**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like the game, I will include a couple of endings to this story. After all, that's the nature of the Hotel Dusk universe, right? Here's the first possible ending. More to come soon. Thanks for reading. **

Saturday

December 15 1984

New York City, 6:51 P.M.

Christmas lights lit up all the trees near Rockefeller Plaza. They were beautiful. Kyle thought they looked like a million little was a scene that Kyle was all too familiar with but it never got old. "New York, New York, it's a hell of a town" he sing songed in his mind. The city was one of the very few things that, to Kyle, lived up to the hype surrounding it. Moreover, he thoroughly enjoyed it. When he got downright honest about it with himself about it, he's be living here still had it not been for Bradley. But seeing Rachel everyday made up for it.

He was still reeling over the letter, now crumpling slightly in his back pocket. He tried his hardest not to think about it but that was near impossible. What the hell did Bradley want? Why now? Kyle's anxiety was surpassed only by confusion and admittedly, annoyance. Kyle had memories of Bradley, of course he did. But he just wanted to put it all behind him. After all, Bradley told him to just go on with his life. Kyle kept his end of the bargain. So what the hell?

All these thoughts were shelved as he turned a corner and saw the tree. Not just any tree. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller. It was beautiful and gigantic, towering over everyone. He crossed the busy street, which was ridiculously crowded with tourists, when he saw her overlooking the ice skaters. That golden blonde hair in a minimal but classy and suitable bun. Her cheeks were naturally blushed from the nippy air. Her eyes wide and sparkling from the reflection of lights. Her little pearl earrings matching her svelte frame which was draped in a fur coat. Kyle's heart was bursting at the seams and, admittedly, so were his pants. He approached her nervously because in the midst of all this craziness, Kyle never had time to prepare a serious face to greet her with. As he tried to straighten his crooked smirk and cool his burning blushing face, Rachel looked up moving a rogue strand of hair from her eyes and spotted him. Her face lit up with a smile and she mouthed "Hey!"

Kyle mouthed back. He did a half jog over to her and she made her way over to him meeting halfway. They hugged

"Hey, look at you here right on time." Rachel said smiling

"Yeah, here I am."

"How are you liking the city, sweete?"

"I used to live here for years and everytime I come back, I wish I never left."

"But then you wouldn't have met me."

Kyle blushed. Before he could defend that statement, Rachel just chuckled and and announced "I'm starved, you wanna get something to eat?"

"Sure. Lets go."

Rachel hailed down a cab and headed to Central Park. Kyle got his favorite street vendor food: falafel. Rachel went with the world famous New York hot dog with everything on it. They walked through Central Park together eating, passing roller bladers and snowball fighters.

"So how was time with the family?" Kyle asked between bites

"Well. Can I be honest? Boring. I love my family, and I love to see them. But every year its with the same stories and the same questions and the same same same. But that's family right?"

"Yeah, that's family" they approached a fountain with an angel on top.

"So how about you? You saw your mother yesterday right?"

This caught KYle off guard "I never told you I was going to see my mother…"

"Mmm no," Rachel swallowed a bit of hot dog before speaking "I just figured if you'd be in the area, you'd see her, right? I mean."

"Yeah! Okay, I get it. Yeah. I saw her last night. She's doing well. I just wish she'd move out of that dump Jersey. We just talked. We never do so I guess it wasn't so bad."

Rachel nodded. Kyle thought about whether or not he should bring up the letter . The thought danced in his head for a while. After all, Rachel knew all about the whole Bradley charade. She knew the names, the places and times of the whole affair. Kyle didn't know this but Rachel had become mildly obsessed with the whole thing because she figured that something that was powerful enough to emotionally unnerve Kyle must be interesting. Anyway, she could certainly provide some valid insight into the situation. This whole ethought process cost about eight minutes of silence. They had already walked to the center of the park with the fountain.

"Kyle?" Rachel touched his shoulder.

"Mmm?" He replied mildly startled.

"What's wrong?"

"It's no-"

"And don't say 'it's nothing'. What's going on."

Kyle sighed. After all, she was as qualified as anyone.

"Bradley tried to contact me."

Her face sank and went pale. She lightly disposed of her half-eaten hotdog. She was done with that.

"What- What do you mean?"

"I mean that Bradley tried to contact me. My mom found this taped to her door a couple of months ago."

He took out the frumpy little black envelope and surrendered it to Rachel. She held it in her hand, staring at the embossed letters. She couldn't even decide what to say about it. Her emotions were a mixed bag that started with confusion, shifted to desperation, faded to anxiety and eventually settled on anger. She considered this New York trip the chance to actually make a move and be with Kyle. The anger took away all her shy, coy thoughts and allowed her to be blunt with herself. She loved Kyle and she wanted to be with him and she wanted him to openly love her all, how long could this game go on? They were both single and they weren't getting any younger. And there was nobody else. And just when the chance appears, Bradley comes back to mess it up. This flash of fury and emotion took only nine seconds of Rachel's rapid mental calculation. She looked at Kyle who was waiting for some kind of answer or response. She mulled it over and eventually decided on

"So?"

