by Mike Dagons
I glanced at his lover, and you could see the love he had for Luther in his eyes. I could tell that he wanted to go to him, and I released his arm so that he could. “Go to him,” I said because I didn’t see anything wrong with letting him have a moment to say goodbye.
Mario looked at me with gratitude, and then took one step forward, and Desmond plunged a knife into his chest to the hilt, pulled it out and stabbed him again, and again.
Luther screamed like he was on fire and charged Desmond, wrestling for the knife, and slamming Desmond into the wall. Luther was a trained killer, who was skilled in hand to hand, so he was sure to win the fight.
None of us had been watching Desmond, and while we were talking, he had pulled the knife out the man’s head Anakin had killed outside the door.
Choc had told us what Luther did to Desmond, thinking he was Trent, so I understood why he wanted to kill Luther as badly as I did, but he simply didn’t have the necessary skills to do it. So I put a bullet in Luther’s leg to help Desmond take him down.
Desmond seized the opportunity and jumped down on top of him and busted him in his eye with the heel of the knife. The eye closed immediately, but it only made Luther flinch in pain.
He flipped Desmond off him easily, and then got up like he didn’t have a bullet in his leg, and heaved Desmond into the bedpost with so much force; the knife was jarred from his hand.
Luther hit him with a solid gut punch that lifted him up off the floor, crippling him with pain. Once again, Luther had the advantage. He drew back to pound Desmond with another fist, and I shot him in his shoulder to even things up a bit.
By now, Luther had to know that I wasn’t going to let him win, but he didn’t stop fighting. He fisted Desmond’s hair, and held him pinned against the bedpost choking him with a well placed forearm. Even with two bullets in him, I feared Luther was going to kill Desmond. I was prepared to shoot him again when Desmond surprised me by sticking his thumbs into Luther’s eyes and blinding him.
Luther howled in pain, and as he staggered backwards into the sitting area, Desmond grabbed hold of his shirt, and flung him into the pane glass window. It shattered, and Luther sailed through the window with his arms flailing.
Immediately, Desmond dropped to his knees and started crying. Anakin and I walked by him and went to the window. We looked down at Luther’s twisted body on the ground below. He had been speared by the shepherd’s hook in the front yard, and he was lying in a growing puddle of blood. His death had been quick, and I wished I could bring him back to life and kill him again.
“Is he dead?” Choc asked.
“Yeah, he’s dead. Come on, Desmond. We’ll take you to the hospital,” I put a hand on his shoulder.
“Could you just take me to the airport,” he said. “My family is waiting for me in Paris.”
“Sure, but you’d better clean up first. I’ll find you some clean clothes.”
He nodded his head, and then pushed himself up off the floor. He kept his eyes on the floor while he walked over to Choc. “Tell Trent that I’m sorry for everything,” he said, and then went into the bathroom and closed the door.
“Luther really abused him. As much as I dislike him, it was hard to watch,” Choc said. “Kenyah was so bothered by it that she tried to offer up Trent to take his place. They’re both better off without the selfish bitch,” he said, and we both nodded in agreement.
“He paid for the dirt he did, and so did she,” Anakin said.
“You did the right thing.” I assured him because I knew how badly losing her was going to hurt his brother. Knowing he was the one to cause Trent the pain was going to hurt Choc bad enough to make him second guess his decision to kill her. I didn’t want him burdening himself with that guilt because it was all her doing. If she had stayed with Severe, she would still be alive.
“I know I did,” he smiled sadly. “Let’s see what we can find, and then get the fuck outtá here.”
We searched the bedrooms and found Luther’s safe while Desmond was cleaning up. He had a dozen passports and wallets, and we found Desmond’s and Kenyah’s among them.
I called Bender and had him make the necessary computer adjustments to make sure Desmond was on the next available flight, and he wouldn’t have any problems clearing customs.
We took all the money and other documents we could find to give to Bender to sort out. I gave Desmond his passport, and wallet, and then we left the farmhouse in shambles.
