The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy

by Melissa Devenport

  “As much as I admire how successful you two have been with running the business after mom and dad died, I don’t feel like my heart is in it. I just want to live a normal life, settle down and maybe have some kids one day. I don’t think that is manageable in this kind of environment,” Lily started.

  Pearl expertly interrupted, “Actually, you can have that. Well, at least the settling down and potentially having kids part. Never really seen the point in having nasty little shits running wild, but each to their own I suppose.”

  “How?” Lily questioned.

  Pearl and Joe exchanged looks. Lily could tell it was an inside battle between them, but Pearl won as Joe cast his look downwards.

  Whatever just happened there can’t be good. Why is Joe backing down? Pearl may be the mouthy one but Joe is the brains behind the infamous duo. When has she started making the decisions?

  “You’re getting married.”

  “What?”

  I must have misheard. Why would she say I’m getting married? Has Van or Jin talked to them?

  “We need you to step up and do what’s best for the family. As you understand, we are trying to expand the business into the neighboring city. To do that, we need firm connections and what better than a marriage to seal the deal. I would offer myself but of course I was never destined to be someone’s trophy wife. I have a lot more fun being single as it is. While you, you’re wasting your natural beauty hanging out in dirty, dangerous places playing doctor. It’s time to be the person you were always meant to be.”

  Lily’s mouth fell open as she tried to comprehend what her sister was saying. She looked across at Joe who couldn’t meet her eyes as he shook his head.

  This is what my sister has decided? She’s selling me off in a business trade?

  “I’m not getting married, Pearl. You can’t force me to get married so you can expand your fucking business,” Lily spat across the table.

  Pearl narrowed her eyes and she leaned forward, “Like hell I can. I spent the best part of my teenage years raising your ungrateful ass and now you’re going to repay the favor. You will get married and you will finally do your part to keep this business afloat. This is more than just about what you want, this is about what we need.”

  “You think because mom and dad died that you’re the ones who raised me? We had servants around us the entire time. I saw more of the mafia crew than I did of you. All I remember was you with a different guy every night and Joe locked up in the boardroom. I never asked to be born into this world but I certainly don’t have to stay in it if I don’t want to.”

  “Think whatever you like,” Pearl’s voice was filled with fury, “But that doesn’t change the fact you’re getting married. And just to make sure you understand how serious I am, I’ve been keeping tabs on you and Jin.”

  She clicked her fingers and in came a burly man, gripping tightly onto Jin’s folder. A revolver was held to Jin’s temple as they edged into the room. Lily could see Jin was straining to keep a straight face, his skin pale with fear.

  “I’m not going to ask what you two have been up to or what you’ve been doing together. I know you’ve been lying about where you’ve been going though, I put a tracker on the car. You had quite a journey today it would seem. Maybe my brother doesn’t mind turning a blind eye,” she glared at Joe, “But I won’t have you running off again. It doesn’t look good on me. It makes me look weak. If I can’t control my own family then what chance would I have controlling my men? Now you can see the severity of the situation, I hope you both understand that you have no option. You will get married and you will play your part in this family. Do you understand me now, Lily?”

  Lily fought strongly against the urge to reach across the table at claw at her sister’s face.

  Look at how smug she looks. She thinks she has won. But… I guess she has. I can’t risk Jin’s life for my happiness. She’s right. I’ve run out of options.

  “Let the kid go, Pearl. Lily understands. Jin, go home.”

  Pearl stared at her brother for a second before nodding to the guard. He lowered the weapon and released his grip on Jin. Jin quickly stepped away before making eye contact with Lily. She knew he was telling her to be brave, but she wasn’t going to get him killed over this. She’d rather play her part in her sister’s twisted plans than risk her friend’s life.

  “Go now, Jin. But remember we’ll be watching you. I’m sure Lily will need a friend in the upcoming weeks to her wedding.”

