran down her arm, and one big one stood out near her shoulder blade.

While he stared at her, still numb, she explained each of them.

The ones on her arm had been from her trying to leave before he’d been ready to let her go, and the bruise on her back; well, that had come from when he’d attempted to throw her three-pound crystal Photographer of the year award at the wall, but it, instead, hit her … on her back … thus creating a large
fucking
bruise.

It was astonishing, the many different ranges of rage that Kyle was experiencing in a single day, and he was pretty sure that God was testing him. Testing his endurance. His limits. How much would it take to make Kyle Valente explode. To lay down his inhibitions and lose his fucking mind?

There was a simple answer to that question.

This much.

“Don’t kill him.”

Kyle had to look away from his fiancé when she whispered the words that only served to intensify his anger.

Don’t kill him, she says.

His jaw ticked, even as he continued to run his fingertips gently over his fiancé’s injuries.

“
Colomba
,” Kyle managed to say, despite the insurmountable amount of fury pumping through his blood. “I’ve killed men for touching me,” he informed her. Then he trailed his fingers up her arm, exposing her shoulder once more so that he could gaze upon the other evidence of Dr. Braden Harrison’s injustices. “You and Sofia are the single most important people in my life, baby. I’ve told you that.” In many different ways over the past weekend.

“I-I know that, Kyle.”

“And I love you both.” Kyle shook his head slowly, feeling his jaw tick once again. “I love you both
far
more than I love myself.”

She sniffled again. “I know—”

“So with that knowledge,” he cut her off, “and the knowledge that I’ve killed men for wronging
me
… How could you possibly expect me to look the other way when a man dare
disrespect me
by hurting the woman that I love more than myself?”

Making sure to not hide one bit of the cold, untamed rage boiling on the inside of him, Kyle finally brought his eyes back to hers.

Silence.

With so much silence between them, Kyle couldn’t even hear the sound of the other people in the lobby with them. They just stared at one another until Reanna broke the silence.

“I’m not asking you to looked the other way, Kyle—”

“You are,” Kyle nodded. “You are.”

“I’m not,” she argued. “I’m simply asking that you just …” her features tightened, “think of me before you do something … drastic …”

“Drastic!” Kyle snapped, then he pulled back, immediately calming himself when he noticed her flinch at his tone. “Drastic, Reanna,” he began, now calmer than before, “in my world, is torture.” That was just the truth. Being drastic would be to lock Dr. Harrison up for an unspecified amount of time and torture him. A punishment deserved? Yes, in Kyle’s opinion. But it was also drastic. “Killing him on the other hand. That’s mercy,” Kyle further informed his soon-to-be-wife. “A quick death for such an offense to another man’s woman is a kindness. I could do so much worse to him …”

“No,” Reanna replied adamantly. “No, Kyle! No you can’t. There is nothing worse than death. In
my world
,” she pointed to herself, “death is the
ultimate
price.”

“Well, that isn’t the case in my world—”

“You’ve already told me about your world!” she snapped, cutting off his words. “Now it’s time for you to understand mine.”

Though anger still pulsed rapidly through his veins, Kyle closed his mouth and let her speak.

“… In my world, killing another person is not a punishment, nor is it a kindness. It’s a last resort. Something we hesitate to ever do. I can’t have …” her jaw tensed as she lowered her voice. “I can’t have another death on my conscience, Kyle.” She shook her head. “I can’t be responsible for taking another person out of this world, for cutting off their life or taking their chance to change and become a better person. And what about his family, Kyle? Braden has an …” Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head once more. “He has an amazing family full of great people that love him. To take him away from all of that, to end his life, to steal his chance at finding happiness. In my world, that’s wrong.”

Wrong?

“I’d be a monster if I allowed that to happen.”

“So you think that I am a monster?” Kyle asked her, curious to hear her answer.

And as always, Reanna was honest with him.

She nodded her head. “At times,” she replied, “yes. Yes, you are.” Bringing her hand up, she placed it against his heart. “But even still, even in those times when I think you are a monster, even in those times when the thought of who you are, and what you do scares me, I love you.” She sobbed softly. “I love you. And I accept you for who you are; I even love you for it. But, Kyle,” she whispered, taking a small step forward, “if this, us, is going to work, you have to accept me, too.”

“I do accept you.”

“Then listen to me,” she cried. “I know what he did was wrong, but I am asking you to please, for me, show some restraint. Real mercy. And don’t let your anger at what he did to me lead you to do something that would make me question whether it was the right idea for me to be honest with you about this.” She gave a shake of her head. “I don’t want that. I want to be honest with you. I need that.”

“You can be honest with me, Reanna. You know that.”

