The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy

by Melissa Devenport

  What the fuck? Are they going to drug that poor woman? I can’t wait for backup or something bad is going to happen to her. I’ve got to act now.

  Red placed his drink down on the nearest table and shoved his way through people to get to the group. The woman arrived just as he got there and went to take a sip from her drink. Deftly, Red slapped the glass from her hand and it went tumbling in the air, smashing on the floor. Everyone was open-mouthed for a second before they burst into action.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” the woman shouted, leaping back from the shattered mess.

  “Saving your life. I watched this cunt slip something into your drink,” Red pointed at the man next to him.

  “Is that true?” shocked, she turned to face the man.

  The man was muscular and bald. Tattoos were covering most of his body and all the way up his neck. The sharp brown eyes and pointed nose ended with a thin mustache and a neatly trimmed beard. He looked every bit the typical Martinez gang member. Right now, his mouth was narrowed into a tight thin line, fury etched across his face.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” the man shoved Red backwards.

  The bar seemed to all stop what they were doing and synchronized their turn to watch the commotion. Most of the locals who recognized Red stood up and slowly made their way through the crowds, not wanting one of their own to come to any harm, but also maintaining their distance for the respect of the fight. Paolo was there too, ready to jump in if anything got too bad.

  Who needs the twins when I have my own ready-made back-up here?

  Seeing the crowd starting to form around them, the gang members looked at one another warily before getting themselves into position should something kick-off. The man walked right up into Red’s face, his features twisted into a distorted snarl. At this point, the woman had backed herself away and one of the bartenders had helped her get out safely. The Martinez gang felt the lacking support and their hostility began to grow out of control.

  “You’re sticking your nose in the wrong business. Do you know who I am? Do you know what I could do?” the man was practically spitting out his words.

  Red looked sideways at him, unimpressed with his attitude, “I know which team you guys are playing for, but do you realize on whose turf you’re playing it? I don’t think the Romanos would be too fucking happy that you’re on their side of their city, messing with their people.”

  “You run with the Romanos? Typical. I thought I smelt chicken shit.”

  “I would suggest you drag your sorry asses out of here before you regret it.”

  “You wanna try me out, big man? Even with your drunk ass friends, you know we would take you out. Easily. You should have just let me have fun with that girl.”

  “What? The only way you can get girls, is by drugging them? I can actually believe that, with a face like yours. And by the end of the night, I’ll make sure it won’t be prettier.”

  Before Red could react, the man had grabbed a bottle and smashed it against the edge of the table, the splintered edge glinting in the overhead lights. He jabbed it towards Red, luckily he managed to maneuver himself behind the column but still managed to receive a graze across his left arm. Instantly, people started to either flee or crowd in. The locals went to pry the broken glass from the man, but the Martinez gang members stepped in and soon it was an all-out brawl. Right in the middle, stood Red and the man facing off.

  “Can’t even fight fair, typical Martinez scum,” Red spat at his shoe.

  The man leaped at him, but this time Red was ready. He stepped back, twisting his body sideways so the man followed through into the column, smashing his fist into the brickwork. The man howled out in pain and Red took the moment to grab the back of his head and thrust his face into the wall. He could hear the crunch, as the man’s nose snapped and blood colored his clothes. Clearly the man wasn’t going to give up so easily. He smacked Red’s hand away and laid a hard punch into Red’s rib. Red doubled over, winded and bruised. The man was on him at once, punching and kicking wherever he could find flesh. The rain of blows bounced off Red’s muscles, but he managed to straighten himself up a land a right-hook, right onto the side of the man’s head. The man was knocked off his feet and went sprawling across the floor, only to be kicked by another guy who was busy with a gang member to the side. Red looked around as glasses were smashed and bar stools were broken. Some of the items were used as weapons, others just destroyed by mistake.

  I’m definitely not going to be allowed back here, no matter my reputation with the owner.

  While looking out across the surrounding chaos, Red wasn’t paying attention, when the man jumped back up and elbowed him in the cheek. Red’s head snapped round and a burning sensation ran up the side of his face. Now he was getting really pissed off. He spun around and tackled the man to the floor, pinning him down with his knees. Just as he was about to knock the guy out, the man reached out and grabbed a shard of glass off the floor, thrusting it into Red’s side. It was only a small piece but it hurt like hell as Red rolled off his and fumbled to get the shard out of him. By the time he had managed to extract it, the man was on his feet and a steady trickle of blood was running down Red’s side. Carefully, Red made his way up and the man went straight for him. Red slashed at the man’s face with the piece of glass, just narrowly missing his eye and slicing a nasty cut just to the left of his eyebrow. Blood was now flowing freely down the man’s face, both from his broken nose and the new cut. The man stumbled back, clutching his eye, trying to stem the blood and ultimately giving up. Red dropped the shard onto the floor and held his hands up, signaling the end of the fight. The man glared at him before bringing his fingers to his mouth to whistle. As soon as the shrill noise pierced through the crowd, all the gang members stepped back. Some were looking rough, the floor was slippery with small puddles of blood and Red could spot a couple of teeth nestled in between the wooden planks.

