Title: Sinners
Author: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: R
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All original characters belong solely to me. I am not making any money off of this. I write only to entertain.
Tuesday, January 18th, 2004
Time: 14.46
"C'mon, Red, look on the bright side: at least things can't get worse."
Sitting in a chair near the window, his feet up on the ledge, Michael was idly tossing a baseball in one hand, his other arm draped over the back of the chair. When Tala answered the presumption with a glare Michael winced and whistled.
"I knew Johnny wasn't from this planet, but what sort of creature, human or not, could not love you? … He must be asexual … and a moron. Well, that last one's a proven fact."
Leaning back in his chair with a tortured groan, Tala threw an arm over his eyes before sitting up straight. Placing both hands on his desk, he stared out before him with a hopeless expression.
"I'm being punished," he concluded. "There's no other explanation. God is punishing me."
"I'm not a religious person, but even I don't believe that God could be that cruel," Michael said, wheeling over. "Lucky for you, Johnny doesn't like spending too much time in the office. Not when he can be skipping around the department doing his 'Look at me!' rounds"
"He's so goddamn … ugh! It hasn't even been an hour and already I'm reaching my wit's end. He says he isn't a babysitter, but he's constantly hovering over my shoulder, demanding to know what I'm doing; where I got my information; why I didn't think it important to share my findings with him. It's almost as if he's purposefully trying to distract me."
"Don't flatter yourself, Ivanov."
Johnny walked in, closing the door behind him with his foot since he was carrying a large pile of papers. Giving Tala a dirty look, he dumped the load on his own desk, situated against the left wall, away from the window.
"Finished with your little parade already, Johnny?" Michael drawled, tilting his head back. "There might still be some lucky bastard in this building who doesn't know that you are back. Why don't you just fill your quota and go fuck up their day?"
Slamming down the map he had just picked up, Johnny stalked over and roughly pushed the chair back down on all four legs, forcing Michael's feet off the window ledge.
"You can give me that smart-ass attitude all you want, Parker, but remember that at the end of the day I am still your superior and I can pull ranks."
"Yeah, whatever," Michael yawned, unimpressed. "I'm going to go grab lunch."
Standing, Michael walked over to Tala's desk where the Russian had been silently watching the exchange, trying his best to remain as unobtrusive as possible.
"All this work's made me hungry again. Bring you back something?" Michael asked Tala. "A hamburger? A slice of pizza? A loaded gun? Some cyanide pills and a noose?"
Tala stifled a laugh.
"Again, I'll pass. I'm going out soon anyway."
"So I've heard. Give Kon my regards," Michael said, toying with his keys. "Eddie's supposed to have to files for you soon. Later."
Mock saluting Johnny with his middle finger, Michael whistled as he left, leaving Tala alone to deal with Johnny.
Tala's first impression of the man had been that of a rude, impatient and egotistical person.
Having actually spent some time in the other's company … his first impression had proven to be spot on.
When the Scotsman had moved into the office Tala had approached the man in a vain attempt to form some sense of partnership. Instead, Johnny had helped himself to Tala's notes, read the first few lines, and then tossed them back on the desk with a sneer. Next to pulling rank and ordering Tala to not disturb him, Johnny had then set down a number of rules that he himself did not adhere to.
As Michael had said, Johnny was constantly coming and going. What the reason was behind his inability to sit still for more than twenty minutes was beyond Tala, but, although the constant opening and closing of the door was distracting, he didn't mind it so much because at least he got some respite from the other.
Getting to his feet to retrieve his coat from the closet, he jumped when a voice asked from behind him, "Why are you meeting up with Ray Kon?"
Silently cursing Michael for letting that slip, Tala closed his eyes, quickly counted to ten, and answered very carefully, trying to keep it as short as possible.
"Just to talk."
"About what?"
"Don't know."
The closet's door slammed shut, almost crushing his hand. Tala glowered at his 'partner', who returned it with equal hatred.
