“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Let go of me, Vince. Now is not the time. We have guests downstairs and my sister will be up in a couple of minutes to look for me.”
“Don’t worry,” he hushed her, “I told her I would come up to check on you. She doesn’t need to know what we’re really up to.”
Lily tried to swat his hand away as it cupped her breast. He snapped and threw her onto the bed where she bounced several times before trying to scramble to the other side.
“Stop being an uptight little bitch,” he yelled as he grabbed her ankles.
He pulled her back, dragging the sheets with her. Before she could react he was on top of her, his breath heavy against her neck as he grabbed at her clothing. He managed to snake his hand up her inner thigh and she screamed out as he managed to touch the outside of her panties.
“Get off me!” she shouted, hitting him with her fists.
“Stay still, bitch!”
He punched her square in the gut and she bent over, winded. Her breathing was shallow as his mouth fell upon hers. She managed to push him away but he grabbed her around the waist before she could make a break for it. He held her tight against him as he fondled her breasts, trying to get between her legs once more. Lily brought her leg back in a fierce swing, drilling into his shin. He yelled and released her, giving her the opportunity to run into the bathroom. She had just managed to shut the door and lock it when she heard him pounding his fists on the other side.
“Open this up now, Lily. Don’t make me come in there!”
Lily quickly pulled her phone out from her bra where she had tucked it. Without hesitation she pulled up Van’s number. She considered calling him but realized that Vincent would be listening on the other side. She prayed that Van would be checking his texts.
SOS. Vincent is outside my bedroom door and he will force me to have sex with him. Please help me.
Lily just managed to send the text when she heard the first splintering of the door. She quickly hid her phone in one of the cabinets before Vincent and some of his men came smashing into the room. They had managed to break down the door and Vincent came storming in. The other men quickly disappeared as he stood in front of her.
“What do you think you’re playing at?”
“Leave me alone! I’ll play the part of your wife but you can’t force me to have sex with you.”
“You want to bet?”
His slap was swift and she felt her ear ringing. Next his knee came up into her stomach and she felt herself dropping backwards. She landed into the bathtub, her head hitting against the back tiles before everything went black.
Chapter 12
VAN
His feet took him up the stairs, two steps at a time. He was lucky that no one had questioned him on his way in, but there would soon be suspicion at him heading straight to Lily’s room. He didn’t care. She needed him.
Van was surprised to see no one at her door, when he made it to the top, and he carefully pushed it open. He stepped in to the room to see the bed in a mess and his mind started racing. He heard noises coming from the bathroom and he silently made his way in that direction. The first thing he noticed was the smashed door lying on the floor. The second thing he noticed was Vincent attempting to undress an unconscious Lily in the bathtub. Rage flooded through him.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Vincent just managed to look back in surprise when Van’s fist landed flat across his face. He yelled as he stumbled back. Van didn’t give him a chance to stand up as he landed rains of punches on the man, hitting anything he could. Vincent managed to cover his face and kicked out at Van’s leg. It hit him directly at the ankle and Van almost lost his balance, giving Vincent time to get to his feet. The elbow to the face was painful, but Van barely registered it as he tackled the guy into the toilet. His head banged against the rim but it did nothing to slow the man. They were both now in a full-blown fight as they punched, kicked and tore at one another. Blood spattered across the white tiling and Van considered how easy it would be to end the fucker’s life there and then.
“VAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
The thunderous high-pitched voice could only belong to Pearl. Swearing, he pushed himself away from the bloody mess of Vincent and stumbled to his feet. Pearl was glaring at him and he could tell she was on the verge of murdering him. There would be no words to control the fury of Pearl now.
“Pearl, listen…” he started.
“No, you listen. Get out of here now. I will call you when I’m ready to talk and can figure out what suitable punishment is coming your way. Do not leave your house or I will be forced to hunt you down. I will have you killed on sight if I do. Now fuck off. I don’t want to hear it.”
During her words, the bloody Vincent had managed to prop himself up on the now broken toilet seat. He glared at them both.
“This business deal is over, Pearl. I’m done with trying to win over your sister. There has been enough drama over the past week which has led to my humiliation. Consider this war. Things are about to get really messy for the Romanos.”
He stood up and brushed down his clothes.
“Please, Vincent, I will fix this. I don’t know why Van got involved, but I will have him punished for what he has done to you. As for Lily, well, what is she doing there?”
“She had too much to drink clearly and then I get assaulted. It doesn’t matter what words you use. I’m done with you. As for you, Van was it? You’d better watch your back. No one gets away with laying a hand on me.”
With that he pushed past them and headed downstairs. Van rushed over to Lily and was about to get her out the bathtub when Pearl’s voice shot through the air.
“Don’t you lay a finger on her. You are never to see her again. Get the fuck out of my house or I’ll have you shot here and now.”
Van looked and saw the distorted mask twisted across her face. He looked at Lily and could see she was starting to stir. He debated waiting until she had fully woken, but he knew that Pearl’s threats were never empty. He nodded his head and quickly left the room.
