Lucy Kelly (5 page)

His empire crumbled around his head and shoulders.  Most of his funds had been seized; his grandson and his grandniece were also awaiting trial for crimes ranging from burglary to murder and everything in between. 

It had taken the State’s Attorney nearly ten minutes to read all the multiple charges and counts before the Grand Jury.  Final jury selection had taken place, and the jury sequestered with an armed escort to guard them.  The trial would begin on Monday.  His attorney felt he could get the bulk of the evidence thrown out if they could discount the method used to collect it.

The best way to discount the method was to eliminate the man who had invented it and the woman who had come into his business and planted it on him and his grandson.  They needed to kill her, her fiancé and his brothers, and then the rest would go away. 

His attorney entered the room.  At that point, the guard stepped out to give them some privacy.

“I apologize for not being able to shake your hand, Edward,” Vasily said, rattling his chains as he shrugged, “and the ambiance leaves much to be desired.” 

He gestured to the utilitarian room with linoleum floors and metal chairs as best he could with the chain going through a hook on the table.

Edward Crunch sat down on the other side of the table, “How are you holding up, Vasily?  I will be happy to see you out of here, old friend.”

Vasily leaned back in his chair, “I plan to be out of here soon, that is, if you have good news for me.  As to how I’m holding up, better than most.  I have a reputation, even in here.  Now, tell me a story.”

“They’ve come out of hiding.  Actually, they were never in hiding.  After they got all the evidence together - and we still haven’t been able to find out which property room they’re keeping it in - they actually went camping.  They’ve supposedly been hiking all over Wisconsin while waiting for the trial to begin.  Now they’re back at that guy Jalen’s condo, only it turns out that it belongs to Detective Grace Perez. 

“They came back to town, stopping in DeKalb to visit her sister, Aditya Perez.  It turns out the younger sister is also getting married.  The wedding is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  Then they are moving to Greece.  She’s already sold the family farm.  The new owners are moving in a week later. 

“Grace and Aditya were raised by their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. MacTavish.  Mr. MacTavish is deceased.  Mrs. MacTavish has a bungalow at a retirement home in DeKalb,” he paused in his recitation.

Giving Mr. Kadyrov a thin smile, he said, “I’m afraid the new owners will be disappointed with the condition of the property when they move in.  None of the Perez family or their in-laws-to-be will be able to attend the ceremony.  We’ve set up a welcoming committee for them this very night. 

“You will be dining at your own table very soon, my friend.”

Mr. Kadyrov leaned forward, “This has been a very productive visit.  I look forward to having you to dine with me when this is over.”

He frowned.  “I’m afraid we’ll have to move operations to another city.  Even with the evidence thrown out, our methods are now too well known to the police.  I dislike the fact that I’m being forced to move.  What of the Police Captain, Udaka?  I believe this started with him.”

“We have made arrangements for him as well.  He will also have a visitor tonight.  He’s sent his family away, and we haven’t been able to locate them yet.  His visitor has instructions to find out.  Your message will be sent, loud and clear,” said Edward.

“Good.  I would appreciate it if you would come back tomorrow to let me know what news you’ve discovered.  You have control over the last of our funds, so keep them hidden.  When the time is right, those last three accounts, along with the contents of a couple of other stashes, will put us back in business.  For now, it’s time you left.  Forgive me for not seeing you out,” he said with a smile.

“Soon, Vasily - soon.  I’m sorry we were unable to name the other officers in the case.  Udaka is protecting them and keeping the reports out of the file room, so we can’t get to them,” said Edward. 

He got up and put away the papers he’d been showing to Mr. Kadyrov.  What they said wasn’t important.  However, it gave the guards something to watch.

Fifteen minutes later, he was driving away from the jail, and Vasily Kadyrov was back in his cell.

Chapter Three

Kevin Udaka did his usual rounds of the house, checking windows and doors, turning off the lights as he went.  It was another late night for him.  On top of his day-to-day business, he was still pushing for more evidence and more arrests in the extended criminal activities related to the Kadyrov crime family. 

