Chapter Nine
Brandon listened to the sound of branches snapping and hushed voices as he slowly opened his eyes. It had been a long night and now they were back. He braced himself for the excruciating pain he was about to feel. Once Cassie and Richard came into sight, he was surprised to see that all they were carrying was a hammer. Remembering how they had hit his head with that same hammer with night before, his back went rigid.
Richard brought the hammer down over Brandon's head a few times, his face set and determined. As Brandon lost consciousness, Cassie undid the motorcycle chains and she and Richard carried him back to the car. It was the car he had been driving around Salem, Cassie had found the keys in his pocket the night before. She and Richard placed him in the driver's seat, then stepped back. He was hunched over the steering wheel, eyes shut and head bruised. Cassie looked over at Richard questioningly.
"How are we going to do this?" she asked him. Richard shook his head uncertainly.
"I don't know. I've never done this before." he looked around him until his eyes rested on a large branch. He went over and picked it up, "We could wedge this between him and the accelerator. If the car explodes on impact like it should, the stick will burn up and no one will ever know it was there. But if it doesn't explode, one of us is going to have to go down and get it. We have to make this look like he just lost control of the car and went over the edge."
"It will explode." Cassie said confidently as Richard went over to the car. As he was starting up the car, Brandon shifted in the seat and groaned. Richard quickly slammed Brandon's head into the steering wheel, silencing him once again. Richard started up the car and shoved the stick in. Richard moved away from the car and watched as the wheels began rolling towards the edge of the cliff.
"It's working." Richard said triumphantly, the car picking up speed as it neared the cliff's edge. Cassie watched silently until she noticed Brandon bring his head off the steering wheel and look around.
She grabbed Richard's arm and gripped it tightly, "Richard, he's awake."
Brandon froze when he saw how close he was to the edge of the cliff. He wasn't thinking and he wasted a few crucial seconds before he realized what was making the car move. But by the time he took the stick out, it was too late. Cassie and Richard heard him screaming as the car crashed at the bottom of the cliff. They went over to look at the damage. The remains of the car burst into flames, putting a stop to Brandon's pained cries for the last time.
"He was screaming." Cassie said breathlessly, "He saw the ground coming at him. He knew he was going to die." Cassie knew it was stupid to feel sorry for someone who had caused her so much pain but she imagined him down there after the fall, the fire slowly eating away at him and couldn't help the mild pangs of sympathy she felt. Richard and Cassie went over to the motorcycle Richard had driven over on and silently drove away from the scene.
She saw the blur of black speed away through the slits between the large pine trees. She didn't follow them, instead she kept driving, noticing the smoke rising from an area nearby. She finally reached her destination and got out of her car, not bothering to shut the door behind her.
She could smell burning flesh even from her spot on the top of the cliff. All she could make out were the remains of a small, brown car and a charred black arm sticking out of the driver's side. The smell and sight of it was making her nauseous, she was too late again. Once again she was too late to stop the depraved, narcissistic prick from hurting someone else. Her mouth formed a grim line as she rushed back to her car. There was nothing she could do for the man down there. She had to find Richard Hayward and put him behind bars once and for all. Before he destroyed anymore lives.
Nicole put on a pair of large hoop earings and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She grabbed her jacket before leaving her bedroom and began walking down the stairs. Before she could leave the Kiriakas Mansion, she was stopped by Brady.
"Where are you going?" Brady demanded, "I hope you're not going out with that Jason guy again."
Nicole smirked at him, knowing the right words to say to make him even more pissed off than he already was, "Of course it's not Jason. There are way too many sexy motorcycle men in this town right now to just stay tied down to one. No, tonight it's Kaleb. He's got a sister, I think her name's Kari. Maybe I should set you up with her so that you'll leave me alone."
"I don't want Kaleb's sister." Brady spat out angrily, firmly holding onto her arm, "But I don't want you going out with him, okay? That Jason guy, he got you high. It's only a matter of time before one these guys makes you do something worse. You're making a big mistake."
Nicole glared at him, "It's nice to know you care. But Jason didn't force me into doing anything and Kaleb won't either. That's not the problem, is it, Brady? I think you're jealous."
Brady's eyes darkened and his jaw clenched, "Fine, maybe I am a little jealous. So, can you please stay home, Nicole? I do care and I am worried about the way these guys are going to treat you."
Nicole felt her resolve weaken but then she thought about how angry Sami would be if she backed out of their plan, "You don't care that much. If you felt the way I wanted you to feel about me, then you wouldn't be dating Chloe anymore. You just want me to spend time with you because Chloe isn't around. Well, I'm really sorry but that isn't going to happen."
She stormed outside, leaving Brady to stare after her. After the motorcycle's taillights had completely disappeared, he slammed his fist against the wall angrily. He didn't know why Nicole going out with all these guys was making him so crazy. He just didn't want her to be with anyone if it wasn't him. He knew that wasn't fair but he couldn't help it. He could have either Chloe or Nicole, he couldn't have both of them. And since Nicole was gone for the night, he would use the time to think it over.