"This is my case, Ivanov. You will not detain such information from me."
"Dox murdered two of Kon's friends. You're here to handle Hiwatari, not Dox, so this has nothing to do with you," Tala said, shrugging on his coat. "Now please excuse me, or I'll be late for my appointment."
One hand pinned his shoulder back against the closet and the other grabbed his chin. Taking advantage of Tala's surprise, Johnny stared him straight in the eyes, searching. Tala shivered at how nearly similar it was to the piercing stares of Hiwatari.
"This has nothing to do with Dox. Not this time," Johnny said with scary efficiency. He released Tala's face but gripped his shoulder tighter. "He must know about Hiwatari's escape, and for some reason he decided to contact you. Not the police; just you. He knows that you know more than you're letting on."
Tala grabbed the wrist and, using his thumb to place enough pressure on the weak point, successfully forced the hand to release him.
"Never touch me again, McGregor," he said in a low voice. "I don't care who you are: you do that again I will not be as gentle."
Johnny snorted, but stepped back.
"I don't know what you've been up to all this time, pretty boy, but it ends here," he said. "Don't think you can just bat your eyes and I'll let you do whatever you want, like everyone else seems to do. If you want to dabble around in the Dox case, be my guest, but anything that has to do with Hiwatari goes through me."
Tala gave a dismissive tsk, but Johnny wasn't done.
"What, you think that you're more suited for this case than me? You think that, just because you had a couple little chats with Hiwatari, you know him better than I do? Even you can't be that thick to not realize why he settled with you."
"Well, apparently I am," Tala said sarcastically as he packed his bag. "Lucky for me, you're the all-knowing expert here. Enlighten me."
"He knew he could manipulate you. You're nothing to him. A student with no chance of outsmarting him, period, yet with all the information of the outside world that he needed. He used you, and now he's tossed you aside. Whatever interaction you had with him is no longer relevant because, to him, you are no longer relevant."
'If only you knew … ' Tala thought. "We're all working to bring Hiwatari in. This isn't a one-man show, McGregor."
"I am going to be the one to take Hiwatari down, because I'm the only one who can," Johnny insisted. "The key to getting Hiwatari is to get him interested. Once he learns that I'm back in town, he'll come out of hiding. He'll want vengeance, and I know how to use that against him. What is it about you that could draw his attention? Nothing."
Tala paused, about to sling his bag over his shoulder.
"If I didn't know any better, Johnny, I'd say you're very possessive of Hiwatari."
Johnny frowned, but couldn't think of a quick enough denial.
"The way you keep undermining my contribution to this investigation, and my work with Hiwatari," Tala continued, not sure he wanted to believe his own words, "it's as if you're … jealous of me. I really wouldn't have thought it at first, but do I threaten you?"
"Don't get cocky," Johnny scoffed.
Tala stared at him for a while longer, then made a small sound of disbelief and walked out.
"Have it your way," he said, and closed the door behind him.
A few seconds later, though, the sound of the door being opened behind him made him look over his shoulder to find Johnny striding after him, clutching his own jacket. Tala didn't slow down, refusing to acknowledge the other even as he came up alongside him.
"I'll conduct this interview with Kon."
Tala felt a sudden rush of annoyance rush through him.
"And what gives you to right to take over my interviews?"
"Hiwatari is of first and foremost concern," Johnny said. "If you want to chat with Kon about his butchered palls do that some other time. Now that he's in town, I'll confront him on Hiwatari's escape."
"Confront him? You're talking as if he had anything to do with it! All you're going to do is scare him off with your accusations. Besides," he grabbed the other by the elbow, "you said it yourself: Hiwatari is your top priority, whereas mine's Dox. Ray is here to talk to me about Dox. You'd be obstructing my own investigation by muscling your way in."
Johnny was ready to take it up with him all over again but the sight of a group of people coming towards them from the opposite direction distracted him.
"Balcov," he flagged down.
