The Bailey Brothers Box Set- the Complete Trilogy

by Melissa Devenport

  “Van here is trying to convince us that Vincent abused you and that’s why he came in and punched him in the face. I think he’s just telling us a sob story.”

  “Why would he say that?” she looked across at him and frowned.

  He knew at that moment that she had hidden everything from her siblings. She didn’t want to cause any trouble and had taken the burden of the pain upon herself to save her face against the twins. She had been strong but for all the wrong reasons.

  “I need you to show them, Lily. They have my nieces and nephew.”

  “What?” Lily stepped forward but a guard grabbed her and held her back.

  “They’re lying, aren’t they?” Joe reached out to her.

  Lily swatted at his hand, “No, they’re right. The only reason I didn’t tell you is because I wanted to do my part for this family. You didn’t believe me when I told you first, so why would you believe me this time around?”

  “Because we know you have been lying just to get out of marrying Vincent. You have never wanted to be a part of this family and the charade you’ve been keeping up, has just confirmed the matter. Now, do you have any of these fabricated marks or can we be done with the matter?”

  Van looked across at Lily. He knew she was battling with herself but with one look into his eyes he knew her decision. Carefully, she lifted her shirt, exposing her waist. Van had to breathe deeply to control his anger as his pulse started to race once more. Even after a week of healing her body was still blue and black from bruises after Vincent had laid hands on her. The silence in the room was deafening as they stared at the horrific flowers blossoming across her paled skin.

  “What did he do to you?” Joe breathed.

  “I told you he wanted sex and I wasn’t ready. You may have been forcing me to marry him, but I wasn’t ready to give my body over to him just yet. That’s why I ran away from him at the dinner and that’s why I was unconscious in the tub at the engagement party. He tried to rape me and pushed me back. All I remember was seeing black until I woke up to you shouting at me, Pearl. I think he was very smart in avoiding my face but the rest of my body tells the story. I’m not going to strip for you here and now, but I hope this will be enough to show you the monster you had engaged me to.”

  Pearl gasped and tried to reach out to her sister. Lily side-stepped her and walked over to Van. She grabbed his hand in hers.

  “You preferred money over blood, and you wonder why I left to join the army in the first place? The only one who believed in me, who cared enough to put his own life at risk, is this man. And now his family is at risk and you stand aside and do nothing? I may forgive you yet but not if you let anything happen to those children.”

  Pearl stood still, mouth still open as she tried to grasp the situation. Joe moved her to the side and spoke up.

  “I, for one, have seen enough pain come to the Baileys due to the Kings. I never agreed to the marriage in the first place. It has taken our own little sister to get hurt, for us to realize how wrong we are. Ace, I am by your side when it comes to getting your children back. Pearl, I have always stood beside you, but if you’re not with us on this then you are against us and I want you gone by the time I come back.”

  Pearl scanned the faces around her before straightening herself, “I’ve never been one for admitting that I was wrong, but I will never forgive that man for what he has done for you, Lily. You are right, I was blinded by the idea of expanding the business and I was still upset with you for leaving us behind. I never understood how you disappeared without a word, but now I do. I’ve been so busy trying to control you that I forgot to actually listen to you. I have been a horrible sister and I know there will be no way of making up what I have done for the last thirty years of your life, but the very least, is I can stop another family being torn apart. You have our men, Ace. Let’s go get your kids.”

  Joe, now back in charge, gave the command for the men to get ready. The twins went off to their respective rooms to change and Ace went outside to let the rest of the family know the plan. It left Lily and Van alone in the room together. He took both his hands in her and faced her.

  “Thank you,” he breathed.

  “No, thank you. You knew what would happen when you went against Vincent and you still came to save me. I have done everything to push you away and hurt you, yet you always come back. I have never had a man look at me the way you do and for once in my life I feel happy. I’m scared though. What happens when you go to rescue the children? The Kings Crew are not one to be messed with. Even with the Romano Mafia backing you, there will still be collateral damage. I doubt you’ll be at the back when it comes to family.”

  “I’ll be right at the front with my brothers and likely your siblings too. It was really brave for you to stand up to your sister like that and show her what that cunt had done to you. This is just the first step towards our future. I know you’ll be in it.”

  “How do I know you will, though? It’s going to be dangerous. I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to you.”

  “Take this.”

  Van reached down and slid the heavy ring off his finger. Lily stretched her hand out and he placed it on her ring finger. It was too big but she still clutched onto it as if her life depended on it. She looked at it in wonder.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s my dad’s wedding ring. I’ve had it on me since they day they died and I have never taken it off before. This is how you know I’m coming back to you. I’ll be wanting that back after I get you a proper ring.”

  “A proper ring?” she stared up at him below her thick eyelashes.

  “Yes, a proper ring. I love you Lily and I’ve known this from the day I laid eyes upon you. We have been through a lot in the last couple of months but not once did that make me doubt the way I feel about you. Will you marry me?”

  Lily squealed with joy as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. She started kissing his cheeks and he felt himself warm up with happiness.

