Van was by his side within a moment and they opened the outer door and started the ascension to her apartment. His feet felt like lead as he tried to climb up the stairs as fast as possible. When he reached the front of her apartment, he groaned. The door was riddled with bullet holes and splintered from its hinges. When he walked in, he could see spatters of blood drizzled on the floor. It was doing nothing to calm his anxiety as his looked at all the chaos.
The couch was tipped to the side and the TV lay smashed on the floor. The kitchen was in complete disarray with broken plates and caved-in cupboards. He rushed to the bedroom and his heart dropped. The sheets on the bed were torn to shreds and the wardrobe was tipped at an angle, spilling its contents on the floor. An obliterated lamp glowed dully and he quickly unplugged it, before a fire broke out and completely destroyed the remainder of the home. He turned and headed towards the bathroom. Yet again the door had been kicked down, but he noticed that the lock had been put in place before the incident.
This is where she must have run and locked herself away. She must have been terrified. She thought that tiny lock could keep her safe from those fuckers, but all it did was making their game even more amusing. They must have laughed when they saw her trembling in the bathtub, screaming as they crashed through the door. I wonder if she still had any marks from the last time they had seen her. I’m sure by now she has some new additions.
His thoughts taunted him and he clutched his hair between his hands. The gel crunched beneath his finger as he pulled hard at the roots. He wanted to wash the thoughts of her pain out of his head, but in his current surroundings it was hopeless. It wasn’t until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he broke out of his mind’s prison and looked around at the reality surrounding him.
“I know this is hard, Red, but we need your help. We have to find her,” Van’s voice was strained, clearly effected by the scene around them also.
Joe appeared in the doorway. His voice was a bit softer now, compared to when they had first arrived at the apartment. He must have noted Red’s despair and felt some form of sympathy towards the suffering of his contractor.
“Pearl has started calling her contacts, she’s setting up a deal for Rachel’s safe return. In the meantime I’ve had a report from one of our men that he’s found Kevin. It doesn’t sound good. Is there anything you need from here or shall we get going?”
Red looked at the chaos once more before shaking his head and following the twin out the door. Van trailed behind and made an attempt to close the door as he left, resting the splintered wood against the door frame. They both knew that none of the neighbors would have seen anything, too afraid to leave their apartments after hearing the commotion. Any that would have dared would be dead in a ditch by now.
They took the steps two at a time as they headed out the building once more. It was almost noon and they were still no closer to finding Rachel. Joe told them to follow him and they both jumped on their bikes as the Romano led the way. They had been driving for about twenty minutes and were heading into Martinez territory when Joe pulled up. He climbed out and they followed him down a dark and dingy alley where a man was waiting for them.
“Lenny!” Van clapped a hand around the thin black man’s back, “How’ve you been? It’s been a while. We missed you at Ace’s wedding.”
“Sorry I couldn’t make the nuptials. I’ve had my hands busy with work. Talking of which, I located Kevin’s phone and pinpointed him down on the map. I headed here with some of the guys and we’ve found Kevin. At least what’s left of him. They’ve done quite a number on him, boss. Are you sure you want to take a look? I can have the men dispose the body. I should get back to figure out if I can trace the temporary phone you gave to Rachel.”
“The temporary phone? What happened to her normal one?” Red queried, stepping forward.
“We had to keep you apart, Red. It’s for your own good. Now, can we get back to the case in hand here? There’s a dead man waiting for us.”
“You had to keep us apart?” Red exploded, “It wasn’t for her fucking own good, was it? Look where she is now? Tied up with those Martinez fuckers I was keeping her safe from!”
“Not now,” Van shot a warning glance at his brother as they walked towards the back on the alley.
