“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.
Chapter 6
~Ryan~
“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.
“Call the lawyers, find out when Kayla’s bail hearing is.”
“Alright, and then what? Any big plan to get Kayla out of jail?” I ask him.
“Oh yea, I have a plan.” He says, as his devilish smile slowly take form.
“Oh really? And what’s that?” I say, with a doubtful tone.
“To come back from the dead.”
Chapter 7
~Kayla~
My handlers have been rough in their attempts to break me. The last time I saw a friendly face was when I passed Dwayne through booking and he mouthed, “don’t breathe a word to anyone.” Not exactly encouraging.
I wish he was wrong, but even as Brady sits down in front of me and pleads with me to talk to him so he can help me, I know better than to believe that my enemies aren’t listening in. I focus on Nicky and think back to my days with Nick on the beach, lying in his arms and believing no one will ever hurt me while he is around. Suddenly the door slams open and Detective Williams walks in. “Mrs. Jayzon you are being charged with the murder of Mr. Rankin, Mr. Flowers and for the murder of …” He leans over my back, “and for the murder of Mr. Nicholas Jayzon.”
“What! Are you kidding me?” Brady yells at him. “I can tell you right now that she had nothing to do with Jayzon’s death!”
“She had more reasons than anyone. Money, power, and to rid herself of the man who forced her into prostitution, had her sister killed ??
? I can’t think of anyone that would have more of a reason to kill their own husband.” Williams smiles at me. Somebody has been talking too much, damn you Exie. I told her countless times to not be so excited about telling our story, but sometimes she gets a little excited and too free with her words and information, especially when she feels comfortable with people. She trusted those cops too much.
“Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous!” Brady yells, pushing Williams away from me.
“Simone get out of here! I don’t even know why you’re here, this is my case – not yours!” Williams yells back. The two battle each other out the door and before I know it Brady is gone and I am left alone with Williams and his equally disgusting partner. I tighten and keep my mouth closed. Their frustration is becoming too much for them and they begin to let their aggressions surface, “You fucking whore!” Williams yells, smacking me in the back of the head. “What’s wrong with you? Are you drugged up too? Would figure, a drug addict whore just like your sister.” My hands flinch but I regain control. Williams paces around me before sitting down in front of me with a smile, “So your husband, it must have been a wonderful feeling to finally rid yourself of him. Henry, do you remember seeing his body? It was a mess. Imagine what it would have been like, hearing him scream as he burned alive.” My mind tries to retreat, but the more they discuss Nick and his death the harder it is to ignore them. “Can you imagine that loser screaming like a girl … ahhhh” He laughs at me and gets up out of his chair to lean down to my ear. “Wimp.” My eyes shift in his direction. “That scoundrel got what he deserved, and I certainly can’t blame you for going after him. But now, what to do about his offspring? I know, you could suffocate him with a pillow.” He laughs and I elbow his crotch, cursing him with a fierce glare. “Bitch!” He screams, while still curled up in the corner of the room. With the result they were after achieved, I am finally escorted to my cell. Falsely believing that I am safe here, I lie down closing my eyes peacefully.
“Oh, she feels good,” someone wakes me by groping me and moaning in my ear. I instantly jump up, fighting and scrambling to get away. My guards laugh, as they grab me by my hair and swing me into the wall. Slamming his body against mine I am forced to feel a cock against my ass. “You want some dick, whore? I bet you do, too bad I can’t today I gotta work.” He throws me to the ground and kicks me backwards. “Dumbass bitch.” He laughs, leaving me crumpled on the floor.
Within four hours they are back, tearing up my cell and throwing me against the walls in the process. My lip bleeds as I try to hold my mouth and curl my body away from my attackers. “You are disgusting, clean up before we come back.” And they do, first every four hours, then every two and then I begin to lose track of time altogether because it never seems to end. I have little of my body left that doesn’t contain bruises or wounds of some kind. I can taste my own blood, feel my ribs cracking with every movement I make and all I can hear is my own heartbeat screaming at me. I have taken to sleeping under my bed where I can guard myself from surprise attacks. I need sleep and I can’t get any while I am watching out for attackers. Hidden away under my bed, they at least have to wake me up when they pull me out from under it. My struggles with my guards haven’t gone unnoticed either. The other inmates were at first unconcerned, but with each new attack I gain a new supporter. They have begun passing me food and offering their advice for survival, even tripping or throwing things at the guards when they see them coming. It doesn’t deter my attackers, but it does give me ample warning to their arrival.
Somehow I have been lost within the system and my expected bail hearing keeps getting pushed while my guards’ assaults continue night after night. Each morning detective Williams comes in with the D.A. and they kindly offer me a deal but only a deal for death. They believe I am breaking, they believe a woman can’t possibly take much more, and so they believe they are going to win against me. But their beliefs are all they have. What they don’t realize is I have been through worse and so I am not about to surrender to them. My death is all they can possibly win from me.
This time they come back in less than an hour, but I am ready. The morons were kind enough to leave behind a confession for me to sign whenever I am ready to give in. They were so kind to leave me a pen, too. I lie against the wall, curled around my new weapon, and wait for the asshole who likes to feel me up. I don’t have to wait long. As soon as he reaches around to grab my breast, I grab him and stab him in the gut with the pen before kicking the hell out of the other one. The entire prison begins to scream and chant for me, driving me to an even stronger stance. I don’t stop until the morons finally call for help, which is what I wanted in the first place. And suddenly - I am found.
