The Devil's Revenge (The Devil's Eyes) (17 page)
“Took you long enough,” I snap as Lena finally rounds the corner.
“Are you in hurry to be somewhere?” She asks with an agitated tone.
“I need to get back to Kayla. She hasn’t been feeling well, and I don’t want to be away from her too long until I know she is going to be okay.”
“What did you do?” I throw up my hands and she sighs. “Fine, this is all I could get. Not a certainty, but close.”
“Close? What do you mean close, I need to know for sure, Lena?”
“Well, you are going to have to get more than a fingerprint, Nick. The rest of the DNA was barely recognizable, and I could only get enough to say it is a probability. If you want a definite, then get me some blood. You of all people should be able to get that.”
“Fine, I will get blood then.” I snap at her and walk off in a huff. I feel bad enough later that I call her and apologize.
Kayla awoke somewhat refreshed a few hours ago and began to tell me in more detail the horror this man, Maynard, put her and Braylin through. It is all I can do not to hunt him down right now and kill him, but Welch has him guarded like Fort Knox. So, in order to get to him I am going to have to stick with the original plan. Until Welch finally gives and loosens his grip, I can’t get to Maynard without jeopardizing my family in the process, and I won’t leave them again.
We have been holding off on our next attack to get to know our new crew a little better. Nick is a planner and he doesn’t make a move without knowing who all the players are. In the meantime, he decides to treat me to a night out. He says I deserve it, but I am not sure what I did except make him a crazy these last few days. Dinner, dancing and a show to end our night, he says. Before I can leave, I make sure Nicky is safe with Ryan watching over him. I have to be reassured several times by both Nick and Ryan before I finally agree to leave.
Handsome as always, Nick escorts me in his perfectly fitted tux and treats me like the Princess he loves to call me. He kisses me sweetly between every smile. After we finish dinner, Nick feeds me a sweet treat from his own tender hand before asking me to dance with him. My dress flows against my body with every movement Nick guides me through. Laughing joyfully, his wide smile completes his handsome face.
Nick pulls me in close, pressing his lips against my skin, “You are so beautiful. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life, Kayla.”
“If you only realized how much you affect the rhythm of my heartbeat, Nick. You are my soul, the man of my dreams, my Prince that was sent to rescue me.”
“I am no Prince, I am simply a man in love.” Nick says, breathing me in and letting me hold tight to his chest. “What do you say we go home and enjoy the rest of the night in a warm bath together? I will let you bathe me.” Nick smiles, wickedly.
“I like that idea.” I say, following him as he calls Lionel back early.
We wait happily, but we didn’t count on the traffic jam keeping Lionel from getting back to us at the restaurant. I spot the hotel across the street and wink at Nick, which gets him to smile but he is clearly paying attention to something else. “What’s wrong?” I ask searching for what he is concerned about.
“Nothing, but let’s not stand out here in the open.” Nick wraps his arm around me, hovering around me and hurrying me down the street. Looking over his shoulder, he pulls up the collar of his coat and releases his gun from the holster under his jacket. Without even knowing what the issue is, I follow his lead and push my hand deep into my handbag. With a quick step to the side, we take a sharp turn down the adjoining street and quicken our pace. If my heart wasn’t racing before, the screeching sound of a car behind us awakens me to our danger. Holding tight to my arm, Nick weaves us in and out of pedestrians, all the while checking over his shoulder.
My already heated cheek feels the rush of an arm reaching between us, “Jayzon!” Nick steps in front of me and battles our sudden attacker. The danger becomes clearer when the blade of the knife the man is carrying shines brightly in the streets lights.
The snarling man attacks Nick with everything he has, dragging him into the street with him. “NICK!” I yell, fearing the speeding bus headed their way. A swift kick, and a fist-blow to the jaw, the man stumbles backwards allowing Nick enough time to step back to the curb, seconds before the oncoming bus reaches them. The attacker was not so lucky.
Taking my hand again, Nick hurries me out of the growing crowd and down another street, weaving and dodging the streetwalkers and pimps that are yelling their disapproval of our intrusion on
their
corner. “Here, come on!” Nick pushes me into a local dive bar and grips my hand tight as he drags me through the crowd of burly men. One of which grabs my arm and tries to jerk me away from Nick.