Unfortunately, because of Olga Kadyrov’s indictment, her work as an Assistant State’s Attorney was now under suspicion and many of her convictions were coming up for review.  Moreover, many of those she helped convict were appealing their verdicts.  He was working to keep those felons in prison; there was a power vacuum between the crime syndicates in the city now.  He wanted to keep it that way.

Crime in Chicago had been at an all-time low for the past two months.  Working through Olga Kadyrov, they had gotten rid of the competition by supplying tips and evidence.  Now with their organization broken, the rats were all scrambling for hiding places, many of them leaving a city that had grown too hot for them.  Nearly a billion dollars in assets had been confiscated or frozen pending results of over a thousand separate indictments.

Low crime stats meant the City Council didn’t think he needed more officers on the streets.  So he was lobbying to keep his work force intact while he was still digging around quietly to stop leaks and keep evidence from disappearing. 

He was glad he’d set up a temporary property room at the Records Building and put Fareed Singh in charge.  Now that Fareed was no longer needed undercover to operate a cab, he was watching over their most precious items - the evidence that would put the Kadyrovs away for good.

He reached his bedroom and debated taking a shower or just falling into bed.  He decided the shower would help relax him, so he could sleep.  He really missed his wife and kids, but there was no way he was going to have them around until he knew it was safe for them. 

He was well aware of Kadyrov’s reputation.  He’d spoken to everyone who worked this case.  Since Grace was exposed already, either he or she signed every single report.  Someone would have to dig to find out the other officers involved.  He would make sure they were all recognized after the fact.

He had just turned on the water when he felt, more than heard, the door open behind him.  The displacement of air and familiarity with this old house made him know someone was there.

“Turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them, Udaka,” said the intruder. 

He was dressed all in black, including gloves.  However, he hadn’t bothered to cover his face, so Udaka knew his getting out alive was not in the cards.  The man walked backwards, motioning for the Captain to follow.  He was very careful to stay out of reach, with his weapon rock steady on the Captain’s chest.

When he was in the middle of the room, he motioned with the gun, “Sit in the chair, if you try anything, the first bullet goes in your knee. 

“I’ve got some questions you’re going to answer.  Answer them right away and you’ll get a bullet in the head, nice and quick.  Don’t answer, and we’ll be in for a long night.” 

He grinned, “It was nice of you to strip down to your boxers, makes my job easier.”

Just then the lights went out, and the Captain dove to the floor beside the bed as the intruder fired his gun.  He reached underneath for the weapon he’d tucked under the frame.  The intruder would be rounding the bed at any second. 

Udaka’s heart was racing inside his ribcage, and he was trying to hold his breath so he could listen for the steps.  He brought his gun up and fired just as the lights came on, and the door to the bedroom slammed open. 

His Protection Detail shouted out as the intruder turned at the sound and fired again.  His eyes adjusting to the dark, Captain Udaka was able to see better, and he fired a second time, aiming for center mass.  A shot from the door came at the same time.  Then all was silent.

“You all right, Captain?” shouted out Sam from his Protection Detail.

The Captain took a moment to assess his condition.  “Pretty much okay, I’m probably going to need a few stitches.  The bullet grazed me as I dove.  Is he dead?”

“Yeah, he’s toast.  I think your wife is gonna want to redecorate this room, Cap,” said Sam as he kicked the perp’s weapon away and checked the body for a pulse. 

He knew the guy was dead but it was procedure and more than one cop had paid the price for making assumptions.

“You want to tell me how he got past you?” the Captain asked as he heard more men running up the stairs.

“I’ll be checking on that, you can be sure.  For now, let me look at that graze,” said Sam, stepping around the body to approach the Captain, who was still lying on the floor. 

“Cute boxers, gift from the kids?  The little witches and jack-o-lanterns add a nice touch,” he said, as he bent over to inspect the wound on the Captains thigh, trying to lighten the mood and lower their adrenaline now that the action was over.

