Kingston
Wyatt's eyes narrowed as I approached him, and I knew he had already picked up on the fact that something had gone wrong on the way here. He glanced over at the motorcycle, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head.
"Whose bike is that?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
I let out a sigh, not wanting to go into the details at that moment. "I promise I'll explain everything later," I replied, hoping to alleviate his concerns.
Wyatt turned his attention back to the task at hand, but I could tell he was still uneasy. "So, what's the plan, Kingston? We both go in guns blazing?" he asked, half-jokingly.
I shook my head, knowing that was far too reckless. "No, you watch the exterior. Make sure no one is coming in or out. I want to make sure there are no surprises," I instructed him, handing him a radio and earpiece to make communication easier.
"I'll go in and do the dirty work. If I'm not back in an hour, you'll know something's wrong," I added, steeling myself for what was to come.
I could sense Wyatt's reluctance, but he respected my decision enough not to argue. I checked my equipment, making sure my earpiece and radio were working, and that my guns were in good order. Satisfied that everything was in place, I set off into the darkness towards my father's farmhouse.
My father's security measures were old school; he relied on guard dogs instead of modern technology. It was a risky situation, and any wrong move could set the dogs off. I knew I had to be cautious and move stealthily to avoid detection.
As I approached the imposing 8-foot wall surrounding the property, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding wash over me. My heart was pounding against my chest, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. The darkness around me only added to the eerie feeling that something might go wrong. Taking a deep breath, I assessed the wall and prepared myself for the jump. With a burst of adrenaline and the assistance of my height, I propelled myself upwards, grabbing the edge of the wall and hauling myself up and over to the other side. Landing softly, I crouched low, scanning my surroundings for any sign of danger.
As I landed on the other side of the wall, I expected to be met with the ferocious barking of the guard dogs, but to my surprise, there was no sign of them. The silence was eerie, and the property was shrouded in darkness as I peered around.
With caution, I made my way towards the back door, but the sense of unease only grew stronger as I approached. The darkness seemed to seep into every corner of the property, and the absence of any guard dogs made no sense to me. I moved slowly and deliberately, making sure to stay perceptive of my surroundings.
Finally, I reached the back door and slowly pushed it open with no resistance. The weird part was there was no sound, no creaking of hinges, no sign of anyone inside. The house was as silent as the grave, and it sent shivers down my spine. I moved cautiously, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of what was going on. Had my father evacuated the property, scared that I'd kill him? Or was he waiting for me, hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce at the first opportunity?
As I crept deeper into my father's sprawling farmhouse, I couldn't help but marvel at its size. The towering ceilings, intricate architecture and exposed beams, whispered of a lavish lifestyle that came at a deadly cost. My father's insatiable desire for power and wealth had come at a steep price, marked by the stench of blood, betrayal, and selfishness that permeated the air. As I explored his home, I couldn't help but sense a new level of desperation in his actions to cross his own son like this, one that even surpassed his previous ruthless behavior.
As I continued my search, a sound finally broke through the silence. It was a woman's cry, muffled and pleading. I felt my heart race as I followed the sound, my footsteps echoing through the empty halls. The cries grew louder and more desperate the further I walked, until finally, I came to a locked door. My gut told me that things were about to get even more dangerous.
With a swift kick, I launched myself at the door, expecting it to burst open, but instead it refused to budge. I took a step back, drew in a deep breath, and charged at it again, slamming into the wood with all my might. The rusted hinges of the door let out an unsettling groan as I pushed it open with a heavy shove, causing it to splinter and creak under my weight.
As the door swung open, the room was enveloped in complete darkness, and the only source of light was a dimly flickering candle that cast eerie shadows on the walls. In the corner of the room, my eyes were immediately met with a hauntingly eerie sight that sent a chill down my spine and made my blood run cold. A lifeless body dangled from an exposed beam with a bag over her head, ominously swaying in the dim light. The sound of Kaylani's voice filled the room, amplified by a Bluetooth speaker that sat on the dresser, replaying her screams of agony and despair. Once the scene finally hit me like a ton of bricks, I crumpled to the ground, my mind reeling with shock and pain.
I had failed to save her. I slammed my fist into the nearby wall, most likely spraining my hand.
