The Devil's Revenge (The Devil's Eyes) (5 page)
“It’s going to be sad to see it torn down, really sad.” I say, holding back my tears in case Rankin walks in. I will never let that bastard see me cry.
“You know it’s just a building.” Exie says, coming up behind me with a hug.
“No, it’s more than that. It’s a lot more than that.” I sigh with a wan smile.
“Well, think of it as a new beginning, and you know you can re-create his presence in the new place. Besides, there is little left of the good ole days here. It is so beat down and tired these days. So where is the asshole with the contracts so I can hand over these keys?”
“He said to meet him here at six, I don’t know where he is. My attorney looked them over and signed off on them hours ago. I am not sure why he is making this such a big to-do. I could have had anyone drop the keys off to him at his office.”
“Probably milking his success of being able to get the best of you,” Dwayne responds, with a bearlike grunt.
Rankin’s attorney finally walks in, smiling like a game show host. I can’t even imagine dealing with him on a daily basis. “Mrs. Jayzon, I am so happy to see you looking well, and you Ms. Carol are looking lovely as ever.”
Exie’s cursing huff should say all that we need to say but I still feel the need to voice our impatience. “Can we skip the formalities, when is Mr. Rankin getting here? I would like to get this done and over with as soon as possible.” He nods with a superior grin and hands Exie and I the paperwork, showing us where my Lawyer signed off on them.
“Mr. Rankin is running a bit late, but I assure you I can take care of everything from here.” Despite his reassurances, I do not feel much better. Rankin is up to something and I am sure it will only impact me more negatively than he already has.
“Can I help you sir?” Dwayne abruptly asks. I look up to see a man wandering in. He is sweating profusely and shaking like a leaf. Dwayne steps in front of Exie and me, asking the man who he is even more determined than before. “Sir you need to leave! NOW!” Dwayne rapidly pushes Exie and me down on the floor and behind a table. The man begins shooting, but before Dwayne can get off a single shot the man runs to the door and is shot dead before he can cross the threshold. “Stay down, there must be more of them out there. Kayla you need to call Ryan and get us some help out here.”
I dial Ryan’s number and he answers immediately, “Kayla, I need for you to get out of that building and get home … NOW!” Before I can explain our situation, he yells again. “Get out of there! The building is going to blow any second!” I hang my phone up and without another word take Exie’s arm and drag her with Dwayne out the door. We run while Dwayne shoots at anything and everything. Dwayne grabs Exie and me both, throwing us in the waiting car before falling in on top of us.
“GO!” Dwayne yells. Lionel slams on the gas and we are speeding down the road before Dwayne can get the door shut. Seconds after we leave the parking lot, the building begins exploding.
“What about Rankin’s attorney? Did he make it out?” Exie asks.
“No … he was shot in the head.” Dwayne says, still trying to catch his breath. Exie shivering in fear takes my hand, but remarkably my hand is solid.
We arrive home to a swarm of guards surrounding the house and locking us in. “It’s a warning for sure, but we are still not sure from whom or why?” Dwayne says as Ryan welcomes us.
Before I can say a word to him, I am interrupted by the guards saying the police are at the door. I sit and prepare for the expected questions and feel relieved when I see Brady walk in with two others. I know enough from the expression on his face to not feel too relieved or jump up and hug him. The seriousness in their voices as they ask me where I was and what relationship I have to Exie makes me wonder what they are after. The routine ends and they ask to speak to Exie alone. I expect them to come out to speak to us together, or at least me once more, but instead they leave with little else said. I try to stay calm until I get the text I was waiting for. Running out the door, I don’t bother to tell anyone where I am going.
Brady waits for me at the empty carnival grounds. He walks up to hug me and I can feel the tension in his muscles. “Tell me, tell me how much trouble am I in?” I ask him beginning to fear the stormy waters I am drifting into.
“You can tell just from a hug?” I smile at him as he begins to explain. “There was a second body found inside the club, besides Rankin’s attorney. Is there anyone in your crew missing?”
I shake my head, “no we were meeting with Rankin’s attorney to sell the property to him. Some man ran in and shot him, then ran out of the club and got shot himself as soon as he opened the door. I thought we were dead. I am still not sure how we got out of there in time. The other body must be the shooter.”
“Who was this shooter?”
“I don’t know, I have never seen him before. I thought he was a drug addict looking for money. He was shaking and sweating when he suddenly pulled out a gun. Dwayne pushed us to the floor and next thing I know Rankin’s attorney is dead and we are running away from an exploding building.”
“Kayla, I was told the other body is believed to be Rankin himself.” He says, questioning me without saying a word.
“Brady I swear there was another man, another shooter. Rankin? He never showed. If he did show, the shooter must have shot him coming in. I did not kill him. It would be stupid for me to do so in my own club.” I insist.
“I know it sounds like a stupid thing to do, but the facts are, there was no one else there but Rankin and his attorney. His name by the way is Tim Flowers. You might should remember that.” I step back from him and he sighs. “I don’t think you realize how serious this all is. Kayla, there are witnesses that saw you, Dwayne and Exie fleeing the scene. Not to mention, you and Rankin have been going at each other for months. You had to know, if he was killed you were going to be the prime suspect.”
“But why would I kill someone when I had already sold the property we were fighting over to him. I have no reason to sell him the property and then kill him.” I say, suddenly realizing all the contracts were left in the explosion. “The contracts were in that building too, but I am sure my attorney will confirm the deal was done.”
“
Your
attorney will confirm?” Brady cocks his head at me.
“His attorney, oh no! The man I guess who …”
“Yea, don’t count on it since he is dead too. Kayla, I will do everything I can to help you, but you have to tell me everything you know. You are in a lot of fucking trouble right now. The D.A. is demanding your arrest and they are taking great care in building a case against you.”
