“Let’s go to the house and check the cameras,” Lucas said as he rushed Marc toward the back deck and into the house. They went into the basement, and Lucas began to tap on the keyboard. Lucas pulled up the footage, and a few minutes later, Marc saw to his horror that Arnulfo and Alec sneaked up from behind and overpowered Bailey. It was Arnulfo who hit Bailey the first time, and then Alec took over.
Marc growled when he saw Bailey going down after the first punch. It was getting worse, though, because even though Bailey was down, Alec kept kicking him over and over again. Bailey was kicked in the stomach, his back, and even in his face and on his head while lying motionless on the ground.
Marc saw red, and it was all that Lucas could do not to let Marc go. “We wait until Keith gets back,” Lucas commanded while he held Marc in a tight grip. Marc nodded because he knew that Lucas was right. He hadn’t been thinking, but who could blame him? Bailey’s life was in danger, and Marc had the feeling that Alec would kill Bailey, one way or another. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen.
Keith was back and told the rest about what he had discovered. He looked at Marc and said, “You won’t like it.” “Well, you won’t like this either,” Marc said as he motioned for Keith to come closer to the computer screen. As expected, Keith cursed up a blue streak. The man was livid, and no wonder because he didn’t only guard Bailey, but they had become friends.
“I didn’t see Bailey in the pool house, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t there. I saw Robert, Arnulfo, Shauna, and Alec. They were laughing; it seemed that they had fun. Now I know why they had so much fun,” Keith growled.
“Well, we will wipe the smiles from their faces,” Dan said, and Marc could see that he, too, was full of rage. “We need a plan before we attack because they know that we will come for Bailey. Then, there’s still the question of how they were able to avoid the cameras and motion sensors. We adjusted everything yesterday, so, how?” Dan said, his expression grim.
Dan was good at what he did so that Robert and the rest had found a way to avoid the security systems didn’t sit well with him. Marc looked thoughtful. Was it possible that Alec had checked the area and that way had managed to get the layout of the security system? Marc hoped that that wasn’t the case.
He should, at least, have tried to stop Alec from leaving the pool house after his surprise visit. Damn and double damn! If only he had known what he knew now, namely that it was Bailey that he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. How had he ever doubted his feelings for Bailey? Guilt like he had never known before slithered inside his soul, and it made him feel nauseous.
Lucas came up with a solid plan within ten minutes; yes, the man was that good. To Marc, it had seemed like forever, but finally, they would take action, free Bailey, and, if necessary, kill everyone in the pool house.
Marc was determined to end Alec’s life because that bastard wouldn’t get the chance to come after Bailey ever again. Arnulfo had to die, too, because he was a psychopath of the worst kind. Robert? Well, that was up to Mario; after all, it was his son. Last but not least, Shauna, Marc had never killed a woman, and he wouldn’t start now. However, he would find a way to get her away from society because she was too dangerous.
Lucas had left the room, and a minute later, he returned, carrying his rifle. Marc went to get his rifle too. He hadn’t expected to use it ever again; he had promised Bailey that he wouldn’t take assignments anymore. And Marc planned on keeping his promise.
Dan, Brad, and Dennis checked their weapons, and so did Mario and Keith. “Ready?” Marc asked, eyeing each and every one. When they all nodded, Marc led the way to the pool house.
Before they reached the pool house, they parted, getting in position. Lucas, Keith, and Brad would take their positions, ready to fire. Mario and Marc would try to enter the pool house from the front. Dan and Dennis would guard the back of the pool house; they wouldn’t let anyone escape.
Marc and Mario managed to sneak to the pool house and under the window without being discovered. “I wonder when they will attack,” said a voice from inside the house. Marc knew this voice very well; it was Alec. “They will come for this little faggot here,” said another voice. That was Shauna’s voice, and it made Marc tremble with rage.
“Easy, Marc. Control yourself,” Mario urged. It was whispered, but Marc had understood. What a brilliant idea to get the layout of the security and shock Marc with a surprise visit,” the voice chuckled. That was Robert, the rat bastard.
“He’s mine,” Mario growled. Marc nodded because he wanted Alec, wanted the man to pay for what he had done to Bailey. Marc didn’t care anymore that Alec had lied to him and staged his death. That the idiot had kidnapped and beaten Bailey was too much.
They all wore ear equipment, and Keith, Brad, and Lucas would act on Marc’s command. The three men were excellent shooters and wouldn’t miss their targets. Suddenly it was quiet in the pool house, and Marc knew that they were discovered. Marc looked at Mario, who nodded. Marc rose to his feet and kicked in the front door.
“Go for it!” Marc said, and a moment later, shots were fired. Arnulfo was down, and Shauna was hit in the shoulder and her leg; she wouldn’t go anywhere any time soon, except straight to jail.
Robert’s eyes were huge, and it was obvious that he hadn’t expected to see his father up and about. The man pointed a gun at his son, but Robert didn’t seem afraid because he knew his father would never kill his own flesh and blood.