Bryan looked up. Assessing the situation, he dismissed the men he had been talking to and walked over, a knowing look on his face.
"Yes, McGregor?" he asked, expressing slight impatience.
"I told you I'd be filing a complaint if this one got in my way," Johnny said, tossing his head towards Tala, who rolled his eyes.
"Sir," Tala stepped up, not about to give in, "McGregor's the one impeding my investigation. I arranged a meeting with Ray Kon earlier today and now McGregor's claiming that interviewing Kon over Hiwatari takes precedence over discussing the Dox case with him. I told him he can schedule his own interrogation with Kon, but today's my turn and I would appreciate it if McGregor would practice what he preached and not get in the way of others."
"This is a joke!" Johnny argued. "Had I been aware that Kon was already involved in the case I would have spoken to him already. Ivanov withheld that important piece of information from me for his own personal gain. I am willing to bargain, though: if Ivanov wants, he can accompany me to the interview, but only if he promises not to interrupt or get involved in it."
Tala could not remember the last time he wanted to hurt someone this badly.
"I respect your reasoning, McGregor" Bryan said, cutting eye with the smug highlander. "However, being the one who sent for Tala I will stick to my intuition and entrust this into his hands. We cannot risk your presence obstructing Tala in his work. You will not intrude on his meeting with Kon. Am I clear?"
Johnny took a deep breath, holding his head high in spite of his defeat.
"Why am I not surprised? Should have known that you'd side with your little lap dog," was all he said before pushing past them both. Hands in his pockets, he mumbled some less than flattering words that only Bryan could hear but continued on his way, stalking towards the stairs.
"How are you holding out?" Bryan asked, walking with Tala into the busier ground floor office space.
"I'd glare at you right now if he hadn't given me a headache."
"Then I guess I'll ask again later. I'll bring the aspirins."
Headache still brewing, he summoned up the last of his strength to send a weak glower to the taller man, who winked.
"I need a vacation," Tala mumbled. "One that involves either me lying on a warm beach, sipping a pina colada, or burying Johnny up till his neck in the sand and waiting for the tide to come in."
"That line forms to my right. Get a ticket," Eddie said, rising from behind a low cubicle wall, where he'd been talking on the phone. He held up a thick envelope. "Maybe this'll take you're mind off Johnny for a while."
Tala stared at the enveloped being waved before his face.
"Dude, Johnny must have damaged you already," Eddie said when Tala didn't immediately respond to the offer. "These are the school records on Hiwatari's old classmates you asked for. Check out the first one."
"Brooklyn Kingston," Tala read as he pulled out the first sheet of paper. "What about him?"
"Used to be number one at the university, until Hiwatari came along and smashed every record. Soon after Kingston started acting really weird, which soon turned to violence when he threw a professor's chair through a window. He was forced into therapy, where it was discovered that he suffered from borderline personality disorder. He was released back into his father's care and pretty much fell off our radar until the murders started. A lot of people, especially students and professors, pointed the finger at Kingston, thinking he was out for revenge. Media staked out his family estate for months until Hiwatari was caught."
Intrigued but catching the time on his watch, Tala shoved the entire envelope into his bag.
"I've got to go."
"I would have brought it sooner," Eddie said, "but I figured McGregor would have had his claws on it in no time if I had it delivered to your office."
"Smart move," Tala said.
"I'm doing my best to help you out here, but withholding information from your partner is making it very difficult for me," Bryan warned.
"He is not my partner. I'm just stuck sharing office space with him."
"Aw, ease up on him, sir," Eddie said, coming to Tala's defence. "You knew that we're all rooting for Tala here."
"I'll hand all the files over to McGregor once I'm done with them," Tala promised. "Which is more than he'd do for me if it were the other way round."
"Like I said, I'm not encouraging it," Bryan repeated though with less authority in his voice this time. "You should bring an umbrella along. It looks like it's going to rain."
