Evil Never Dies

Five minutes later, Lizzy and Hayley were in the car heading home.

“That went well,” Hayley said.

Lizzy’s hands were clenched tightly around the steering wheel. “Wayne Be

“There’s only one way to stop him for good.”

Deep down, Lizzy had a horrible inkling that Hayley was right.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Five o’clock the next day, Hayley heard a knock on the door. Since she was on her way to the kitchen for chips for her bean dip, she stepped to the door and looked out the peephole. “Who is it?”

“Joey Rich.”

“That’s the father of Salma’s baby,” Lizzy said from the kitchen table, where she was sitting with her laptop.

Hayley opened the door. “What do you want?”

“Is Salma here?”

“Maybe. What’s your business with her?”

The guy looked as if he’d come straight out of business school or maybe accounting. Total geek. His hair was gelled and combed a little too neatly to one side. He wore the standard long-sleeved button-up white shirt, khaki pants, and a belt that looked cinched one notch too tight.

“A girl named Kitally sought me out and told me where Salma was living. I need to talk to her. I would like to meet my daughter.”

Hayley looked over her shoulder.

“Let him in,” Kitally said.

No sooner had she shut the door than another knock sounded.

“Are you kidding me?” Hayley returned to the door and peeked out. “It’s another guy,” Hayley said, “only this guy looks a lot like Salma.” She opened the door.

“I was told that my sister, Salma, is living here. I would like to speak to her, please.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Badar.”

Kitally rushed to Hayley’s side. “Come in,” she said.

Hayley shook her head. What the hell was Kitally thinking by telling everyone where Salma was living?

Kitally ushered Badar into the living area across the room from the other guy, and then she let out a long sigh before disappearing down the hallway. They could all hear her arguing with someone. That someone was Salma, and it wasn’t long before Kitally returned with the girl at her side.

Lizzy stood off to the side, her arms crossed. She was not happy.

“Have the two of you met?” Hayley asked Joey.

“No.”

“Well, great. Joey, this is Badar, Salma’s brother.” Hayley then turned to face the brother. “Badar, this is Joey, Salma’s boyfriend, and the father of her baby girl who has yet to be named.”

Neither of them looked happy or showed any sign of being gentlemen and shaking hands.

Salma looked at Joey. “Why are you here?”

His face turned red. “You’re kidding, right?”

She crossed her arms to let him know otherwise.

“I thought we had something good going, and then one day you disappeared from my life, and I haven’t heard from you since. You weren’t going to ever tell me that we have a daughter?”

Badar puffed out his chest. “You need to shut up,” he said. “Look at her! She’s much too young to be having babies, much less one of your babies.”

“Leave him alone, Badar.”

“Come on,” her brother said, gesturing toward the door. “I’m taking you home. Mother is ready to take you back. She’s worried sick.”

“If she was so worried, why did she kick me out of the house?”

“Because she was angry. She’s been disgraced.” He looked at Joey with hatred in his eyes. “And as I told you before, if I ever found out who dishonored our family’s name, I would do something about it.”

The asshole, Hayley realized, was threatening to hurt Joey, just as Salma had feared.

Salma stiffened. “I would like you to leave.”

His nostrils flared. “It makes me sick to know you have given birth to this man’s baby. I do not know why Mother will allow you into her home, but it is because of her that I ca

Hayley wanted to drag his ass right out the front door, but she decided to wait and see how this played out and hopefully discover what Salma really wanted. Ultimately, it was her decision to make as to whether she returned home. No matter what happened, Kitally was going to get an earful from both Lizzy and Hayley.

“Is this why you left?” Joey asked Salma. “Because you were afraid for my life? Or because you no longer loved me?”

Her eyes glistened. “I love you, Joey. But this,” she said, gesturing between him and her brother. “I ca

Badar marched toward his sister and grabbed hold of her arm. “Come on. Let’s get the baby and get out of here.”

“Let go of her,” Joey demanded.

Badar pivoted and took a swing at Joey.

Joey ducked, then threw a good right and an even better left into Badar’s gut, doubling him over.

Salma’s brother recovered quickly, though, and lunged for Joey, sending them both onto the coffee table and breaking it in half. Hayley’s bean dip went flying, splattering the television screen and the floor with brown goop.

Salma and Lizzy shouted for them to stop, but it was too late for that.

They could hear the baby crying in the other room.

The two men wrestled around the room, knocking into furniture and walls as they went. When one of Kitally’s favorite decorative vases went flying and crashed to the floor in a million pieces, Kitally put her fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle.

Nobody cared.

“That only works in the movies,” Hayley told her.

“Thanks,” she said. “I can see that.”

Joey finally managed to push Badar off him, sending him staggering backward across a good portion of the living area before he found his balance. If he had any decency at all, he would have stopped right then and left the premises, but, like he’d said earlier, his family had been dishonored and apparently he was ready to fight to the death.

Lizzy didn’t care if the two man-boys killed each other.

She’d followed the baby’s cry and found her wrapped up and left atop a makeshift bed of blankets. Her tiny legs were stiff, and her face was red from crying. Lizzy picked her up and held her close to her chest. “Everything’s going to be all right,” she said, although she had serious doubts that would prove true.

Through the bedroom window, she saw Detective Chase walking toward the house.

What the hell? With the sounds of the living room battle still raging, she walked with the baby to the front entry and opened the door to find the detective just reaching the steps.

“What are you doing here?” Lizzy asked.

“Whose baby is that?”

“Nobody you know,” she said. “What do you want?”

“You’re not going to invite me in?”

Glass shattered in the other room.

He stiffened. “What’s going on in there?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Shoot.”

“A young girl and her boyfriend had a baby.” She tipped her chin toward the baby in her arms. “Her family strongly disapproves of the boyfriend and have threatened to do him harm.” She tipped her head toward the sound of chaos. “Boyfriend and brother are inside duking it out.”

“How do you get yourself into these messes?” he asked her.

“Trouble follows me wherever I go. You know that.”

“Maybe I should put a stop to it.”

“It’s your call,” Lizzy said, “though you’re probably a lot safer right here. Why are you here?”

“Your neighbor called in to complain about the noise. When I heard the address, I decided to swing by and make sure you were OK.”

“I appreciate it.”

As the male shouting inside built to a crescendo, he took a closer look at the baby in her arms. “She’s a cute one.” He put his finger in her little hand, and she gripped it tightly.