“Did you just threaten me?” Nick growls. “I wouldn’t do that.” Nick stands and leans over the table towards Welch with a tone so raging that it ignites the air that it meets, “Do you know who Niccolo Machiavelli is?” Welch nods. “Then you realize the mistake you have made.” Welch shrugs with a slight dismissal of Nick’s fire until a slam of Nick’s fist rumbles through the entire room. “Machiavelli said, If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.” Nick stands up straight and smiles, “The severity of your attack, Mr. Welch, has barely pierced my skin but I assure you the kindness will not be returned. There will be no deal - since we anticipate all charges being dropped.” Nick takes my hand and leads me out of the office with our awestruck attorney in tow.
Once safely back in the car, I turn to look over at Nick, “You are not planning anything terrible against Welch are you?”
“I have a plan, yes, but don’t worry. Someone else is going to take care of Welch for me.” He says so confidently that I wonder who this person is. I wonder how in the world this person is going to deal with Welch without it leading back to Nick.
Chapter 45
~Nick~
Lena confirmed my suspicions and now I am going to use my newfound knowledge to help free Kayla from the obvious setup campaign that Welch is waging against her. After much debating with myself, I decide to take Nicky with me to my meeting. He is dressed even better than I am and is already showing skills that can’t be taught. The receptionist immediately sits up straight when I walk in and greets me with a smile a mile wide. “I have an appointment with Mr. Coulton.” I smile back.
“Sure, I will let him know.” She exhales faintly.
Coulton doesn’t leave me waiting long but I didn’t expect him too. If you tell someone you are ready to make a sizable donation, they are more than willing to make room for you in their day. “Mr. Coulton, or should I say Mr. President?” I ask him.
Smiling wide, he shakes my hand with a laugh, “No, not yet. For some reason they still make you go through the process of getting elected.” He motions for me to sit, taking a moment to greet Nicky too before taking his own seat. “So Mr. Jayzon, what is it that I can do for you?”
“Mr. Coulton, I am going to get right to it and tell you what I want and then I will tell you why I think you should give it to me. First, I want you to have the district attorney drop his malicious pursuit of my wife. She hasn’t committed any of the crimes he is accusing her of and I can prove it. Second, I want you to push for an investigation of the people who actually did do the crimes and I think you should have Detective Brady Simone head up that investigation. He is a solid citizen and would serve this city well as the new chief of police. Third, and this is most important - even more so to you once the previous is executed. I want you to drop Spencer Welch as a possible running mate.” Coulton leans back with a troubled expression.
“Mr. Jayzon, I am not sure why you would think I would do any of this but I find it insulting that you think you can come in here and make these types of demands. No matter how much money you plan to donate, I cannot in good conscious do these things for any amount of money. Now, I thank you for coming …” He begins to rise out of seat.
“I wasn’t asking for those things because of an amount of money I was planning or not planning to give.” I say, remaining in my seat.
“Are you blackmailing me?”
“I wouldn’t call it blackmail, call it … clearing you conscious.” He immediately gives me the reaction I expected. “Do you have any children Mr. Coulton?”
“No, and I am sure of that. I was in a serious accident some years ago and I had a necessary surgery. So, I am positive.” He sits back with a superior attitude.
“Sorry about your accident, but I do believe that you are mistaken. In fact, I know you are.”
“Really, who exactly is supposed to be my child then?” He huffs shaking his head at me in much disgust.
I adjust Nicky and cause him to smile as I kiss his cheek, “This is my son, and I love him more than anything. I never wanted children, but the first time I saw him I couldn’t imagine my life without him. My wife in fact, just gave birth to my second son. I would do anything for them.”
“I appreciate a father’s love and I will say he is a good looking boy but it doesn’t explain your theory – Mr. Jayzon.”