"Yeah, they're saying that there may even be a big thunderstorm … I say we send Johnny out to do some field work, in a really empty field! Let's put it to a vote," Eddie said, raising his hand.
Muttering beneath his breath, Bryan walked away, though he did raise his hand just as he stepped into the elevator. Eddie slapped Tala on the back and jogged off to find Steven. While the image of Johnny getting struck by multiple lightning bolts made Tala smile, realizing it was nothing but a wishful dream was sobering.
Tuesday, January 18th, 2004
Time: 15.30
Tala could tell that Ray was more excited than he was letting on. Sitting opposite each other in a booth at the front of the café, they had exchange no more than simple greetings, but Ray couldn't keep still in his seat.
"Ray," Tala said, putting down his coffee. "I know this is a difficult time for you. I know you're going through a whole range of emotions. But if I'm going to help you I'll need to know that you will listen to what I have to say. Not that I'm ordering you around, but that I want to do everything I can to help you and … to keep you safe."
Still dabbing his rain-streaked face and hair with the towel a helpful waitress had handed him, Ray paused, looking more subdued.
"Then you think it was him? Was that really … " He looked around and leaned in over his own steaming cup. "Was it Kai on the phone?"
"It wouldn't be too farfetched to think that he'd try to contact you," Tala said. "And if it was him—If he made one attempt to reach you by phone, there's no telling how bold his next attempt will be … "
"What, you mean he would come in person?" Ray slowed as he stirred his drink. Again, his face lit up with conflicting emotions, which he seemed aware of as he quickly checked himself. He looked away, ashamed.
"To an extent, I can understand your feelings," Tala said. "You never stopped loving him, but the man is dangerous. And since you're currently staying at Mariah's, you're putting her life in jeopardy as well. There's no telling what he'd do if Mariah accidentally got in his way. For both her safety, and yours, I think it would be best if you both went under for a while."
"Go under? Like a sort of witness protection thing?"
"Not exactly, since you're not a witness of anything. It's a special division that temporarily relocates possible victims, given there's strong indication that those people are threatened."
"Threatened? Why do I have to hide from him? There's absolutely no way Kai would ever hurt me."
"He is a fugitive, Ray," Tala said strongly. "He's a man who's made up his mind that he won't be taken in without a fight. All of Japan knows he's out there, somewhere. Men in desperate situations will take drastic measures, and Hiwatari's mind was never all there in the first place. Things could go really wrong, really fast, and if you're with him he could do something we'd all regret."
"I know!" Ray quickly lowered his voice when a few heads turned. He looked upset, torn as he rubbed his brow. "That's what makes it so hard. I can't … I shouldn't still love him this much. Not after all he did. I should hate him, for lying to me back then, and for all the suffering he's caused, but … I just wish I knew what he was thinking; what he's planning." Shaking his head in disbelief, Ray chuckled. "Man, why am I telling you all this? I've never spoken about Kai to anyone. Not even Mariah, or Lee, but here I am spilling my guts to you. I guess it's because you're the only one I've ever met who spoke to Kai while he was incarcerated."
"And why does that allow you to be so candid towards me?" Tala asked.
"It just feels like we have that much in common," Ray said, shrugging as he wiped his runny nose. "Sorry. I've got a bit of a cold, apparently. Mariah and Lee never went to university with us, and Lee and Kai never got along anyway. Most of my old classmates don't want anything to do with me, because of my relationship with Kai. Everyone just thinks of him as a psycho. Yes, he's … unstable, but they all seem to have forgotten that they used to think the world of him. At one time or the other, everyone who knew him thought Kai was great. Once he was arrested, however, he suddenly became this mindless monster in their eyes, and they couldn't believe that I could still have feelings for him."
Hesitating, Ray reached over and grabbed Tala's arm.
"But you saw it, didn't you? Kai isn't just a monster. It's like there are two sides to him: there's the killer, but there's also Kai himself. I'm not wrong to still love Kai's better side, am I? When talking to him, didn't you ever, for just a second, see his other side? His good side?"
