The Devil's Revenge (The Devil's Eyes) (16 page)
I swing Nicky into my arms not even noticing my tears, and my crying screams stun the entire restaurant. My mind retreats to another time. A time I thought I had long buried so deep that I would never recall it again. Holding desperately to Nicky, I search for a place to run with him. I run into Ryan crying, “Nick, I need him! I need him! Nick, oh my God please find him. He is going to hurt our son!”
There was nothing about that time I wanted to remember, and I hate him even more for bringing it all back. I spent so much time blocking memories of him. Billy walked into our lives like he was going to rescue us all from poverty. He was going to be our Daddy and take care of us, only he never seemed to have a job and he paid too much attention to Braylin. She became uncomfortable quickly and began to take steps to fight him off. She had seen his type before. I, however, thought she was overreacting. He was so nice to me, so kind to try to help me out with my homework, talk to me about my books. He would show up at school to be there to walk us home, holding my hand and cheering me on as we would race the final block. He quickly became my …
hope,
when my mother was already becoming such a loss cause. I never saw it coming. I never believed Bray when she said he was trouble and we needed to get away from him. “Now, Kayla, we have to getaway now!”
“No, Bray! I like him. He is nice to me and he loves me, he said so.” I begged her, trying to stop her from packing.
“No, he doesn’t Kayla. I know you don’t believe me, but you know I would never do anything to hurt you. I would never lie to you, so please trust me.” She pleaded and pleaded with me, even trying to pack my things for me as I fought her every step of the way. Billy was away for the night, or so we thought.
“What are you two doing?” Billy asked, surprising us both by his early return.
“I was just getting Kayla’s clothes ready for school tomorrow,” Braylin said slowly, moving her way to me.
Billy pushes her away from me, “Really? It looks more like you are trying to take Kayla away from me.” Billy takes hold of my hand. “Honey do you want to leave me?” I shake my head and he smiles. “Of course not. I am only here to help you, teach how to survive in this tough world.”
‘She doesn’t need you to teach her anything!” Braylin rushes at him, hitting him and going, what seems to me to be, crazy for no reason. She continues to scream and yell at me to run but I simply watch as Billy pushes her down.
When he turns I begin to understand her fears, “Come here Kayla.” I shake my head and he laughs. “Don’t say no to me, you ugly shit. Do you know how hard it is for me to look at you every day? You are so damn ugly and disgusting that every time you smile I just want to shoot myself.” Billy grabs me by the shoulders, and all I can do is cry while Braylin continues to scream for me and fight Billy to get to me. Billy sighs, “Now I am going to do you a favor and teach you a skill that will help you later in life. No one is ever going to want you, not unless you know how to fuck, Ugerella. Maybe how to suck a dick or learn how to take it in the ass so no one has to look at your disgusting four eyed face. I am crying so loud I barely recognize Braylin’s screams anymore. Billy begins taking his clothes off and pushes me down on the bed. “Now to do this the right way Ugerella, you have to …” Taking my glasses from my face he throws them on the ground and steps on them with a sharp laugh. Billy forces my face into his crouch and holds me still, smacking me hard if I deviate from anything he wants me to do.
Braylin pushes me away, “Fine, I will do whatever you want. Just leave my sister alone.” Braylin cries and pleads with him as he rips my clothes off my body, leaving marks and cloth embedded in my skin. With her final plea, he smiles and pushes me down into a corner and forces Braylin to act as his personal whore for the night. Her cries and screams from the pain send chills through my whole body. I am thankful I can’t see as I hold my ears tight and scream for our mother to save us. He raped her over and over in every way imaginable, all the while calling out my name he created for me Ugerella, a takeoff of what was my favorite fairy tale. “Ugerella watch – this is how it is supposed to be done,” he said with pride. When he is done he kicks me several times, as he laughs, “You’re next Ugerella, get ready.” He leaves us behind to join his equally disgusting friends at the bar.
I crawl to Braylin feeling the blood on her body, “Bray, I am so sorry!” I cried over and over hoping she isn’t dead and left me alone. “Bray, please get up.” When my mother returns, I approach her trying to get her to help Braylin.
“What did you do?” She says to me.
“I didn’t do anything, it was Billy. He hurt us, you have to …” I plead with her.
She grabs my arm, looking down at me, “You little whore, are you trying to steal my boyfriend too? I know your sister has been after him but for you to even try … He can’t even stand looking at you. I hope you are as smart as your father because you look as disgusting as he was. You have no hope of ever getting a man. You wish you could be as beautiful and as wanted as I am. Billy would never notice you. Stop being so jealous of me and just be respectful for once.” Mother huffed before leaving us vulnerable again.
“She hates me,” I would say to Braylin. I always believed it was my fault that she became such a bitter drunk. I had seen pictures of her happy and beautiful when Braylin was little, so something had to change her. It seemed reasonable to believe it was me since she would hardly look at me or even acknowledge my name.
Lying on the floor, bloodied and bruised, I felt and believed I was Ugerella. The most disgusting human being on earth. What good am I? Why would anyone want me? I have no reason to hope for better. No reason to believe.
Too small to help Braylin on my own, I continue begging her to wake up so we can go. I cry all through the night, until I finally give into exhaustion. With a slight nudge and a faint plea in my ear I wake seeing Braylin over me, “Kayla, I am going to get you out of here. We are going to be okay.” Braylin cried. “Don’t give up, I love you. I need you. I need you, Kayla.”
I grip her, nodding, “I need you too. I love you, Bray.”
“Oh shut up.” Billy said, walking into the room, “Get out Braylin, I’m done with you.”