“I won’t kill you, but there are three sharpshooters active, and they won’t hesitate to kill you,” Mario said. Robert paled, and he looked resigned. Marc had Alec in a chokehold. “Where is Bailey,” he growled. Alec made noise but didn’t answer. “Let him breathe so that he can answer you,” Mario said.
Marc loosened his hold just a bit, so the bastard could get some air, not that he deserved it, but Marc needed answers. Bailey was severely beaten, and the man needed medical attention, like yesterday.
“I won’t tell you, my dear,” Alec managed to croak out; he even tried to laugh. “Wrong answer,” Marc said through gritted teeth. He knew that he needed to stay focused, but damn, it was hard. Mario had, in the meantime, taken Robert’s weapon and had conjured Tie Wraps from God knows where to bind Robert’s hands on his back. “Not so tight, old man, you’re hurting me,” Robert seethed. Mario didn’t even look at him.
The mob boss looked pleased when Marc changed his grip on Alec. He now held Alec by the throat and punched him hard in the face with his fist. Alec cried out in pain and surprise. Then he smiled and said, to Marc’s horror, “Kiss me. I know that you want it, honey.”
To say that Marc was disgusted was an understatement. “You are a lunatic, a psychopath,” Marc growled. It was evident that Alec hadn’t expected Marc to react like that; his expression said it all. “It’s that little shit, isn’t it?” Alec suddenly snared.
“I love Bailey, if that’s what you mean,” Marc replied in a cold voice. “And you’re going to tell me where he is and pray that he’s still alive, if not.” Marc didn’t need to finish because he saw in Alec’s eyes that the man knew what was awaiting him in case of Bailey’s death.
Marc knew that time was running out for Bailey because he had seen how badly they had beaten him. In front of him stood a smiling Alec, blood was dripping alongside his mouth, but the man didn’t seem to notice.
From the corner of his eyes, Marc saw Robert making a move toward Mario. Robert somehow had managed to free himself and jumped to his feet, but before he reached Mario, a shot was fired, and Robert went down. He lay on the floor, eyes open, which let Marc know that the man was dead. “I warned him,” was all that Mario said, but Marc saw the pain in the mob boss’ eyes.
Now the only one that was left was Alec, and still, the man kept smiling; he said, “You will never find that little piece of shit. I made sure of that.” Dan and Dennis had already started the search for Bailey. Marc suspected that Bailey was near because they hadn’t had time to transport
him to another place. Well, at least Marc hoped so.
Lucas came into the pool house and glanced around before he gave Alec all of his attention. “So, you don’t want to tell us where Bailey is?” Lucas drawled as he glanced at Marc, who nodded at Lucas. “He’s all yours. Do with him as you please,” Marc said. “If you kill me, then you will never find that little piece of shit,” Alec threatened. Marc ignored his former lover and left the pool house.
“I can’t believe it,” Marc whispered; he was horrified. “I didn’t even know that there was an old well on the premises,” he added. “Thank God that it’s dry,” Keith whispered. “Yes,” Marc replied. “I have him,” Dan yelled. They had lowered Dan into the old well to retrieve Bailey. Keith had already called the paramedics, and Marc could hear the sirens.
Chapter Forty Four
“How is he? Any change?” Marc looked up to face Byron. “No,” was all he said. Byron took a second chair and sat down beside his brother. Ten days had passed since Bailey was nearly beaten to death by Alec.
The doctor had told Marc that Bailey had suffered severe head trauma because Alec had kicked him several times in the head. After he was hospitalized, Bailey had suffered from a brain hemorrhage. The doctors had acted quickly, and because of that, Bailey stood a chance of a full recovery. After that, the doctors had put him in an induced coma.
A few of Bailey’s ribs were broken, and his spine was damaged as well. The doctors had told Marc that they couldn’t possibly tell what Bailey’s condition would be when he woke up. “Two more days, and then they will wake him up,” Marc softly informed Byron. Byron didn’t reply; instead, he squeezed his brother’s shoulder in silent support.
Mario was visiting his son as much as possible. The mob boss had arranged that the dead bodies in the pool house had disappeared. The pool house itself was cleaned from top to bottom; not even the best forensics would find traces of blood. Lucas had shot Alec point blank because the man had gone too far. Alec was a psychopath, no doubt about that, which had made it easy to kill him. Shauna was the only one who had survived the killing, and Mario had put her into an asylum for the mentally ill. Shauna would never return to society ever again.
Marc had been at the hospital since Bailey was admitted. He even slept in the same room, and had spent an ungodly amount of money, so Bailey had his own private room.
Mario, his three bodyguards, Keith and Byron, came and went. Marc had lost track of time, but he didn’t care. The only thing that matters was Bailey and that the man would recover so he could take him home.
Marcus Blake Senior had called Marc to asked about Shauna. Marc had told him that he didn’t know where she was and that he didn’t care either, then he had abruptly ended the call. Marcus had called Marc twice, but Marc had refused to take the call; after that, Marcus hadn’t called again. Marc suspected that his father would hire the best private investigators to find Shauna. Well, good luck with that.
Doctor Michael Reynolds entered the room and smiled warmly at Marc; then, he explained the procedure to wake up Bailey. Marc nodded, but all he could think of was Bailey and that he wanted to see the man that he loved more than everything else, awake and smiling.
