Assassins the Florist Book One Part One

by Haley Langwood

  Bailey wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he wanted Marc, like he had wanted no other, ever. On the other, Marc was a killer, a ruthless assassin. The man murdered people for money. Bailey still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Yes, he had fallen hard for the handsome man, but that was before he knew that this same handsome man was a hired killer.

  “Well, we had our own action a couple of hours ago,” Bailey said, and he tried to sound matter of fact but couldn’t manage to pull it off. “Baby? What happened? Are you alright?” Marc sounded worried and alarmed. “We are alright. Dan and Dennis did an excellent job protecting me. And my father stayed with me, his gun ready to fire at anyone who came into the room. He kept me safe, even though he wanted to go outside and join his bodyguards,” Bailey spoke rapidly, and that told Marc that the man had been scared to death.

  “I could come home,” Marc said. “No, no, you stay where you are and do what it is that you need to do. The fight here at the house is over, and no one is hurt. Dennis and Dan and my father are perfectly able to keep me safe,” Bailey assured. It took a few more minutes to convince Marc that Bailey was alright, but finally, the assassin relented.

  After Bailey promised for the fourth, or was it the fourteenth time, that he would call Marc if they were attacked again, Marc finally rang off. It warmed Bailey’s heart when he had heard the worry in Marc’s voice; the man had been sincere. Bailey found it harder and harder to ignore his feelings for the assassin.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  “Too bad that those two idiots didn’t know who was paying them,” said Lucas when they were on their way home. Marc sighed; it was morning; all night, they had tried to get information from the two men they had captured. It had frustrated Marc to no end that they weren’t any wiser afterward; an unknown person paid both men. Hell, they couldn’t even describe that person, not even if it was a woman or a man. At dawn, Marc had put a bullet in their heads and buried them in a God-forsaken area.

  “Thank God, you’re here,” Bailey cried out as he flew into Marc’s arms when the man entered the house. Marc was pleasantly surprised by Bailey’s reaction, and he hugged him tightly. “Damn, it feels so good to hold you, baby,” Marc whispered in Bailey’s ear, making him shudder.

  Marc chuckled; he loved that he had such an impact on Bailey. After his confession about being an assassin, Marc had thought that he would lose Bailey. The man had kept his distance. It had been so hard not to force the Bailey to come into his arms. Marc wasn’t someone who forced people; it just wasn’t him, even though he was an assassin.

  That Bailey was relieved and happy to see him filled him with joy, and thought hit him like a freight train. If he hadn’t been sure about his feelings for Bailey, he was now. Marc got a second chance on love, and he would take that chance with both hands; yes, he was determined to make it work. Also, he was sure now that he wouldn’t take assignments anymore, not for all the money in the world.

  “I missed you too, baby,” Marc chuckled. Bailey looked up, and Marc frowned when he saw the worry in the man’s eyes. “Tell me all about what happened last night,” Marc gently urged. “My father is on the back deck, and Dan and Dennis are with him. They can tell you everything that happened. I was bravely hiding in the dining room,” Bailey whispered.

  “Baby. You’re one of the bravest people I know,” Marc said. Bailey shook his head. “No, I’m not. I was so freaking scared,” he admitted. “Listen to me. You’ve been through hell and back, and you’re functioning pretty well even though still in danger. You still are sane, and to me, you seem centered. That’s what I call bravery. You are brave, don’t sell yourself short, baby,” Marc assured. Bailey didn’t reply because what could he say?

  “It’s alright to be scared. I’m scared too, sometimes,” Marc admitted. Bailey was surprised by that statement. “You are an assassin, and you’re afraid sometimes?” Bailey asked. Marc chuckled. “I’m human, baby. And being afraid sometimes, that’s how you stay on your qui vive. That’s how you stay alive. That makes it that you survive,” Marc gently explained.