As I gasped for air, my chest tightening with each wheezing breath, I knew something was terribly wrong the moment the dogs were gone. My father wanted me to see this.
The pain was tight in my chest causing me to stumble backwards, my vision blurring as I clutched at my chest. The world seemed to spin around me, and I felt myself lurch forward, heaving up the contents of my stomach onto the cold, hard ground. I never in my entire life felt this helpless and emotional.
After what felt like an eternity, I managed to steady myself, wiping the sweat from my brow as I took a deep, shuddering breath. But as I reached for my earpiece to contact Wyatt, a searing pain shot through my skull, causing me to cry out in agony. My vision went black, and I crumpled to the ground, the sound of Wyatt's voice fading into nothingness as I slipped into unconsciousness.
*********
When my eyes fluttered open, the first thing that hit me was the searing pain in my head. As I tried to blink away the disorientation, I realized that I was bound to a chair, with my hands behind my back, in one of the empty guest rooms of Asher's massive farmhouse. The room was lit by a set of bright overhead lights, casting a harsh glare on me, and making it hard to see anything beyond my immediate surroundings.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust and for me to take in the situation. I was a mess. Blood had pooled on my forehead, and some of it had matted my wild blonde hair. I was dirty, disheveled and pissed the hell off. As my vision finally focused, I saw the figures of two men in the room. Carl's burly silhouette was hunched over, while Asher stood tall and imposing.
It was clear that they had no idea I was awake. Asher was livid, berating Carl for his actions.
"You stupid motherfucker! I should fucking kill you!" he snarled. "You fucked up the plan by calling Kingston prematurely. I had a plan, and you fucked it all up!"
Carl, for his part, rolled his eyes and brushed off Asher's anger. "The plan is everyone dies! I didn't mess shit up."
Asher seized Carl by the lapels, slamming him into the wall with a loud thud. "Because of me, we aren't dead. Do you even know Kingston? Taunting him like that was a sure way to getting us both killed." Asher tightened his grip on Carl's shirt. "You're lucky I came up with a fast plan to slow him down before he got here!"
Carl chuckled idiotically. "Tomato, toe-mat-ō... he's here, isn't he? Now let's finish what we planned."
With a sudden creak, the bedroom door swung open, revealing a figure that made my heart skip a beat. It was the same young black man from the earlier shoot-out, limping into the room with a look of determination etched on his face.
His dreads were pulled tightly into a ponytail, and he was still dressed head to toe in black leather. His face was a mess of bruises and cuts, clearly showing the beating that I had inflicted on him. Despite his obvious pain, he made his way over to my father with a determined, stoic expression.
"Okay, he's here. Can you let my mother go?" His voice was low and rough, but filled with a sense of desperate urgency.
My father's response was a cruel laugh that sent shivers down my spine. "Let her go? You couldn't even complete the mission that I gave you. I said kill him, and you couldn't even do that! Instead, you got yourself beat up! Get the hell out of my face." With that, he shoved the young man to the ground, and I watched in horror as he crumpled easily under the force of the blow, clearly still weak from our earlier tussle.
Despite his apparent submission to my father, there was a strange sense of fear in his eyes that made my blood run cold. He was clearly scared of my father, or should I say... our father. And I couldn't blame him, any sane man would be scared of a deadly psychopath. After all, I knew firsthand what Asher was capable of. To bad for Asher, he'd raised someone just as crazy as himself and I refused to be intimidated by him.
As the young man lay sprawled on the ground, his fear-filled gaze met mine and I could feel the tension in the room skyrocket. Asher's eyes were locked on the young man, his lips curled in a menacing grin that would frighten anyone. That's when Asher noticed the young man staring at me. He turned to look at me, now realizing I was fully awake.
"Hi, son." He smiled. "I'm glad that you're finally awake."
I spat on the ground, pissed that it didn't land on my intended target.
I seethed with anger and hatred for the man in front of me.
"You killed my-" What was Kaylani to me? I didn't know. But before I could finish uttering my words, Asher lunged forward, his grip painfully tight on my hair, his words cutting through the air like a razor.
"I killed your what? You're black whore?" I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the searing pain in my head.
Asher finally let go of me and turned around and spoke to Carl.
"Bring her inside." He stated on a harsh whisper.
