The Devil's Revenge (The Devil's Eyes) (31 page)
Maynard jerks away from me and runs to the security of his watchers. I walk casually out the door watching as Maynard tries to quickly seek rescue. Three men come running to him but it is too late. His nose bleeds, his chest tightens, his muscles convulse, and he begins to drool into his own vomit. From the safety of my own dark corner I continue to watch Maynard gasp in agony and reach out for someone to help him but they all are afraid of the poison that is crippling him - and run.
Never seen cowards run so fast.
His pain increases to such an overwhelming extent he doesn’t even notice is his own defecation. He vibrates and screams his indiscernible agony for some time as he fights the unconscionable pain. The trolls life comes to an end with him face down in his own vomit and blood, twisted into a hardened, bloodless corpse. Once it all ends, I turn and walk to the limo parked across the street and get in. Once inside, I hand the cane back to its source as I am driven back to my own car.
“Thank you, I believe that worked out well.” I say to the nodding man inside.
“It seems to have worked perfectly.”
“I won’t ask where you were able to get such a destructive drug.”
“It is probably best, but it does help to have friends at the CDC.” He smiles. “I should feel bad about subjecting that man to such horror, but knowing what he did to my daughter I am not sure that it was painful enough. Thank you for your help, Nick.”
“No need to thank me, John. I was going to take care of it with or without you.” His car slowly pulls up to mine and I see Lionel jump out to open the car door for me as I step out of Coulton’s.
“Oh and Nick, you should probably watch the press conference tonight, I have a feeling you will enjoy it.” Coulton says before motioning for his driver to continue.
I set down in the car and remove my disguise. Taking a deep breath I motion to Lionel, “Take me home Lionel, apparently we have a press conference to watch.”
“Yes sir.”
Within seconds I get a call from Welch, “Jayzon I know it was you. And I hope you know that you will pay dearly for this.”
Breathing calmly, “What are you rambling on about now?”
“You know damn well what I am talking about! You committed murder Jayzon. You will not get away with it this time. Run and hide, because I am going to have you arrested within the hour.” He forces out of his salivating mouth.
“I don’t think so. I assure you there will be arrests, but none of them will be my own. I think if anyone should run and hide it should be you. You should have never come after my family. That was your biggest mistake. You’re a conceited man, Welch. You are nothing without your big homes and fancy cars. Daddy’s approval means everything to you, even though he is as much of a crook as you. Yes, I have done a lot of research on you Mr. Welch, something I do when I am in search of just the right -
revenge
.”
“Kayla!” Lena yells. I run out to the balcony worried that something horrible has happened, “Brady called, something big is happening - get down here.”
With Brayden in my arms and Nicky holding my hand I sit down as she turns on the news. “What’s going on?”
“Brady said they carted the chief of police out in handcuffs. Brady has been asked to help out with the investigation and he is being considered for the Chief’s job.” Lena squeals as we watch the media swarming around not only the chief but several others being handcuffed and driven away.
The cameraman spans the area before finally resting on an eager and excited journalist, “We are still unsure how all this evidence came about. Was there a secret investigation all along? We don’t know. But apparently there is new evidence that points to the men you see behind me as being responsible for the murder of Andrew Curtis Rankin. We assume this only means that charges will be dropped against Mrs. Jayzon unless the remaining witness is able to shed some light on her connection with these men.”
Nick comes in the door with Brady rushing in from behind him, “How did you do this?” Brady yells at Nick.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” He says, calmly walking to meet me. “How was your day, beautiful?”
“How was my day? Nick do you know what is going on?” I ask him as he picks Nicky up with a large smile.
“I might have heard a few things about your case being shot to hell.” Nick says calmly.
“You did something – how?” I ask him, expecting him to give me a straight answer.
“I told you Princess, I didn’t do anything. But I hear there is going to be some more news we will want to hear. Let’s all take a seat and enjoy the show, I mean press conference.” He swallows back a laugh.
Nick relaxes persuading all of us to do the same as our eyes dart back and forth between him and the news. “I’m sorry, we are going to have to break away from this exciting coverage to send you to the press conference for Mr. Jonathan Coulton, where he is expected to announce his running mate for the Presidency.”
I take a second to look back up at Nick as he watches with a happy anticipation. “Watch Princess, you are going to want to see this.”
Coulton makes his way to the podium with a solemn look, but quickly pushes that aside and smiles his bright white political smile. “I know there has been much speculation about who I will choose as my running mate, but let me just say that I have thought long and hard about this decision. It takes an important, respectable man to take on such a position and I want it to be known that I did not take this decision lightly. The man I chose is not only a good man, a fair man but also a man who has accomplished much in his life and is deserving of all the respect he receives. He is deserving of the admiration, the trust and the job of standing beside me as we make the decisions to keep this country great. With that said, I would like to announce my friend, my colleague, and your next vice president …” Coulton pauses and Welch smiles all over himself as he waits for the anticipated news, I am becoming more nauseated by the second. “… Mr. Kenneth Tracie!” My eyes nearly pop out of my head as a man takes the stage beside Coulton. Welch stands as if he isn’t breathing or maybe it is that he doesn’t care to anymore.
“I am really liking this guy Coulton.” Nick laughs as we stare at him in awe. “So, what’s for dinner? And I assume Simone that you and my sister will be moving out of my house. I mean, since you have that great new job you should be able to buy her something nice to live in right?” Nick gets up and turns towards Ryan as he hobbles in from another room. “That reminds me … you get out too. I pay you enough you should be able to get your own place now. It will be nice not to have to listen to you and Sam be so nauseatingly sweet to each other anymore. Kayla and I are going to take a nice long trip and I expect our house cleared out before we get back.”
