“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.”
Chapter 26
~Kayla~
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.
It is early one night, when the alarm sounds. I have never heard it before and was confused on how to react. Nick however, reacted quickly. Grabbing me with one arm and getting Nicky with the other. He doesn’t say a word when he leads us into a safe room with a guard. I am not able to say a word before he locks me in and runs off to meet up with Ryan. All I can do is watch the video screens as a battle erupts at our own home. Ellis is determined and is coming at us full force it seems. I watch our guard as he intently watches the screens and holds his gun with a shaky hand. Not exactly reassuring. Nicky begins screaming for Nick as I hold him. Kissing his head I begin to run my fingers through his hair when I notice, my own hand shaking. Hours go by and I begin to realize that Ellis’s intent is not to get in but to hold us captive here for as long as he can. I watch Nick make frantic calls and can only assume we are being attacked in more than one place. We are outnumbered, but he sends no one in to help us.
One … two … three hours pass. Four … five … six hours more go by. It has been seven hours and I haven’t blinked, I haven’t moved, I simply sat holding my son and watching every move Nick makes, looking for a sign that he has it handled and everything will be okay. As the sun rises, so does the smoke, revealing what is left over from the chaos.
We regroup cautiously. They are waiting for us to make a mistake. Surrendering at this point is not an option. We need more time, Nick says. We need to understand more about Ellis, find his weakness. It is clear that we can’t successfully compete with him one-on-one so we have to find the Achilles’ heel that breaks him and Nick believes he knows what that is.
We have scouts photographing Ellis every day. He is never alone and never accessible. The only thing I find odd is the wiry, bowtie adorned man that accompanies Ellis most everywhere. For some reason, Nick is more interested in him than Ellis himself. I only hope it is not to learn his fashion style. We do nothing but wait and watch, until finally the man separates from Ellis. Ellis sets off for a dinner party at Bellasandro’s, sending his wiry shadow on his way with a large entourage of men to protect him. More men than Ellis himself. “I think maybe you are right, Nick.” I confess, enjoying his know-it-all smile.
“Strange, isn’t it? There is definitely something about this guy. One of Ellis’s inside men gave me some great insight into Ellis’s operation, and this guy clearly holds all the keys. I am just not exactly sure how. Lena couldn’t find a thing on him, he has been completely wiped off the radar.” Nick says, considering our next move. With a gleeful acceptance, Nick decides quickly. “Let’s run at him now while we have a chance, pull everyone. Have our speedsters drive an - interlace and break. Then drag him to the yard, have our guns take care of the remaining cars. The rest of us will finish the job and capture Ellis’s heart and end this thing before it goes any further.”
We wait until his car leaves and begins to head out to the interstate. From the moment their tires leave the ramp, our newly acquired drive-masters, begin to speed around them. Lagging behind, the boys speed forward in front and then fall back again. At a dizzying pace, they begin to intertwine between the motorcade, threading through the line of vehicles, creating confusion and frustration. Back and forth they weave until isolating the car we want, and like magic we displace him from his pack and leave the others to fight it out with the second wave. We follow them and line up accordingly. The car is surrounded and the three protective guns with him are easily controlled by the time Nick and I pull up. Nick steps out and cocks his head to the side, looking into the opened car door. “You can get out of the car now.” Nick yells at the man hiding in the backseat. Peaking out the edge of the car door, he begins counting us all before darting back within. “What the fuck! Get out of the car, now!” Nick yells, his patience is clearly breaking. Creeping slowly out of the edge of the car, is a white handkerchief at the end of an umbrella. Nick looks back at me with an odd expression, but I have to hide my mouth to keep from laughing. “Get out of the DAMN car!” Nick yells again. Nick only waits half a second more before he nods towards Dwayne. Reaching into the car, Dwayne pulls the man out by his belt loops.
“Alright! Alright, I was coming!” Dwayne sits the exasperated man down in front of Nick and he immediately straightens his tie before looking up at Nick and flinching backwards. “Gees! What’s with your eyes!”
Nick snarls at the squeamish man and looks down on him, “What is your name, and please don’t make me have to repeat myself. I don’t like that.”
“No repeating got it.” He nods looking around himself once more before fa
cing Nick. “My name is Benedict Eddy.” He says, holding his hand out to Nick, “Nice to meet you.” Nick glances down at his hand and huffs. “Okay, I guess you don’t like handshaking either.”