  “Weeks?” Lily exclaimed, “But that’s too soon! At least give me some time to wrap my head around the idea.”

  “You’ve had plenty of time while you were out at war. There’s no time like the present, as the saying goes. Talking of going, Jin, fuck off already.”

  Jin was standing in the corner watching the scene play out when Pearl snapped at him. He quickly bowed his head before making a swift exit. The guard followed him and they heard the front door click shut behind them. Silence fell in the room momentarily. Lily stared across at her siblings. Joe was still refusing to make eye contact while Pearl stared angrily at the ceiling.

  “I think it might be better if we had some drinks and discussed this in the living room. There’s been quite enough drama for today and I think it would be good if we found somewhere a bit more comfortable to discuss this matter,” Joe interrupted the silence.

  Both sisters glared angrily across at him but Lily succumbed first. Standing up, she could feel rage shaking through her body, but she managed to stalk through to the living room. She made her seat in the armchair furthest away from the couch where the twins would inevitably sit. They soon followed in afterwards and Joe called for one of the helpers to bring in some drinks. Angry silence stifled the air as they waited for the man to come bustling in with a tray. He quickly distributed the drinks among the Romanos before making his exit. All the staff were trained in knowing the sibling’s favorite alcoholic beverages. Joe had whiskey on the rocks, Pearl had a dirty martini, and Lily had a double vodka and cranberry juice. They all took large sips of their drinks before Pearl broke the silence.

  “You may not like it but that’s just how it is, Lily. We all have to grow up and stop living in our fantasy world at some point. You may have prolonged your journey but you will reach the same destination as the rest of us. Mom and dad sacrificed their lives for this business and I’m not going to let their deaths be in vain. I’m sorry to force you into this but I have no other choice. You will be the one to stabilize the deal between us and the King’s Crew.”

  “The King’s Crew? You’re marrying me off to one of those scumbags?”

  The alcohol made her mouth taste sour.

  What type of monster has Pearl engaged me to?

  “Not one of them. The one.”

  “What?” Lily was confused.

  “You’re marrying Vincent King.”

  Chapter 8

  VAN

  Humming, he grabbed his instant noodles from the microwave and sat down on the couch to watch some TV. He hadn’t heard from Lily for over 24 hours now and she wasn’t returning any of his calls or texts. He needed something to distract him and daytime TV was just the cure. The brain numbing programs helped to block out his thoughts.

  Just as he finished his noodles and was blindly staring at an infomercial, his mobile started ringing. He pulled the device from his pocket and was happy to see Lily’s name on the caller ID. Quickly answering, he put the phone to his ear.

  “Where have you been, princess? I’ve been calling and texting all day,” he started.

  “Van, we need to meet. I don’t know how much time I have right now, but the twins are about to go out for a meeting. Can you meet me somewhere nearby?”

  He could tell by her tone something was wrong. His mind rattled through the possibilities before pulling himself back to the conversation.

  “Sure, there’s a park near your place where we can meet. I’ll meet you by the fountain in the center. Is everything, alright?”
he asked.

  “No, nothing is alright. I’ll see you there in a half hour, okay?”

  Before he had time to answer, she had hung up. His mind was puzzled but he knew whatever she had to talk about was important. He rushed into the bedroom and found a fresh pair of jeans and his usual black t-shirt. Jumping into his clothes, he rushed to the bathroom and rinsed with some mouthwash to get rid of the garlic from the noodles, he had just devoured. Finally he pulled on his biker boots and grabbed his keys before dashing to the garage. It would take about twenty minutes to get to the park so he had no time to waste.

  Jumping on his bike, he shoved the kickstand away and waited for the garage door to open agonizingly slowly. The bike came to life beneath him and he was off. Swerving through the cars, he wound his way towards the park. He knew all the back roads and shortcuts and found himself at the park gates, just in time for him to park up next to the sidewalk and start his walk to the fountain.

