Another Last Chance

by Tristan Walker

  He started thinking about his contact and wondered how she’d react to him. As much as he tried to convince himself that everything would go smoothly, he couldn’t imagine her willingly sitting down and having a discussion with him, knowing very well that it was the second time he had become one of the country’s most wanted criminal in just a few months.

  He became skeptical that their plans would work, and it was the first time he was looking at it from that angle.

  He began wondering if he should even go through with it.

  He heard her footsteps and could feel her presence behind him.

  “Kevin…”

  He turned around and looked at her. She was standing right behind him. There were still traces of tears on his face and he’d only managed to wipe it away after she’d noticed.

  She was staring at him as if she was trying to get a good look at the person she once knew. The person he was beneath the Rastafarian disguise and without all those accusations.

  “Babe… I really don’t know what going on,” she said. “But, if is one thing you should know is that I love you, and I would never give up on you.” She tried to control her feelings by turning away for a second and when she looked back at him he realized tears were running down her cheeks again.

  “I don’t know how I manage to make you change this much without trying harder to put a stop to it,” she continued. “And right now, you change so much. I don’t know if is for revenge, or whatever. But you is not the same person I know. And, I wish you did never meet Steve or any of them fellas. I really missing the old you. The person you was two years ago.” She slowly shook her head in disappointment.

  Kevin was looking into her eyes and he didn’t turn away until she had finished saying what she had to. He knew she was wrong about him changing but he also knew that he hadn’t given her a reason to think otherwise, so he wasn’t in any position to blame her.

  His eyes moved around the room. He wasn’t sure how to respond, and there was a lot of thoughts going through his head.

  She held him in her arms and they stood there embracing each other. Afterwards he was the one who led her back to the bed and they both sat down and he started telling her about the corrupt officers, the drug house, what he had seen and what they were after. When he was finished explaining she was at a loss for words and upset that she was now finding out. He went on to apologize for not telling her about it sooner and said it was because she was pregnant, and he did not want to stress her out.

  He started telling her that it was Sean who was waiting outside and before he could get further his phone began ringing. He ignored it and he could see that she was worried about who it might be.

  It rang a second time just when he was about to continue talking and he decided to get it out of his pocket and answer the third time it rang.

  It was Sean—there was a police vehicle patrolling the area, he told Kevin, and he had to make a block in order not to create any suspicion.

  Kevin walked to the window and he looked outside just in time to see the blue lights at the bottom of the street. He studied the vehicle for a while before moving away from the window and he was looking in Shantel’s direction when he told Sean to give him five more minutes before returning for him.

  Shantel looked disappointed that he was about to leave again. His thoughts were different though. He was debating whether to continue the conversation or not. Then he realized he had no choice. If it was his desire to be with them again, he’d have no choice but to leave before the officers return.

  He felt committed to continue the conversation but instead he went right to apologizing for everything.

  She looked at him, trying to figure out what he was about to do and that was when she’d joined him on his feet.

  “You still didn’t tell me how you planning to fix it, Kev.”

  Kevin was quiet. He knew if he told her of the plan, she would become worried.

  “How you planning to fix it?” she asked again. She held on to his hand and tried to pull him back to the bed. He wasn’t allowing her strength and emotions to overcome him.

  He handed her a copy of the footage and told her to watch it and she’d understand everything that was going on. At that moment she became sad and she put more effort in her attempts to pull him back towards her.

  He heard Sean pull up outside the house.

  “Babe, listen to me… Kev?” she said while pulling on his arm. Her strength couldn’t be compared to his. She continued.

  “Come nah babe, we could figure this out. You don’t have to go!”

  He left the room and headed for the door. He knew although Shantel had no idea what he was up to, she wasn’t going to give up on him that easy. He’d have no choice but to be strong for the both of them.

  “Kev, Kevin… Baby.” She continued pleading with him. “Whatever you going to do baby, you don’t have to do it. My friend know somebody from Venezuela. I could talk to somebody.” He was right in front of the door and he reached out and opened it.

  He hated seeing her this way, but as much as it was destroying him inside he knew he was too close to give up now.

  “Baby?” she said in her most affectionate voice. A voice he’d never built the courage to ignore. He looked at her.

  They were both on the porch and she was keeping her voice down. She clearly knew if she caused a commotion it would attract unnecessary attention from her parents and neighbours and it would only make matters worse.

  He turned to her and he could see that look in her eyes as if she was losing something she was prepared to die for.

  He looked to the street and noticed that Sean was looking right back at him.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and that was when he realized he’d have to disappoint her. Out of everything that he’d been through, seeing her like this wasn’t making things any better. It was obvious that she was being torn apart and their relationship was something she was willing to die for. He loved her more than words could explain, and he was willing to sacrifice everything just to see her happy.

