“Lunch is ready,” Byron said, smiling, as he entered the orchard. Bailey looked up, pressed his lips together, and said in an apologetic voice. “I’m sorry, Byron, but I’m not hungry. “I expected that you would say that, so I brought lunch for two,” Byron said as he left, only to return with a picnic basket. He put the basket in front of Marc, and then he left.
“Chicken sandwiches with pesto,” Marc said as he looked at Bailey, “That’s your favorite,” he added. Marc was pleased that he managed to feed Bailey a sandwich and some pieces of melon. Satisfied that Bailey had eaten something, Marc took what was left of the food and placed it back in the picnic basket.
“The physical therapist will be here in an hour. Do you want to rest until then?” Marc asked because he saw the dark circles under Bailey’s eyes. Bailey hadn’t had one decent night of sleep ever since he had woken from the medically induced coma. Marc was worried because Bailey was still recovering from the head trauma he had suffered. It was good that the man was dead because Marc would have gone after him and kill him for what he had done to Bailey.
Marc still had trouble believing that Alec, his sweet and kind Alec, had gone over the edge like that. It was hard to comprehend that Alec always had been a psychopath, and he hadn’t noticed. Had he been that much in love with the man that simply had closed his eyes for what had been obvious?
Marc shook his head. No, he hadn’t closed his eyes because Alec had always acted like a normal, sane human being. Marc had tried to explain how rotten Alec’s brother had been, but he hadn’t listened.
“Yes, I need rest before Hector arrives,” Bailey said. “Were where you just now?” Bailey questioned when Marc didn’t immediately respond. Marc blinked, “I’m sorry. What?” he said. “You were miles away. I told you that, yes, I want to rest before Hector gets here,” Bailey repeated. Marc didn’t share his thoughts with Bailey because he knew that the man wouldn’t understand, and he couldn’t blame him.
Alec had beaten Bailey to an inch of his life, and he would have killed him if Marc and the rest hadn’t arrived in time. Bailey reached for Marc. “Help me up?” he said, as he tried to smile but failed miserably. “Sure, baby,” Marc softly replied as he took Bailey’s hand and helped him to his feet.
With Marc’s help, Bailey turned, and then Marc lowered him into his wheelchair. Bailey had not only suffered a brain hemorrhage, but Alec’s kicks had also damaged his spinal cord. The doctors had shared their devastating news that Bailey was paralyzed and would never regain the feeling in his legs again. However, Bailey had proven the doctors wrong because he had regained feeling in his legs again. He was able to stand on his own for a few seconds.
Marc wheeled Bailey to the back deck, where a wheelchair ramp was placed. Marc had ordered to adjust the house so that Bailey could move through the house and garden without help from others. At first, Bailey had been shocked and angry at hearing the prognoses from Doctor Reynolds. Then, he has succumbed, and from that moment, the fight to walk again had been on.
Bailey hadn’t said it with so many words, but Marc knew that Bailey wouldn’t roll over and play dead, just like that. Now, Bailey was able to stand without Marc’s help. Soon, Bailey would stand up without help too, of that, Marc was sure. Bailey was a fighter, and he wouldn’t stop fighting until he could walk again. But, until then, Bailey would need his wheelchair, and that’s why Marc had the house adjusted so that Bailey could move freely through the house in his wheelchair.
Chapter Forty Five
“You’re doing great, Bailey,” Hector praised. Bailey smiled; sweat was dripping from his forehead. “I believe that you are ready for some swimming. The house has a pool, right?” Hector inquired. Bailey nodded, he would like to go for a swim, but he didn’t want to see the spot where the pool house once stood. Granted, Marc had ordered to tear the place down, but still.
