Assassins the Florist Book One Part One

by Haley Langwood

  Chapter Twenty Five

  “Can you run that by me again? Because I believe that you just said that I’m the target of an assassin?” Keith said, and to say that he was shocked was an understatement. Lucas nodded. “Yep, and the one they send is the worst kind because he doesn’t mind who he has to kill; he gets off on it,” Lucas quietly replied.

  Marc eyed Bailey because the man hadn’t said a word ever since Marc had informed him and Byron and Keith about the assassin who was on his way to town to kill Keith. “Are you alright, baby?” Marc asked in a low, soothing voice.

  Bailey looked up, and it took a few seconds before he said, “I’m so pissed off, right now. Brendan died because someone put a bomb under my car, and why? No one seems to know. All that I know is that for whatever reason, some unknown person is out there, and he wants me dead. Then I find out that I have two more brothers and that I’m one of a twin who was killed, murdered, it seemed, and reading my mother’s journal left me with more questions than answers. My twin was murdered in cold blood; who would do such a thing? Now they are after Keith as well. So, no, I’m not alright,” Bailey snapped, and then he stormed off.

  Keith stopped Marc when he was about to go after Bailey. “Give him time to calm down. He is safe here, right?” Keith said. Marc nodded. “Yes, he is, or should be,” Marc said when they heard Bailey scream. Byron, Keith, Lucas, and Marc stormed into the garden and straight to the orchard.

  The four men came to an abrupt halt when all they saw was Bailey on his knees and screaming his anger, frustration, and grief to the heavens. It broke Marc’s heart to see Bailey like this. The man looked broken, and Marc hoped and prayed that he had it wrong. He felt powerless, and that made him even more pissed off. Marc would gladly kill Bobby, and he would if he got the chance.

  The four men silently retreated, so Bailey would never know that they had witnessed his nervous breakdown. “I want them all six feet under,” Marc seethed. Everyone knew that he meant the assassin who was on his way to kill Keith and the ones who were after Bailey. “You have to get in line because Bobby is mine,” Keith said in a low and dangerous voice. Marc frowned, Byron looked surprised, and Lucas chuckled.

  Lucas considered Keith for a while, then he said, “So, Keith, you want to kill Bobby? You are a former FBI agent; then you know that it’s against the law, right?” Keith’s expression was grim. “I’m perfectly aware of that. However, as you said, I’m a former FBI agent, this is about my life, and that of Bailey,” Keith said, then he continued in a low voice, “I wasn’t able to save Brendan, but I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to Bailey.”

  “We will get them, and then they will pay, with their lives. I don’t care who they are or who hired them. It is war, and this is about survival,” Marc said. “Agreed,” said Lucas, and Keith and Byron agreed as well. “Agreed,” said a soft voice.

  “Hey baby, is everything alright?” Marc asked as he rose from the chair and went to the man he already loved so very much. “Come here and sit with me,” Marc said as he gently guided Bailey to the love seat.

  Bailey eyed Byron. “Did you find out who is after me?” he asked. Byron shook his head. “No, not yet. We don’t have much to go on,” he softly replied. “I want this nightmare to end,” Bailey said. “We all do, baby,” Marc replied as he wrapped his arm around Bailey’s shoulders.

  Byron had cooked dinner, and to Marc’s astonishment, Bailey had eaten quite a bit. They were in the living room talking when Bailey excused himself because he was tired and wanted to get some much-needed sleep. Marc followed Bailey to his room and closed the door behind them.

  “I wanted some alone time with you,” he said after seeing the questioning look Bailey gave him. “I said alone time, and that’s exactly what I meant. I’m not here to seduce you or anything. I want you to relax. We could watch TV together, if you like,” Marc offered because he saw that Bailey was on his guard, and that wasn’t what he wanted. All that Marc wanted was Bailey’s trust and that the man felt comfortable when alone with him.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m on edge right now. I can’t seem to find some peace and quiet,” Bailey admitted. What he wanted more than anything, right now, was to be in Marc’s arms and that the man held him until he slept because he felt safe with Marc, but he didn’t tell him that.