  He relaxed his arms and looked at her for a minute and when she realized he wasn’t putting up a fight she released his hand and began telling him about her friend with the Venezuelan connections.

  Kevin wasn’t as interested as he looked. He was more focused on what he was about to do and the reaction he was going to get from her.

  “Shantel?’ he said in a soft voice and she became quiet and looked at him. His stomach felt cold.

  “I sorry,” he continued. “But, I have to go. I have something I need to take care of.” She stopped and just stared at him with a worried face.

  Kevin went into the car and Sean drove off at once.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It was 6:50 p.m. and Kevin remained in the backseat as Sean got on to the highway. He’d decided to sit at the back so that if things didn’t go as planned, Sean would say he was only the driver who was hired by the disguised Kevin. It was the easiest way for him to deny having any affiliation with Kevin.

  They made their way onto the northbound lane where there were a lot of cars on the highway. Only a few of them could keep up with Sean’s speed of 140 km.

  Kevin hung up the phone that Sean had handed to him and threw it to his side. He looked into the rear-view mirror and his eyes met with Sean’s.

  “What he say?” Sean said. Kevin was still distracted by the information he’d just gotten from Steve. He had a worried look on his face as he pulled the gun from his waist, chambered a round and kept it in his hand. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to use it.

  “What he say?” Sean said in a voice which was much louder and demanding than before.

  Kevin hesitated before answering.

  “He say it have plenty police on the shoulders,” Kevin said with concern. “But the first roadblock is on the Beetham.”

  “What about passing on the bus route or the main road?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Apparently ther
e worse.”

  Sean got quiet for a short time before asking if Steve was already in position. He looked relieved on hearing the answer.

  Sean turned left and went onto the westbound.

  The sun entered the car and Kevin turned his head to the side, protecting his eyes. Sean pulled down the sun visors.

  They continued driving for a few more minutes and Kevin noticed that vehicles were slowing down ahead. They both looked at each other, knowing very well that this was what it was all about. Both the day and their anticipation were coming to an end and they would soon know if tomorrow would bring forth a brighter day. Either way, they weren’t about to turn back now.

  The place was becoming dark and as they got closer to the cars Kevin could see a group of police officers and soldiers standing guard while the others were scanning through the incoming vehicles.

  There were also a lot of officers and soldiers on the eastbound lane doing the same.

  The actual officers who were asking the occupants of the vehicles to present their documents were standing at the beginning of the stop.

  Kevin kept his head straight while trying to identify the car that Steve was in. To his surprise, he wasn’t anywhere in sight, or at least he hadn’t noticed him.

  They were only one car away from the search. There were four occupants in the car in front of them and Kevin noticed that the officers were observing each one carefully. There was an officer on either side, shining their lights into the car, looking for anyone with the slightest resemblance to their escapee. Little did they know, there was a possible chance that their search could soon come to an end.

  After several minutes the officers confirmed their satisfaction with one another and they allowed the car to proceed without any further interrogation. Another officer who was standing in front with two soldiers directed Sean to drive towards them.

  Kevin saw that Sean was looking at him in the mirror again and Kevin whispered to him, telling him to remain calm.

  Those few seconds became intense and Kevin’s stomach felt heavy and his nervousness was starting to affect his breathing.

  The gun was still in his hand and he was holding it so tight that his hand was beginning to turn numb. He kept it as close to his side as possible.

  All the windows in the car were already down and the officer on Sean’s side started walking towards him. On reaching a safe distance he began shining his light into Sean’s face and around his body. After observing him for a few seconds the officer walked closer and asked him to present his documents.

  The officer on Kevin’s side was assisting another officer in observing the documents of the driver adjacent to them.

  Kevin’s body was becoming tense. He could hardly focus, and his only hope was that Sean would be able to drive them out of the shooting if that was what it came down to.

  Kevin noticed Sean’s hands were shaking as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched across to the glove compartment to locate his wallet and the insurance.

  At that moment the officer asked who the car belonged to and Sean hesitated to answer. Kevin remained quiet in order to keep the focus away from him.

  “Switch off the vehicle,” the officer instructed and kept the light on Sean, carefully studying his movements. The officer’s hand was already on his firearm.

  The other officer realized that something was taking place and came walking towards Kevin. He too began shining his light from a distance and kept his hand on his firearm.

  The engine was cut off and Kevin observed how much they were outnumbered and stuck the gun beneath his leg.

  The officer was right outside his door now.

  “What going on here?” the officer said to his colleague and he briefed him on the situation. He then shone his light into the car and around Kevin before asking where they were coming from.

  Kevin attempted to look up at him but all he could see was the bright white light, nothing else. He felt a bit relieved that the officer hadn’t recognized him.