" … I will make you happy again … "
"He isn't without some remnants of humanity," Tala admitted.
" … I must admit that I have imagined ravaging you as well … "
Tala cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked out at the pedestrians battling against the wind and rain.
"But he himself has embraced his other side. For all his charm, he knows full well what he's capable of, and has accepted it as his nature. I don't know if he finds joy in killing, but he's proven that he puts himself first."
"Not with me," Ray hissed, pupils slitting. "He gave himself up the first time, not because he was thinking about himself, but because he cared more for me. Tala, let me in on this manhunt. Use me as bait to draw Kai in. I could talk to him, convince him to go back into custody. He'd do it for me."
"You actually want him back behind bars?"
"If it was just him and me, no. If the two of us lived on our own on a little island, I'd take my chances and stay by his side, even if he threatened to kill me. But I have to think about others now. I don't want a repeat of what happened in the asylum. And I'm scared of losing him for good."
"How so?"
"With all the efforts that's being put into finding, there is a big chance the police will track him down. And if Kai resists, I know the police will not hesitate to use force—lethal force." Ray's eyes lost much of their intensity. He suddenly looked drained. "I can prevent that, I know I can. If you let me in on the operation, I could talk Kai into turning himself in again, and at least then no one will get hurt. Please, Tala, let me do this."
A long silence stretched between them. Tala could find nothing but honest intent on Ray's face.
"No," he said, nonetheless. "Sorry, Ray, but even if it were up to me to make such a decision, I'd still refuse to get you involved in this. And I know for a fact that the person running the show right now will also refuse you proposal, simply because he's dead-set on doing it his way. The police always favour blood-free results, but in this case I cannot gamble your safety in return for Hiwatari's. I just won't."
Sitting back with a frustrated sigh, Ray eventually nodded.
" … How's Wyatt doing?" he asked, trying to take their minds off Hiwatari.
"Not good," Tala said. "You heard about him on the news?"
"Yeah. Man, it's like everyone I know is dying all around me," Ray said. He took a half-hearted sip from his cup. "Well, I hadn't even thought about Wyatt for years. He didn't cross my mind until I mentioned him to you the other day, and now suddenly he's on his deathbed. Although, from what I heard, it sounds like he's been on his deathbed for an entire year." He grimaced. "I can't even imagine a sick enough picture of what that must have been like. And for what? Okay, so he dabbled in drugs, but he wasn't the only one. He was a good guy, really. I called him a 'groupie' and all, but he never meant anyone harm, so how could someone do that to him?"
The conversation paused as a waiter walked over carrying their lunch, which Tala had ordered beforehand, as well as two more cups of coffee. Placing their meals before them, the man left with their empty cups.
"So … now what?"
"Call this number," Tala said, sliding it over to him on a business card. "This call will be confidential, meaning you won't get the entire department breathing down your neck. Identify yourself, your past relationship with Kai, and explain what happened. Yes, you can tell them about the call and your suspicions. I have no doubt they'll accept your concerns and put your in the programme."
"But I can't leave Mariah on her own. She'd have to come with me. How can I explain all this to her?"
"You'd have to explain the move, but it'd be best for her if she didn't know the exact reason." Tala thought for a moment. "Tell her it's all my idea, that you go into the protection program. Say it's only a precautionary step. It might be too much for her, dealing with both the death of her brother and friend, and knowing that Hiwatari tried to contact you."
Ray nodded, tucking the paper into his wallet. Pulling his thick braid over a shoulder absently, he fingered the end, looking a bit apprehensive.
"Tala?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think that—if or when you catch him, that is, and if he's still alive … They may take him somewhere else far away, but if he's sent back to the same asylum, with heightened security … there'd be another director, seeing as the last one … Is there any chance that I could see him?"
"I can't make any such guarantees," Tala said. "Once he's back in an asylum, it will be up to that institute whether he's allowed any visitors. Usually, only direct family members are allowed to see inmates like him."
