The Favour (COMPLETE)

Chapter 30.

Aravinda

"Leyla please you have to hear me out!" I shout after her grabbing her wrist. She turns so she's facing me anger painted on her face.
"Who is he?" She asks frustration evident in her voice.
"I... I..." I stutter, "you know who he is. You just have to think back." I watch as realisation dawns on her face.
"What do you mean?" Leyla shakes her wrist from my grasp, "you mean..."
"Yes Leyla. He is the man that killed your parents," I feel so ashamed of myself. I had covered over my past trying to forget it but now it was just coming back to bite me.
"How do you know him? Why are you letting him get away?" Leyla shouts fury beginning to show in her eyes again.
"Because it's all my fault," I shout back, "if I told the police about him I would have been dragged down with him! I couldn't let that happen, I had a fianceé to take care of." I don't know why I'm bothering to try and cover up my actions in this whole situation.
"Why?" Leyla yells balling her hands into fists.
"Because I loved your mother!" I yell back. It is true I had loved her but my brother was always one step ahead of me in life so he won the girl. I was young and angry being 'forced' into an arranged marriage because the girl I loved had chosen someone else. I didn't really want my brother to be 'taken care of'. I was drunk, depressed and desperate. I had stood up at the bar and said that whoever could rid me of my problems would be paid two thousand pounds, slamming a photograph of my brother and his new wife on the bar. I hadn't meant killing them-especially when there was a three year old to witness the crime. I had meant break them up! When I found out they were dead I was distraught and when this man came and told me it was him... I couldn't let him get away with it but he told me he'd say I was his accomplice if I went to the police. It wasn't until Leyla started having the nightmares that I realised she had witnessed the whole thing. My wife had said it was probably a suppressed memory and I felt so guilty because it was all my fault. I moved to England and left my life in India, I thought he wouldn't come looking for me but when he heard about Leyla's nightmares he told me to take care of her. That's exactly what I did, I gave her a good life and I made sure Ajay was there to look after her he didn't realise it was just so I could gain information to stop this maniac from doing something to Leyla.
"For my whole life," Leyla narrows her eyes and brings her tone down low, "I thought you just wanted to take care of me but really it's just your guilt."
"No Leyla," I try to interject but she holds her hand up silencing me.
"You either go to the police by the end of tomorrow or I will," Leyla shouts, "my whole life I've had to deal with these nightmares and it's all because of you." She turns and storms out of the room slamming the door shut behind her. Leyla's right, I need to face up to what I've caused before it's too late.
"She needs to be silenced," his gritty voice says from behind me. I turn and there he is standing with his hooded eyes and small nose, his lips thin and bloodless.
"She won't do it," I lie. 
"Hmm, for months you've been telling me it would be fine but these nightmares recently," he shakes his finger at me, "they were just too realistic. If you won't silence her then I will have too Aravinda. I'm on the straight and narrow now. Good stable job, wife, kids all relying on me. I can't go to jail for a crime that is so old." 
"She won't do it," I try to be more forceful but deep down I know she will.
"You keep saying that but I don't see any proof," he pins me to the wall by my throat choking me slowly, "watch me 'take care of' this little situation." He drops me to the floor gasping for breathe. Within two strides he is at the door a vicious grin on his face.
"Leyla..." I breathe as the door shuts behind him.