Bring who? I raised an eyebrow.
Carl nodded his head and than left the room briefly before coming back into the room, bringing in a struggling Kaylani.
In that moment, I couldn't believe my eyes, my heart nearly stopped. Didn't I just see her dead, hanging from the ceiling? My heart pounded in my chest, a renewed sense of adrenaline coursing through my veins. It felt like I was given a second chance to save her despite my current predicament. So many emotions were running through my mind, an overwhelming feeling. My mind raced with a thousand questions, but before I could even process what was happening, Asher explained the situation to me with a sickening laugh.
"The body you saw was a prostitute I killed after fucking her the other day. That's all they're good for, Kingston. You're not supposed to fall in love."
The man was sick and there was no denying it. My stomach churned with disgust.
Carl began to grin widely.
"Now the fun begins." Carl tied Kaylani down in a chair, her breast bare to the world. My jaw ticked with fury but I quickly tempered my anger, knowing that everyone in this room was going to feel my wrath sooner or later.
I smirked as I glared at the two men standing in front of me.
"You're right, now the fun does begin." I stated confidently.
With that being said, I dislocated my thumbs which allowed me to pull my hands free from my binds. Although my feet were still bound to the chair, I stood up and reached for the knife I had lodged in my pants on the inside of my thigh. They'd taken all of my other weapons but apparently hadn't noticed that one.
In a blink of an eye, I tumbled to the ground with the chair, cutting away at my remaining binds. Both Carl and Asher ran towards me, trying their best to make it to me before I'd released myself. They were too late. As they huddled over me, I used the back of the chair as a barrier between us, allowing me enough leeway to finish cutting myself loose. Once unbound, I turned around and shoved them back using the legs of the chair to create distance.
I could hear my heart drumming loudly in my ears as I faced Asher, a gun now aimed straight at my head. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I struggled to think of a way out of this deadly moment. I shifted my blue gaze towards Kaylani and saw her panic-stricken face. This immediately caused something inside me shift. A sudden burst of adrenaline coursed through my veins. I ducked and weaved just as a shot rang out, narrowly missing me but grazing my ear.
In that moment, I knew I had to act fast. I lunged forward and grabbed Asher's hand before he could pull the trigger again. My grip was tight, my determination unbreakable as I forced him to drop the gun.
But chaos erupted as soon as the gun hit the floor. My hand instinctively reached for it, my finger hovering over the trigger. I could feel my heart fluttering in my chest as I raised the gun to my father's head. This was it - the moment I had been waiting for, the moment of revenge.
But then, a piercing scream shattered the tension. "NO! Stop! Please don't harm my mother...."
Confusion washed over me as I looked towards my "brother", wondering what the hell he was talking about. But then I saw Carl by the door, holding an older black woman at gunpoint. My father's voice cut through the chaos, cold and merciless.
"Shut the hell up, AJ. Speak again and I'll tell Carl to kill her."
Kaylani gasped audibly, her eyes fixed on the older woman. I could see the fear and shock etched on her trembling lips. And then she whispered something that confused me.
"Mrs. Frazier?"
My confusion turned to bewilderment - how the hell did Kaylani know this woman?
AJ finally grew some balls and scrambled to his feet, ready to defend his mother. But Asher didn't seem to care - he coldly ordered Carl to kill her without a second thought.
Carl cocked his gun and was about to follow orders. It was then that I knew I had to act, and act fast. Without hesitation, I turned my gun towards Carl and fired several rounds until the clip was empty. He fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Go straight to hell, motherfucker." I gritted out towards Carl before turning my attention back to my father. Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger once more, ready to kill him. But luck was on his side - I had emptied the clip into Carl already.
I shoved the gun in my pants and grabbed a wide-eyed Kaylani, her breathing ragged with panic. I cradled her in my arms and placed my forehead to hers. Whispering in her ears, I reassured her.
"I gotchu baby, I promise I won't let you go again."
Kaylani wrapped her arms around my neck as we exited the home.
Asher realized that he'd lost this round and didn't follow us but I wasn't naïve enough to think that he was done.
As we left the house, so many questions remained unanswered. But for now, all that mattered was that we were together, safe and sound.
When I reached Wyatt, I stopped dead in my tracks. He was face down with blood pooling around his body.
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