Marc was tired, tired of killing people. True, all of them had been scum, but now it was time to let someone else take over. The voice had told him that he, or she, wasn’t happy, but Marc couldn’t care less. They could kiss his ass; he was done.
Marc was stunned when he opened the file and saw who his target was. “Fuck me,” Marc whispered when he saw Keith’s name and a picture of the man. The blood froze in his veins when he noticed where the picture was taken. A smiling Keith was standing in front of the Flower Hut. “God damn,” Marc cursed.
“What’s wrong,” Byron said as he stepped into Marc’s office, the one in the basement. For a moment, Marc thought about shutting his laptop. “Close it if it makes you feel safer,” Byron said, and there was no anger in his voice. Yes, the man was perceptive. “No, you are my brother, and I need to learn that I can trust you. It will take some time, so be patient with me,” Marc replied as he motioned for Byron to join him at his desk.
“Whoa. That’s Keith, Bailey’s friend,” Byron whispered. Marc nodded. “They want me to kill Keith,” Marc answered while he started tapping on his keyboard. “You need information about him, right?” Byron said as he looked over Marc’s shoulder, eyeing the screen.
“Yep, I need to know what this man did wrong that someone wants him dead,” Marc softly replied. “I can help you with that,” Byron offered. Marc could slap himself on the forehead; why hadn’t he thought of that? His baby brother was a whiz with computers, and he could hack into any system. “That would be great. You are so much faster and better at this than I am,” Marc admitted. “Alright, then let’s get to work,” Byron said, rubbing his hands together.
Marc smiled, then it dawned on him that Byron had his final interview at Captain Jack’s. “How did the interview at Captain Jack’s go?” he inquired. “Hired, of course,” Byron looked happy and so God damn smug that Marc started laughing. It felt good to laugh again, and it felt even better to have his baby brother at his side. “Congrats, little brother,” Marc laughed as he hugged Byron.
Chapter Sixteen
Bailey’s phone rang, and he sighed when he saw that it was Keith. It had been three days since he had spoken to the man, and now he had to give him the chance to explain why he had lied. An hour later, Keith knocked on the apartment door. Bailey opened the front door and stepped aside to let Keith pass. Keith sat down, and Bailey took a seat opposite the man. He was eyeing him intently, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’m not supposed to tell you any of this, but I can no longer be silent. You need to know everything that happened.” Keith sighed deeply, sipped from his water, and finally began to explain.
“I’m a bodyguard, and I was sent here to watch over and protect you and Brendan. So, I know that the two of you are in the witness protection program. I’m in contact with my client almost on a daily basis.” Keith paused, and Bailey could tell that the man was getting emotional. Bailey didn’t quite know how he felt. Should he feel betrayed? He liked Keith, and the man had stayed by his side when Brendan. Bailey dismissed that thought because he didn’t want to think of his brother, not right now. The confusion he felt made Bailey decide to hear what Keith had to say. After that, he would see what to do about the man.
Then, Keith continued. “I. We,” Keith corrected himself, “Are almost positive that it wasn’t the Delossantos Family who placed the bomb under your car.” Bailey blinked because what the hell? “What do you mean?” Bailey whispered as he shot upright. “It seems that my client has Mario, his son Robert, and the rest of the Family under surveillance and monitor their phone conversations, chat messages, and so on. We even monitor their financial transactions. Nothing is indicating that they send someone to kill you. As far as I know, they are still in the dark about your whereabouts.” Keith paused and eyed Bailey for a second before he turned away.
“Who is your client? Who pays you to keep me company?” Bailey questioned because he didn’t like it one bit that some unknown person paid someone to watch over him. Why would anyone do that? Keith got a guilty expression in his eyes when he said, “I don’t know” “Yeah, right. You get paid by someone you don’t know to babysit me. Aren’t you curious about where that money comes from?” Bailey asked.
Keith had thought about that too, but he had needed the money, and because of that, he had agreed to take the job. What Keith hadn’t foreseen was the friendship that had developed between them. He liked Bailey, and he had liked Brendan.
“At first, I didn’t care where the money came from because I needed a job, and my client was very generous.” “So, it’s all about money?” Bailey said sharply. Keith shook his head. “Let me finish, please? Hear me out, and if you don’t want me in your life after that, I’ll go.”
Bailey eyed Keith suspiciously; could he still trust the man? He actually liked Keith, and that made it even harder to believe him. Bailey sighed. Keith’s gaze was intense, and Bailey saw the sincerity in the man’s eyes. “Alright,” Bailey said after a few minutes, “let’s hear it.”
Keith pressed his lips together, and then he began to explain. “I’m a former FBI agent, and I was a damn good one too. Then one day, something happened that made me quit the Bureau. And before you ask, I don’t want to talk about it,” Keith sounded adamant. “I’m not ready to talk about it,” he added, and his tone had softened.
“After I quit the Bureau, I couldn’t get a job anywhere because my former superior had made sure of that. I had no income, and because of that, I ran out of money. Let me tell you that losing your house isn’t fun. Then, suddenly I got this phone call, and this person offers me good money to travel to Madison Valley just to watch over you and Brendan.” Keith paused and sipped his water.