  Bailey nodded, but Marc knew that he hadn’t convinced the man. Well, he had spoken the truth. Bailey wanted to ask about the two men they had captured the previous night, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what Marc and the rest had done to those two thugs. Granted, they wanted Bailey dead, but somehow, Bailey wouldn’t have murdered them. Well, maybe he would because after all, they were after him, wanted him dead. Bailey was confused about his feelings. Would he be able to kill a person and sleep at night?

  “You’re thinking too hard, baby,” Marc softly said. “Yes, I am,” Bailey sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?” Marc said because he wanted, needed to know what was going on in Bailey’s head. What made the man tick. How did he really feel about Marc being an assassin?

  Marc brought his lips to Bailey’s ear and whispered, “I love you, baby.” Marc felt Bailey stiffen; shit, this was so not good. After a moment of silence, Bailey spoke. “I love you too, and that scares the hell out of me.”

  Once Marc and Bailey joined the others at the back deck, Mario began to explain what had happened the previous night. Bailey could feel, literally feel Marc’s rage. “I’m alright, really,” Bailey said, and he tried to smile but failed miserably.

  “We will get them,” Marc promised, and yes, he was furious because Bailey should have been safe at the mansion. Lucas eyed Marc; he said, “We need to check the angles of the existing cameras, and then we probably need to install a few more.” Marc nodded in agreement. He had thought about installing motion sensors, but he refused to change his home into a fort. Marc would install motion sensors only when he wouldn’t have another choice. For now, he would only permit more cameras.

  Marc eyed Mario. “We need to know what went on the previous night and who it was that attacked the mansion. We know that it wasn’t the two thugs because they kept us company,” Marc said. “That makes me wonder,” said Keith. “What do you mean?” Lucas said.

  “Well, could it be that more people are after Bailey?” Keith explained. “I don’t follow. More people want me dead? Why? I’ve never harmed anyone,” an indignant-looking Bailey said. “Your guess is as good as mine,” said Marc. The assassin glanced around. “Anyone any ideas?” he addressed everyone in the room. Marc sighed because no one had a clue, which was frustrating.

  Marc was wrecking his brain because who else was after Bailey? Hell, they weren’t even sure who placed the bomb under Bailey’s car. The two thugs had denied doing that. They told Marc they didn’t even know how to make a bomb, let alone place one under a car.

  “All the time, I thought that it was you, who wanted me dead,” Bailey softly said, looking at Mario. “Well, I can’t blame you for thinking that. But, you are my son, my flesh and blood, and I would never hurt you,” Mario said. “I didn’t know it then, but I know now, father,” said Bailey.

  Bailey had called Mario “father” a few times, and it was now that he had noticed it. Had he called the man, father without realizing it? Bailey came to the conclusion that he must like Mario more than he wanted to admit.

  Everyone present at the house had taken part in the discussion about who was after Bailey. Keith had suggested several times that he believed that there was more than one person behind the attacks. Marc had slowly started to think that maybe, just maybe, Keith was right. However, Bailey was a nice guy, and as far as he knew it, he didn’t have enemies.

  Robert Delossantos’ name had come up a couple of times, but he had no reason to go after Bailey. Mario doubted if Robert even knew about Bailey. Even if Robert knew that he had a younger brother, he didn’t have a reason to kill him. Robert was the heir to the Delossantos legacy if one could call it that.

  Mario had made sure that Robert was ready to take over the empire should something happen to the mob boss. So, Marc couldn’t imagine that Robert would do such a stupid thing as to go after his younger sibling. It was something that Mario wouldn�
��t allow because family was sacred, and Robert knew that very well.

  Mario had asked Keith and then Marc if they had enemies who wanted them buried six feet under. Keith had shaken his head. He wasn’t an FBI agent anymore, and because of that, no one cared what he was doing or where he was going. Plus, no one in Madison Valley knew about Keith’s past as an FBI agent.

