Page 75 of See No Evil

“Peace looks different for everyone. You do whatever you need to do, to be at peace. You think about what I said, now.”

“I will.” He began to make his way to his truck.

“And thanks again for the groceries, baby! Love you, son-in-law! You drive safe now.” He watched as the woman closed the door, then got into his truck. He sat there for a spell, then turned on the radio. ‘Higher,’ by French Montana played as he rolled out…

I believe inspirits talkin’…

I believe in dead men walkin’…

I believe in demons stalkin’…

I BELIEVE I SEE EVIL.

Legend lit a cigar. The auburn blaze looked like a Halloween pumpkin, the eyes burning as he stood in the glow of the rising sun, slowly climbing from behind the clouds. Finesse2tymes, “Back End,’ blasted through his speakers as he stood right outside of his truck with the driver’s side window rolled all the way down. All around him were big pieces of construction equipment, and vehicles, backhoes, cranks and such, as well as a porta-potty off to the side.

His guns caught the light of the day, shining bright on his hips and reflecting in the nearby windows ready to be installed, lying against sheets of siding and pieces of drywall.

“I hope you’re nice and uncomfortable. That rope looks tight.”

Hogtied on the ground was a man whose face had scratched the eyes of his hopes and dreams as a child.

“Andre, Andre, Andre…” He blew out rings of smoke and beamed wide at the man, who lay on his back like a stuffed pig.

Muffled noises came from the fucker’s mouth, but no words were discernable. Legend hadn’t removed the duct tape, and instead, paced around the wiggling worm who was scooting about, making circles in the sand and kicking up dirt.

“I own this land you’re on. See, that’s the thing, right? Money can buy all sorts of things, Andre. I can buy alcohol by the caseloads. Drugs by the kilo. Houses by the lot. Clothes right off the rack. Cars off the lot. Money can make or break you. Money comes and goes. There’s one thing money should never buy though—and that’s children.”

He tossed the cigar down onto the dirt, smashing it with his boot.

The man’s beady dark brown eyes clamped shut. His face was covered in droplets of sweat, and his nostrils flared as he struggled to breathe.

“Open your damn eyes. Look death in the face.”

The fucker’s eyes were two closed curtains, unwilling to see his own reality in the making. Unwilling to see his evil. Andre gradually opened his eyes again and stared at him. Legend stood over the man’s writhing body, dropping burning ash from his cigar onto his face.

“That hurts a little, huh?” he sneered. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Legend Vidal. If that name doesn’t ring a bell for you, here’s an explanation as to why those men went into your home last night, and snatched you out back of your house while your family was asleep, none the wiser. Alarm off. Check. Security cameras disabled. Check. Your ass brought to me.Check fuckin’ mate. The reason why you’re here is because you put your filthy fucking hands on me when I was a child. You paid money to rent me… like I was some movie from Blockbuster, back in the day.

“I worked hard to get my hands on you, Andre, and it wasn’t an easy feat. I paid good money to share this time with you. Been workin’ on this for years.” He began to pace back and forth as his excitement grew. “You live in a busy area with a lotta people. Lotta cameras. Plenty of security. I needed professionals to get your ass, so this could be clean. Untraceable. See? When you’re patient, things work out. All prison did was give me time to work out the kinks in my plan, and hook up with the right people. It’s a small world. I met my uncle in there. A man I didn’t even know existed. Who knew my father had a half-brother who was a cutthroat, mean ass, roughneck mothafucka on the run from Puerto Rican authorities for trafficking and leavin’ a bloodbath behind him? One of America’s Most Wanted. I told him of my dilemma… and the rest is history. I must say, he delivered.

“I’ve been studying you for years. You’restilla nasty mothafucka. People like you never change. It’s who you’re hardwired to be. A fuckin’ low tier, slimy demon. A terror inducer. A hellion playing masquerade. Well, you met your match. Anything you can do, I can do better.” Legend smirked at him, then laughed. Crouching down as low as he could go, he got in his face. “You ain’t seen evil yet, ’til you seenme…”

Back on his feet, he stomped him in the chest with his boot.

The man’s eyes bulged, and he turned red in the face.

“About a year ago, I had a computer repair guy from your company put a tracer on your shit. You thought you were slick… on the deep web. But I’ve got it all, man. You have a lot of kiddie porn. Repulsive forbidden shit. It’s crazy how you can sleep at night, knowin’ you’ve done what you’ve done, and continue to do what you do. People trust you around their seed. They lettheir babies sit on your lap at birthday parties, and let you give them piggyback rides all around the house. For you, it’s a real thrill, ain’t it? You sick fuck! That’s not a good look, man. You’re a well-liked and loved member of your community. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. Go to church just about every Sunday. Nobody knows your dirty little secret. But they will after today.”

He glanced back at his target, and saw the bastard’s eyes watering.

“All that shit is going to the police, the evidence from your computer and the photos in that little album you keep in that safe, from an unmarked address. Soon to be delivered when I’m done with you. I’ve watched you, man. I’ve watched you for a long, long time. You’ve been on public access TV, then YouTube. In town hall meetings. Shouting proudly in parades. How you think everyone is going to feel knowin’ that the head of their little Homeowner’s Association is a fuckin’ pedophile? You like messin’ with little boys. You’ve been a busy beaver, haven’t you? Your favorite thing to do was jam your fingers in my mouth and make me gag. And you did some other things, too. We don’t need to rehash it, but I tell you this much: Now it’smyturn, Andre. I’m ready to return the favor.”

He walked to his truck and retrieved a sparkler firecracker, then made his way back over to Andre, yanked him off of the ground by the ropes, onto his knees, and snatched the tape off his mouth. The man began screaming at the top of his lungs.

“AHHHHHH!!!!!! FUCK! SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE! HEEELPPP!”

Legend proceeded to kick him in the throat with his combat boot, quieting him instantly. His complexion began to turn ashen, as if he couldn’t breathe.

“Nobody told you to talk, mothafucka! I RUN SHIT OVER HERE. Now, open your fuckin’ mouth…” he snarled.

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