She looked up at him, her eyes boring into his. “Then listen to me,” she repeated sternly. Then she uncrossed her arms before placing one of her hands on his chest once more. “Do what you must to keep him away from me, away from my sister … but do not,” she frowned deeply, “do not kill him, Kyle. Under any circumstances. That isn’t what I want. And if you were to ignore me on this and disregard my feelings …” She visibly swallowed, lowering her eyes momentarily before lifting them again. “I don’t know how I’d be able to trust you again.”

And there it was. His fucking Achilles heel.

Fuck!

Turning away from her, Kyle ran a hand over his face, letting out a frustrated grunt as he did. “Are you fucking kidding me, Reanna!” he snapped.

“I’m sorry, Kyle, but I’m not kidding.”

“Okay, you two …”

Kyle had heard Carter approach, but he kept his back turned, still unable to face Reanna in his anger.

“I’ve been waiting patiently for things to look less intense over here so I could come and scream my congratulations without getting in your business,” Carter continued, “but then I remembered that I’m invasive, and I don’t care if I’m getting in your personal business so—” Her words cut off with a sharp gasp. “Reanna!” she exclaimed.

“Carter,” Reanna sighed, “it’s nothing.”

“What the hell do you mean it’s nothing, Reanna. That’s a big fucking bruise! Oh shit. So sorry, baby … Mama’s so sorry for cursing, Natalia …”

“Who has a bruise?” Nathan’s voice sounded. “Reanna!”

“Oh, God,” Kyle heard Reanna groan. “Not you, too. Guys it isn’t that big of a deal.”

“What’s not that big of a deal?” Mickey came forward.

“Oh, no,” Reanna said firmly. “Not you too. Not you, Mickey, go back.”

“What happened to your arm, Reanna?” he asked, ignoring her plea for him to go.

“It’s nothing!”

“It doesn’t look like nothing, sweetheart.”

“Lucca—”

“It looks like someone has a death wish.”

“Death wish?!” Reanna yelled in utter horror. “No! No, death. What is wrong with you people! Here just … give me, Natalia. I need to feel her innocence in the midst of all this sin.”

“Did someone hurt you, Reanna?” Nathan spoke up again. “Come here, sweetheart, let me see.”

“It’s nothing, Nathan, really,” Reanna replied, her tone softening as it often did when she spoke to Nathan.

“It doesn’t look like nothing, Reanna.”

“It was just … a bad break up is all.”

“With Braden?” Carter asked.

And Kyle could already hear the exact same anger that he was feeling in her voice.

“Are you fuck— are you serious! Braden did this to you?”

“Who’s is this Braden?” Lucca asked.

“No, I think the better question is where is this, Braden?” Mickey said. “Tell me where he lives. I’ll pay him a visit, teach him that it’s immoral for a man to put his hands on a woman.”

“Alright, guys, please,” Reanna said, her voice bouncing a bit. Most likely because she was bouncing the babbling little Natalia in her arms. “I’m fine, really, just stop this.”

“You have tears in your eyes.”

“I’m emotional!”

“Because he hurt you!”

“No!” Reanna snapped. “I’m just emotional, Mickey, alright?”

“Reanna, sweetheart,” Lucca spoke again, “you do not have to put on a brave face in front of family.”

Reanna pouted. “I’m not Lucca, please,” she whined. “Will you guys just let it go? I already told Kyle, and he’s going to handle it.”

“Do you need our help, brother? Nathan asked.

Before Kyle could turn and reply, Reanna answered for him.

“That’s so very kind of you. Nathan, but no.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, once again running his fingers through his hair.

“… Kyle has everything under control.”

“Are you sure, Kyle?” Mickey asked. “Because I can—”

“No!” Reanna said in a rush, then she laughed a nervous, humorless laugh and calmed her tone. “I mean no Mickey. You’re sweet, and we love you, but Kyle already knows what he’s going to do to get Braden to back off.”

Aside from killing the fucker, Kyle did not know what he was going to do. It was fucking hard trying to figure out something that would get the message across, but also not anger Reanna at the same time.

“Does he know?” Nathan asked, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

He was right to not believe the woman.

“Yes,” Reanna answered, far too confidently.

“Okay,” Nathan replied slowly. “Well, then … what is he going to do, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Reanna seemed all too happy to answer that question, even though she shouldn’t have.

“Anything … but kill him.”

“What!”

They all seemed to voice their outrage at once.

“Oh,
Bella, no
,” Kyle heard Mickey say, “that is … unacceptable.”

“Mickey, how is not killing somebody unacceptable?”

“Not killing someone isn’t unacceptable when there is no reason, but this—”

“Isn’t enough of a reason to kill anyone,” Reanna cut him off. “Tell them Nathan, you’re reasonable.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can’t say that. Lord knows I’ve started my share of wars over my wife.”

“That’s true,” Carter agreed. “And when I was attacked a few months after I first moved here, I made about nine or ten people pay for that and made Gianni kill himself …”