“It was dark when Marc opened his eyes; Bailey’s restlessness had woken him. Marc had fallen asleep, like so many nights, sitting on his chair and holding Bailey’s hand. “Bailey? Baby?” Marc whispered, but he got no answer. So, Marc pressed the red button, and within minutes a nurse appeared.
“Is he waking up?” Marc asked. The nurse didn’t answer. Instead, she said, “I’ll call Doctor Reynolds,” and gone she was. Marc didn’t know how much time had passed when the door opened again, and Doctor Michael Reynolds entered the room.
He immediately checked Bailey’s vitals and the equipment. Finally, he glanced at Marc and smiled. “Your partner is waking up nice and slow. There’s a possibility that he is afraid, when he wakes, or confused, even,” Doctor Reynolds said. “Is there something I can do?” Marc questioned because he would move heaven and earth for the love of his life.
“You can be there for Bailey when he panics and show your love for him when he lashes out at you for no reason,” Doctor Michael Reynolds replied. Michael Reynolds had explained everything already to Marc what to expect after Bailey woke from his medically induced coma. Marc nodded; he said, “I will do whatever it takes to make things as easy as possible for Bailey. He’s been through enough, and now it’s his time to enjoy life again.”
Doctor Michael smiled. “I know that you will,” he said. The doctor stayed for a while to monitor Bailey’s progress in waking up. It all went as planned, and the following day Bailey opened his eyes. The doctors had shaved his head when they performed an emergency operation because of the brain hemorrhage Bailey had suffered.
There was a soft knock, and this time it was Doctor Bernard Johnson who came to check on Bailey. “How is my favorite patient today?” the doctor smiled. “Well, Bailey opened his eyes for a minute,” Marc informed the doctor. “Did he talk, or move his feet, or his hands?” Doctor Bernard asked while he checked Bailey’s vitals.
Marc shook his head. “No, he just opened his eyes, and then he closed them again; he didn’t even see me sitting here,” he said, and before the doctor could reply, Marc added, “Does that mean anything?” And he couldn’t prevent the fear in his voice. “No, it doesn’t mean anything. We need to be patient. It’s up to Bailey now to wake up, so we can examine him. Doctor Reynolds did explain to you what to expect when Bailey wakes up?” Doctor Bernard inquired. “Yes, he did,” Marc replied. They talked for a while longer, and then the doctor left. The moment Bailey even stirred, Marc would press the button.
When Marc opened his eyes, it was daylight. He shot bolt upright and nearly fell from the chair. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was nearly nine AM. Bailey looked so small and so vulnerable. Marc felt so helpless because there was not much that he could do. The ball was in Bailey’s corner, and Marc didn’t know if Bailey had enough willpower to fight his way back to the living.
Bailey had been through so much in such a short amount of time, and even though Bailey didn’t know it, it could influence the will to live, the will to go on. Marc hoped and prayed that Bailey loved him enough to fight for their happiness, their future.
The day went by, and Marc had visits from Byron, Keith, and of course, Mario. Everyone had told him to be patient and that Bailey loved him enough to fight his way back. The doctors had reduced the medication that kept Bailey into a deep sleep. It was ten PM, and Marc sat in his chair beside Bailey’s bed, holding the man’s hand, as he had done every day since Bailey was admitted. Marc looked up when he felt movement. Had Bailey just squeezed his hand?
Yes, Marc felt Bailey lightly squeezing his hand; he hadn’t imagined it. Marc didn’t hesitate but immediately pushed the red button. There was a soft knock, and a second later, Doctor Reynolds stepped into the room.
“Bailey squeezed my hand twice,” Marc informed the doctor. Doctor Reynolds frowned. “That’s good, now; let’s see if he can repeat that for me,” the doctor softly said as he took Bailey’s hand and gently squeezed it. Marc saw it the minute that Bailey moved his hand and squeezed the doctor’s hand. Marc’s heart was beating so fast that the former assassin expected it to burst out of his chest any minute.
Doctor Reynolds looked at Marc; he smiled and said, “Bailey is showing all the signs that he’s waking up.” Marc was so relieved that he wasn’t able to speak. The day passed, and it was nearly midnight when Marc finally closed his eyes. Doctor Reynolds had assured Marc that Bailey needed to sleep through the night because they would start with several tests the following day.
******
“How are you feeling, baby?” Marc softly asked. Two weeks after waking up from the medically induced coma, and Bailey was released from the hospital, now he finally was home. “I’m fine, just tired,” Bailey answered. Bailey was quiet, too quiet since he was released from the hospital, and tha
t worried Marc.
They sat under the pear tree, which was Bailey’s favorite spot. “Are they all dead? Did you kill them?” Bailey asked; he didn’t look at Marc, but he stared in the direction of the pool house, which was gone now. Marc had ordered to tear the place down, and he didn’t know what would come in its place because that was up to Bailey. However, Bailey hadn’t talked about what he wanted, and Marc had decided not to push the issue. And if Bailey would never decide on the replacement for the pool house, that would be alright too.
Assassins the Florist Book One Part One Page 25
