Reverence

Chapter 2

"Vegas police department, how can I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to report a drug trade, at the MGM Grand hotel."

"Who was trading?"

I couldn't possibly give away my husband like that.

"I'm not sure who the seller was, but the buyer. His name is Bruno. He's in the same hotel."
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Present

"You?!" I was angry; livid. "You turned me in? You tried to fucking ruin my life!" Ray stood up. "I saved your life. You could've been dead in a ditch somewhere if you continued business with us. You needed a reality check. Drugs wasn't the life you wanted. You needed an escape." She calmly said. She stood up, and poured her coffee down the drain.

"So what is it that you want from me?" I asked. She dropped the mug in the sink, shattering it. She pulled her hand out of the sink and her hand was dripping with blood. "Because I have bounty on me, and I have a bounty on someone." She said taking her time. "What the hell does that have to do with me..." I then saw her first round of emotions. "Shut the fuck up! Shut your goddamn mouth! Before I shove something so far in it, you'll be shitting bullets for the rest of your life." She lost her eye contact with me, placing her un-injured hand on her hip. That attitude she was putting on, I could tell wasn't truly her. "A man that you know, advised my husband to sell you that bag that night. I need to know where he is, and you may be able to help me." She said. "Ask your husband! But I'm not going to be involved in your witch hunt over a bag of coke. I'm over this." I grabbed my coat, and phone.

Play Music Here

"HE MURDERED MY HUSBAND!" She cried. As my hand touched the door knob, ". . . And my baby." I turned around and the blood from her hand was now dripping onto the floor. "And now he's coming for me, and I'm coming for him. I'm not scared to die, but I'll put up at fight. It's not just a bag of coke. You got a piece of an empire that belonged to ME. And that man took what was MINE. I ran the drug cartel here in LA, and my husband helped me run it. Your friend, Xavier Kane, was...our finance broker. We had millions, but when I found out I was pregnant, I decided to quit the business. Handing it over to a trusted friend, Joel, and Xavier was angry about it. About a month after my husband and I departed, paperwork was fraudulent and forged, money counts had been off. My friend, Joel, called me, exploiting the discrepancies after our departure. After digging through everything, somehow it led back to Bryan, my husband, who was outraged. Xavier was going to kill Bryan for mishandling the money, but Xavier spared his life; in return, he was to give Bryan a task to do. He told us the only way we can replenish what was lost, was to sell to a big buyer."

"Me..." I say.

"Yes. I wanted to leave the lifestyle completely. And I was angry at Bryan for doing this, but he had a plan. You see, Bryan wasn't dumb, in fact he was the reason why we strived for so long. Him and Joel, planned to reinstate the money that you put forth, and took it out of Xavier's earnings, because they found some evidence that Xavier was setting Bryan up. When Xavier found out, Joel ended up getting shot during a drive by, killing him, and afterwards, the business wasn't doing so well, so Xavier ended up taking over. That's when we ran. With the money we earned from the company, we bought this place. Our getaway. Xavier was angry, and one day, I went out to the store to make lunch for my family, and when I came back, and they were dead. Found my husband slouched over my daughter. Bullets hit him, and one so powerful, pierced through him, and hit my daughter, Penelope. He died trying to save her. She died being protected. Money, greed, power, and Xavier killed my family. "

"I've known Xavier for years. I don't think he's that ca-"

"BUT HE IS!" She raised her voice at me again. "You don't really know someone, until you've made them angry." I couldn't help but stare at her bloodied hand. I walked over to her, and grabbed her wrist. I ran the faucet, and placed her hand under the cold running water. She flinched at the sting. "Sorry." I said, keeping it under the water.

"I'm sorry about your loss. No one should go through that." I say. Ray then pulled her hand away from me. "You have two options here. You can run, and forget everything, or you can give me answers." I sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Where. . .is. . .Xavier Kane?"

"I- you see-" I stuttered. "I really don't know. I haven't spoken to him in years" Her eyes sunk into mine, and all she said was, "Fine." She walked passed me and wrapped her hand in gauze. "You can go. I'm sure your car is still at the bar." She said. "I'll call you an Uber."

"Wha- that's it? We're going to separate and act like we weren't just being shot at like thirty minutes ago?"

"In fact, you weren't being shot at, I was. That's it. If you don't know, you don't know. You're not a necessity to me anymore."

I couldn't believe how quickly she was giving up on this. "Am I going to die?" I asked. "Like...are these bad guys or whoever, going to come after me?"

Ray rubbed her hand through the gauze, as if she were comforting herself. "Yes. Anyone who has association with me, is on the bounty list. How does it feel to be a wanted man?"

And just that question set the bar. A wanted man who didn't even know he was wanted in blood and death. Nothing about life from this point on, would be normal. Not for him