“Thanks for the gift pretty boy, you can go now. In fact, I recommend it.” He says with his gang of followers lining up behind him.
Before I have a chance to make a move of my own, the man let’s go as the snarling presence from beside me intensifies. I watch the man slowly back away and grab a pool stick, but he has it knocked out of his hand the following second. Nick takes hold of the stick and rams it just above the man’s kneecap. Down on his knees, the man holds out his arms with a breathless shudder as Nick forces his gun to his forehead. “Never fuck with the wrong person, you might get yourself killed.” Nick breathes fire with no ounce of fear or wavering.
“Okay man! Okay, I’m sorry!” The man screams, sweating profusely from his position of surrender.
“Look at me!” Nick yells, waiting for the man to meet his eyes. “I want you and your friends to block that door and do not let anyone come through it.” Once he nods, Nick takes my hand again and we rush out the back of the bar. He stops and looks around, analyzing our options carefully until he sees something he wants. The bar owners car is hidden under a tarp behind some trash and debris. Uncovering the car, Nick tells me to watch the back door and to shoot anyone that tries to come through it.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting us a car, Princess.” Nick says, raising his eyebrows at me with a smile once he breaks into the black Mustang. Interrupting my brief moment of pride is the rapid gunfire inside the bar. Nick immediately begins hot-wiring our getaway.
“Do you know how to do this?” I ask him.
“I stole cars for Harvey before I worked up to being a bagman.” He says, smiling when the car starts up. “Get in!” He yells, helping me slide across the driver’s seat. We fly out of the back alley just as three men coming flying out shooting at us. “Fuck!” Nick pushes my head down and shifts gears rapidly as we speed down the road. I can hear the gunshots, and then the engines raging towards us. The chase is on and our enraged followers are not about to give up on their pursuit. Dashing in from the left is another car which makes a point to ram us. The car spins sideways but Nick manages to regain control and shifts the car out of range from another car aiming at us. Shifting and pressing hard on the gas we fly into a speed that sends us blasting ahead of the remaining two cars. Twisting and turning through traffic, we speed faster and faster through the streets and my head begins to spin as Nick sharply turns the car in the opposite direction. Taking us against traffic, he speeds the car up the exit of the interstate ramp, dodging cars as they come barreling at us. Shifting again, Nick continues to swear as we reach top speed. Reaching over me Nick checks to make sure my seatbelt is on tight before securing his own. He is controlled and surprisingly more calm than I am feeling.
Shewaaak!
I scream when the back window is shot out. Nick rolls down both of our windows, “Nick, what are you doing?”
“When I tell you, I want you to lie back out of sight, aim your gun out your window and fire as rapidly as you can.” He says without even confirming that I understand. I can hear the cars speeding closer to us as Nick shifts gears and takes hold of the emergency break. “Hold tight, Kayla.” He says, bracing himself in. “Now!” Our seats fall back and we brace ourselves, both firing our guns through our respective open windows while our car screeches to a halt and plunges our feet into the floorboards. When we come to a complete stop, we both rise out of our seats just as the two cars speed in an awkward twist around us and collide head on into each other - exploding upon impact. Nick smiles, and raises his eyebrows as he shifts us back into gear and off the interstate towards home.
“You enjoyed that.” I say, enjoying his laugh.
“Maybe a little, but we are going to have to move up our attack on Ellis.” He says. “That was his men coming after us, they blocked Lionel in traffic and tracked us down. I have to give him credit, he is smarter than I thought. He is expecting us to come after him.” Nick looks over at me. “That changes things.”
“It makes them harder?” I ask, but I already know the answer without him confirming.
The only thing that makes battling more fun is blatantly ruining your opponent’s day. Ellis sits down at one of his favorite establishments and orders breakfast with a simple wave of his fingers. The usual for him I suppose, since no one bothers to question his movement. They begin by removing the unwanted dishes and glasses from his table before rushing around to bring him his meal. The man next to him sits straight up in his chair. His umbrella still stuck to his left hand as he sips his morning tea with sophistication.