Desmond didn’t speak to any of us on the drive to O’Hare. He just stared down at his hands in his lap, and when we stopped in front of the departure terminal, he got out the car and went inside. He didn’t say goodbye, and he didn’t look back.
I watched his back until he was out of sight, and I was certain I was watching a man who would let what happened to him in Luther’s house change him forever. Whether that change would be for better or worst was yet to be determined.
Chapter 29
When we got back to the Viper farmhouse, Ceylon had the doctor at the kitchen table feeding her a meal. “How’s Valow?” I asked her.
“He’s healing quickly,” she replied. “When are you going to release me?”
“I’m asking your brother for a half billion dollars in damages. When he transfers the titles to all of his property in Big Foot, plus pays fifty million in cash to Genesis. I’ll think about releasing you. I’m also going to ask him to locate and transfers all of Luther’s legal and illegal holdings.” I removed my vest, and looked at the wound in my side.
“So, now you’re into extortion?” she turned her nose up.
“What I’m into is rebuilding the shit he helped Luther tear down. They destroyed a shitload of Genesis property. He also owes Viper a payday because Luther decided to pull a double cross and kill three of their men instead of paying the contract.”
“So what I’m hearing is, when and if Jeffrey settles his accounts. You’ll let me ride out. And if my brother is unable or unwilling to meet your demands?”
“Your good days are in your past,” I stated with certainty.
“What happened to your side? She got up and grabbed her medical bag off the counter. “Let me look at it.”
I peeled the bloody shirt off, and then hopped up on the countertop. Nicole placed a hand on my elbow, and then pushed my arm up over my head. “You’re a very attractive man, Ice,” she said while she gently inspected my wound with her fingertips.
I cut an eye at Ceylon. I had been in his company long enough to read the WTF look he was giving me. “It’s just a flesh wound. I’ll clean it and give you a Tetanus shot,” she moved her face close to mine, and stared into my eyes. “You don’t look like the kind of man who would kill women and children.”
I didn’t give a shit about what I looked like to her, so I didn’t bother to address it. “You finish eating your meal. I’ll give myself the shot.” I pushed her aside, and then hopped down off the counter.
“Don’t be silly, Ice. It’ll only take me a minute to clean the wound.” She placed a hand on my forearm the way women did when they were interested in more than conversation.
I stepped around her, and went into the pantry, and grabbed the medical supplies I needed. Call me old fashioned, but I sure in hell wasn’t going to fuck no chick who had even dreamed about fucking her brother.
When I came out she was standing there smiling at me devilishly. I walked right on by and went up the stairs to see Valow. He was off the IV pump, and his skin actually had some color in it. “You married yet?” I teased him.
“Almost,” he grinned, and then lifted a brow indicating Cynthia was in the bathroom.
“Sis, can you come out here?” I called.
She stuck her head out the door. She had a towel wrapped around her head, and a toothbrush stuck in her mouth. “Yeah,” she looked at me, and her eyes went directly to the wound in my side. “What happened to you? I’ll get the doctor,” she said, and started for the door.
“No, wait,” I grabbed
her arm. “I don’t trust her. Her easy smile and caring disposition is just an act. The bitch is as evil as the rest of her family, and I don’t want her doctoring on Valow anymore. You think you can handle changing his bandages and stuff until I can locate a company doctor?”
“Yeah, I was about to give him a sponge bath because I don’t want other women to see him naked,” she joked.
“Don’t any other women want to see me naked,” he said, and I laughed when she playfully punched him in his good shoulder.
“I’ll change his bandages after his bath, so tell Nicole not to come up.”
“So, are you feeling alright, man?” I asked.
Valow was a legend when it came to enduring pain. I had never seen him let anything put him on his back for more than a day, so I was a little concerned.