“Get in the car.” Nick reaches out and grabs Eddy by the collar as he tries to go back to his own car. “Not that car.” Eddy sits in the car with Ryan and Dwayne squeezed in on either side of him. Nick helps me into the car and Eddy takes on a wide smile until Nick growls. “What is your job? What do you do for Ellis?” Nick asks, changing Eddy’s attention to more important matters.
“That’s a little complicated.” Eddy says, still glancing over at me.
Nick snaps his fingers at him to gain his attention back, “Explain it then.”
“I don’t think I am supposed to tell you that.” Eddy graciously declines.
Before Nick has a chance to break again, I lean towards Eddy and take hold of the edges of his tie. Smiling sweetly into his eyes, “Eddy, I can’t imagine how important you must be, to have all these big men following you everywhere … protecting you …looking after you like you are gold. How very important you must be.” I lick my lips, biting my bottom lip with just the right amount of desire, “Please tell me what you do to earn such respect?”
Eddy, smiles drunkenly, “I memorize for him.”
Nick sits me back in my seat, “Memorize what, exactly?”
Gulping, Eddy realizes he doesn’t have much of a choice now. Trying to sit forward, he finds his slender arm stuck behind Dwayne’s robust muscles. “Do you mind? I need this.” He says to Dwayne, earning an eye roll before regaining the use of his arm. “Okay. You see, I remember everything I see and exactly what day I saw it. I remember faces, numbers, calculations and records of all things. I am his personal database, you could say. Mr. Ellis doesn’t keep any written record of anything he …”
Nick sits back with a knowing smile, “He has you remember it all.” Eddy nods. “So you know all his shipments, supplies, accounts and …”
“And all his codes for those accounts.” Eddy says smiling when he sees Nick do so.
“Benedict, you are hired.” Nick says taking my hand.
“I … I …” He stutters, looking up at Dwayne and then Ryan before finally focusing on me as I smile. “Okay.”
As soon as we get home, Nick sits Eddy down in front of a computer. “I want you to access Ellis’s accounts.”
“Oh, I can’t do that, he will kill me.” Eddy says. Nick eyes him, causing Eddy to swallow hard. “And I guess you will kill me if I don’t?” Nick smiles. “If you kill me though, I can be of no use to you.”
“Wrong. If I kill you, then you’re of no use to him, and that’s all I really care about. So …” Nick leans in and grabs hold of Eddy’s bowtie and straightens it tight. “Do what I say.” The intensity in Nick’s eyes threaten Eddy to a frenzied pace. Eddy breaks into Ellis’s accounts and transfers all the money into one of Nick’s offshore accounts, then has him write down the location of all of Ellis’s hiding places. Next, Eddy makes a map of Ellis’s compound that we quickly take advantage of. By the time Ellis finishes his party, most of his men have retreated in fear after their failure to keep his prize possession protected. His accounts have been emptied, his house has been burned to the ground and everything he once held, is now being stolen, one after the other. Ellis is in disbelief and doesn’t even put up a fight when we send in the next team to finish him.
Nick is in a great mood when I find him happily playing with Nicky in his room. “You look happy.” I say, leaning down to give him a kiss.
“It’s been a good month.” He says, letting Nicky climb into his lap with his favorite book.
“Yes, it has. What is our next move? Estrella?” I ask.
“Yes, but we need to step back and organize a bit. Enjoy our triumph. Maybe go to a party. Yeah, I think a party would be just what we need.” Nick says, stopping short of giving me anymore detail.
Chapter 27
~Kayla~
Nick has told me to prepare for an evening out tonight. I am unsure of exactly where we are going, but from the way Nick is acting, I am betting it has something to do with business. My husband is handsome as ever in his tux and greets me with respect as he kisses my hand and escorts me to our awaiting car. “So, are you going to tell me where we are going?”
“We are going on a boat ride. You like the water, right?” He asks, nudging me playfully.
“I do like the water, but aren’t we a little over-dressed for a late night swim?”
Smiling with a quiet laugh, “Can I never surprise you without you having to know every detail?” I respond only with a deceptive smile. Arriving at the boat dock, I notice a celebration of sorts and security beyond what I have ever seen. I get a little nervous by the prestige of the crowd and take hold of Nick’s arm a little tighter. We are searched overtly before we are allowed to board the boat. Immediately it is clear who this fundraiser is for, Jonathan Coulton. I know of him, but I don’t care for politics and therefore rarely follow it. How anyone is supposed to be encouraged to follow devils pretending to be angels is beyond me. I prefer the unashamed, self-proclaimed devils.