“Are you alright?” Hector softly asked when he saw Bailey staring at the wall. “I’m fine,” Bailey replied. “Let’s call it a day. You think about the swimming, and I’ll see you the day after tomorrow,” Hector said as he put his things in his bag and left. Hector greeted Marc, who was on his way to see Bailey. “How is he doing?” Marc asked. Hector told Marc that Bailey was physically doing great, even better than expected. “That’s all that I can tell you,” Hector said when Marc asked him about Bailey’s mental state. The former assassin knew that Bailey had a hard time comprehending everything that had happened. Marc had to admit that it was a lot to digest and that Bailey would need time, a lot of time. He would give Bailey as much time as he needed because he loved him.
“Hey, baby,” Marc kissed Bailey on the top of his head. “Hey. Don’t, I’m sweating,” said Bailey when Marc wanted to pull him close. “I don’t care, baby,” Marc replied as he leaned toward Bailey, took his face in his hands, and gently brushed their lips together.
Bailey wrapped his arms around Marc’s neck and let Marc pull him out of the wheelchair; then, he pressed their lips firmly together; with his tongue, Bailey demanded that Marc would open his mouth, which he did. Marc was pleasantly surprised that Bailey took the lead. They hadn’t slept together since the ordeal in the pool house.
It was two weeks since Bailey was released from the hospital, and even though they slept in the same bed, Bailey had kept his distance. Marc didn’t like it, but he knew that Bailey needed time, but that he would be alright because Bailey was stronger than he thought he was. Bailey broke the kiss and eyed Marc. “What is it, baby? You know that you can talk to me about everything, right?” Marc panted. The kiss had been full of passion, and the former assassin knew that it was up to Bailey to take the initiative, but his body thought otherwise. And, apparently, Bailey’s body reacted too because he felt the man’s erection pressing into him.
“Oh, baby. Do you want me as much as I want you?” Marc whispered. “Yes, I do, but.” Bailey gently pushed Marc away. He looked away when he softly said, “I’m not the Bailey I once was anymore. I don’t know if I can.” Bailey stopped again. Marc took Bailey’s face in his hands and looked him deep in his gorgeous green eyes; he softly said, “Baby, you take all the time that you need. I’m not going anywhere. I love you so much.” “You do? I mean, you really do love me that much? Even though I can’t walk?” Bailey whispered. “Sweetheart, I worship you,” Marc said. Bailey smiled, and this time, Marc was rewarded with a real smile, one that reached Bailey’s eyes.
Knowing that Marc truly loved him and that he gave him all the time that he needed, made Bailey instantly feel better. Bailey also confessed that he still had trouble with Marc’s feelings for Alec. Marc had been honest about his feelings for Alec; he had explained that he thought he still had feelings for Alec until he had seen the true Alec. Marc had witnessed that Alec had beaten and kicked Bailey, to the point that Bailey lay on the ground, unconscious. It was then that Marc realized that it wasn’t Alec he wanted, but Bailey. Bailey had felt so much better after that.
Bailey wanted to be with Marc, making love to the man he loved, but he wasn’t ready yet. It had everything to do with his inability to use his legs properly. Marc lowered Bailey into his wheelchair, and then they headed for the back deck. The weather was perfect, so Marc wanted to dine outside, and Bailey had relented because the weather was indeed lovely.
Marc rose to his feet, kissed Bailey on his soft, full lips, and said, “I’ll be right back.” Marc went inside, and a minute later, he was back with drinks. A beer for himself and sparkling water for Bailey because he still had a lot of medication, and the doctor had told him not to drink alcohol.
Mario joined them on the deck and greeted Bailey and Marc. Bailey had told his father that he wanted to know more about his twin brother and about his uncle, the one who was killed by Mario. “I’ll leave you two to it,” Marc said, but when he was about to stand, Bailey, pulled him back. “Stay, please. You are my partner, and I don’t want secrets between us,” Bailey said as he looked at his father. Mario nodded; he knew that Marc would never be
tray him.
“So, dad, will you tell me about Fabian?” Bailey asked, looking expectantly at Mario. The mob boss nodded, and then he told Bailey about how insane Fabian had been. That the man had been a psychopath and that he had raped children. Killed animals and even had tried to kill Mario and Robert by setting the house on fire. Fabian had been rotten to the core, Mario had explained.