Never to see Lily again.
***
The vision of Lily collapsed into a bathtub had been haunting him for the last week. He had tried calling and texting but all without success. He could only come to the conclusion that the twins had confiscated Lily’s phone and were punishing her for her disobedience. He hoped they had decided not to carry out their threats against Jin, but that would come to light sooner rather than later. Van had still not had punishment decided for his own crimes and until then was under house arrest. No one had actually spoken to him but he had spotted some of the guys patrolling around the outside of his house, especially at night time. It had drawn attention to the house from some of the neighbors who were constantly peeking out between their curtains. If they hadn’t guessed before, they were sure to know now that he wasn’t the simple biker, they had been led to believe.
“You have to snap out of it, Van. You should be concentrating on what you’re going to say to the twins when they finally get around to dealing with you. We need to figure out your case and hope that you come out alive at the end of it. You know Red and I are fully supportive of smuggling you out of the house and getting you away from the city,” Ace latched onto his brother’s shoulder.
Van brushed him off, “You should have seen her. You should have seen what that bastard did to her. The state she was in when I arrived. He was careful though, didn’t leave any real marks on her face. I know she’s a strong woman, but not strong enough to deal with the abuse he was putting her through. It’s just as well he called off the wedding, but now I wonder where she is and what they’ve done to her. Pearl was mad, Ace, Pearl was really mad this time around. And now with the Kings waging a war on the Romanos, the city will be in hell for the upcoming months. It’s all my fault. I should have kept my head down and focused on work. This is what happens when you open up to people.”
“You liked Lily. It was the first time I had ever seen you like that with a woman. Don’t punish yourself. We all do stupid things for love, all you have to do is look at Red and me. I’m glad you managed to open up to someone, we all know you’ve been burdened with looking after Red and I after our parents were killed. You’ve been too strong all this time.”
Guilt flooded through Van’s system. He could feel his face start to heat up and his hands started shaking. This time it wasn’t the alcohol taking control.
She was the one who told me to let my brothers know the truth. But do I risk it? I’ve already lost one person in my life, can I afford to lose the rest at this crucial time? But then again, if I wait until it’s too late then I might lose them anyway.
“I killed mom and dad,” he blurted.
Ace stopped his pacing around the room and turned on his heel. He stared at his brother in disbelief before slumping down into the couch next to him. He stared him directly in the eyes.
“What are you on about, Van? I know the pain of losing Lily is getting to you, but you can’t start going fucking crazy on me, just yet. You’re the one who has held this family together for so long.”
“No,” Van’s voice was monotonous, “I killed them. When we were younger, we had no money and I was watching you and Red suffer because of it. Most nights I tucked you in to sleep crying because of the stomach pains from hunger. Or when you two used to get bullied at school because your clothes were too small or the water had been cut off and you hadn’t washed. It was hell watching you both go through that, you have to understand.”
“So, you killed them because they weren’t looking after us?” Ace quickly stood, his head shaking in disbelief, “But how? You were inside when they got shot?”
“It wasn’t me who shot them. That was never my intention. I started working for the Kings Crew when it was under Damian King’s control, Vincent’s uncle. They started me off as a low time dealer and I was managing to provide food and clothes for you guys. I paid the bills behind mom and dad’s backs and they were none the wiser. But one stupid night I decided to get stupid with my friends, relive a bit of misspent youth. I lost a whole batch and they wanted the money there and then. I started work at the mechanics to earn it back, but by then it was too late. I heard the shots and I knew deep down it was my fault. I never meant for any of this to happen but ultimately it’s my fault.”
Ace stood stock still through the whole story before crashing back onto the couch. His face was distorted with emotions when he looked across at his older brother.
“Why didn’t you say anything before? Why have you kept this to yourself all these years?”
“I knew you two would hate me. You would never forgive me for the death of our parents. It wasn’t until I talked to Lily that I realized I, at least, owed it to you guys to explain the death of our parents.”
“And this is why you hate Vincent too? Because he reminds you of his uncle?”
“He is his uncle. You should have seen what he had done to Lily. He had no mercy and ruled like a tyrant. His uncle made him a replica of himself.”
Van was surprised to see a single tear rolling down Ace’s cheek. Ace wiped it away with the back of his hand and gripped onto his brother’s shoulder.
“You should have told us, Van. You honestly think Red and I would hate you for looking after us? You were trying your best to keep us happy, it just so happened you did it the wrong way. It wasn’t your fault what happened to mom and dad and it never will be. The Kings should have asked you to work it back, not taken revenge on a teenage kid’s parents. If anything, it is their doing.”
Relief flooded through Van and he couldn’t resist reaching across the couch and hugging his youngest brother. The strength he felt in their bond at that moment superseded any pain that was currently polluting his soul.
