The Regulators - 02 (45 page)

“Would he really hurt me?” she asked. “I’ve never done
anything to him. I’ve always treated him like family.”

“Well, Lucy never did anything to him either and look what
he did to her,” said Javie from across the helicopter.”

“Are you positive it was him though?” she asked.

“I saw black drool marks on the floor,” I answered. “There
was a bite wound on her neck. It had to be him. That’s why you’re going to our
predetermined safe location.”

The entire team has safe location areas all over the country
just in case some big nasty wants to get revenge and take out a family member.
My safe location area happens to be in Vegas. I chose Vegas because both my
parents and Skie love going to Vegas. They have two penthouses reserved at the
Luxor.

“But doesn’t Kingsley know where everybody’s safe location
is at?” Skie asked.

“He does,” I answered.

“Then why are you taking me to a safe location that isn’t
safe?”

“Because you won’t be staying in the Luxor,” I answered.
“Hardin has arranged two suites at MGM Grand. I want to be able to get to you
fast just in case things go bad.”

“So you expect him to go after me at the Luxor?”

“He was angry enough to track down Lucy and murder her,” I
answered. “I’m thinking that she was just convenient and close. He would much
rather have gone after you. It’s his way of getting even. He has a sick mind.
He thinks that all of us wronged him in some way. Yet, he’s terrified of us, so
he’s going after our women instead. At least I’m hoping that he’s going after
our women. If he doesn’t come for you in Vegas, I’m going to waste a lot of
time chasing him down.”

“
He did come for her
in Vegas, didn’t he? The news reports weren’t very clear on what had happened,
but your team did have an altercation in the Luxor
.”

It took him two weeks to make his way there. I spent every
single evening in one of the security rooms monitoring the cameras and waiting
for him to show up. I was just about to give up and start thinking about how I
could track him down when he finally came for my wife.

I watched him on the security cameras as he made his way
down the hallway to her room. I watched as he put his ear to the door and
listened to see if she was still awake. I kept remembering what Kingsley said
to me that last time we had spoken. He told me that when everything was all
over I wouldn’t be anything more than a footnote in history. He told me that
nobody would even remember my name.

He quietly broke the lock on the door and entered the room.
Nick was waiting just beyond the doorway. He opened up with a fully automatic
blast from his mp7. Kingsley screamed a high pitched wail and bolted out of the
room.

He ran blindly down the hallway right into Georgie. Georgie
nailed him with a fully auto blast of machine gun fire just as badly as Nick
did. Kingsley retreated once again. This time he was headed towards the hallway
that led to the elevators.

I watched through the monitors as he punched the elevator
buttons frantically all the while looking over his shoulder just in case he was
being followed. He wasn’t being followed. Javie and Dudley were waiting for him
in the elevator. When the doors slid open, they each tore into him with their
mp7s.

I watched as Kingsley screamed again and ran towards the
emergency stairs. He made the frightened sounds of a terrified child as he
pushed through the metal doors and entered the stairwell. He travelled all the
way to the bottom floor only to discover that the metal door wouldn’t open.

I watched him try every single door between the first floor
and Skie’s floor. I saw the terror in his eyes when he realized none of them
would open. I watched him cry as he tried to break through them only to realize
that they had all been reinforced and he was trapped inside the stairwell.

I finally left the security control room when he began to
pound his head against the cement walls in frustration. I took my time as I
walked to the stairwell. I wasn’t in any hurry. Kingsley wasn’t going anywhere.

I let the metal door slam shut behind me. I wanted him to
know I was coming. I wanted him to be afraid. I wanted him to suffer. After
all, he turned against me. He joined the other side. He wanted to murder my
wife.

I walked slowly down the steps. Again, I took my time. I let
my boots echo throughout the stairwell. When I saw him up close and personal,
he was huddled in a corner between floors. He was afraid to look at me.

His appearance was horrible. His clothes were ragged and
filthy. He hadn’t bathed in days, possibly even weeks. He smelled terrible.

“What brings you to Vegas, Kingsley?” I asked.

“I just wanted to see you, Jaxon,” he answered after finally
meeting my gaze. The black drool was running down his chin.

“What did you want to see me for?” I asked.

“I was hoping…I was hoping that you could help me. I screwed
up. I have nobody. I need your help.”

“Did you want my help before or after you murdered my wife?”
I demanded.

“I’m sorry, Jax,” he pleaded. “Why did you guys leave me?
What did you expect me to do?”

I pulled my tomahawk from the back of my belt. I did it
slowly. I wanted him to know what was coming. I wanted him to attack, but he
never did. He was too afraid. I had expected a decent fight, but it honestly
didn’t last very long at all. I think he was just too terrified to defend
himself, and when it was all over, I realized that he wasn’t even enough of a
threat to merit a footnote. I left the stairwell wondering how long it would
take before people began to forget his name.

The team was waiting for me when I came out. Georgie nodded
his head in approval. That night, we went out and celebrated. We drank hard and
played merrily. At one point in the evening, we were all sitting around a big
table and drinking shots of Jack. I don’t remember where we were, but I
remember looking around the table at my team, my dog and my family and thinking
life was pretty damn good.