We sit for dinner as Coulton enters with his polished smile and pageant wave. He speaks with assuredness and likeability. When he is done, he greets everyone with his similar, flawless wife at his side. He is handsome and, for political purposes, has it all. I am still unsure exactly why we are here, but Welch’s presence makes it clear what the general idea is. He doesn’t notice us as he cheers on his expected running mate. The thought of Welch ever being Vice President makes me want to become a lot more political and fire up the opposition. Coulton waits until after dinner to begin his one-on-one greetings with each of his guests. Nick is watching him as if he is eager to greet Coulton causing me to take an interest in what his real purpose for being here is. Coulton approaches with his hand held out and Nick takes it quickly, locking eyes with the candidate. Coulton pauses with not even a breath taken. Silence. I believe I am the only one that is noticing the odd exchange. Nick swipes his hand quickly across the man’s neck leaving a trickle of blood.
“And this is my wife, Kayla.” Nick says, breaking the odd trance between them. Coulton smiles and takes my hand as if nothing was amiss. Nick leans in and whispers to the man letting him know of the blood on his neck.
“Oh my, I guess the bugs are for my opponent.” He laughs, wiping his neck with a napkin that Nick handed to him. However, Welch catches sight of the exchange and nearly comes out of his skin. Coulton moves on to the next couple and I glance at Nick, watching a peculiar smile come across his face.
Welch and some security men approach us and ask politely for us to follow. With Nick leading, we do as asked. Ushered to a small room, Welch shuts the door behind us and exhales as if to relieve his flaming skin. “What are you doing here?”
“Supporting my favorite candidate.” Nick says calmly.
“You have no business being here, there is nothing for you to gain.” Welch grumbles like a child stomping his feet.
“No? Hmm. Well at least we had a good meal, maybe I will try to get in some dancing with the wife then. I could always stand to earn some points with her. Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Nick motions as if he is ready to leave.
“No. The two of you are an annoyance to me, but you are going to be taken care of soon enough. Your wife should have never been allowed on this boat considering her current criminal circumstances.”
“Alleged circumstances.” Nick reminds him.
“Oh, I assure you her crimes are hers and she will pay for them. After all, we do have a witness.” Welch smiles at me. “I wasn’t aware that you are so familiar with Mr. Maynard, Kayla? He says you two became quite familiar with each other.”
Nick steams as I ignore the disgusting comment. “I don’t know him, Mr. Welch, I am sure he must be confusing me with someone else. And whatever he thinks he saw is not true.”
“Perhaps we should get you
two together and talk about it?” Welch asks me.
“If that would help,” I say, shocking him.
“Are you done?” Nick tenses, compelling Welch to swallow hard with a step backwards.
Trying to stand his ground with Nick, Welch holds his head up, “How is your son, Nicky is it? Doing well, I hope?”
In an instant, Nick leaps forward and looks directly into Welch’s eyes. “You do not speak my son’s name … ever. Do you understand?” Welch’s knees buckle, forcing him to catch himself on a nearby chair.
“I have a lot of power you know, I will make your lives miserable.” Welch begins defending himself like a scared schoolboy. The once assured attorney quickly becomes nothing more than a spineless weasel when faced up against Nick’s devilish stare. “You can’t touch me and you know it. With my connection to Coulton, I am assured the Vice President position and if you come near me you will have all the hell you can ever imagine rain down on you.”
“You haven’t been given that position yet.” Nick assures.
Welch jumps back with a laugh, “There is nothing you can do to stop that! You have no power in the circles I run in.”
“I have more power than you think.” Nick growls.
The door behind us opens and a guard asks about a woman who is searching for Welch. “Oh yes, tell her I will be right with her.” He turns to us, “Enjoy your night, you don’t have too many free ones left.” Welch motions for us to leave and Nick escorts me out.
I watch Nick carefully for any signs to what he is thinking, but all I can tell is that he shows no sign of fear, which puts me at ease. We walk out to the rest of the crowd and accidentally run into a young woman trying to walk in.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” She says, grabbing Nick’s hand and gasping. “Ryan.” Nick tenses and she pulls her hand away and sways to one side. Taking hold of her, Nick helps her to a seat. “You’re not Ryan.” She breathes, looking away as if she doesn’t see us.