The smell of putrid garbage, festering in the hot air hit their nostrils as they wandered behind the bin. Red wrinkled his nose, but forgot all about the smell when he laid eyes on Kevin. His neck was severed and blood has crusted on his shirt. His eyes had been pushed in until they had popped and one of his arms was missing entirely. It was like watching a horror movie, they couldn’t keep their eyes off the sight in front of them. The silence was choking as Red finally pulled back and threw up the beers he had been slamming down since morning. Even for a man like him, a death this horrific shouldn’t be witnessed.
“Kevin didn’t deserve to go down like this. He was an honorable man. Has anyone talked to his daughter? Get the men to take the body away and clear it up. I don’t want his family seeing him like this. Was anything unusual found on him?” Joe looked furious.
“Just this,” Lenny held up a small piece of paper, a single drop of blood blemishing the outer surface.
Joe took it from his fingers and unfolded it. He stared down at the paper before handing it to Van. Van analyzed it before quickly turning it over to his expectant brother.
“It’s a phone number with my name next to it. Do they expect me to call them?” Red wondered.
“I would assume so. We can wait until we get back to headquarters, before you make that call. It might be better somewhere quieter, so the others can listen in,” Joe started.
“I’m not waiting that long!” Red burst, “Rachel is somewhere out there right now waiting for them. Let’s just get back to her apartment and I’ll make the call. I might have missed something. We have no time to waste.”
Before waiting for a response, Red had shoved the note into his trousers and was jumping onto his bike. He left the sickening murder scene behind as he sped through the traffic, heading back once more to his woman’s apartment. Not waiting for the others, he bounded up the stairs and pushed the broken door open. He leaned against the counter when he searched for the note, pulling it free and starting to dial the number. Van managed to get into the room before he could hit call and he snatched the device away from him.
“You have to wait for Joe at least. They probably want to make a negotiation with them anyway. It was never about you, you’re just a pawn in their sick game. Go cool off for a moment, you need to have your nerves with you. Splash some water on your face or something.”
Red thought about arguing with his brother, but knew he was right. Without Joe there he had no bargaining tools, nothing to offer of any value to them. Glaring at his brother, he headed towards the bathroom to calm down. His hands gripped the porcelain of the sink as he stared at his reflection in the shattered mirror. From where it was broken, his face was distorted. He thought about what it would feel like to drag one of the shards across those fuckers’ necks like they had done to Kevin.
I need to fucking calm down. I have to think straight like Van said.
He turned the cold water on and splashed the refreshing liquid in his face. It seemed to do the trick as his breathing slowed and he sat down on the toilet lid. He looked around the room, his eyes searching for something that might lead him to Rachel, when his eyes fell on the trashcan next to him on the floor. The discarded box inside caught his eye. He had seen this before. He pulled the box out to take a better look when something tumbled out of it, crashing onto the tiles below. He leaned down and picked up the fallen item before time stopped. The world darkened around him and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears. It couldn’t be true.
He stared down at the small stick in his fingers and sure enough there were two very defined lines in the display. Not wanting to get ahead of himself, he fumbled at the box as he ripped the pamphlet out. He scanned the document before h
is eyes settled on the results page.
Rachel is pregnant.
Rachel is pregnant with my child.
Rachel is pregnant with my child and she has been kidnapped.
“Van!” Red shouted, his voice tight with emotion.
Van came sprinting into the room, skidding across the tiles as he came to a halt in front of Red. He must have seen the look on Red’s face and realized something was wrong. He didn’t have to ask any questions when he looked down at the stick still tightly clutched in his brother’s hand. Carefully, he eased the object from Red’s clutch and stared down at the display. His mouth fell open and he finally grasped the seriousness of the situation. They were both silent for a moment before the eldest brother spoke.
“We need to find Rachel. Now.”
“Fuck. What am I going to do?” Red was still in a state of shock.
“What you’re going to do,” his brother yanked him up by his armpits, “Is get back into that room and call those cunts. I don’t care what we have to negotiate or what we have to do, we’re getting Rachel back.”