  Marc also had shaken his head because there only were a handful of people who knew his true identity. No one in Madison Valley knew about Marc’s activities. So no, Marc hadn’t enemies, well, not that he was aware of anyway.

  “So, we’re back to square one?” an irritated Marc said. “I’m afraid so. We really need to do something to lure them out of their hiding place,” said Mario. “I’m not offering Bailey up as bait, no fucking way,” Marc growled. Bailey, however, didn’t mind because all that he wanted was to catch the criminals who were after him. Marc didn’t want to hear of it, and that was final.

  “I’ve looked over the footage again and again, but I can’t come up with something new. Too bad that those two idiots didn’t know anything,” a grim-looking Byron commented. “We could go to Pete’s Place and have dinner,” Bailey said. “No!” “Why not? Both of us like that place,” Bailey said. “You want to be the bait, lure out the ones who are after you,” Marc chuckled; even though he didn’t know Bailey that long, he knew the man quite well.

  Well, I have to go because I need to open the restaurant,” Byron said. Marc told his younger brother to pay attention to his surroundings, be careful, and call if anything seems out of the ordinary. Byron promised while he saluted his brother, and then he left the room.

  Chapter Thirty Five

  “Where is Bailey?” Marc yelled when he couldn’t find the man anywhere. Mario shrugged. “I thought that he was in the orchard,” he answered, and Marc could see the sudden worry in the man’s expression. “I can’t find him,” an out of breath Keith came running into the room. Marc’s pulse sped up, and just when he was on his way to his car, he was stopped by Byron. Marc followed Byron into his study and was horrified when the footage showed Bailey walking toward the gate.

  “What the hell? Why is he leaving the safety of the house?” Marc growled because he refused to believe that Bailey was so careless. “I will ask him when he comes back,” Marc softly added. “There’s more to come. Watch this,” Byron hit a few keys on the keyboard, and Marc now saw the footage that showed the gate. He watched in shock when he saw a car stop, and Bailey was pulled into the back.

  “Goddammit! What the hell is going on?” Marc cursed, and by now, Mario, Keith, Dan, and Dennis had also entered the room. “What’s going on? Is Bailey alright?” Mario growled. “I don’t know. Somehow someone must have gotten through to him because it seemed that he went outside voluntarily,” Marc said while he kept staring at the footage that showed Bailey being pulled into a car.

  “I’m running the license plate as we speak. Just a sec,” Byron whispered. “Can you get a close-up from the scumbags who are in the front of the vehicle?” Mario asked; he was standing beside Marc now. “I hacked every street camera in every direction, and I know that they drove south,” said Byron.

  The license plate was that of a rental car, and Byron suspected that they had rented the vehicle under a false name. Marc, Mario, the two bodyguards, Dan and Dennis, and Keith were already on their way to their cars. They would take the road that led away from Madison Valley. Marc didn’t dare to think of Bailey in the hands of psychopaths. Images of Alec, hanging on a meat hook that was tight to the ceiling in the basement, flowed into his mind. He couldn’t shake those terrifying images.

  These days, Alec wasn’t much on Marc’s mind because Marc had fallen hard for the florist. The assassin and the florist, go figure. Marc was determined not to let Bailey die in the hands of those maniacs. Not Alec all over again, no no no.

  “We will find him in time, and then we’ll deal with those who dared to touch my son,” Mario said in a low and dangerous voice. “I want in on the punishment. I want them to die, slowly, very slowly,” Marc said in a barely audible voice. “Absolutely, I wouldn’t want to take away all the fun from you,” Mario said. It sounded like teasing, but the man wasn’t laughing. Marc nodded as they drove further south.

  Marc stopped the car. “Byron could follow them to this point. He checked the next traffic camera but couldn’t find a trace from the rental. So, I guess that somewhere between here and the next traffic camera, we will find the car, and with that, Bailey,” Marc said. “Then let’s waste no time,” Mario replied, and Marc was all for that.