  “Vamonos!” the man called out to his fellow Martinez gang members.

  The members looked a bit confused, but slowly, and proudly made their way out. Some of them were pretty badly wounded and riddled with cuts and bruises. The leader took one last look at Red.

  “You’re going to regret this, you son of a bitch. Mark my words.”

  With that, he was gone. He followed the others out the door and left the path of destruction in their wake. Splinters of wood and shards of glass littered the floor. Most the men who had been in the fights were broken and bruised and collapsed into whatever nearby seat they could find. The bar staff didn’t wait to be asked and started pouring drinks and bringing them around. Red settled himself at the bar where Paolo was propped up, a couple of grazes gracing his cheekbone.

  “I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in a long time,” he grinned at Red, exposing bloody gums.

  “Well, I’m glad someone has enjoyed their night. I can’t say I’m too overly impressed with the results. What the fuck do the Martinez gang think they’re doing around here? I better call the twins and get them updated. But first…”

  Red grabbed a tequila that had been poured for him by one of the bartenders, and downed it in one go. The burning sensation helped numb some of the injuries he had sustained during the fight. Carefully, he lifted himself from the seat, clutching at his side and walked into the middle of the room. His mobile had come loose in the fight and he picked it up off the floor. Luckily, the screen was still intact and nothing was broken. He pressed the power button and was happy to see it flicker to life as usual.

  This isn’t going to be fun explaining it to the twins.

  He made his way outside, whipping out another cigarette. He was pretty sure this was the most he had smoked in one day, apart from when Van was in the hospital. Red had the twins on speed-dial and debated calling Joe, but he knew that Pearl would want to hear the story first. He pressed her name and waited as the phone rang.

  “Shouldn’t you be buried under a girl right now?” Pearl’s voi
ce grated in his ear.

  “I was planning to, but the Martinez gang kept interrupting my session.”

  “What? Where are you?”

  “I’m at the bar as usual.”

  “And they were there? You have got to be fucking kidding me. They’re getting way too cocky lately, coming over to our turf every five seconds. So, what happened? Why didn’t you call for back-up?”

  “I didn’t really have time, Pearl. One of the fuckers tried to drug a woman and I had to intervene before she got hurt. Always have to save a lady-in-distress, you know me.”

  Pearl was now hissing down the phone, “Where the fuck did they go then? Are they still there?”

  “Nope, the whole bar broke out into a fight and the leader had them leave. I left him with some pretty face alterations however, so you should be happy.”

  “Happy?” she shrieked, “This is just the beginning. I’ve had to call your brother out tonight to deal with arson and now they attack you in a bar? I think it’s time we start sending a message back. It’s just a shame I don’t have the full dream team at my disposal. Where is Ace anyway? I heard he got his bitch knocked up.”

  “You’re still not over him picking Jen over you?”

  She snorted, “Like I’d care. It’s not my fault your brother is blind and stupid. Fuck it, his loss after all. Anyway, what does the bar look like? Is Bill going to go mental?”

  Red peeked back in through the window to confirm the state of the bar, “Erm… yeah, I don’t think Bill is going to be pleased with the new décor style.”

  “That’s what I suspected. He’ll be fine after an anonymous donation is placed into his account. Just let him know not to worry and apologize for the mess. We need the community on our side at a time like this. I can feel a war brewing.”

  Suddenly sirens blasted through the air and blue lights glowed off surrounding buildings. Police.

  “What is that?” Pearl questioned through the phone.

  “The police. Someone must have called them. It wasn’t Bill, because he’s not working today. And it certainly wasn’t the bar staff, or any of the locals. Maybe someone saw the whole thing, got scared and gave them a call?”

  “Or maybe the Martinez gang have just set you up. Okay, don’t worry, I’ll get a hold of our lawyers right now and have you out in a couple of hours. Make sure you keep your mouth shut tight if they arrest you. We don’t need you stirring anymore trouble tonight. Especially over random damsels in distress. Bite your tongue and go with them. Talk soon.”

  The line went dead and Red quickly put his phone into his pocket and flicked his cigarette butt into the street. As he heard the sirens approaching, he turned around and headed back inside the bar.

  I reckon I can get at least one more drink down, before they come storming in.

  Paolo noticed the blue lights flickering around the room, as Red went up to the bar. The bartender caught his eye and she quickly poured him another tequila, which he accepted with a wink. He had just downed the drink when the door burst open and the bar was flooded by cops. Their eyes scanned the mess around them; drunks slumped over their chairs, slick puddles of blood on the ground and broken furniture scattered everywhere. They locked eyes with Red, as they approached him through the shattered remains.

  “Can you tell me what happened here, sir?” the first officer spoke.