  Bailey considered Marc for a while, and his following words threw Marc of kilter. “Exactly, who are you? I know that your name is Marcus Blake and that your family is filthy rich, but I don’t know you.” “I can see that right now, you feel uncomfortable,” Bailey softly added.

  Marc sighed because of all things; this was the last thing he’d expected. Marc opened his mouth, but Bailey shut him down by adding, “If you’re not able to tell me the truth, then don’t say anything at all. I may be naive, but don’t take me for a fool.”

  Marc knew that either he had to come clean and tell Bailey the truth or don’t say anything at all. The man was right; he wasn’t a fool. Marc decided not to enlighten Bailey for now because now was not the right time. Yep, he would wait until the right time.

  “I’m exhausted, so why don’t you join the others,” Bailey said as he went into the adjacent bathroom. Marc was flabbergasted. What the hell had just happened? Had Bailey dismissed him? It sure seemed that way. For a second, Marc thought about staying and talk to Bailey, but he knew that it wouldn’t be wise. It was clear that Bailey wanted to be alone right now.

  Bailey opened the bathroom door and was relieved that Marc was gone. Having the man and a bed so near was too much. Bailey didn’t want to get involved with Marc, not until he got to know him better. He had restrained himself from jumping the man’s bones.

  Marc strode into the living room. “Where is Lucas?” he asked when he didn’t see the man present. “He went into town because Bobby can arrive any minute now. Marc nodded because that was typical Lucas.

  It was in the afternoon when Lucas returned to the mansion and, the expression on the man’s face told Marc all he needed to know. “He’s here, isn’t he?” “Yes, the idiot is staying at the Madison House,” Lucas informed. Marc frowned because this was not how they operated. Marc never stayed in the same town that his target lived in; that was insane.

  “Why would he stay at the Madison House? Madison Valley is a small town, and the residents will notice a stranger, especially when the man travels alone. It doesn’t make any sense,” Marc replied. “Yep, it was why we knew about the thugs who are after Bailey. Byron heard all about two strangers that had arrived in town.

  Should Keith got killed, the residents of Madison Valley would remember the stranger who’d come to town and had disappeared after the murder. So, yes, it was an insane risk that Bobby took. Then again, the man was an idiot.

  “Now we can plan our strategy because we need to kill him as soon as possible,” Lucas said matter-of-factly. “We need to get him away from town; then we put a bullet in his head,” Marc said. Lucas nodded; he liked that idea very much.

  “Since he’s after me, I will be the one who lures him out of town,” Keith offered. Lucas and Marc nodded in agreement. “Any ideas of how we’re going to pull that off?” Byron said. The man had been quiet, but he had listened.

  “I believe that you already have an idea?” Marc questioned because he had seen the twinkle in Byron’s eyes. “I do.” When no one spoke, Byron went on. “We need to let Bobby know that Keith is planning to visit some restaurant or whatever, out of town. If Bobby is smart, then he sees this as an opportunity to murder Keith. He will follow Keith out of town; then you can take him out,” a smug-looking Byron said.

  “Sounds good, but how do we let Bobby know?” Lucas questioned. “Simple, really,” replied Byron. “We need him to hear Keith, telling me that he will be out of town for a meeting at some restaurant,” Byron informed.

  “Alright, it still sounds good, but how do we get him to eavesdrop on you?” Lucas said, frowning. “If we knew where Bobby has dinner tonight, then we could stage the scene,
” Byron said. “I know where he has dinner tonight,” Lucas grinned. “The idiot made a reservation at Peter’s Place, under his real name,” said Lucas.