  The park was rather large and had clean paved pathways leading towards the center and all the entrances. Most were tree-lined but opened up into clear green spaces where kids could run around, families could picnic and dogs do their business. Usually he would take his time wandering around to explore the natural beauty of the area but today he was on a mission. He quickly walked past and headed straight for the core of the park. Up ahead he could see the gentle jet spraying from the top of the concrete structure and sitting, looking nervous, was Lily.

  It was unusual to see her hair down and looking messy. It would appear she hadn’t run a brush through it all day. She was also sporting a stained t-shirt and joggers with a pair of grubby sneakers. Bare of makeup, as he got closer he could tell she had been crying from her giveaway red-rimmed eyes. He had her wrapped within his embrace within a minute and she instantly broke down, sobbing on his shoulder.

  What’s happened that’s caused her so much pain in the last 24 hours? Has this got something to do with the emergency Pearl was talking about? Something is seriously wrong and I need to find out. What if they’ve found out about us?

  After a couple of minutes he felt Lily go still. She pulled back and wiped the remaining tears away with the back of her hand. She sniffled a little as she tried to speak.

  “I had no choice.”

  Van was confused, “What do you mean you had no choice? No choice for what?”

  “I’m getting married.”

  Van stepped back and stared down at the woman’s face. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. How could she be getting married?

  “I… I didn’t know you were engaged. I would never have done anything if I had known. But I thought you were in the army? How did this happen?”

  “It’s not what you think,” Lily moved forward, gripping into Van’s shirt as though she were afraid he was about to take off or disappear altogether, “Pearl is forcing me to get married.”

  “What?” Van exploded, “How can she force you to get married? To whom?”

  “Vincent King.”

  Van’s mouth dropped open. Vincent King was infamous in the crime world. Although he had a smaller crew than the mafia and was nowhere near as powerful, he had made his name through cruelty instead. No one dared mess with him because of the fear he struck into people. He hadn’t earned respect but he had certainly scared the other crews in the city into submission. From early on in the business, he had shown his dark streak and the punishments he delivered were inhumane and shocking even for the criminals of the underworld. Van looked down at the small woman, who was clutching onto him, and he couldn’t imagine her by the side of such an evil man.

  “You can’t,” he breathed.

  “But I have to. They’ll kill Jin otherwise. They know I’ve been sneaking around behind their back, but they never questioned what I’ve been up to or with whom. They brought him in with a gun to his head and said that if I didn’t comply, then Jin was as good as dead. I can’t let him die for me. I’ll never be able to live with myself. I was powerless to stop so many deaths when I was out in the battlefield, it is at least my decision that controls Jin’s fate. I will not go against their demands.”

  They’ve got Jin’s life under threat to make her marry a damn tyrant? How could they do this to her? She’s their family!

  “Call their bluff. They’ll never do anything to upset you, they’re your blood after all. Joe would never let this happen. Have you talked to him alone?”

  Lily’s voice turned ice cold, “Joe’s not in control anymore. I don’t know what Pearl has done to him, but he’s letting her get away with it. He backed down from her and he can’t even look me in the eyes right now. He refuses to be alone in a room with me and Pearl has me on lock down. I managed to sneak out of one of the windows just to get here today. As I said, I’m not sure how much time I have left. I can’t have them coming back and finding that I’m gone or they might harm Jin. I just needed to tell you in person.”

  Van grabbed hold of her wrist, “You can’t leave me. Not for him. We were planning to tell the twins about us. Why don’t you arrange the meeting? I’m surely a better match for you than that pathetic waste of space.”

  “Van, let go of me. I can’t deal with this right now. It’s not just tough on you, you know? I have to give up my life and my future for the family. I will never forgive myself if something happens to Jin and I know, deep down, you wouldn’t either. There’s no point lying to ourselves and pretending we can make this work when I’m engaged to another man. And judging by Vincent’s character, I doubt he would be too happy with his wife seeing another man on the side.”