  They drove for some time now, and Marc wanted to turn the car when he saw what looked like a huge barn. He stopped the vehicle and left the car, Mario and Lucas hot on his heels. Keith drove the other vehicle; Dan and Dennis were riding with him. Byron had stayed home to see if he could find out more by hacking into more traffic cameras.

  When Marc saw fresh tire tracks, he knew for sure that it came from the rental that they were searching for. They carefully crept toward the barn. They had luck because to the left of the barn were a lot of trees and bushes, which was perfect to approach the barn, unseen.

  Mario was the first who saw the rental; it was parked next to the barn. The vehicle wasn’t visible from the road. So, if Byron hadn’t pointed them in the right direction, then they probably never would have found the rental, and thus Bailey. Well, Marc hoped that they would find Bailey; if not, no, Marc wouldn’t go down that road.

  When they stood with their back’s against the barn wall, Marc could hear muffled voices. “We need to find a window because we need to assess the situation,” Marc whispered to Mario. The mob boss nodded, and Marc knew that if it were up to Mario, the man would go in, guns blazing. However, that was not an option since Bailey was inside too; well, at least Marc assumed that the man was in the barn.

  Marc found an opening in the wooden wall of the barn, and he signaled the others over. Marc could peek inside, and his blood froze when he saw Bailey sitting on a chair, hands tight behind his back. That wasn’t all; to Marc’s horror, he saw that someone had placed Bailey’s feet in a bucket of water. Marc knew what that meant, and he wouldn’t let that happen.

  A man came into view, his back to Marc, so he couldn’t see who it was. “We wait until Mario gets here because I want him to witness the electrocution of my little brother,” the voice said.

  Mario apparently seemed to recognize the voice because he paled. Marc frowned, silently asking what was wrong with the mob boss. “I can’t believe it, but this is the voice of Robert, my son,” Mario whispered. Before Marc could respond, the mob boss kicked open the door and stepped inside the barn, gun drawn.

  Marc sighed, and he was about to go after Mario when he heard a familiar voice say. “Look who we have here. The great Mario Delossantos himself. I guess that dear Marc isn’t far behind then, right?” Marc didn’t hear Mario’s reply because he was frozen to the spot. He knew this particular voice very well, and he didn’t understand. How was it possible? No, this was not happening. Was that Shauna, his sister? Was Shauna involved in taking Bailey and, oh, God, placing the bomb under Bailey’s car?

  For a moment, Marc was paralyzed, shocked, and then the shock changed into a rage. It was pure, unadulterated rage. His family, his own God damned family, was involved in murdering Brendan? Granted, they had been after Bailey, and with that, the next question arose. Why would they want to kill Bailey? It didn’t make any sense.

  Then, Marc heard another voice, a man’s voice, but for the life of him, he couldn’t place this one. That meant that this was someone who he didn’t know. “Darling, why don’t we kill the little faggot, right now? Why wait?” the male voice urged Shauna to kill Bailey? Who was this piece of shit? Marc, Keith, Dan, and Dennis were ready to enter the barn when Robert spoke again, and this time he was talking to his father.

  “So, dad, what brings you here? Are you here to help me kill this little faggot? Or, are you here to rescue him?” Ro
bert drawled. “Don’t be stupid, Robert. You can’t kill your brother, I won’t allow it, and you know that,” Mario replied in an icy tone.

  “Well, you know that it’s not your call anymore, old man,” Robert’s tone was changing. There was no emotion, nothing. Dear God, was Robert just as deranged as Fabian had been? “Oh, and I will wait with torturing the little faggot until Marc gets here. Yes, I know that Marc is near. I can almost smell the bastard,” Robert growled, and Marc could hear that the man was losing his control.

  Lucas had taken his position. The man sat in a tree, and from there, he had a perfect view of most people in the barn. The barn had only one entrance, and that made it harder to attack. They had to go through the front door, and Marc was sure that either Robert or the other male would be ready to fire at them.