  “Late night disco party, things get real wild around here. Care for a boogie?” Red joked, instantly forgetting Pearl’s warning.

  “Alright, wise guy. We have a description matching yours, about a fight in here, and you were the instigator. Black hair, jeans, wounded on the side, muscles and tattoos. You’re going to have to come downtown with us, sir. I’m arresting you under suspicion of disturbing the peace, assault and quite possibly, battery, from the look of things around here. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. Please stand up and turn around, I need to cuff you. You won’t be causing us any trouble, will you sir?”

  Red decided to comply. If Pearl had promised to get him out in a couple of hours, then he could do with a bit of peace and quiet in a cell. Plus, they should patch him up before putting him away, so at least he’ll get his cuts cleaned. He raised his hands and turned around, placing them together on his lower back. The officer audibly let out a sigh of relief, clearly happy the big burly man wasn’t going to try and take them on. The relief seemed to be relayed in the way the office carefully placed the cuffs on his wrists and tightened them only enough to restrain him but not cause him any pain.

  As he was leading Red away he turned to some of the lingering officers, “I’m going to need you to take witness statements from everyone here. And quite possibly call an ambulance for some of these people. Looked like it was a hell of a bar fight. Someone also contact the owner if they’re not already here. They might want to press charges of criminal damage.”

  Pearl, I hope you give Bill that cash injection pretty fast or else I wouldn’t put it past the man to drop charges on me on top of whatever else is coming my way. It’s going to be pretty hard to talk my way out of this one.

  The officer led Red to the car with a firm hand on his shoulder. He opened the door and instructed Red to lean down to get into the car without bumping his head. The patrol car had been modified with a prisoner cage and the back seats had been replaced by molded plastic seats. The seat had deep reliefs at the lower back, so it could accommodate people with handcuffs. It appeared the seat had a specially designed belt with the release placed at about center chest. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to try to escape that car.

  The driver was already in the front and as soon as the other cop got into the car, the engine switched on and they headed back to the station. Red stared out the window at the world around him.

  Back to wondering how other people live their lives. Just instead of me being alone at a bar, I’m now alone and just arrested. What a miserable fucking life I live. At least it will be a good story to tell the guys when I get out of here. If I get out of here. I’m not sure how many strings the twins can pull to get me out of these charges. If they’re questioning everyone at the bar, how do I know no one will slip up? I guess they won’t. The ones who are left there are all loyal to me and everyone else knows not to get on the bad side of a Bailey. When Van finds out about this he is going to go mental.

  Most of the lights in the surrounding buildings were turned off and people were most likely sleeping at this time of night or out drinking their evenings away. Red always found it eerie on weeknights how quiet the city got. As they got to the dodgier part of downtown, the buildings slowly lost their upscale demeanor and were replaced by crumbling and worn down abandoned shacks. Red could spot a couple of hookers wandering the streets and a passed out addict sleeping on some steps. This was now the Martinez area. They didn’t look after their people like the Romanos did. They didn’t invest back into the community. All they did, was taking from the already poor and putting it in their own pockets. That’s why Red always had a sour aftertaste thinking about the damn bastards.

  Finally, they pulled up outside the station and the officers helped get Red out the car. Due to his size, it was quite a struggle for them to lift him out and Red had to contain his laughter as he headed into the building. It hurt his eyes to move from the dark night into the brightly lit station and up to the front desk.

  “We’re going to need him cleaned up before anything else. Get him a cell somewhere and hold him down for the night. I’ll call him in for interrogation in a couple of hours,” the officer announced before disappearing and leaving him with the uniformed welcoming party.

  “Now
which one of you lucky ladies gets to clean me up first?” Red grinned.

  Chapter 2

  RACHEL

  Keyboards clattered and murmuring on phones echoed through the office as she entered. Rachel was wearing a blue blazer with matching pencil skirt and a white and baby blue striped shirt. She had decided she wasn’t quite ready to give up her heels, regardless how painful they were, and today she had paired her outfit with some nude stilettos. She smiled at the receptionist as she walked in and headed over to her office.

  The firm wasn’t big and each lawyer had their individual office. Although they were a small firm, they were very exclusive and typically only got the most high-class cases arriving at their doorstep. Her uncle had made a name for himself at a young age and when he had finally made his way up the chain, and opened the door to his own firm, there was a queue of people waiting to use his services. Rachel still found it unbelievable how fast he had managed to gain his reputation and fortune from the simple law degree he had started with.

  She placed her handbag under her desk and looked around the room. After yesterday’s filing session and a quick clean-up, she had finally got the room resembling something she could get used to. She still had to add some personal touches like the other lawyers had done, but her uncle had told her she had plenty of time and to worry more about getting her first big case. Sighing, she dropped into her chair and turned her computer on. The screen flickered to life and she opened up the news. After her induction into the company, she still hadn’t got her hands on any real work and now she was waiting for her uncle to send something her way.