The Devil that you know Ep 25: Domino Effect (1)

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♙Kai Hamilton♙

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Some days he really wishes to be wrong. He is utterly and completely wrong when it comes to the dark gut feelings he gets.

Today unfortunately wasn’t one of those days.

The sound of footsteps almost felt like they were echoing around him as his eyes were peeled on the body of Ameer. He was arranged much like the other victims had been. His body was found in an abandoned warehouse on the water edge of the lower district. Stab wounds through the chest and one over his throat. Papers littered around his body, and the typed-out “See My Truth” almost felt like it was mocking Kai at this point.

It just didn’t make sense, none of this situation did.

Kai said as much on the way over and when they arrived to which Jonas told him in less than kindly told him to shut his mouth and do his damn job.

“…She didn’t do this…” Kai muttered.

He could feel the pointed looks on him at that. Jonas looked like if he could kill him, he would. Jaivon didn’t let Kai’s statement go unquestioned.

“What the hell are you talking about Hamilton.”

Kai gestures to the body with a frustrated look on his face.

“I really hope I don’t have to spell it out for you that it’s obvious that Sarah didn’t do this!”

Kai knew his statement was gonna roll his eyes but he had to say it. Jaivon didn’t even care enough to roll his eyes, he just let out a loud scoff and glared at Kai.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now Hamilton.”

“No, I’m not-”

“We have a body right in front of us. With her m-o written all over it, and she didn’t fucking do it?! Are you actually fucking stupid?!” Jaivon argues back, gesturing angrily at the crime scene.

Now Kai knows, he knows that arguing is pointless for a few reasons. 1st and probably the most important is that generally none of them cared enough to argue the opposite. It’s how it always worked, those who went against the mold didn’t meet with good responses. So everyone eventually just goes along with whatever the majority says.

Which makes Kai the prime example of the antithesis of that mindset. And what has caused such a rift between him and his coworkers? It’s not to say that they don’t do their jobs, it is more to say they are paid generously to do the opposite.

He hates it then, and he hates it now.

“Why don’t you try to do your actually fucking job, and rub some brain cells together, you arrogant fucking-”

Kai scathing words and the surely following physical altercation was stop at Jonas turning with a absolutely raging fire in his eyes and barking at them both.

“CLEARLY, YOU BOTH DON’T HAVE FUCKING JOBS TO DO SO WHY DON’T I SEND YOU BOTH HOME?! DO YOU WANT THAT?!”

The silence after was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Kai could hear and see the eyes of his colleagues bounce from him to Jaivon to Jonas and back. Jaivon looked pissed but held it in rather well outside of the shaking clenched fists at his sides. Jonas stalks over and mumbles a ‘fuck off’ to Jaivon who went to work somewhere far away from Kai. Jonas stops in front of Kai, his glares felt like a hot iron. Kai held his gaze only for a few minutes before averting his gaze. While he may not respect Jonas, he doesn’t know his earlier behavior wasn’t appropriate.

“Do you like your job Hamilton?”

Kai grits his teeth as he can hear the degrading tone in Jonas’s voice.

“…Yes sir.”

“Do you really? Cause you seem hell-bent on losing it.”

Kai doesn’t answer smartly, it wasn’t a question after all. He knows how he looks to others. Reckless, arrogant, and plain old disobedient were some of the more kinder terms used to describe himself. Jonas leans down and lowers his voice to just above a whisper.

“I don’t like dogs, too stupid and always getting into shit. What I hate more however are dogs who are smart enough to know it’s wrong and still do it.”

“I put dogs like that down.”

Kai knew that Jonas’s words acted as both a punishment and a threat in equal portions. He’s been perpetually on Jonas’s bad side and given his record will never leave it. He has been benched more times than he can count and has had his job dangling by a thread more than once. Jonas knows this job means something to him which was honestly his own fault for showing his cards.

“Now FUCK. OFF.”

Jonas then stalks away, barking orders at the other officers who had stopped to watch the show. There was a storm brewing inside of Kai, rage and bone-deep frustration battled against his logical mind, he wanted to say something. To yell or even scream even though it would be pointless.

“Hey..”