They have left me alone, and even sent in a doctor to clean my wounds. I assume the sudden kindness is only because I will be brought back out into the light soon. A couple of days without any assault or injury and I am escorted out of my cell to the showers by my guards, now with names, Kirk Broman, my stabbing victim, and a new guard, Barron Rivers. Rivers stops short and motions for me to continue in while Broman eyes me with a disgusting smile. I overhear Broman ask Rivers to go retrieve something for him that he forgot. Seconds after, Broman enters the shower and stands against the wall watching me.
“Remove your clothes and shower – now!” He yells at me, adjusting himself in expectation. I shake my head and he comes after me, ripping at my clothes, “Do it now! Or I will rip them off you and fuck you until you have no breath left to moan for more.” He pushes me to the ground causing my ribs to crack even more and my head to spin. Broman positions himself on top of me and rips my clothes half off before he unzips and takes out his erection. I feel the pressure of it against my ass, forcing its way between my thighs. I yell and scream and fight for everything I can, but have little strength left to fight him. I begin to accept it, accept my fate and get it over with. If only Nick was here, if only I had never left, he would have never gotten on that plane and I wouldn’t be here now. With a final exhale I rest against the cold, molding, tile floor and drift far away from this place. My mind drifts back to that day on the beach, in that hammock with Nick, feeling his hands on my body, laughing and smiling against his bare chest – “I want that back so badly.” I cry.
“What? You want what so badly, this dick? Give in and you can have it whore.” Broman laughs.
“Broman!” Rivers yells at him. “You are wanted at the gate.”
“I’m busy! Leave me alone …” Broman says, maintaining a tight grip on me.
“The call just came in, you are wanted at the gate. Someone has something important to give you. They said, it’s urgent.” Rivers says, swallowing hard and trying not to look my way.
Broman sighs forcing his hand between my legs. “Keep her here until I get back.” Once Broman leaves I look up to see a hand held out for me.
Helping me up, Rivers wraps a towel around me. “Go ahead and clean up. I would say you only have about five minutes before he gets back. I will take you back to your new cell when you’re done.” Rivers said before walking away and leaving me to shower in peace. When I am done he escorts me to a new cell and hands me a bag. “You will need these clothes for court tomorrow. I would appreciate when you get out of here that you make sure the promises made to me are kept.” I nod. “You will be safe here, so sleep well.”
Chapter 8
~Kayla~
Morning comes and I am safely escorted just outside the courtroom where I am greeted by my lawyer, Jackson Baylor for the first time. He doesn’t seem shocked by my injuries and assures that they will be noted, but it is unlikely the people responsible will ever be dealt with. I want to finally speak after days of silence, but he subtly shakes his head at me. Jackson takes my hand and pulls me in close, “Dwayne got bail earlier in the week with no problem, but I have a terrible feeling that things are not going to go so easily for you. Someone is out to get you. I have been met with roadblock after roadblock trying to just get you this bail
hearing. Expect to go back in there and fight for your life.” I look up at his overly concerned face and smile assuredly, shocking him. “They are charging you …”
“I know what they are accusing me of,” I say with my head held high, hoping to convince him to fight harder. Jackson’s faith in me is lost, and I can’t have that, not right now. No now I need him to believe in me more than ever. Jackson takes my hand and leads me into court where I immediately spot Welch smiling and joking with the D.A.. He smiles wide at me and I wonder if I will ever get my revenge on him. I would feel better about things if Ryan was here, but his absence only leads me to believe that I have little time left. All that I can hope for at this point is that Ryan escaped unscathed with Nicky. We had a plan in place for this situation and he better damn well have followed through with it, despite it being him running with my son rather than me. As the judge comes in, we all stand and I watch for any clue that I may still have some pull, some chance of getting out of this alive. The judge sits and blatantly greets the man sitting behind the D.A. – Mr. Welch. Welch’s smug attitude irks me, and knowing that Estrella is somewhere nearby enjoying this just as much bothers me too. Nonetheless, here I am with obviously no power to do anything. Here I am standing in front of a judge, a courtroom full of people and media hounds taking notes vigorously – all of whom, have already convicted me. They all are ready to send me to jail for murder, or maybe they expect me to die for the crimes they believe that I have committed. Not that it matters, jail or the needle, I will die either way. Estrella will see to it. Welch will make sure of it.
The argument for my bail begins, and I lower my head until the doors behind me crash open with a thunderous roar. A vibration rushes through my body, I look up at the judge as his eyes widen and a cold silence takes hold of the room. It’s him. I know it’s him. It can be no other. Before I can turn I whisper his name and feel the energy of him blaze up my body as if the simple whisper of his name makes it true, makes him true. As hard as I fight my own curiosity I can’t stop myself, with all the assuredness in my head I still have to prove it to my own eyes. Turning, I slowly raise my head up and look upon the three gentlemen, dressed in dark suits and letting the hoods of their coats fall back and reveal expressions of pure - desired annihilation. But it is he that stands center and strong that confirms my suspicions. It is he that has caused this silence and chocked the breath out of an entire room. It’s as if the air could breathe and it breathes a trembling gasp of his name, with all that laid their eyes on this sight I see. Only I breathe his name and meet his eyes whispering … “I knew you would come for me.”