  “How on earth did you find that out?” Byron questioned, and Marc saw that his brother was impressed. “I made some calls, pretending to be Bobby, asking them if they could confirm my reservation. I know that Pete’s Place requires reservations for dinner, so I started with them, and bingo,” Lucas smirked.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  It didn’t sit well with Marc to involve his younger brother, but it was the best chance they had. They would only get one shot at killing Bobby. Keith and Byron entered Pete’s Place before Bobby would arrive. Byron knew the cook who worked at Pete’s Place, so he managed to get a table next to Bobby.

  Keith told Byron that he had an appointment at the Backyard Paradise, just out of town. Then they had dinner, and Keith said goodbye. Byron sighed; he only hoped that Keith would survive the whole ordeal. Now it was up to Lucas and Marc to eliminate Bobby and keep Keith alive.

  Keith drove to the Backyard Paradise and parked the car somewhat away from the restaurant. He got out of the vehicle and glanced around, then he took his phone and dialed. It had to look as if Keith’s appointment was late, and Keith would wait by his vehicle. Marc saw another car approach, and he instinctively knew that it was Bobby in his rental. Lucas had asked Marc if he was allowed to take the bastard out. Marc hadn’t mind. After all, this was Marc’s turf, and Lucas respected that. If it had been on Lucas’ turf, then he would need to ask permission to take out Bobby.

  The car came to a halt and dimmed the lights. Now Marc and Lucas knew for sure that it was Bobby. They used night-vision goggles, which made it possible to see Bobby’s every move in the dark. The man exited the vehicle and went around the parking lot until he had found the best spot to kill Keith. It was the exact spot that Marc and Lucas knew Bobby would choose. Now it all came down to be quicker than Bobby; otherwise, he would kill Keith.

  Lucas put his rifle in position and glanced through the scope. “Yes, a little further, come on, bastard,” Lucas murmured. Marc didn’t say anything because he knew that Lucas needed to concentrate on the target. Plus, he didn’t need to tell him what to do.

  “Yeah, perfect,” Lucas whispered to himself, then he pulled the trigger. It was hunting season, so no one would be alarmed by a shot in the night.

  “Is it done?” Bailey quietly asked when Marc, Lucas, and Keith returned to the mansion. “Yes, baby, Bobby won’t hurt anyone anymore,” Marc said cautiously. “Good,” Bailey replied. He didn’t want to know what they had done with the body because it would only give him nightmares. “Well, I’m glad that you were faster than this Bobby guy,” Keith said. A grinning Lucas nodded.

  Marc was still puzzled about the ones that were after Bailey. Couldn’t it be the Delossantos Family after all? They were mafia, so, who knew? They were in the sunroom, enjoying drinks and finger food when Marc’s phone rang.

  Marc frowned because he didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?” he said as he answered the call. “Hello, Mr. Blake, this is Mario Delossantos. I think that we need to meet each other.” Marc was stunned but recovered quickly.

  “ Mr. Delossantos, what can I do for you?” he asked. Marc had said the name on purpose so that everyone in the room knew what was going on. Bailey shot upright at hearing the name. Lucas frowned, and Byron was eyeing his brother closely.

  “Why do you want to meet with me, Mr. Delossantos?” Marc questioned innocently. “I think that you know that answer to your question,” Mario chuckled. “Yes, I believe that I do. My only question is, why?” Marc said, knowing fully well that he wouldn’t get his answer while on the phone.

  “We really need to talk,” Mario was adamant. Marc knew that he didn’t have a choice, not really because apparently, the man knew that Bailey was with him. That meant that he knew where Marc lived. Mario was a mafia boss, and he had his contacts, just like Marc and Lucas had theirs.

  Marc also knew that just like him, Mario wouldn’t discuss anything important over the phone because it was too risky. “Alright, let’s meet,” Marc finally said. Mario told him that they would meet at the Tea House, which surprised Marc. “What can I say? I’m a sweet tooth,” Mario laughed as he ended the call.