“And Senator Welch is pushing it all?” Brady doesn’t respond, but is starting to understand how high up my trouble goes. “Oh Brady, what am I going to do?”
“I hate to say it but … get the hell out of town.
Run.
Run Kayla and never come back.” His words bring back a bad memory and my body begins to tense, I regret ever leaving in the first place.
“I can’t do that.”
“Kayla!’
“I’m sorry I won’t leave without …”
“Without what?” Brady takes hold of me strong, but I pull away from him and thank him with a pained smile before returning home.
“She is going to ask me.” I say, dreading the moment I have to confess to Kayla.
“I know she is and I know she isn’t going to stop asking until she knows every detail.” Cranston says with a frustrated sigh.
“How did you know? How did you know the building was set to be blown up?” I ask him.
“I’m working Estrella’s docks and warehouses. I am trying to work from the inside, which must be paying off. One of the guys I have befriended told me he had a job if I am interested in making some extra money. I thought it was an opportunity to work my way in, but little did I know. I didn’t find out what the job was until right before I called you. They set her up. That poor kid they sent in was barely nineteen. We were given orders to shoot them if they tried to get away. Most of the men left, once the building was set to blow. Luckily, I was the only one available that they could call and put in charge of shooting them.”
“What do you want me to tell her?”
“Tell her she needs to run, to take Nicky and get the hell out of here. Do you remember that place I use to take you to when we were kids?” He questions, as if I could ever forget that place.
Whenever life became too much for us, he would steal a car and take me out to this place by the lake. We would drink and eat junk food for days until we would get sick. Some of the best times of my life were at that place.
I assure him that I do remember. “Good, then tell her she will meet a man there that will help her disappear … for good this time.” Cranston said, before hanging up the phone.
Within minutes, Kayla is rushing through the door and ordering Exie out of the house. She has Lionel take her and her son to a friend, Bo Sierra, and tells her to stay with him until she tells her otherwise. Immediately I realize we need to act even faster than I thought. Sierra is an expert at what he does, hiding and protecting people so no one will ever find them. Originally we hired him for Kayla and Nicky, so why she isn’t considering going along I am not sure. As Exie is heading out the door in confusion, I grab Kayla. “We need to get you out of here, too. I have a plan that you will love, I promise …”
“No, Ryan, I am not running anywhere.” She said with a superior attitude.
“Kayla I am not doing this with you right now. I have someone that you can run away with, it will be best for you and Nicky. You need to pack up Nicky and get the hell out of here!”
“I’m not going anywhere, this is my home and I am not running this time!” Kayla yells back at me.
“You stubborn mule! We had a deal, remember? We would come back only if you agreed to run from all of this if I saw it necessary.” I yell at her.
“And you agreed to never lie to me. Partners, remember? What happened to that?” I sigh at her accusation, knowing if she only knew it was for her own good, she would listen to me now.
“You don’t understand, I am not keeping anything from you on purpose. It is for your own good. It is part of an agreement, a promise to someone I made long before I knew you.” Her eyes pause as I stare at her, hoping she will understand.
“Kayla!” Dwayne yells out. “Cops are rushing up the drive!”
“Were you expecting that?” I ask her and she shakes her head in confusion. “Go upstairs, I will take care of this.” Before I can say much else the cops are rushing in and throwing Dwayne to the ground and cuffing him. I guard Kayla but am thrown against the wall as they take hold of her. “What is this about?” I yell at them.
“We have a warrant for the arrest of Kayla Jayzon and Dwayne Dobbins for the murder of Andrew Curtis Rankin III and Timothy Flowers.” A detective George Williams holds out the warrant to me with a smirk. “Search everything!” He yells, as cops scatter around the house.
“Let me get the baby before they scare him?” I say, as I watch them drag Kayla out of the house.
“Watch the criminal’s child, boys. We are charging her with Mr. Jayzon’s death too. I don’t guess you have anything to say about that? If you do, I am sure a nice deal can be made for you. Why don’t we sit and talk for a bit.” He asks, as if he is my friend.
My eyes begin to burn as I raise them up to his, nothing but fire, that’s all I can see as I stare at him. “I am going to be leaving now and I will be taking Nicky with me. I am sure you will be respectful of our house while I am gone.” Detective Williams steps backwards swallowing, hard.
I return to the house hours later, walking into what looks like a tornado swept through. Nicky clings to me as if he knows something is wrong, his whimpering is becoming more and more fretful. Kayla rarely leaves him and is always available to rock him to sleep at night, which he is in desperate need of right now. Nicky begins to cry for Kayla and there is little I can do but when I look up I see the one person that can calm him. “Nice timing.” I say as I hand Nicky over.
“They did a nice job on the place.” He said as he kisses Nicky’s head, calming him instantly. “Where is Exie? They have a warrant for her as well.”
“Kayla sent her away with Sierra.”
“She knew they were coming this quickly?”
“I don’t think so, she seemed as surprised as the rest of us. Not that it mattered, she wasn’t going to go anywhere anyway.”
“Welch is controlling this, she was right about that. I underestimated her, she took over better than I thought she could.”
“You were wrong about a lot of things.” I said, receiving a cock of his eyebrows. “You know they are offering me a deal.” He barely acknowledges my comment as he makes Nicky laugh. “They want me to give them details on how Kayla killed a one, Mr. Nicholas Jayzon.” Suddenly he looks up at me with wide eyes.
“They don’t believe that?” He asks, with almost a laugh.
“Doesn’t matter what they believe, they are going to use it as another reason to deny her bail.” I said, easing down into a comfortable position on the sofa while I watch him pace and let the wheels turn in his head.