“Dr. Nicole checked his wounds earlier, and she said he was healing beautifully. She thought he might have been anemic, and it’s why his skin was so pale. The blood plasma and platelets she gave him has already given him some color, and she also gave him an iron shot, and prescribed some pills, which he refuses to think about taking. She didn’t hear any pneumonia in his chest. Luckily, the bullets didn’t damage any major organs. He can already eat solids,” she reported like she was reading from a medical chart, and she did it with a mouth full of toothpaste, so I was impressed.
She stopped talking to us, and trotted into the bathroom to rinse. “She’s going to talk your fucking head off, man,” I whispered.
“I heard that, Ice,” she said as she came back through the door. “Give me that stuff in your hand, and let me clean your wound, since you scared of the doctor,” she took the stuff and started sorting though it.
She shushed me when I told her I could do it myself. “Hold your arm up,” she ordered.
I raised my arm and gripped the back of my head, and then she went to work. I looked over at Valow, and I could literally see the swell of pride rising in his chest while he watched her stitching me up.
She was bossy like her sister, and I could see Valow loved it as much as my brother. I couldn’t help thinking she was just what he needed in his life to make it complete.
“So what are you two going to do after this is over?” I asked just to fill the growing silence.
“He’s going to be on bed rest for two weeks, and Ceylon says we can stay here for that. It’ll be safe because it’s a Viper hold, and nobody is going to be looking for Genesis here. Now, if you mean what we going to do after I let him get out of bed in two weeks, well—” she stopped talking when she saw we were both grinning.
“Does she know that you walked two miles after you removed a bullet from your own stomach?” I laughed, because keeping him in bed was going to be harder than hell. He just wasn’t wired that way.
“No he didn’t tell me that. So does that mean I can’t keep you in bed two weeks?”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You can keep me in bed for as long as you want,” he winked at me, and I cracked up. “After she lets me get out of bed, I’m going to buy her a Jensen, and we’re going to travel until Ryan rebuilds.”
“She’s going to let you keep working?”
“It’s who he is, and I’m not looking to change him a bit. I am going to make sure he continues to get enough iron in his diet.”
“The things you do for love,” he laughed, and I realized I had never seen him looking so carefree.
“I’m happy for you both,” I said, and then left them alone.
I had one more thing to do before I could consider the debt settled. I took out my cell and called Jeff, and I gave him my list of demands. He didn’t mention his dead men, so I guess he accepted whatever lie Leon had told him.
After I got off the phone with him, I shut down my emotions, and headed off to bed to get some sleep while I could.
Chapter 30
It took two days for Jeff to meet my demands. Eight hours after Bender got the confirmation that the funds had been received. I went to faceoff with Jeff Basin at his beautiful lakeside home.
I had Anakin, Ceylon, and Nicole with me. Choc stayed at the safe house with Valow and Cynthia. I didn’t think they were in any danger, but Nicole knew their location, and I’d learned not to take anything for granted.
On approach, I shot the two men standing guard at the front door, and entered the place unannounced. I found Jeff sitting at the dinner table with Leon. Thanks to him, we knew there was at least one other man somewhere inside the house.
“Jeffrey!” Nicole shouted, as soon as she saw him.
He got to his feet slowly, not making any sudden moves and showing me his hands. “Our agreement was to meet tomorrow,” he spoke calmly with his eyes only focused on me.
I had her standing in front of me with my Sig at her head in plain sight. “Hello Jeffrey,” I said mockingly.
“I’m a man who honors his agreements, Ice. So I wasn’t expecting you to barge in here early and kill my men.”
“Well, at least you’re smart enough to know that I got rid of the men you had waiting for me at the door.”
The tiny twitch in his jaw told me that he was angry, but he was keeping his cool. “Standard security is necessary. They had orders not to engage,” he explained. “You’re holding a gun on my sister,” he observed. “Does this mean you’ve decided not to settle this between us like men?”
“I have no problem with that, but you didn’t actually think I was going to walk in here tomorrow like an unsuspecting fool, did you?” I chuckled.
“I expected you to honor our agreement.”
We had agreed to meet in a neutral place, no guns, no backup, and duke it out old school style. The war would end between us.