“Be patient, I am getting to it.” I smile with a charm I have learned well over the years. “You see Mr. Coulton, when I met my wife years ago, I fell for her instantly and I promised her I would protect her at all costs. Sometimes I failed at that, but even before me she lived with a mother who drank too much and had countless stepfathers who saw her as nothing more than a toy for their pleasure. Because of my brother, her sister, who was all she had and the only one she could depend on, was brought into a terrible life. She was physically and mentally abused and then thrown away until she was finally killed. My wife had no one left after her sister died. I went looking for her, but she had run away to hide from her mother and her parade of men. I wasn’t sure where she could have gone. I thought maybe she knew her father and possibly went to see him. So, I did a little interrogating of her mother and then some investigating. Recently, I had a blood test done to confirm what was then only an accusation. I wouldn’t trade my wife for anyone. She is tough, and yet still shows the love and compassion for our children and myself. I am always searching for the perfect gift for her. She has a hard time visiting her past in order to investigate her family history, but I know she is still curious. I wondered if telling her who her real father is would give her some peace. I don’t know if she will be angry or happy, but either way it’s a piece of the puzzle that she could finally have.” I stare at him hard as he begins to fidget. “You knew her mother, before your accident that is. Before your surgery Mr. Coulton you got to know a young girl named Claire. She served you French toast one late night and then every night thereafter for two weeks before you finally got up the nerve to ask her out. On your first date you took her to a movie, an old Cary Grant film – North by Northwest. I like that movie too. From what I understand, you had a relationship for some time before you finally left her for your now wife. She named your daughter after your grandmother – Kayla. Claire said she meant a lot to you, you must have talked about her a lot.” His eyes fixate on me and I know I have him. “What was it John? Family pressure you to marry the better pedigree? Or did you just get tired of the slut and decided to move on?” His face pales and slowly drifts downward as he sits silent. “Either way, you left her pregnant and with no way to contact you at all. You changed your number and had your assistants run interference until she finally gave up. I don’t know if you were the one that finally broke her, probably not. She did already have one bastard child, no doubt she had been through worse things.” I edge to my seat and aim my next words directly at him. “What I want to know John, is did you know she was pregnant with my wife, your child, when you left her all alone?”
His entire body begins to quiver, “I had no idea Claire was pregnant. If I had I …”
“What, paid her off? Taken her to the abortion clinic?”
“NO!” He yells, standing up and scaring Nicky. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare the child.”
“Your grandson’s name is Nicky.” I say, standing up and handing him over to him. He looks at me with a look of panic but doesn’t hand him back. Instead he sits back down and looks Nicky over. “He is real smart, just like his mother. You should meet her. She is beautiful, intelligent and your second grandchild, Brayden, he is amazing, as well. Would be a shame for her to go to jail for crimes she didn’t commit because of an overzealous Senator and District Attorney.”
“Are you planning on telling …” he mutters.
“Tell who? You mean am I going to have a press conference and announce to the world that their next President left his bastard child to rot in a rat infested home, with murderers and rapists as father figures
. No, that wasn’t my plan at all. No, I was hoping that maybe, for once, you would be a good father, a good grandfather and do all that you can do to protect them.” Coulton looks down at Nicky as Nicky plays with an antique car that Coulton shows him.
I smile wide when Nicky holds the car up to me, “Daddy!”
“I see Nicky. … He likes cars too.” I say, watching Coulton shed tear after tear.
Nicky shocks us both and turns to him and wipes a tear away, “It’s okay, you can have your car back.” Nicky smiles up at him, meeting his eyes perfectly before Coulton rests his head against Nicky’s.
“No, you keep it. I would like for you to keep it.” I wait for a few seconds before he finally inhales and looks back up at me.
A man knocks on the door and walks in, “Sir, you have that dinner with the Governor.”
“Yes, thank you Andrew.” Coulton lifts Nicky back to me. “Thank you for coming to see me, I will um … see what I can do about your concerns Mr. Jayzon.” I nod and watch as he walks towards the door and stops again, “Tell your wife … tell her I said hello.”
“I will and by the way, you should probably take this.” I hand him an envelope full of information and leave feeling good about the day.
Now I have to wait and see if all this trouble I went to pays off. I have another target before Welch and I need help making sure I can get to him.
Chapter 46
~Nick~
There is one thing left to do, and the last item on my list is the one that I most have been looking forward too. I always felt like a panther stalking its prey back in the old days and I feel no different now. It is an invigorating feeling, waiting, watching and carefully planning your final pounce. Maynard is wisely watching his back with ever step he takes and has obviously requested aid in protecting himself. There are three men strategically placed to nail me if I go after him. It always amazes me how foolish people can be. Like any great predator, I wait for him to feel safe and drink from the pool of water I have carefully laid out for him. He takes three steps beyond a small pawn store and then steps back two. His eyes beam with excitement and he quickly looks around before scratching his head and finally … drinking. The small pawnshop happened to get a new item in its shop and what a prize it is, especially to a sports nut like Maynard. Maynard begins to bargain with the pawnshop owner when an elderly looking man makes his way around him and accidentally pokes him in the leg with his cane and draws blood.
“Watch where the fuck you’re going old man!” Maynard yells bending down to check the puncture wound in his leg.
Slowly I look up from my disguise, and with a knowing smile I whisper to him, “You’re dead.”
“What did you say to me?” Maynard says in shock.
I quickly lean in and smile wide as he finally looks into my eyes. “I said – you’re dead.”
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.”
Chapter 47
~Kayla~
“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 t
he 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 …”