“I haven’t had time to do laundry.  It either was these or go commando.  Under the circumstances, I’m glad I chose the former.  Anyway, Halloween is only a couple of weeks away,” he said, happy now that it was over and he was still alive after all.

The other officers had secured the scene and called for paramedics.  Sam agreed with the Captain; he was going to need stitches.  Sam straightened up and went into the bathroom to grab a towel and apply pressure to the wound.

Kevin Udaka leaned back.  Then a thought rushed into his brain, “Sam!  Get on the horn and check on Grace. I want updates on all our people ASAP!”

***

Jalen, Justyn, Jett, and Grace had all realized that it wasn’t feasible for three men ranging in height from seven-foot-one to seven-foot-two to sleep comfortably in a bed with their woman, even with a king-sized bed.  They made the necessary adjustments. 

Grace also preferred to have one-on-one time with each of them.  Triple orgasms were phenomenal but she also wanted to be able to show how much she loved each of them as separate husbands and not just as her
Ankida
. 

They agreed the time each of them spent alone with her was very special.  Now she slept with each of them once a week and two of them together for another three days and all of them together once a week.  Each of them had four nights a week with her.  So far, it was working out.  Tonight, Jalen and Jett we're giving Justyn his night alone with Grace, and they were taking turns sleeping in the guest room and keeping watch. 

They’d been on alert ever since Valerie’s vision earlier in the day.  Jett had set up additional motion sensors and micro cameras around the perimeter.

Grace didn’t even complain that they were going over the top.  When she found out about the triplets, she was as determined as they were to give those babies a complete family, with all their parents.

Just after two in the morning, Jett’s cell phone vibrated, he had a text from his alarm system.  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as he stepped down the hall from the kitchen to the guest room to wake up Jalen. 

The map on the phone showed the possible breach was coming from outside the apartment, in the stairwells.  The stairwell doors had opened, and someone was climbing them.  At this time of the night, it was unlikely to be a resident. 

He quickly woke Jalen and then he activated his body shield and put on the glasses he’d altered.  He’d embedded a small screen in the corner of the left lens.  The Nephilim had technology that read the electrical impulses of their brains and transmitted those impulses to specific computers and other tech.  The result was a faster response time in all situations. 

They no longer needed to key in commands if they didn’t want to.  They could steer a vessel and run multiple tasks with their thoughts.  Many Nephilim chose to have their reader implanted.  Jett and his brothers preferred to wear theirs.  Jett was always improving upon their BEIPs, Brain Electrical Impulse Projectors, with his tinkering.  As a result, theirs could now transmit to devices up to a hundred yards away.

He was grateful for that now as he was able to activate the pinhole cameras he had placed in strategic locations around the building. 

“Jalen, wake up,” he said.  “We have visitors in the stairwells, two on the North and three on the South end of the hallway.  They’re armed.  We don’t want them to reach this level.” 

Jalen woke up and pulled on the clothes he had ready by the bed.  Jett was already moving out to head them off.  Jalen put on his modified mind-link and the glasses Jett had fashioned for him.  They were goggle-shaped and instantly responded to any change in lighting. 

Jalen ran down the hall and woke Justyn, “They’re here.  Get Grace to safety,” he whispered before heading back out again. 

Leaving the front door, he headed to the South stairwell; he could see Jett in his lens at the top of the North stairs.  He sent a text message to Jett when he reached the door and stepped inside.  “Confirm.  Three intruders are coming fast.”

He started to run soundlessly down as they were coming up.  As Jalen hit the second flight, Jett sent him another text, “Two females in evening wear coming up in elevator two.” 

Jalen acknowledged the information and continued down; they would not allow innocents to be hurt.  When there was one flight between them, he sent a signal to Jett, “Light’s off…now.” 

He swung around the end of the stairs, went down two steps, leaned over to where the intruders had begun to climb that flight.  He aimed his stun stick and quickly stunned the intruders before they were aware of what was happening.  He and Jett were disarming them and securing their limbs when from above they heard gunfire.