I’d heard that he was trained in several fighting styles, and supposedly he was good. Understandably, he wanted to beat my ass before he killed me. I was anxious to let him try because I didn’t give a fuck how good he thought he was. I knew I was better. “It’s what I agreed to do, and it’s why I’m here a day early. But first, I want to return your sister.”
They had beaten my wife before they shot her, so I hit Nicole upside the head with my gun, and then flung her across the room to him. “Here she is, muthafucka,” I said, and then holstered my gun, and readied myself for the fight.
“Nicole!” he leaped forward, and caught her before she fell, and then gently lowered her to the floor.
I hadn’t hit her hard enough to knock her out because I wanted her to witness his death. “I’m okay,” she held her head in her hands, as he helped her to stand. “Kill him,” she hissed.
“You muthafucka,” Jeff shouted as he charged.
I didn’t wait for him to get to me. I charged, and her head exploded like a busted melon, and had both of us pulling up short.
I whirled around and saw that Leon had fired the shot that killed Nicole, and he had me in his sights. I was so surprised by the turn of events. I didn’t react instinctively.
Leon pulled the trigger, and Ceylon tackled me, knocking me out of the path of the bullet, and catching it in his back. The dragon skin vest protected him, but the .45 caliber punch knocked him out, and sent us both tumbling across the floor.
I recovered quickly, and had my Sigs out, and was returning fire before Ceylon and I stopped rolling. But Leon was not being a stationary target, and he had five times the number of men we were expecting backing him up. So I couldn’t only focus on him.
Like Ceylon, Anakin sprang into action immediately, delivering neck breaking blows and slitting throats. It didn’t take Jeff long to figure out Leon was his enemy and not his ally. And some of the men he thought were there to protect him meant to kill him, too.
He got into the fight, and I was amazed by the speed in which he killed. He was helping reduce the numbers, but I knew that being the enemy of my enemy didn’t make him my friend. He still wanted me dead, and given the opportunity. He’d take the shot, but right now, our common goal was staying alive, so killing each other just wasn
’t convenient.
Ceylon was still unconscious, and I pulled him behind a sofa, and out of the fray. I saw Jeff running up the stairs, and Anakin moved to go after him, and was stopped by a bullet fired at his head.
He moved out of its path, and it hit the wall behind him. He had move so quickly; I figured he’d heard the bullet leave the chamber. He reflexively grabbed the shooter and broke his arm before using him as a shield, and then he threw him into a group of men crowding him before he darted up the stairs while firing his Glock.
“Anakin, Turner at your six!” I shouted, and he leaped into a rotating spin to evade the trajectory of Leon’s shot.
Cat like, Anakin landed on his feet, and then shot up the stairs after I shot the gun out of Leon’s hand. In all the years that I’d known Leon Turner, I had only seen him use his right hand. So, I was surprised to learn that he was ambidextrous like me.
He artfully brought up his left while spinning into a crouch and moving out the path of my next shot. He fired as he moved, and I caught his bullet in my chest. It felt like an elephant had kicked me, and I flipped over backwards and landed face down with one hand under me.
Temporarily stunned, I laid there fighting unconsciousness. I realized that Leon thought I was dead. I should have been, since he’d hit me near my heart. Luckily for me, I was wearing the Viper blazer. The bullet knocked the wind out of me, but it didn’t kill me. Of course, he didn’t know that. And once again, he took time out to lecture me on my poor upbringing.
“I didn’t lie about believing you got her killed, kid. I begged her to leave you, but she stayed loyal to what she thought y’all had. And in the end, it killed her. I couldn’t let you live. Not even for her,” he said, and his voice sounded so incredibly sad. I would have felt sorry for him if he hadn’t just tried to kill me. And I didn’t hate him so fucking much.
I didn’t say a word because I wasn’t one of those muthafuckas that needed to deliver a monologue before I killed a son bitch. I flipped over and rapid fired six nines into him, painting a dotted line straight up his center until I put one in his muthafuckin’ head.