  He refused to release her, still praying that she wouldn’t walk out of his life. After all, that time they had spent together, the building blocks of their relationship falling into place, how could he just stand by and watch the woman of his dreams disappear in front of him?

  “Can you at least sit for a while longer? Just let us talk and figure things out.”

  She stared into his longing eyes, and he knew he had won a couple more minutes of her time, even before she opened her mouth, “We can sit for a while but I really don’t see the point. You won’t change my mind, Van. I need to do this.”

  Van led her by the hand to a nearby bench where she perched next to him. He could tell she was anxious about the time, her body language had it written all over.

  But I need to tell her. I need to tell someone. Maybe it won’t convince her to stay but she’s the only one who would understand me. The only one I ever thought I could tell it to.

  “I lost my parents at a young age and ever since then, it has been a struggle for me. Raising my younger brothers by myself, having to provide for them, watching how they’ve grown and formed their own paths in life. Understand that I am extremely proud of them, but watching them has only left me on the sidelines, alone as life passes me by. When you stepped off that plane and I saw you at the airport for the first time, I knew there was something different about you. I was instantly attracted to you and couldn’t pull myself away. Ever since then, every second with you has been a blessing and I honestly thought we had a future together. I wanted to tell you everything about my past and then we could move forward. Finally escape the darkness and step into the light.”

  Lily shifted in her seat, “What darkness? I think you’ve done a fantastic job of raising your brothers. And you will move forward, you deserve the best in life. You are the most amazing man I have had the fortune of meeting. I wish I could be the woman to make you happy and stay by your side, but it just isn’t written that way for us. You’re a good man, Van.”

  Van felt a tightness in his chest and he had to look away. His mind raced at the possibility of not telling her, ending their interaction there and keeping his burden with him for the rest of his life. It was then he looked up into her eyes and realized it would be his only chance of releasing the darkest secret he had kept for many years. It was now or never.

  “I killed my parents.”

  The words stumbled out of
his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. He stared into the abyss as though the words were a physical being, tumbling towards her ears. She blinked a couple of times, absorbing the words before turning to him.

  “How?”

  It was a simple question, but one he had thought about every night since he saw his parents lying flat on the floor. It was a snapshot in his mind that was permanently engraved into his memories. It haunted him in his nightmares and jumped on him throughout the day. He thought with time it would fade, but it only made him pull away from everything and everyone around him.

  “One of the reasons I hate Vincent King, is because of what the King’s Crew did to my family. At the time the Crew was under the hands of his uncle, Damian King. Vincent is almost an exact replica of his tyrannical uncle. He was arrogant and ruled with an iron fist. He didn’t care about the crew members and he didn’t care about his clients. He was in it for the money and the power. My family lived out of the city, in between both ours and Vincent’s, so it was almost a battleground for the early Romano Mafia and King Crew. It didn’t bother my parents much, as they were part of the Viper Squad, a biker gang that was only contracted for the worst situations. The Viper Squad were infamous for their brutality. Due to my parent’s connections, I soon met the King’s Crew and I needed the extra cash. My parents were never around and neglected us all, we had no food, dirty outgrown clothes and most importantly, no money. I couldn’t stand to see my little brothers suffering so I took up a job as a dealer for the King’s Crew. It was easy enough for me to get it and I concealed my tracks, not that my parents would ever have noticed. I slipped up though, I lost a whole batch when I was fooling around with my so-called-friends and the King’s Crew didn’t take it too lightly when I told them. They put out threats and I had to either find the batch or pay the money back to them. At the time, I didn’t think they would follow through with anything too serious. I tried working part time as a mechanic, but I wasn’t making the money fast enough. It was on my birthday that they finally kept their threats and that’s how I found my parents riddled with bullets, lying in a pool of their own blood while my younger brothers screamed for help. I couldn’t do anything, I just stood there and let the chaos swarm around me. I knew it was the King’s Crew and I knew that my brothers would be next, if I didn’t do something.