Red nodded and stumbled through to the kitchen. The brothers both froze when they saw Joe and Lenny standing there expectantly. Joe took in the look on their faces before scanning the Baileys. Unfortunately, Van had walked out the bathroom still holding onto the pregnancy stick and magically Joe’s eyes trained onto it within a blink of an eye.
“What’s that?” he snapped.
“I would rather not say,” Van began.
“Give it to me now.”
Van looked at his brother and Red nodded his permission. There was no use hiding the situation and would be better to have Joe on their side rather than as their enemy. Even the Romano twins had some form of humanity inside of them.
“Where did you find this?” Joe’s face had paled slightly.
“In the bathroom,” Red’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Rachel is pregnant. I can only presume she is baring your child?”
“That’s correct. Rachel is carrying my child. I need to find her, Joe.”
“You’d better call them then. Lenny give him the phone. Lenny can trace the phone call from here.”
Lenny handed Red the phone and he didn’t wait for further instructions. He once again furiously dialed in the numbers and hit the call button. Before anyone could answer, had the call on speaker phone so the others could listen in. After three agonizingly long trills, someone picked up.
“Mr. Bailey, I presume?” the voice drawled.
“That’s me. Where’s Rachel?”
“She’s with me. I’m quite enjoying her company right now. I’m sure she’ll love my company when I’m done with her. I’m quite inclined to not giving her up. What do you think? I’m sure you had your own fun with her when you were protecting her. You did have us question her whereabouts. Don’t worry. Her little bodyguard didn’t give us much information, but I can tell by the way she’s looking at me right now that you mean something to her. Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”
“You’d better not have laid a finger on her, or I’ll fucking kill you!” Red’s fury was building.
“Oh, I’ve laid plenty of fingers on her. I might lay some other things on her soon too. I’m sure my men wouldn’t mind a ride of the fiery little redhead either. But for now, I quite like her to myself. Am I right in assuming that the Romanos are with you?”
Joe interjected, “You’re correct. Who am I speaking to?”
The voice laughed before replying, “My name is Valentino Martinez. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? I thought I needed to start shaking things up and around here and I guess I’m doing quite a good job, considering the increased security you’ve laid out across the city. Your sister has been trying to set up a meeting with me since morning, but I’ve grown tired of her. I think I’ll play the game a bit longer, see how it pans out. Everyone is starting to realize just how weak you are and in time they will turn to your stronger opponent. Just in case that confused that tiny brain of yours, that’s me. I’d better be heading off now, there’s a rather scrumptious redhead demanding my attention. Do you wonder what she’ll sound like moaning underneath me? I’m about to find out, Red. See you around.”
The line went dead and Red launched the phone across the room. It smashed against the wall, splintering into a thousand microscopic pieces while the others looked on. Red could feel the rage inside of him, but the hopelessness kept him from destroying the remainders of the apartment. Lenny broke the tension.
“I’ve tracked him. He’s downtown, somewhere near the warehouse district. I think I know the building exactly. We’ve had the men sniffing down there after the arson. Here it is on the map. What’s the plan, boss?”
Joe looked over at the brothers. They both looked fueled with hatred and he must have realized that their emotion would help to save the lawyer.
“You too, better get ready. We are heading down tonight. I’ll have the boys give you a call an hour before the kick-off. Wait for my call. Lenny, come with me. We’d better talk to Pearl and get the plan in motion.”
With that, Joe turned on his heel and left the apartment. Red shook with emotion as he stared out after them. He waited until he heard the front door of the apartment close before he turned to his brother.
“There is no way I’m waiting until night time to get to Rachel. You heard what that cunt said! He could be doing all types of things to her as we speak. I need your help, big brother. For once, I need you to break the rules.”
“I agree.”
Red was momentarily shocked at his brother’s compliance at going against the Romano’s plans. Van was always one to stick to his orders and be a faithful soldier. The realization that Rachel was carrying his niece or nephew must have brought him to reality and they were finally both on the same page.
“Here, call Ace. We are going to need his help,” Van handed back the confiscated phone.
