“I’m not going. I’m staying here, with Jen.”
Warmth flooded through Jen’s system and brought red to her cheeks. Ace wants to stay with me? He doesn’t hate me after all! Despite everything, my Bailey boy is staying by my side!
“You can’t be serious! You can’t stay with her,” Pearl was seething, “Tell him, Joe. Tell him he can’t stay with her.”
“I have to agree with my sister on this one. You cannot stay with Miss Jacobs. It’s not plausible. After the change of scriptwriter has been announced then the press will be focused on Demon Hunters and its crew, especially the lead actress. Someone might put two-and-two together and the next thing you know, you’ll both wind up in jail and we’ll have the cops hot on our backs. Start thinking with your brain rather than your cock. Your brother is in hospital right now. Go to him and leave Jennifer alone.”
Rage bubbled up in Jen, “How dare you tell him what to do! If he wants to stay then he can stay. He’s suffered through enough as it is and now you’re trying to boss him around in his personal life. How about you two actually fuck off?”
Pearl leaped up, “Don’t you talk to my brother like that, you little bitch! Ace can’t stay with you, and that’s it.”
Everyone was on their feet now. Ace had instinctively moved around to Jen and shifted his body in front of her. Shielding her from the twin’s fury. Jen wanted to reach around and throttle the busty brunette. Joe was standing, looking slightly annoyed at the turns of events but ever the master of keeping his cool.
“Ace, if you stay here the mafia cannot protect you from what might happen. I will also be forced to remove you from the crew’s call list. You will no longer have jobs with us. I can’t risk Jennifer being involved with someone on our side so publicly. The paparazzi will want to know everything about the new man hanging around her and if they did any digging, who knows what they might bring up? You’re putting your family and us at risk and we will cut you loose, mark my words.”
“You think I give a shit about you or your crew? I don’t want your fucking jobs anymore! This one has basically got my brother killed. Fuck you and fuck your job. I’m staying with Jennifer and that’s final. I’ve lost enough people in my life due to stupid rules about turf and petty crimes. I’m not losing any more. I’m done with the Romano twins.”
Pearl’s voice was shrill as she spoke, “You’re giving all of this up for her? You’ve barely known her more than a week and you’re leaving it all behind for some whiny little bitch. She was the one who caused your brother’s death, not our crew. The mafia will not take responsibility for her stalker. And what about me? You’ve known we’ve always had something special between us and you’re going to throw it away over the princess there?”
Ace stared blankly at her, “Let’s get this straight. We have never had anything between us and we never will. I am not attracted to you and to be honest, all you do is piss me off. Yes, I would give up the mafia for Jennifer. You wouldn’t understand because you don’t know what it’s like to have real friends, you cold-hearted bitch.”
“Watch your mouth, Ace,” Joe stepped forward, “You may have earned my respect during this last job but if you’re planning to throw it all away for this woman then as far as I’m concerned, you’re no longer part of our family. The rules apply to you like everyone else now. You cross us and you die. Have I made myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Fine. Pearl, let’s go. I think they have much to discuss. Ace, if you change your mind you have my phone number. I think you should put some heavy considerations into your choices right now.”
With that, the twins grabbed their things and left, but not before Pearl pinned them both down with one of her classic hate-filled stares. With a grunt, she walked out the door after her brother. And hopefully walked out my life for good. Never would be too soon to see those two again.
She turned to look at Ace, “So, you’re staying then? You’re really going to give up your life with the mafia for me? What about your brothers? Are they going to be able to continue their jobs?”
“They won’t get rid of Red. They can’t afford to lose all three of us. We are some of their best contractors and I know they’ll reconsider their position with me later on, whether I’ll accept what they have to offer or not will be another matter. I think Joe just said all that stuff so he didn’t lose face in front of his sister. They have a really weird dynamic. But even if they never took me back, it doesn’t matter. I would always pick you over a life of crime and killing.”
“And what makes me so special? I was sure you would never want to talk to me again after what has happened with Van.”
“Van knew what he was getting into the moment he started contracting for the mafia. None of this is your fault regardless of what they said back there. It was just unfortunate that your stalker was a fucking psychopath. Anyway, enough rambling. I need to get changed and pick something up at mine. Then we need to collect your shit from the cabin and drag it back here. You okay with driving around a bit today?”
“But what about Van? Don’t you want to get back to the hospital to see him? You might not see him again.”
She could tell Ace was hurting, but his usual scowl threaded across his features, “There’s nothing I can do right now to help him. Red is with him but Van isn’t even conscious. If something happens then it happens. That’s just life. I could do with the distraction right now as it is. You coming or what?”
Chapter 19
ACE
He had never liked driving cars, always preferring the rush of the bike to the metal containment of a car. The afternoon was getting on and Ace had so much to do before this day drew to an end. He looked over at Jennifer propped up in the passenger seat, examining the architecture around her. The journey was just over an hour from one city to the next, however the whole vibe had changed around them. Instead of glamour and celebrities they were now in a more relaxed and slightly military vibe place. Ace wondered what she was thinking. What if I’m too boring for her? What if she realizes I’ll never fit in with her high-end lifestyle?