Mario suddenly glanced at Marc; he said in a careful tone, “I know that you probably won’t tell me, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you know who ordered the hit on Fabian?” Marc looked thoughtful because he knew that it had been Darren Brown, aka Eddy Davis, who had ordered the hit on Fabian.
“Since he’s dead, I can tell you the name of the one who gave the order to kill Fabian. It was Darren Brown, a former assassin himself. I didn’t know who it was that gave me the assignments until he told me,” Marc softly said. He didn’t need to mention the happening that made Darren confess that he was Marc’s client.
Now it was Mario who looked thoughtful. “The name doesn’t sound familiar,” he said. “He also goes by the name Eddy Davis,” Marc informed Mario, and this time, he got a reaction from the mob boss. “Him, I know. He tried to weasel his way into the organization, but I didn’t trust him,” Mario growled. “Glad that he’s dead,” Mario said while looking at Bailey. “If not, then I would have killed him myself,” he added. Bailey didn’t know what to say, so he stayed quiet.
They sat in silence for a while when suddenly Bailey spoke. “So, my twin was a psychopath?” Mario nodded. “And no, you’re nothing like him, my son,” Mario answered the unspoken question. “Why not? After all, he was my twin, so how can you know that I won’t turn into a psychopath?” Bailey questioned because this made no sense. Fabian had been his identical twin.
“A stranger would not be able to keep you and Fabian apart, true, but I could, and so could your mother,” Mario paused, then he added in a quiet voice, “Even though she wasn’t in his life for long.” Bailey swallowed hard because he heard and saw the pain every time Mario talked about his late wife, Emily, Bailey’s mother.
“How?” Bailey questioned because it still didn’t make sense. Mario’s smile was rueful when he said, “Do you know that the eyes are the mirror to the soul?” Bailey shook his head; no, he didn’t know. “Even though you were identical twins, your eyes were different. You were about six months old when your mother and I noticed the change in Fabian. It’s hard to explain because can a six-month-old child’s eyes shine with madness?” Mario sighed.
“Maybe it was why I wanted for Fabian to stay with me when Emily decided to leave me,” Mario’s voice was low, a near whisper, but Bailey had heard every word. “It was the same with Robert, but I hoped that at least my oldest son would turn out differently. Robert had the same look in his eyes as Fabian. Only Fabian could hide his insanity better because of his big green eyes. He fooled many because of his green eyes, especially when he got his, well, innocent look. He often practiced in front of the mirror. I caught him practicing a couple of times, but I never thought anything of it. Then again, insanity runs in the family. The Hatcher family, that is.” Mario said, and he looked tired, older even. His father had suffered, of that Bailey was sure, even though he was a mob boss.
Bailey sat upright because had he heard that correctly? There was madness in the family from his mother’s side? “Are you alright, baby?” a worried Marc asked. “Yes. No. I don’t know,” Bailey finally whispered. Marc handed Bailey a glass of water. “Here, drink; you will feel better,” he said. Bailey took the offered glass and took a few sips.
“Bailey? Look at me,” Mario said in a firm voice. Bailey reluctantly turned his head to face his father. Mario’s smile was warm and reassuring; he said, “It’s true that I murdered Emily’s brother, your uncle. That was after I found out that he had molested and killed two young girls.” Mario paused; Bailey looked; well, Mario couldn’t read his son’s expression. It was clear that Bailey wasn’t shocked, but Mario had seen a flicker of fear. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but Mario had seen it, and apparently, Marc had too.
Marc opened his mouth to ask for the umpteenth time if Bailey was alright when the man rose his hand. Marc closed his mouth, and Bailey said, “I’m fine. Really. It’s just; I don’t know how to explain.” He eyed his father intently, then he whispered, “How could you be sure that Nathan was that kind of monster?”