Red nodded and hit his brother’s name from the list of contacts. Ace answered within a couple of rings, his voice cheerful and unknowing.
“What’s up, big brother? You finally gotten out of your slump?”
“Rachel’s been taken.”
“What?” he spluttered, “The Martinez gang got past Kevin? That guy is one of the best security we have going. What happened?”
“They slaughtered Kevin like a pig. The boys found what was left of his body dumped in an alley downtown. The way they killed him was brutal, the Martinez have no respect for life and no moral compass. I need your help in getting Rachel back.”
“I’m sure the twins have something up their sleeve. Have you spoken to them?”
“Joe said they’re planning to raid the warehouse tonight.”
“Are you going with them?”
“I’m not waiting that long and neither is Van. We’re heading over there now. We need your help this time around, little brother.”
“Van is joining you on this suicide mission? What’s gotten into you both? You know you’re defying the twins by going in early? I’ve caused enough trouble with them already. They’ll have my head, if they found I had encouraged this kind of behavior. What could be so important that you make enemies with the Romanos? She’s just a girl, Red.”
“She’s not just any girl. She’s Rachel. On top of that she’s pregnant with my child.”
Ace was silent for a moment, taking in the information before he spoke, “Where’s the warehouse?”
“I’m sending you the directions now.”
***
“Has anyone got a plan?” Ace whispered as they huddled down a side road.
Within an hour they had all gathered near to the warehouse and parked their bikes up. They had strapped their guns to their backs and gathered around, trying to come up with some kind of plan where they would get out alive.
“I’ve got nothing. I don’t know what to suggest. I know we have to rescue Rachel, but we’ll be going to our deaths if we just rush in,” Van’s voice was monoton
ous.
“I think we need to use the tactics like we did at the church. We need to scan the perimeter of the building and check out all possible routes into the warehouse. It might be that some have less security than others that can at least find us a way in. There’s not much I can guarantee for getting out though. I know I brought you both into this, but ultimately this is my mess. If you want to go, you can head out now. I would kill myself if my nephew ended up fatherless because of my decisions.”
“Shut up,” Ace grunted, “We go into this together. We’ve always looked out for one another and it isn’t going to change now. Besides, my potential nephew or niece may never be born if we don’t rescue Rachel. I’d do anything for family.”
Red nodded and looked over to Van for confirmation. Van merely spat on the ground and nodded his head. They were all committed to the extreme rescue mission.
“Okay, Ace, you’re the least known. Do you think you can scout the area and see if you can find us a way in? We’ll wait here. Just stay hidden and don’t interact with anyone you see.”
“Sure.”
With that, Ace sped off in the direction of the warehouse. The other two brothers waited by their bikes anxiously. Time was ticking and every second hanging around, meant another second of Rachel in the hands of Valentino. It was unbearable to think about and Red was about to give up the plan and go speeding in, when Ace suddenly appeared around the corner, grinning.
“We’re in luck, boys. There’s an entrance to the furthest corner of the building that only has about two guys standing by it. From the looks of them, we can take them easily. I would suggest we only draw our guns in the direst of situations, we need to keep things as quiet as possible. I’ll draw their attention while you two get behind them and do your business. Sound alright?”
“That’ll work, good work little brother,” Red nodded his agreement.
They both looked at one another, knowing that this was their last chance to back out. None of them moved and the bond was sealed. Ace went first, the other two lingering behind for half a minute before following. Sure enough, when they got around the side of the building, the two men were looming in on their youngest brother. Whatever he had said, had seemed to piss them off as they headed straight for him, fists raised. Before they had time to react, the older brothers were upon them. Van grabbed one around the neck and got him into a choke hold. Red fly-kicked the other in the back, sending him tumbling onto the concrete below. The man couldn’t get up before Red had kicked him in the side of the head, rendering him unconscious. Van managed to choke the other until he passed out. They dragged both men underneath some nearby cars.
The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy Page 33