The Hours in Between - The Devereaux Case Files Book 5

Chapter 18

The minute Faith pulled into a parking space behind the museum, Reyes jumped out and headed inside, warning Faith to stay in the car with the kids in case anything happened and she needed to get away quickly. He couldn't be sure he could overpower Kelly after the bang on the head he'd gotten. He could risk a concussion or worse with another blow. "If I'm not out in ten minutes, go straight to the hospital." He ordered, pretty sure that after ten minutes he would either be incapacitated or dead. It showed the state she was in and how worried she was about Ayah, when she agreed without a fight.

Reyes was quiet and careful as he walked into the museum, but he tried to hurry all the same. He found Kelly standing over Reed, who was tied to the stone alter in the middle of the exhibition, with a knife tip hidden by Reed's open shirt. He couldn't be sure what Kelly was doing, so he didn't dare try to hit the knife out of his hand, in case he hurt Reed more. It seemed that he didn't have to do much though, as Reed struggled against his binds, spitting insults at his brother and insisting that Ayah would never be his. He had really lost the plot.

Reyes decided he needed to move quicker, for Ayah's sake more than anything else. He made his way over, quietly, and came up behind Kelly. He only had one advantage over the kid, and that was his strength, so he used it. He clapped his hand over Kelly's mouth and punched him hard in the kidney, making him release the knife automatically in his move to defend himself. Then he spun the kid around and flattened him with his famous right hook. Kelly fell to the floor, unconscious.

"The trouble you get into." Reyes joked lightly as he removed Reed's gag and started cutting at the ropes with Kelly's weapon of choice. He felt a little dizzy and light headed, but he was relieved to see that other than a few small cuts on his chest, Reed was fine.

"Get me out of here!" Reed shouted at him suddenly, and because of the situation they were in and the feelings of helplessness he knew they had both felt when tied up, he did as Reed asked without protest. He was only marginally surprised when he jumped off the alter and started kicking and shouting at Kelly's unconscious body. Reyes would have loved, any other time, to let him finish the job, but there were more important things to do. He grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shake.

"Let me go! You don't know what he's done...what he was going to do!" He wasn't making any sense, so Reyes shook him again.

"Ayah's in the hospital." He informed him. That got through to him alright. Reed froze.

"I thought he was just guessing." He admitted it in a daze, confused and angry and unable to control his emotions.

"What?" Reyes was just as confused. They were not following the same conversation.

"Kelly! He said he'd been slowly poisoning her for weeks and that she'd be in hospital. By the time he'd taken care of me he'd go sign her out into his care and if she didn't agree to be with him he'd kill her." Reed explained as calmly as he could, fixing his shirt and taking off for the back exit where his car was parked. Reyes followed, trying to explain, stopping Reed with a hand on his arm.

"I don't know if that's true or not but Faith says that Ayah's pregnant. She's gone into labor" He revealed, wondering if he was genuinely confused or if the blow to the head was taking effect. Reed was floored, but relieved to hear that Kelly hadn't been poisoning her.

"Is Faith with her?" He wondered suddenly, hoping that someone had gone with his wife, to keep her calm and informed of what was going on. But there Reyes had to disappoint him again, as they headed out of the museum, and into the parking lot.

"No. She's in the car. The ambulance guys wouldn't let her take the kids in the van so she had to wait behind. She grabbed a bag and she found me lying on the doorstep when I left so we came straight here to get you." Reyes explained, opening the passenger door and letting Reed get in. He joined the kids in the back and tried to make sense of it all. While Faith drove them to the hospital, he made Reed tell him of everything Kelly had said or done, before calling Murray and asking him to take care of Kelly, who was unconscious in the museum.