  “Of course I will! I’ll be waiting right here when you get back.”

  “I love you, Lilly.”

  “I love you too, my not-so-lone wolf.”

  Their kiss was sweet and tender. He could feel her love flow through to him and he felt a weird tingle in the pit of his stomach. After a couple of minutes they pulled away and he could see a twinkle in her eyes. She was starting to look better already.

  “We’d better get going. I’ve got the cars waiting outside and we have gathered all the men we have free right now. Where’s Ace?” Joe strode into the room.

  “We’ll be taking the bikes. You head off and we’ll catch up.”

  Joe nodded and left the room. Van released Lily and stepped back.

  “I have to go now, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to those children. You stay here and be careful. I’ll be back for you.”

  Lily flashed him a bittersweet smile before he rushed off to find his brother. He found Ace standing outside talking on the phone, upon seeing Van he ended the call and put the device in his pocket.

  “Red is waiting for us around the front. Is everyone ready to go?”

  “They’ve already left, I told them we would catch up. Let’s go get Red.”

  They hurried around to the front of the house where they found the middle brother waiting for them. He had anger etched across his brow.

  “They’ve got Mia. They knocked out Rachel. We need to get to these bastards now!”

  “I’m so sorry I got both of your families dragged into this…” Van started but Red raised his hand to stop him.

  “You’re our family too. You’ve risked yourself multiples times to get us out of trouble. Now we all must put ourselves at risk to rescue our loved ones. You are not to blame yourself for this. It’s time we ended the Kings Crew once and for all.”

  “Did Ace tell you?” Van raised his eyebrow.

  “You should have never kept the secret about mom and d
ad from us. It was too much for someone to hold. Ace is right, it was never your fault. Yet again it lays with the Kings. I’m going to get our babies back.”

  Van nodded and they all jumped on their bikes. Simultaneously their engines came to life and they were off. Van took the lead followed by Ace then Red. They skimmed through the traffic until they pulled up with the speeding Range Rovers. Joe rolled down his window as they got closer.

  “We have intel that they’re holding them in the city. They have them at lock down at the hotel.”

  Van gave him a thumbs up to signal he understood before waving to his brothers to follow him. They overtook the mafia’s cars and sped ahead to the hotel. As they pulled in closer to the hotel he decided to park up at the back and his brothers followed him. After they pulled their helmets off they both looked at him expectantly.

  “Aren’t they in the Kings territory? Why are we here?” Ace asked.

  “No, they’ve kept it local. Fucking idiots. They’re at the hotel where Vincent was staying when he tried it with Lily the first time. I thought it would be best we park back here, so there will be no interference with our getaway when we get the kids. The Romanos will catch up soon, but I reckon we waste no time. I don’t know what those bastards have planned.”

  Red agreed, “Let’s get moving then. Our children were never meant to be a part of this world. I thought once we moved our families away that would be the end of it. Clearly, I was mistaken.”

  Van led the way around to the back of the hotel. He found the service staff entrance and the brothers followed him inside. Some of the kitchen staff looked up at them confused.

  “Who are you? You can’t come in here?” a chef stepped forward.

  Red pulled a handgun out from his waistband and pointed it at the man’s head, “One of your guests here has taken my daughter, my niece and my nephew hostage. If you don’t get out of my way then I’ll make you. Now, I suggest all of you pack up and leave for the day because I doubt you’ll want to be here when things kick off.”

  The man’s face turned pale and he quickly ducked out the way. The other staff all had similar paleness as they rushed to collect their things and rush out the door. Van knew that it was only a matter of time until the police were called, but once they realized it was a gang war they would be stepping into, he hardly doubt they would get in the way.

  “Do you know what floor he is on?” Ace asked as they strode through the kitchen.

  “On what floor would you find a King?” Van looked at him.

  “The penthouse it is,” Ace answered.

  They made their way into the dining room and looked around them. A couple of wary eyes from guests stared back at them, but other than that they didn’t see too many suspicious faces. They continued forth into the main lobby where they headed for the elevators. A receptionist called out to them.

  “You can’t go upstairs without authorization. I haven’t seen you three around before. Do you have a reservation or are you here to see someone?”

  This time Ace went to deal with the employee at hand, “Listen, lady. I have to get upstairs to rescue my kids. Call the police or whatever, but I suggest you and your friends here get out before it’s too late.”

  The receptionist was about to argue when she caught a look at the expressions on their faces. She decided against it and merely lifted her hands in surrender. The brothers continued their journey to the elevators and stabbed at the button. It opened with a ding and they all stepped inside, jabbing at the penthouse button until the doors closed.

  “What are we going to do when we get up there?” asked Red, “It’s not like we can singlehandedly take on all the men waiting up there. I’m pretty sure that receptionist will be calling up to the top once she realizes where we are heading too.”

  Van thought for a moment before pressing the button for the level before the penthouse. His younger brothers looked over at him.

  “You’re right. We need to clear this place out first, we need this place as clear as possible so we can get to the children faster.”