Who is this man?
I didn’t want to believe Graham when he said he was Ellis’s prized possession, but the way he sits him next to him and makes sure no one responds directly to him, it makes me wonder.
How important is he?
The original game plan was to simply take him out and cause Ellis stress from the loss, but now I wonder if it is not worth the effort to steal him for myself. I sit by myself with my boys not too far off, watching the exchanges and the mannerisms of the entire table. When I finally feel I have a good understanding of the relationship, I approach. Not surprisingly, I am stopped before I can get too close.
The big brute grunts in my face with something that seems like a word, but I haven’t a clue what word it might be. “I’m only trying to say hello to an old friend.” I say, waiting for Ellis to take notice. Once he does, he sighs and allows me to approach. “Ellis, enjoying breakfast?” I ask with a charming smile.
“I was. What do you want Jayzon?” He asks.
“Nothing.” I sit down, to his immediate displeasure. “I saw you sitting over here with your friend and I thought I would come over and wish you a good morning.”
“A good morning in which you are so cheerful probably means I am about to get bad news.” Ellis sours.
“Oh, no surely not … unless … well, those men chasing my wife and I last night were yours?” Ellis glances briefly up from his coffee. “Tragic, for so many men to die and so easily too. You really should train them better, or at least teach them how to drive.” I mimic the final seconds of the two cars crashing into each other with my hands, smiling wide as if I don’t understand the meaning. “Yep, tragic. Anyway, so what will it be today? More car chases? Gunmen sent to my home, or are you going to kill me right here?”
“I’m considering it,” he growls.
“And what about your friend here, what do you think …” I ask, looking at the gangly, bow-tied gentleman.
“No need to ask him any questions, he doesn’t have any answers for you.” Ellis replies quickly.
“None, not even a name?” I hold my hand out to the gentleman, “I did not introduce myself properly, Nicholas Jayzon.”
Ellis stands up, knocking my hand away, “I said, he doesn’t have any answers for you.”
“Wow, you are a bit boorish today. Someone must have really gotten under your skin. Tell me who it is, maybe I can help?” I smile with a playful nod.
“Do you have no place to be other than here bothering me?”
“No, not until tonight. I have big plans tonight, going to … well you probably don’t want to know. Do you want to know?” I ask him. “It is really going to be good I must say, but hey, I hate to ruin the surprise for you. By the way, you are having dinner at the usual place tonight, right? Just need to confirm that one thing first.” I smile as I am quickly escorted away from his table.
“So, how did it go?” Ryan asks as soon as I sit down.
“Good. I am positive of what route we need to take now.” I say.
“And that is?” Dwayne asks.
“I want that bow-tied freak, I could care less about Ellis. We wait three weeks and then go.”
“Why?” Ryan and Dwayne ask in unison.
“Because he is going to come after us tonight, and every night thereafter trying to find a breaking point. We need to buckle down and hold strong and not spread ourselves thin going after him. He will get nervous too, waiting for us to retaliate. Besides, I slipped the other man’s used spoon in my pocket while I was annoying Ellis, and I want Lena to check on him for me. He has to be someone, and the more Ellis doesn’t want to tell me, the more I want to know.”
Ellis has attacked, or rather, tried to attack us three times over the last two weeks. Nick was able to predict the attacks every time, preparing our men and eliminating the targets altogether. The funniest night in a long time was watching an army of men storm in on a party, but there was nothing there but mannequins. They were so careful and quiet as they strategically surrounded the home, busting in with full force not letting any mannequin get away without being shot. Even though Nick’s and my mannequins were quite lifelike, I was surprised they took such a beating even after it should have been clear that they weren’t trying to run from anyone.
A few nights later, Ellis managed to overtake and steal one of our big shipments. I am really not sure what he was planning to do with all that rotten fish. His frustration is enormous, and things are becoming more intense for us as Ellis becomes more determined to rid himself of the growing nuisance in his life. We knew it was only a matter of time before he would step up, take us seriously and come at us full force.