Mario sighed, and Bailey could tell that the man was getting emotional. “After two six-year-old girls were molested and then killed, I was informed that my dear brother-in-law was the perpetrator. I, of course, couldn’t believe it, or rather I chose not to believe the accusation against Nathan. It would have broken your mother’s heart if she knew of these allegations.” Mario paused, sipped from his water, and then he continued.
“I decided to confront him with what I was told to give him the chance to deny everything. When I asked him a few days later, he didn’t deny any of it. In fact, he even laughed and began to share the gory details. Well, that’s when I snapped and shot him. Unfortunately, Emily was home. She should have been at her mother’s, but she wasn’t, and she saw the whole thing go down.” Mario paused again. He then said. “You read the diary, so you know that she was in the garden when I shot and killed Nathan. She adored Nathan and didn’t know about the monster that he was, and I never told her,” Mario sighed deeply. “Not even when she said that she would leave me because I killed her brother,” he added softly.
Chapter Forty Six
“Keep on going; you’re doing great,” Hector praised. Bailey wanted to tell Hector exactly how he thought about swimming, but he was busy not to drown. “Keep your head above water. Come on, one more lap.”
“Hey, baby. How was swimming?” Marc asked when he joined Bailey and Hector at the pool. Bailey opened his mouth to complain to Marc about Hector being relentless, but then looking thoughtful, he said, smiling brightly, “Pretty good, actually.” Bailey glanced at Hector. “Thank you for pushing me as you did. I needed that.” Hector smiled. “Just keep swimming, as much as you enjoy, but never alone,” the physical therapist warned.
Hector eyed Bailey, his expression serious, as he said, “You know that, today, you were using your legs while in the water?” Bailey opened, and then he closed his mouth again. No, he hadn’t noticed. “I did?” he gasped. “Yes, you did, which means that I’m convinced that your legs will fully recover,” he grinned.
“How can you know? I mean, I just swam for the first time; it could have been the water moving my legs,” Bailey softly said. He would do anything to walk again, but he was baffled by Hector’s words.
“For two weeks, I’ve seen the signs. The way the muscles in your legs respond to the massage. Your legs are getting stronger with every passing day. You have lots of willpower, and that’s what you need if you ever want to walk again. Today I was hard on you, but I felt that you needed it,” Hector explained as he was looking expectantly at Bailey.
Bailey pressed his lips together, searching for the right words. “You are right; I needed that kick in the ass to end my pity party,” Bailey admitted. It wasn’t easy to admit to it, but Bailey had always been honest about his feelings, and if people found him a sissy, then so be it.
“Baby, I had no idea. Did I do something wrong? Should I have done things differently?” Marc sounded worried and confused, not at all like the merciless assassin that he was or had been. Marc had promised Bailey that he had retired, and Bailey trusted Marc to keep his word.
It was Hector who spoke. “If you allow, then I can answer that question,” the physical therapist said. Bailey nodded because, being a physical therapist, Hector should be familiar with these kinds of problems.
Hector turned to Marc. “There’s a difference between you and me when it comes to Bailey and how we treat him. You love him, and that’s why you aren’t able to push him to the limit because you’re too scared of hurting him.” Hector turned from Marc to Bailey as he continued. “I’m a phys
ical therapist, and I know what you can do if there’s enough willpower. You were nearly drowning in self-pity, which is very bad for your recovery,” the physical therapist explained.
Marc looked thoughtful. Had he been too gentle with Bailey? “No, you did everything right, Marc. Bailey needs your love and devotion after the hard work that I put him through. It’s a perfect balance,” Hector said, smiling. Bailey smiled too; he felt much better now, and certainly after hearing Hector assuring him that he would walk again.
“I will walk again,” Bailey whispered as he leaned back against Marc’s firm muscled chest. Hector had left and would be back the day after tomorrow. Bailey knew that the man would push him even more, and that was alright. However, right now, he needed his man to hold him.
Assassins the Florist Book One Part One Page 26