“No, I won’t allow you to do this to her.” He laughs at her and shoves her to the side, dragging my limp body to him.
“NO!” Braylin screams, running at him with a bat one of her boyfriends left. Billy falls over at once and doesn’t move. We were afraid he was dead. Braylin grabbed as many of our things as she could and pulled me - out of
hell
.
It took some time, but eventually Braylin helped me forget, or at least push the memories deep into the back of my mind. She helped me to believe again, not in men but in myself. I never thought I was beautiful, that was Braylin. I thought my job was to think and be smart … until Nick. Nick has a way of making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, and the most deserving of anything and everything that I could ever dream of.
“Nick!” I scream, crying and searching the dark room as I hold my son close to me.
“Kayla, it’s okay.” I jump pushing and fighting. “Kayla! It’s Ryan! It’s okay!”
“Don’t hurt us! Please. Don’t … please.” I cry trying to contain my quaking muscles. I have stayed up for days watching over Nicky and I will stay awake to watch over him until Nick gets back. I can’t trust anyone else to protect us. Only Nick.
Graham was unsure about me at first, but I used my skills to win him over and am slowly working information out of him. I am learning more about Ellis than I ever thought possible. Graham is becoming a crucial ally, and I plan to reward him highly if for no other reason than I can use him.
“Jayzon, you have a guest.” A guard says, pulling me out of the yard.
Ryan sits impatiently at the table as he waits for me, “What are you doing here, everything okay?” I ask and he shakes his head with obvious worry.
“No, it’s not. Kayla … and Nicky.” My heart jumps at the mention of their names and the look on his face. “I don’t know what happen, Nick. Welch introduced her to this man, this so called witness, and obviously he knows her. As soon as she saw him she began to tremble. Then she grabbed Nicky and started screaming and running away from the man. Dwayne and I had to carry her out of the restaurant. She was scaring Nicky. We tried to get her to calm down, but she wouldn’t. We tried to get him away from her but she fought us both, screamed at us to not touch them again. She doesn’t sleep and she won’t let anyone get near her or Nicky. She has him sleep near her every night. She is delirious Nick and I am afraid she is going to hurt herself if we don’t do something soon.” Ryan looks down and back up at me, “I thought she would at least trust
me
but … she needs
you
.”
“Tell her to come and see me.”
“
Nick!
You don’t have a choice right now, you have to go to her. Do you understand what I am saying? She is broken.” Ryan says with severe distress. “I don’t know who this man is, but he did something awful to her Nick, really awful. Welch must have had some idea because he is purposely giving this man opportunity to confront her. With you gone, he is going to do it again and again. She needs you now, Nick.”
I knew when it was time I could find a way out, but I didn’t expect to have to do it so soon. A drug addict by the name of Clive Baret is more than willing to take the hit for killing Broman. All I have to do is give him a nice supply of drugs for a few days and let him hole up in the house where Broman was killed. He barely remembers much of anything, but when Donovan and Dwayne explain to him exactly what happened, the fight the two had over drugs and the prostitute, he slowly recalls the images we want him too. We give him what he needs and wait as the cops pick him up. Baret happily pleas out giving them more than enough reason to release me, to Welch’s displeasure. Once I get out I make sure Baret’s wife and kids are taken care of and sent far away from him and his sphere of influence.
When I return home, the doctor has been struggling to calm Kayla without doing any harm to the baby. Even after Ryan’s warning, I still am unprepared for what I come home to. I don’t know how long she stayed awake before Ryan finally had to come to me, but I know how long it’s been since. Kayla looks months beyond that. Approaching her, I look over Nicky, sound asleep on our bed, and carefully check him when Kayla charges at me. “Kayla! It’s Nick. It’s your husband.” She slowly begins to recognize me. Her pleas soften but she continues to shake and her touch is weak. “Kayla, it’s okay now. I’m here. Tell me what happened.” I approach her carefully, speaking with a comforting tone. A voice she knows. She must have pushed some memory so deep into the back of her mind that she had hoped it would never be thought of again. Locking and storing it safely away so that even she wouldn’t recall the pain of it. It would have stayed there if not for this man showing back up in her life, forcing her to face it. He caused my wife, the love of my life, to become that scared little girl again. The girl he created. I watch over her as she calms and begins to let her eyes close. Even standing she could fall asleep completely. Picking her up, I carry her to bed and cover her quivering body.
Again, Kayla sits up screaming and fighting me, “Nick, he hurt me and Bray, and he is coming after Nicky. He is … he is going to hurt him. You have to stop him. You have to!” Kayla delirious pleas break my heart.
“Kayla, he is not here, Princess and I promise he will never get to either of you. I promise he will never, ever get near you or Nicky again. You know I will take care of him, and Welch, for bringing him back into your life. I will make him feel the pain he gave you a hundred times over, Kayla. He will die breathing in his own bloody offal.” I promise her, taking her frail body into my arms and trying to hold her still long enough for her to sleep. I can’t stand seeing her like this, broken into a million pieces and falling deeper into the pains of her past. I get hold of her strong and force her to look at me. “Kayla, look at me. Look at me, Princess.” Once the exhaustion sets in, her eyes finally still and focus on mine, giving me the opportunity to talk her down to a calmer state. As I talk, she watches me and listens, letting me slowly talk her into a deep sleep. I never wanted to do to her what my father did to my mother. I would never risk turning Kayla into a zombie like form who does as I tell her to. I love her, not what she does for me. When I finally manage to get her to sleep, I hold her tight to my chest, kissing her head and hoping I will never see her put through this again. “I promise you Kayla, this man will suffer … he will suffer like no other.” I assure her, placing my free hand on my son as I begin to plan a murder.