Ray scowled, poking at his meal with his chopsticks.
"The only living relative I know of is his grandfather Voltaire, who'd sooner give up one of his Bentleys than acknowledge that he still has a grandson."
"Did you ever meet this Voltaire?"
"Nope. I asked, but Kai refused to let me even speak to the man. Whereas Voltaire only started hating Kai after his arrest, Kai never liked his grandfather. I think—and this is just a thought—that it may have something to do with Kai's parents, but he never spoke about any of that with me."
"Did he ever give you a reason for that?" Tala asked, intrigued.
"Something about leaving the past buried. I think I once got close to the truth, but Kai never confirmed nor denied it. Whatever happened between him, his grandfather and his parents made him the way he is. Kai doesn't let people get close to him, but he's very protective of those he cares for. He was always worrying over me. Not in a creepy way, though. He'd ask me where I was going whenever I went out, but I could hear in his voice sometimes that he was worried, not jealous. It was like he was worried I'd walk out the door and never come back."
Ray folded his arms and stared at the speckled tabletop.
"That's what he's most afraid of, I think," he said, talking so softly Tala had to move closer to hear him. "Being alone. Or rather, knowing he's alone. He isn't a social person who loves having a crowd around him, but it's like … It's like he needs to know that, through it all, there's at least one other in his life. At least, that's sort of person he was when he went in. I don't know how five years of isolation has affected him."
A funny noise sounded from Ray's coat. Checking the screen of his phone, he groaned.
"What is it?" Tala asked.
"No, it's just Lee," Ray said. "He's coming home next week. Not that I don't want him here—we've been best friends since before either of us could walk—but from the text messages he's sent so far I know I'll be getting an earful when he gets here. He never liked Kai, and vice versa, mostly because Lee takes pride in being a villager at heart and thinks of the upper class as elitists. When he learned about Kai … He was sensitive about my feelings, but I could tell he happy that Kai was out of the picture."
"You gave me the impression last time that everyone loved Kai."
"Of course, there must have been a few who were jealous of him, but Kai never had any real enemies."
"Except Brooklyn Kingston, perhaps?"
Ray almost dropped his cup.
"How do you know about Brooklyn?" he asked, wiping the spilled coffee off his hand with a napkin.
"I don't know much about him."
"Why are you even looking through his records? What does Brooklyn have to do with anything?"
Tala raised a brow at the almost defensive shift in behaviour. Seeing this, Ray settled down.
"Sorry for that. I don't know why I sounded so ... protective of him, but ask around and you'll know I'm not the only one. Brooklyn's another great guy. Yeah, his records will claim otherwise, but before he became so obsessed with beating Kai, he was cool. You know, the type who could appreciate just laying on the grass on a sunny day, listening to birds sing. He was a real nature lover. He knew everything about animals, even ones most of us had never heard of before. Really gentle and friendly. Not 'friendly' in a 'I wanna make lots of friends', but he was so polite he'd never snub anyone who came to him. But soon enough Kai surpassed him in the perfect student category, as it were, and Brooklyn changed. When he threw Mr Yamaguchi's chair through the window the news spread like wildfire and everyone had the same reaction: 'Brooklyn did that? No way!' And when the murders started, everyone pointed the finger at the poor guy. I guess it became too much, first losing his prestige as top student, then the accusatory looks and whispers: he dropped out."
"But when Hiwatari was caught ... "
"Some expected Brooklyn to come back. With Kai gone, he'd have the university to himself once more, but he never returned."
"Where's he been all this time? Did you ever see him after he left?"
"Once. About three years ago," Ray said. "Everyone knows that he's living with his father up north. I tagged along with Kevin once on a business trip up there and while waiting for him in the car I saw Brooklyn across the street. He walked off before I could say anything. Even from a distance I could see a dark bruise here." He tapped his left cheek. "Guess his old man hasn't changed one bit ... "
"His father hit him?"