  The doors opened and he stepped out. His brothers hesitated before following his steps. Van walked down the corridor until he located what he was looking for. He smashed the little box and pulled the alarm. Instantly bells starting ringing and he led his brothers into an alcove out of sight. After a couple of minutes, people started scurrying out of their rooms, confused and half-dressed, they rushed down the fire exits.

  “Well, that gets rid of the people at least, but we still need to save the children,” Ace shouted over the noise.

  “By now the Romanos would be arriving. It’s time to make our move. The elevators are out so we’d better take the stairs.”

  “How do you know that they haven’t escaped the building with the children? Wouldn’t they be concerned about a fire?” Red asked.

  “Do you really think they would be seen in public with three kidnapped children? Not to mention, they are expecting us at this point. I’m guessing that we still have the element of surprise as I doubt they would even consider that the Romanos would take our side in this. Not after the way Pearl was talking to me when I beat up Vincent,” Van replied.

  Satisfied with the answer, the brothers made their way to the stairs and started their ascension. Even over the trill of the sirens, Van could hear his pulse beating through his head. He couldn’t tell whether it was his nerves or his anger which was taking control of his body.

  All I know is that I’m going to get my nieces and nephew back one way or another. He fucked up with Lily but for him to mess with my family is too much.

  At the top of the stairs they peeked around the edge of the door to check if the coast was clear. They saw two guards patrolling up and down the corridor. Van quietly put the door back into place and looked at his younger brothers.

  “There’s two guards. We need to take them out but as quietly as possible. As soon as they pass this door with their backs turned to us, I suggest we jump them. Ace and I will take them down, Red, you make sure they stay down.”

  The brothers agreed and Van kept his eye trained on the small glass panel on the door. Sure enough they turned and Van flung the door open. He jumped on the one farthest away while Ace rushed upon the second guy. He was glad that the fire alarm siren was still blaring and covered their shouts as Red punched each one in the head, rendering them unconscious. They moved their bodies down to the bottom of the corridor, away from the penthouse door. Trying their best to conceal the slumped over men, they grabbed the potted plants and placed them in front. Next they had to get into the penthouse. Stealthily, they made their way down the corridor until they were positioned in front of the double doors.

  “It looks like we need a key card to get in,” Red loudly whispered over the sirens.

  “I guess now we have to be a bit louder,” Van frowned, “We’re going to have to shoot the lock off.”

  “I could try ram through the door?” Red asked.

  “This isn’t a movie, you’d probably do more damage to yourself than the door. No point risking it. I’ll shoot the handle and we have to go rushing in and find cover straight away. You think you guys can follow my lead?” Van answered.

  The brothers nodded and Van stepped back from the door, his brothers standing directly behind him. He aimed and fired, it was a direct hit and a massive hole was left in the door from where the bullet had shredded through at such close impact. Without waiting for further instructions, they dashed through and Van quickly assessed his options. There were several rather confused guards looking at the door and upon seeing the Baileys, they drew their weapons.

  “Quick!” Van yelled.

  He quickly ducked and rolled behind the nearest couch and his brothers followed, only just narrowly missing the spray of bullets lodging themselves into the plaster behind. They covered their faces as the brickwork sprayed down upon them. Van laid himself flat on his stomach and started to crawl to the armchair.

  “Cover me!” Ace shouted
.

  Red and Van started blindly shooting over the top of the chairs to distract the guards. During this time, Ace quickly popped his head up and fired direct shots. Van heard two grunts as he took down some of the men. From his brief look around before jumping behind the couch, he figured there should be at least another three remaining. The brothers swiftly reloaded their guns.

  “One is behind the table in the corner and one left the room. I’ve taken down two and I’m not sure where the third is gone. I think we are going to have to split up,” Ace swallowed.

  Van nodded and signaled his way to the right while the other brothers agreed to take the left. Keeping his head low, Van dashed out from behind the armchair and managed to flip over the coffee table for cover before several bullets pinged his way. One managed to go through the wooden table, sending a splinter directly into his shoulder. Van barely registered the pain with adrenaline currently pumping through his body. After he heard the last shot die out, he quickly leaped up and fired a shot directly into the head of the confused shooter. The man went down like a sack of lead and Van quickly rejoined his brothers. They had managed to tackle one of the men hiding out behind the table and render him unconscious.

  “Which room did the final guard escape into?” Van breathed heavily.

  “To the left, it’s going to be dangerous if we all try to squeeze in that doorway in one go.”

  “I’ll go first,” Van refused to let his brother’s family go through any more pain for his vengeance against the Kings.

  Red was about to argue but Van shot him a look which silenced him. Without waiting, he sped across the room and jumped through the open door. A bullet slammed into his lower leg and he screamed out as he rolled across the floor. He scrambled for some cover behind the desk. He heard some further shots as his brothers joined him, unharmed. Red noticed the blood seeping through Van’s trousers and the pained look in his face.

  “You need to stay here, Van. That wound looks nasty. Ace and I will keep going,” he started.

  “Like hell I will. This is my mess to clean up and that’s my family too they have in there. We’re doing this together.”