  “Mount Hope,” Kevin said, with confidence and loud enough for Sean to hear, in case he was asked a similar question.

  “And where you from?”

  Kevin begin thinking of anywhere outside and as far away from Chaguanas as possible. The light was affecting his eyes and he twisted his face expressing his discomfort to the officer. His actions bought him some time.

  “Couva.” It was the only place that had come to his mind due to the light being a major distraction and everything else that was taking place around him. Plus, Chaguanas and Couva both began with the letter ‘C’. That was as far as his memory took him.

  The officer was studying Kevin’s face for a while and then he asked him to present his id card.

  Sean had just handed over his driver’s permit and insurance to the officer on his side and he was just sitting there waiting for further instructions. Kevin pretended to be looking through his pockets but was actually working up a reason why he couldn’t present his id card. During his arrest his fingerprints were the only thing that had connected him to his name.

  He knew not having his id card during a road exercise this big would not be ignored and they could become victims of a prolonged interrogation.

  After making a lengthy search, he mentioned to the officer that he was in a hurry and it was possible that he had forgotten his wallet at home. The officer looked displeased and after thinking for a while he walked back to an officer in a khaki suit and Kevin saw them exchanging words.

  Kevin looked at the time and it was 7:13 p.m. He became anxious and annoyed that they were already running late.

  His eyes went down to the phone and he saw that there were twelve missed calls. It was only then that he realized Sean had put the phone on silent for some unknown reason. The phone started lighting up again and as he opened it up he realized it was Steve and he answered.

  “You know how long I calling allyuh?” Steve said. “Get ready to move, I coming through on the shoulder.”

  Kevin looked into the rear-view mirrors and then spun around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He then looked over his shoulder and saw that the officer was observing his actions. The officer started walking towards him, shouting at him to end the call. Before Kevin could react he heard a loud crash and at that instant, shots began firing.

  Officers were scampering for safety and the soldiers quickly began firing back at Steve’s vehicle that had burst its way through the roadblock and sped away.

  When Steve had gotten too far, all the soldiers and officers ran towards their vehicles and started to give chase, leaving all the cars in the roadblock unattended.

  Sean turned and looked at Kevin in confusion and only when Kevin had shouted at him to drive the car, he started the engine and drove away leaving all the other drivers puzzled by what had just taken place.

  By the time Sean had made his way into Port-of-Spain Steve had already led the officers far away. Sean drove through the two orange cones that were used as a checkpoint barrier at the news station’s car park.

  The security had attempted to stop them, but they’d ignored him, pulled into a parking spot and quickly made their way into the building.

  There was another security behind the desk in the lobby where Kevin and Sean quickly scanned the notice board for directions around the building.

  “Who allyuh come to?” the security said and when he got no answer he got up and started making his way around the desk.

  The time on a clock said 7:35 p.m. and Kevin realized the news was already halfway through and he had no idea where to go from there. He could hear a phone ringing at the security’s desk.

  He noticed that Sean was looking at him with a worried face, and he ignored him.

  One thing he was certain of was that the country was about to know the truth, one way or the other.

  The security from the car park burst through the door, gasping for air and informed his colleague that both men had come into the building without his permission. It
was then that the officer belonging to the desk placed his focus on Kevin’s face and attempted to reach for his firearm. Kevin had managed to pull out his firearm first and both guards threw up their hands, surrendering to him.

  “I need to see Ms. Smith,” Kevin said and without hesitation the officer from the desk gave him directions to the newsroom which was on the first floor.

  Sean agreed to keep an eye on the two officers and after they had locked up the building, Kevin made his way upstairs as directed.

  There wasn’t anyone on the first floor and the newsroom was behind a large wooden door at the end of the corridor. Kevin continued walking and stopped when he saw the large logo on the door and realized that he had made it.

  As he walked closer to the door he felt as though his mind had gone into a daze and he started getting flashes of everything that he’d been through.

  He saw the look on Shantel’s face as he walked out of the house and entered the car. He remembered being kicked up on the ground moments before the shootout. He saw himself running through the bushes as Biggs and his boys were shooting after him, and from there he remembered diving through the window and then driving away as the officers shot at him. His body twitched as he felt the loud explosion that took Wendell’s life, and then he saw himself lying face down on the ground with bullet holes in his body. Seeing himself lying on the ground like that brought him back to reality. His body was cold, and his hands were wet and shaking.

  He reached for the door and before pushing it open he got a clear image of Shantel with the baby in her hand. There was a proud look on her face and he knew she was counting on him to reunite with them no matter the circumstances. He whispered that he loved her and pushed the door open and entered the room.

  There was a man standing on the inside of the door with a microphone attached to his headset. He was monitoring the two camera men who were both standing in another room that was separated by a wall with a glass window like those in interrogation rooms.