"Brooklyn's dad had him on a very short leash, which was why he worked so hard to be number one: to please his father. He wasn't allowed to live with other students in the dorm; his father bought him a lone apartment a few miles down the road. And even then, Brooklyn only stayed there during the week and always went home on the weekends and for the holidays. I mean, always. Every Friday, at four exact, a long black limo would pull up at the front and Brooklyn would get in."
"You ever met his father?"
"No, and I wouldn't want to. No one ever saw the man, in fact. We're curious, though, especially Tyson. He had us go all-out combat one Friday—Kai, naturally, refused to participate—and we hid up on the rooftops with binoculars, trying to catch a glimpse, but Brooklyn's dad never got out of the car and the windows were tinted. The whole thing was just creepy. And there's nothing anyone could do about it because Brooklyn was over 18 and he refused to file charges against his dad."
"Such treatment by a parent ... No wonder Kingston cracked the way he did."
"He really didn't deserve it," Ray said morosely. "If it weren't for his dad abusing him, he would have gotten very far in life. He would have had a life. And he did try, you know. He'd try to approach others, tried to reach out and make friends. He even participated in a couple of the beyblade tournaments Tyson often organized."
"Beyblade?"
Ray laughed, burying his face in his hand.
"Oh man, you had to be there. It was crazy. They hardly make them anymore, but beyblades were this high-tech spinning tops that were all the rage at the time. It's two players—'bladers'—standing over a special dish and launching the beyblades. Whoever knocks out their opponent's blade first, won. The beyblades were even advertised to posses so-called 'sacred spirits'. It was so lame," he said, still chuckling. "But we had plenty of laughs, shouting orders to two inanimate tops spinning in a wok."
"I can imagine."
The door opened and in streamed a large group of men, laughing and shaking rainwater from their coats and hats. Tala checked his watch. It was just after five.
"Oh crap," Ray said, glancing at the time of his cell phone. "I'm supposed to be picking Mariah up from work soon. Sorry, Tala, but I have to go."
"That's alright. I should be heading out as well."
But Ray grabbed his arm before Tala could even rise from his seat.
" ... Did you ever get around to telling Kai what I said?"
Not knowing where to look, Tala nodded. Ray beamed.
"And ... ? Did he say anything?"
"Not really."
Ray's smile fell.
"Then again," Tala quickly went on to say, "that didn't surprise me. He did react when I mentioned your name, but I knew he wouldn't show his vulnerable side to me at the time. He was always very guarded during my visits."
"Yeah ... That's true," Ray said to himself, cheering himself up. "Kai never liked to show any emotions around people he didn't know very well. Yeah, he was probably holding it all in because of you." Out of the blue, he hugged Tala. "Thank you. I really appreciate all you've done for me. If there's anything I can do in return ... "
"Promise me you'll call the number I gave you. Make sure you get yourself, and Mariah, to a safer place," Tala said. "And don't disappear: I'd like to hear from you, to know how you're doing, every now and then."
"Promise. It's for the best, and I'm sure you'll get Kai back, safely. And when that happens, I might be able to see him again, without having to worry that he can hurt anyone else."
"I will do my best, but I'm no miracle worker," Tala said as they made their way to the tilt to pay for their meals.
Ray nodded, but couldn't stop smiling.
Once outside, they remained under the shelter of the awning as they looked up and down the rainy street.
"My car's down that way," Ray said loudly over the wind, pointing to their right.
"Mine's right there," Tala said, pointing across the street.
"No fair! How did you get such a good spot?"
"The pay might not be great, but there are advantages to working for the police," Tala said and dodged a light-hearted jab to the shoulder. "If you'd faked a limp you might have gotten away with parking in the handicap zone."
"You're a bad cop," Ray laughed, and this time managed to shove Tala out into the rain before jogging off in the direction of his own car, keeping beneath the awnings of shops to stay as dry as possible. He disappeared around the block.
Tbc …
Read & Review, please.