He pulled up into the cul-de-sac, parked outside his mid-century modern house because their bikes were hidden away in the attached garage. Ace thought about how Van’s bike may never be used again after today. The thought of seeing his brother’s cruiser waiting there for an owner that would never return, made his stomach churn. Van, you better defy the odds.
Leading Jennifer up the path, he opened the front door and let her into his house. The great room had vaulted wood ceilings and everything had been newly remodeled. The extra inflow of cash had made a very positive impact on the brother’s house. The brand new kitchen was installed with lots of cabinetry with an amazing custom tile. Both the bathrooms had been refurbished with high-end customized finishes and they’d built a private patio leading off from the great room. Luckily, they had left it in a clean state before they had gone out on the job, and Ace felt comfortable allowing Jennifer to enter his private space.
“Welcome to the Bailey household. Make yourself at home. I’ve got to have a shower and clean up before we head out again. It’s been a long night.”
“Have you even had a chance to sleep yet?” Jen looked at him compassionately.
“I had a quick nap in the hospital room, but I’m not really in the mood for sleeping right now. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Ace left her wandering around the house and strolled into his room. The thought of Van in a critical state was weighing down on him, but he knew that sitting idle would drive him to madness. He stripped down and tossed his dirty clothes straight into the bin. He had shed his leather jacket before the hospital. Half the arm was torn to shred from the bullet and he didn’t want anything to remind him of this night. Making his way to the bathroom, he examined his bound arm. There was still blood trying to escape so he decided to change his bandage after the shower.
The warm water felt blissful on his skin after such dramatic events. He had c
onvinced a nurse to reset his nose and had held ice to it for about a half hour, but it still throbbed as he scrubbed his face clean. There was swelling and he knew that his nose would be even more crooked than before. He couldn’t count the amount of times he had walked away with a broken nose. There was bruising and black marks sprouted in patches over his tanned skin. For such a weedy little fucker, he certainly put up a fight.
Wrapping a towel round his waist, he climbed out the shower and went to assess the damage to his face in the mirror. He had bruising underneath his eyes and cuts and grazes dotting his cheeks. As suspected, his nose had another weird curvature to it that would forever bless his face. I’m surprised Jen didn’t run away screaming when she first saw me!
After drying his hair, he gelled it back in his usual style and opted to wear black combat trousers and a loose top so as not to irritate his already battered body. He pulled the first-aid kit out his bedside table drawer and removed his old bandage. A trickle of blood escaped down his arm but he deftly wiped it away and disinfected the wound. After placing and securing a new bandage in place he checked himself out in the mirror. Other than his face and his arm, he looked pretty normal. If normal includes being one brother short by the end of the day.
He had something else to worry about on top of that and went to search in his set of drawers. After locating what he was looking for, he shoved it into his pocket and went to find Jennifer. She was out on the patio examining the vines weaving their way across the canopy. The light hit her just right, exposing her freckles and brightening her stunning features. Even without makeup, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. Why would she even be interested in me? Am I making the biggest mistake of my life?
Noticing his presence, she turned to look at him, “Well, you definitely look a lot better than before. Are you sure you’re okay to drive with your arm?”
“This? It’s nothing. I’ve had far worse in my time.”
“And how are you holding up?” concern laced her words.
“I’m fine. Just fine. As I said before, there’s nothing I can do.”
She walked over to him, staring into his eyes, “Stop lying to me, Ace. I know you’re not fine and I know this is all effecting you right now. My stuff can wait, go to your brother.”
“Listen woman, don’t tell me what to do. I don’t want to see Van right now and I’m not going to start crying like a little bitch, so stop trying to force it. We need to pick up your shit so that if the police come to search the cabin then at least you won’t be linked to anything,” Ace snapped.
He realized he had pushed too far with her by the sorrow in her eyes. He wanted to say sorry but his mind stopped him. He was angry at her. He was angry at everyone.
“I’ve had enough of people acting like they know how I feel and trying to force emotions on me. Van is not dead, at least not yet and no, I don’t want to talk about it. Everyone always tried to get me to go to counselors and therapists and talk about this shit. Talking doesn’t solve anything! Talking hasn’t brought my parents back and talking hasn’t brought Alice back and talking won’t save my fucking brother! So how about you back off and let me get on with it, why don’t you?”
At this point, Jen was huddled against the wall. It suddenly occurred to him that he had been stepping forward with every point and he could feel his face distorted into a rage-fueled mask. No wonder she looked absolutely terrified. I’ve scared her. She was trying to help and I’ve literally backed her into a wall. Now why would she ever want to be with someone like me? The look of terror on Jen’s face drove daggers into his heart.
“I’m sorry, Jen. I didn’t mean to lash out like that. I know you’re just trying to help, but right now I just can’t deal with all of this. Please come inside, let’s sit down for a bit and have a breather before heading out to the cabin. I’ll make you something to eat. Neither of us have eaten all day and we need energy to keep going,” he grumbled while trying to calm her down.