“Nick - I can’t go anywhere yet.” I say to him. “They still haven’t dropped the charges. They still have a witness they are trying to use to connect me to …”
He winks at me, “You just worry about packing, I assure you, I have taken care of the rest.”
The night warms up with excitement as we sit down to eat but before we can begin we are informed of a guest. Nick tells the guards to let them in and he rushes to meet whoever it is.
“Kayla, come here please, I want you to meet someone.” Nick calls out to me.
With Brayden in my arms I walk out to see Jonathan Coulton, “Mr. Coulton, I am sorry we did not realize you were coming or we would have waited on dinner. Would you like to join us?”
He smiles awkwardly, looking over me as if he has never seen me before. “Thank you, but I don’t want to intrude I only wanted to thank your husband for his support and have a chance to meet his beautiful family.” Coulton looks down at Brayden. “He is beautiful.”
“Thank you, do you have children, Mr. Coulton?”
My question seems to have caused him some pain, which immediately makes me regret asking. “Yes, one. But please call me John.” Nicky comes running into the room right up to Mr. Coulton as if he knows him. He laughs, “I met this young man the other day.” He says leaning down to Nicky and pulling out a toy car from his bag. “If I recall, you like cars?”
Nicky instantly becomes excited, “Thank you!” He squeals before holding it up to Nick to show him.
“He does love cars. Why don’t you two talk while I take him to finish his dinner.” Taking Nicky by the hand, Nick picks Brayden out of my arms and smiles at me. “I am not sure he will finish it now, but better try before he gets too involved in his new toy.”
Coulton stops Nick with a simple hand gesture, “You should know that our old friend has decided to avoid arrest and has taken his own life. The Welch family was quite disappointed in their son’s failed attempt to be the next President, and even more so in his dealings with criminals.”
“Can’t say I am sorry to hear that but for his family I am sorry.” Nick says smiling back at me as he leaves with Nicky and Brayden.
I look back at John, fidgeting with my shirt. “Sit down please. I feel horrible leaving you on your feet for so long.” John says, helping me to a seat where he can sit comfortably next to me. “I brought something for the new little one too but you can wait to open that later.”
“Thank you, but I get the feeling that you are not here to give us presents, nor to thank my husband for some donation that he probably gave.”
“You are smart. Nick told me how intelligent you are. He said that you are beautiful too but I had no idea how much.” He glances my way. “I’m sorry, I have made this more awkward than I thought possible. I should probably tell you that I knew your mother once.”
My jaw drops to the floor, “When? I don’t remember her ever talking about you. No offense, but I am sure that she would have mentioned
you
.”
“It was before you were ever born.” He looks my way again. “I really cared for your mother, but she had her demons, more than I could deal with. Actually, I didn’t even know about you until the other day when Nick came to my office. I guess your mother tried to contact me. I don’t know. I cut her off purposely from my life. I married my wife and … I do love her, and oh the things she puts up with for me. I told her about you, she wants to meet you.”
Pushing my way from my seat I stare down at him with shaky hands, “What are you trying to tell me?”
With a deep exhale he stands to meet me, “I swear I had no idea you even existed until the other day. Maybe if I had taken a second to look into your eyes I might have seen your mother, maybe even a little bit of me.”
Stepping back, I stare at him in disbelief. “I don’t know what you expect me to do with this information? Do you think I am going to jump for joy, run into your arms and call you Daddy? My life was hell, pure hell and to think that even a small portion of that hell could have been prevented if you had - just gave a damn! Don’t tell me that you didn’t avoid her or shut her out immediately or that you had no idea about me.”
“I didn’t have any idea. Yes, I shut her out because I could not convince her to stop drinking. I thought maybe if I threatened her with leaving that she would try or at least let me get her some help. I had to shut her out because it hurt too much to see her that way. I loved her but I wasn’t going to watch her kill herself.”
“She hated me. She told me every day how much she hated me because I reminded her of my father.” I cry, understanding a lot more about my life than I ever have before.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry Kayla for everything. I don’t expect to be forgiven but I had to try. I can’t have children now, you are all I have got.” I shake my head walking away from him. “My wife is a wonderful woman, you would really like her.”
Meet his perfect wife, he is crazy?
“Marilyn is dying, she refuses to go through anymore treatments. She wants to help me meet my dreams so she can rest peacefully, she says.” Turning back towards him, I watch the tears form in his eyes. “I can’t tell you how scared I have been – to be without her.
To be alone.
We thought about adoption but there never seemed to be a good time.”
“Is that why you’re here? Because you are afraid of being alone? You want an instant family to make everything alright for you, keep you from having to suffer for even a moment.” I seethe back in his tear filled face.
“I may not have suffered compared to you but I am suffering now and always will when it comes to you. How would you feel if you found out your son was put through hell and back again and you could have done something to prevent it - but you didn’t? That kind of pain never goes away,
that guilt
will stay with a person forever. I don’t expect your forgiveness and maybe I feel better not receiving it, but I will never stop trying to earn it.” Glancing his way I look into his eyes for the first time. I don’t move, I don’t run from him like I should. No, instead I stand near him and watch him as he reaches his hand out slowly to me. After waiting seconds he decides to take hold of mine within his own. I let him but I don’t allow him any closer than that. “It’s a start.” He says with a half smile.
Nick waits for me in our room, rightfully on edge, wondering if I am angry with him or not. “Are you going to yell at me?” He asks.