Kai didn’t even realize he walked over to Rafeeqa until she spoke. She was looking at him with pity which he didn’t want or need. She seemed to realize this quickly as her face ironed out into a neutral one.

“..If it helps-”

“Don’t…” Kai says with a tone that he’s never taken with her before.

She frowns but doesn’t stop.

“I agree with you.”

That does get Kai to finally look her directly in the eye. He had been avoiding looking at her much like everyone else. He knew what he was going to see a look of just “You did this to yourself” at least that’s what he was expecting. However, the expression on her face was one that almost gave way to the similar frustration that Kai felt.

“..Why?” He asks honestly.

If she was just trying to make him feel better, she would have said she believed him. This is a step up from being patronizing for Kai in this situation and he was very relieved that she didn’t say that. Her eyes dart to Jonas and even scan the surroundings before returning to Kai.

“…It doesn’t make sense logically speaking.”

Kai nods and he’s sure everyone else presence to more than aware of that fact. Just because Kai has a terrible view of the department doesn’t mean he believes they are idiots.

What he does believe however is that they are corrupt.

Maybe not everyone on the force so to speak, some may fall more in the category of voluntary obliviousness for some reason or another. In a city like this where enemies are all around and even next to you, sometimes being blissful in ignorance is the only way you can survive. Sometimes (all the time) Kai dreams that he could live like that. Ignore all the bad things happening around him and just enjoy his life.

But then his dreams twist and he stares at the bloody and broken body of his best friend and that blissful ignorance doesn’t feel all the blissful.

Rafeeqa was one such person who was living in that bliss. Kai’s been watching her long enough to get a good read on her. She acts like everything is good, that she’s not bothered by the world they live in. She even doesn’t care, but every so often that mask slips away.

Much like it is now.

Her gaze is cold, and there is a ting of anger there. Something that is very rarely seen on her face even with men who think that their dick is as big as their ego and trying to eye fuck her right to her face.

“…And why do you think that?” Kai asks a bit robotically.

She gives him a look of exasperation but does explain her logic.

“..She has no reason to make an enemy of the lower district. Sure Ameer wasn’t some shining pillar of the community but that’s all they would need to know is that she killed one of their own.”

And she would be correct in that line of thinking. It is a dog-eat-dog world in the lower district with everyone clawing to get ahead of another to get a little taste of the “good” life. And while that is true, there was also one absolute that is paramount in the lower district.

And that is that the lower district hates the upper.

It’s been that way for years and will never change. If someone was hunting the rich upper crust, that brought nothing but the purest sense of joy. Kai knew this personally as it what he felt every day living there. It was something to see someone so shiny and so far above you being pulled down into to the real world. It doesn’t shine a great light of his character and honestly he doesn’t really care.

That was how this city was after all.

“While I’m sure those rich assholes don’t think anything that comes from the lower district would hope to even disrupt their way of life but in reality, its not true. If the lower district really work together, this city would be theirs.”

Hearing such words come from someone else was both encouraging but also a bit disconcerting to Kai. He always assumed that no one else really thought much of those who come from the lower district. That was one of the main reasons he was even able to make it as far as he has. No one knows he from the lower district and even if they were told, he has no doubt that no one would believe it.

“That’s why they force everyone to play this game.” Rafeeqa says, her voice taking on a meloncoly tone.

Kai wasn’t sure what to say to that so he choose to stay quiet. He wasn’t expecting this kind of conversation after the dressing down he got.

“…But we still have to do our jobs right?” She says turning to him.

Her mask is back on, that soft reserved smile. Kai nods almost unconsciously to it. There was a vulnerability to this moment and Kai couldn’t help the words that slip form his mouth.

“..Ameer said that he was being watched.”

Rafeeqa’s expression goes from kind to confused to understanding in quick succession.

“…So you did get something from him.” She says.

She doesn’t look upset but there is a bit of disappointment there. Kai’s not sure if it’s due to him no telling her or him withholding evidences. There was a small moment that Kai debated on telling her the full tale but he quickly decided to just rip the bandage off.

“…He said it was one of us.”

The shock on her face of the revolution was visible. What was equally visible however was how quickly that shock turned to anger.