Jennifer didn’t say a word, just stared up at him, analyzing his face. Eventually the fear seemed to seep away from her features and she nodded. She didn’t wait for him to lead the way as she walked inside and placed herself at the dining room table. Ace decided it better to give her some space for a moment while he busied himself making food. He scanned the cupboards and was happy to find that one of his brothers had managed to do the shopping while he was away. They tended not to cook much but the basics were available. He grabbed some slices of bread, buttering them up and slapping some lunch meat and cheese in between them. It wasn’t much, but he didn’t think either of them would be able to manage anything more than a sandwich. Placing the plates down on the table, he poured them some orange juice and sat down to join her. They ate in silence, the bread felt like mush lodged in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow. Even his body didn’t want to eat during this painful period.
Finally, after getting through her sandwich, she spoke, “I’m sorry I tried to make you talk about it. I know it’s ridiculously difficult at this moment and I should have been more respectful to your wishes. I should never have pushed you to open up to me. I know that’s something you don’t feel comfortable with.”
“No, you did what any normal person would do. I shouldn’t have snapped at you and I definitely shouldn’t have scared you like that. I’m not a monster but I sure acted like one. I never want to scare you like that again.”
Jennifer smiled at him and went to pick up the plates.
“No, you sit down, I’ll deal with it,” Ace rushed around clearing everything away.
When he finished he joined Jennifer on the couch. Opposite them was a set of drawers, a mirror randomly leaning on top.
“No TV? What do you guys do all day?” she looked perplexed.
“When we’re not out by the lake, we tend to hang out at the bar. We rarely spend much time at home apart from sleeping and occasionally eating. If you haven’t noticed, we’re not the best of cooks. We eat most our meals at diners or out of takeaway boxes while we’re traveling around. I should take you to the bar one day. I think you’d like it.”
“Would that be a date?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself now, my little tigress. I just want to take you out and get a couple of drinks down you.”
“And have your way with me?” she teased leaning forward.
“Get your mind out the gutter, woman!” he laughed.
Having her around makes even the darkest situations seem bearable. Even at a time like this she can make me laugh. Surely I’m making the right decision.
“So… what are we, Ace? You said you’d leave the mafia for me and that you’d stay with me. But stay with me how?” Jennifer took on a serious tone.
Ace felt tense. He wasn’t prepared for this question just yet, but knew it was something that had to be discussed eventually. Hell, I already know what I want, but does she want it too? Let me take things slow and judge if I’m going in the right direction.
“Well, Jen, I like you quite a lot. I feel like we have developed some form of relationship over the last week and a bit. I would like to see where that might lead to.”
“You like me quite a lot? You gave up a job with the mafia and potentially made enemies with the twins because you liked me. Seems like we are back to being third-graders again.”
Ace leaned in and cupped her face between his hands, “Can we talk about this later? There’s a lot I need to say, but I think it would be better in a different setting. This is the house I share with my brothers after all. Everything reminds me of Van right now.”
“Oh, of course,” Jen stammered, “I wasn’t even thinking. I’m just as bad as Pearl.”
Van laughed, “You noticed that, huh? I can’t believe that woman. She’s been trying it on with me for years and I’ve never given her the slightest hint I was interested. Most men roll over at her feet. She is a good-looking woman but she is rotten to the core. I’m pretty sure Red tried something with he
r once, but after a bit of messing around he realized what a bitch she was. I did warn him but he just wants to get his dick wet at every instant he can get. Enough about that. Time is drawing on and I think we should head out to the cabin to pick your things up. I don’t want to linger around here longer than necessary.”
“Of course, do you want me to drive?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. Let me just give Red a call to check up on the situation at the hospital. Give me a couple of minutes, okay?”
Jennifer nodded and Ace wandered out to the patio, quietly shutting the door behind him. He fished his phone out from his pocket and dialed Red. Red answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Ace, did you manage to make it over to Jennifer’s?”
“Yeah, we’re actually at ours right now because I had to freshen up. I’ve had to dress my wound again because it’s still leaking blood. How’s Van doing?”
Red was silent for a second before answering, “I’m going to be brutally honest and say I don’t think he’s going to make it. The doctors said he might have a couple more days fight in him, which is more than we expected, but he lost too much blood. He’s not regaining consciousness and I’m seriously considering whether I have the strength to stay here and watch my big brother die. You’re not coming back here, are you?”
Ace wanted to go and help his brother deal with another death in the family, but he couldn’t. I can’t go through it again. I can’t have another person die in front of my eyes. I’ve had enough of these memories haunting me. What will be, will be. Time heals all wounds.
“No, I’m not coming back, Red. I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t stay there either. I know we’ve seen plenty of people die in our lifetimes but this is different. This is our brother. I can’t put myself through it again. I’m sorry I can’t be there for you, Red.”
Red’s voice was soft in his response, “Don’t be a dickhead. I would kick you out of the hospital if you even tried to show up. I know how your mind responds to death. You shut down. And I think right now, with Jennifer, you need to do the complete opposite. Don’t fuck this up, Ace or I’m sure Van will come back and haunt your sorry ass. Don’t let his death be in vain. He knew exactly how much that woman meant to you and that’s why he put his life on the line. The only person you’re deceiving right now is yourself.”
The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy Page 15