After all these years and they finally understand what I was going through. They can finally know what happened to mom and dad. If my own brothers think I’m blameless then maybe Lily was right. Maybe it wasn’t my fault after all. It might be time for me to start forgiving myself.
“You need to get Lily back. If she managed to persuade you to finally open up to us then I know she’s the one for you. We need to figure out a plan.”
Just then Ace’s phone started ringing and he pulled it out.
“It’s Jen, I need to get this if that’s okay?”
Van nodded and watched his brother head out to the garden to take the call. He looked down at himself in his stained clothes and the piles of beer bottles strewn across the floor. After being sent back to the house he had barely moved from the couch and had drunk nearly everything he could get his hands on. He had always been the clear-headed one of the family and it had surprised him how fast he had fallen to the crux of alcohol. For the first time in days, he turned off the TV and started clearing away the bottles. Van was about to go to the bathroom to take a shower when he heard Ace come rushing back into the great room, shouting for him.
“What’s wrong?” Van saw the look on his brother’s face and realized something terrible had happened.
“The kids, they’re gone. The Kings crew have taken all of them.”
“What?” Van was confused.
“Tom, Mia and Daisy have been kidnapped. I brought Tom and Daisy over to Red’s while I visited you. Red is out on a job and it was just Jen and Rachel at home. They came crashing into the house and knocked the women out. When they woke up the kids were gone. We have to do something! They’ve got my fucking kids!”
“How do they know it’s the Kings Crew?”
“Because Vincent was there to deliver the message himself.”
Rage flowed through Van’s veins and he punched the wall. Plaster crumbled around his now bruised fist but the pain just accelerated his adrenaline.
“Call the twins and tell them we are coming over. I’m getting ready and we’re going to get the kids. The twins need to know what they’ve done.”
Ace had his phone out within a second and Van ran into the bathroom. He jumped in the shower and quickly cleaned himself, he needed to be clear headed for the next move. He changed into his usual outfit before taking his Glock out from the drawer where he stashed it. Tucking it into the back of his jeans he found Ace waiting for him in the great room, his face a mask against the inevitable storm swirling in his mind.
“They’re expecting us.”
“Let’s go.”
They raced through to the garage and were on their bikes within a minute. As soon as the garage doors open they bolted out and headed straight for the twin’s house. They weaved through traffic, not caring about speed limits. When it came to family there was no one more determined than the Baileys. They finally pulled up outside the house and they jumped off. Ace hammered on the door until a servant came to the door. They pushed past and headed straight for the living room where the twins were waiting.
“I still don’t understand what was so urgent that we needed a meeting right now. I have to fix the mess you’ve caused. I thought I told you to stay at home, I was expecting Ace not you,” she spat at Van as he entered the room.
“Shut up, Pearl. They’ve got my fucking kids,” Ace’s face was flaming with fury.
“You said you had something important to talk to us about, you said nothing about your kids,” Joe stepped forward, “Who has your kids?”
“The Kings Crew took my kids. Vincent punched my wife in the face. They’ve got Red’s kids too. He’s on his way now.”
Pearl looked thoughtful for a moment before blurting out, “And what do you want us to do about it? This is your brothers doing, after all. They’ve already declared war on us, you want us to get into a fight because your brother was fucking around with our little sister and got jealous.”
Ace lunged forward but Van pulled him back. His pulse was racing.
“Listen, Pearl. You may not agree to my relationship with Lily but right now I couldn’t give a damn. My nieces and
nephew have been kidnapped by those fuckers. And in what state of mind were you when you agreed to let that abusive shit marry your little sister anyway? Don’t stay playing the concerned big sister at this point. I’ve seen behind that mask now,” Van glared at her.
“Vincent wasn’t abusive, he was just trying to look after his future wife. It just so happened that she was too busy boning you to notice. Now get out of my sight and sort out your own problems.”
“You can’t be serious…” Joe stepped forward.
“Bring Lily down here now and tell her to show you the marks. You think Vincent was caring about his fiance? Have a look at her?”
“This is absurd…” Pearl started to walk past but her brother grabbed hold of her shoulder.
“I want to hear them out. I never had a good feeling about that man and I want to see if there was a problem, once and for all. I’ve let you take the lead this entire time but I think it might be time I take back the reigns,” his voice was grave.
Joe called for the guards to bring down Lily and they stood there, all glaring at one another. Van could see his brother was only just holding it together by a thread. He knew that showing Pearl what Vincent had done to Lily was his only chance of getting them over on their side. He needed his family back safe and he needed their help to do it. It was finally time for them to see the monster they had engaged their younger sister to. They heard the stairs creak as they came down and he breathed in deeply in preparation to seeing the woman he had left behind. When she walked in, he could barely recognize her. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes as though she hadn’t slept in days. Her face was drawn and he could tell she hadn’t been eating. He had to resist the urge to run over to her and wrap her into his arms, taking her away from the pain. Her eyes widened upon seeing him and she looked around her confused at the gathering of people.
“What’s going on?” she mumbled.
The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy Page 50