  Everyone looked at him when Marc put the phone down on the table. “Was that who I think it was?” Bailey whispered. Marc nodded. “That was Mario Delossantos, your father,” he said. “What did he want?” “He wants to meet with me. My guess is that he wants to discuss you,” Marc said.

  “Are you going to meet with him?” “Yes, because if he’s up to something, then I need to know,” Marc calmly replied. “I want to go with you,” Bailey said. Marc shook his head. “I don’t think so. First, I need to know what he wants. If he’s here to kill you, then we have a problem,” Marc said.

  Bailey scowled. “You’re so cute when you look like that,” Marc teased. “I’m not cute,” Bailey retorted. “Yes, you are, baby,” Marc insisted as he kissed Bailey on the temple. Marc would meet with Mario within the hour, which let him know that the man was already in Madison Valley. No, he wouldn’t be in Madison Valley, but he was near, of that Marc was sure.

  “I need to go now and see what it is that Mario wants,” Marc said. Lucas offered to go with Marc as his backup, but Marc declined. “I need you here, just in case,” he said. Lucas nodded; he knew what Marc wasn’t saying.

  “Here, wear this,” Byron said as he held a small silver chain with a medallion hanging on it in front of him. “The medallion has a tracker; that way, I can trace you were ever you go,” Byron explained at seeing the confused expression on his brother’s face.

  “Good thinking, Byron. Thank you!” Marc said, and he meant it. Who’d have thought that his baby brother and he would, one day, work together, side by side? Marc knew that Lucas would protect Bailey, as would Keith and Byron. So, he kissed Bailey on the top of his head, and then he left.

  Marc parked the car two blocks down, and then he walked toward the Tea House while scanning his surroundings. Nothing happened, and when he entered the Tea House, he saw Mario Delossantos sitting at the table by the window. The man was ruggedly handsome, and Marc knew that Bailey, Brendan, and Fabian came after their mother, Emily. Robert was the only son who looked exactly like his father, thick, dark hair, a long straight nose, and a strong jawline.

  Marc had seen a picture of Robert; the man had cold eyes. Was he a psychopath, just like Fabian had been? It wouldn’t surprise Marc.

  Mario rose from his chair and held out his hand in greeting. Without hesitation, Marc took the offered hand. “So, what is it that you want from me?” Marc began. “I will tell you, but first, we eat and drink. I’m Italian; it’s how we do things,” Mario explained, and Marc knew that if he wanted answers, then he better order something to drink and a sandwich.

  After they’d finished and the waiter had cleared the table, Mario spoke. He told Marc about his wife and their children and how he had kept Fabian and Robert, hoping for Emily to return. Marc was a bit surprised that Mario seemed so sincere. He knew that the man spoke the truth because of Emily’s journal, which was now in Bailey’s possession.

  “It surprises me that you are so honest.” “And now you wonder why?” Mario interrupted. Marc nodded. “I do,” he said. “I will tell you, but not here.” Mario regarded Marc for a while; his gaze was intense; he said, “How is my son?” Marc had expected this question, so it didn’t come as a surprise.

  “He’s doing well, all things considered,” Marc said. He was sure that Mario knew about Brendan and the attempt on Bailey’s life. As if reading his mind, Mario said, “Yes, I know all about Brendan’s death and the attempt on Bailey’s life. I’m here to put an end to it. I want my son safe.”

  Mario look left and right, then he said, “Let’s walk.” Marc didn’t protest because one never knew if someone was eavesdropping on them. “I was the one who hired Keith Aldridge to protect Bailey and
Brendan. I was never after my boys, even though they nearly got me jailed for dumping that scumbag’s body,” Mario said in a low voice. Well, that information wasn’t really important right now because now it was all about Bailey’s safety. “I want to see my son,” Mario said all of a sudden. Marc wasn’t happy with that because, to him, Mario was a stranger. Would the man really kill his own son? He hadn’t landed in jail, and Mario didn’t look or sounded angry. If anything, the man looked tired, old, even.