This really had Kyle perplexed. He didn't know what to expect but it certainly wasn't that.

"So…?"

"Ugh, Kyle." She rubbed her eyes under her glasses with her index and thumb. "I mean, so what? So what if he contacted you? What could he send you that could possibly change anything? Its been years. How much more time do you want to dedicate to this? You said it yourself. Its ancient history." Rachel said all this very calmly. Though she was as curious as anyone to know what the letter held. They just sat there not talking for a while. People passed and played and the whole world seemed to pass them by.

"I don't think I want to read it Rachel." Kyle finally let out, tired.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked emotionless.

"No. I'm not. But that letter can bring nothing good. I'm tired, Rachel. I'm tired of that case. I want to move on. I like solving things but Bradley, God bless him, is just an old joke that gets rehashed at a party. A running gag with a cheap punchline that makes everyone in the room groan."

"So. What do we do with it?" Rachel asked, her nerve endings exploding with anticipation.

"Why don't you hang onto it? I can trust you. You could just keep it."

She wasn't having another burden.

"No."

"No?"

"No. I'm not keeping it. If you don't want it, we'll toss it and be done. If you want it, you'll hang onto it. But I can't do it. As much as I love y-"

They froze, both pale as the snow falling. The "L" word. THE "L" word. Neither of them had ever said it before and it just seemed ridiculous out loud. Kyle didn't push it. Rachel just gave up. She put her hand on his. The game was played out and the joke was over. Why bother? "Kyle, I love you. I really love you and I want to be with you. I know you feel the same. I know you do so don't even bother denying it. The only question I have is 'What will you do about it?". I can't wait forever. I don't want to."

Kyle said he was tired and he meant it. It was a horrible internal battle but Rachel waited patiently. Kyle deserved to be happy and he knew it. He was a man in every way be he could never step up to Rachel. He wasn't ready. After a good debate inside, he decided not to deny it anymore. He grabbed the letter from her hand and kissed her on the forehead. He walked away.

Kyle checked into a hotel that night. Nothing fancy, nothing dangerous. After stalling for hours he finally opened the letter. It was a simple message.

Kyle,

I'm sorry to write you like this but I need your help. Something has gone wrong with NILE and they're after me. This time, they're getting close. I barely have time to breathe before I have to relocate. I can't leave a number for obvious reasons but meet me where you last saw me. Christmas Eve, 11:00 PM.

-Bradley

This had Kyle wondering whether or not he made the right decision. Leaving Rachel there and, very possibly, killing their relationship. What the hell could he do about NILE? Why meet? Sure, he foiled a couple of NILE's plans but they were a crime syndicate not to be reckoned with. In the most unofficial of ways, Kyle himself was in hiding as well. He hadn't thought about it much but damn, just being in the Northeast was a huge gamble. The uneasiness that had rushed up on him and Jeff flooded back to him and he no longer felt alone anywhere he went. He stayed in and got room service that night. He stayed on a few more and the night came. December 24th. 11:00pm. Kyle was nervous. He was at the dock right on time but nobody was there. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he wasn't alone. A man showed up behind him and Kyle turned around. It was dark but he could just make out that it was Bradley. His blood ran cold and his heart beat loudly.

"Bradley! I'm here, what is it? What's going on?" Bradley walked forward into the bright moonlight. He looked terrified and made eye gestures to his left. Kyle noticed something shiny in the moonlight against Bradley's head. Bradley was being held at gunpoint and that's when Kyle realized it. This was an ambush. Kyle quickly un-holstered his handgun but not quickly enough. From behind, he was beat on the shoulder with a nightstick. His gun went off but not in any helpful way. The bullet just hit the dock. Kyle was confused. Three men were above him. He'd never seen them before in his life but he didn't need to. He knew exactly who they were. NILE no doubt. Kyle was on the floor now being kicked repeatedly and stomped on. He tasted blood. they screamed at him. Things like "Yeah! Yeah! Get him! Take the fucker out!". But only one said anything that answered Kyle's question. Why? One shouted "We've been watching you Kyle" the figure said between kicks, allowing just enough time for Kyle to hear it. "You don't think we've been onto you? You fucked with the campaign Kyle, you fucked with the paintings. You don't think we fucking know? You don't fuck with NILE!" Kyle tried his hardest but couldn't say anything. He felt like a damn fool.

He managed to see Bradley. Bradley managed to mouth "I'm sorry" before being shot point blank and dropped to the water like a useless duffel bag. Kyle was losing consciousness now. He looked straight up as he was being stomped on. He looked at the moon. He thought of his mom who would now have nothing left. He thought of Ed losing his makeshift family. He thought of Mila losing one of her best friends. He thought of Claire and Sidney when they would hear the news. Finally, he thought of Rachel. He thought of how he was so stupid. How he turned her down and how he would never see her again. In the end, this was the most painful. There wasn't a thing in the world that would make him feel solace. Or so he thought. He thought of her smile. And he managed to crack out his signature smirk. It held there for a while until it faded. Until Kyle faded.

The End.