Bailey didn’t say anything but waited patiently for Keith to continue, which the man did. “I moved to Madison Valley three years ago, around the same time that you did. I expected this to be an easy assignment because both of you were in protective custody. No one knew your whereabouts, so who would come for you?” Keith paused, eyed Bailey, and when the man stayed silent, he continued. “At first, I kept my distance because I didn’t want to get involved in your lives.” Bailey knew that Keith meant his and Brendan’s lives.
“Then, about six months ago, I saw you, carrying those heavy boxes inside the shop, and I couldn’t help myself; I had to offer my help. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and I’m not sorry that we met,” Keith said, as he smiled ruefully. Bailey could tell that the man expected to be banned from his life any moment now.
Bailey didn’t know what to say; he wanted to trust Keith so badly. “Who is paying you?” Bailey asked because Keith had to know. “I really don’t know who signs my paycheck,” Keith insisted. Bailey eyed Keith for a moment, then he softly said, “Let’s say that I believe you. Where would we go from here?”
“What do you mean?” Keith looked confused. “I don’t want to lose our friendship. I believe you; I do. And I want to trust you, but a part of me can’t, not yet,” said Bailey. Keith nodded; he said, “I apologize for not being honest with you, and I really regret that. You can trust me because the friendship I feel for you is genuine.” Keith sounded sincere when he added, “I still want to protect you; I still want to be your bodyguard, your friend if you let me.”
“Are you going to accept your client’s paycheck?” Bailey needed to know where he stood because if Keith would accept payment from this unknown client, he couldn’t be completely loyal to him. After all, he would have to listen to his employer. If the man ordered him to lift the protection, Keith would have to obey, which wasn’t really an option. Not for Bailey.
“No, I will contact them and tell them to stop the payments. I would need another job, though,” Keith admitted. “I could help you find a job,” Bailey offered. Keith pressed his lips together and nodded; it would be hard to find a suitable job. He was a trained agent and bodyguard. Madison Valley was a small town, so suitable jobs weren’t up for grabs.
Bailey looked thoughtfu
l; he said, “If you managed Vintage Treasures, then you have a job, and I don’t need to close the store.” Keith frowned. “Are you sure?” he asked because Vintage Treasures had been Brendan’s store, and Bailey still was mourning his brother. “I’m sure because I’m still not sure of what to do with that store. So, if you would manage it, that would be great,” said Bailey cautiously.
“I could manage Vintage Treasures for a while until you know what you want to do with it,” Keith promised. Bailey smiled, and it was a real smile. Keith smiled too, and he was relieved that Bailey still wanted to see him; this would make it a lot easier to guard the man.
Bailey locked the door and tended to the flowers; then, he went upstairs to his apartment. He stood in the kitchen and sighed, Bailey knew that he needed to eat something, but he wasn’t hungry. He walked into the living room and switched on the TV. After a few minutes, he turned it off and decided to get some fresh air. He put on his jacket and closed and locked the front door of his apartment.
Bailey walked for quite some time before his stomach began to growl. He looked up and saw that it was dark already. Bailey glanced around, and it was then that he noticed that he was on the outskirts of Madison Valley. What the hell? A look at his wristwatch let him know that it was nearly nine o’clock.
He searched for his phone in his jacket pocket and cursed when he came up empty. Bailey turned when he heard a car coming; oh good, maybe they could take him back into the town again. Much to his relief, the car stopped, Bailey started walking to the vehicle when two men exited the car, and before Bailey could do so much as blink, they grabbed him.
Bailey fought for all he was worth, but it didn’t help. The men cuffed him, opened the trunk, and threw him inside. Bailey saw to his horror that the trunk was closed, and then he felt the car moving. Shit, had he just been kidnapped? Oh, God, this must be the two men who had placed a bomb in his car, a bomb that killed Brendan.
Anger rose, and Bailey began to kick against the lid of the trunk, and lo and behold, the damn thing flew open. Even though the car was speeding, Bailey didn’t care; he sat upright, and then he let himself fall to the ground. Bailey hit the pavement hard, and for a minute, his world turned black. When he opened his eyes, Bailey was surprised to see that he was lying among trees and bushes. At first, he was confused, then it all came back. Two men had tried to kidnap him, and he had escaped by kicking open the lid of the trunk. He had hit the pavement, and then Bailey had lost consciousness. Now he was here in some kind of forest?
Then, pain, like he’d never felt before, hit Bailey. His arm was bleeding profusely, and his skin? Well, most of his arms and legs didn’t have skin anymore. It must have because he hit the road after he let himself fall out of the trunk. More pain shot through his body, and there wasn’t one spot that didn’t hurt. The pain was so excruciating that Bailey lost consciousness.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hello?” Marc said as he answered the call. It was a number that he didn’t recognize. “Marc? This is Keith.” Before Marc could ask the man what he wanted, Keith said, “Have you seen Bailey?” Marc frowned; this was strange. “No, I haven’t seen him. Why do you ask?” the hitman questioned. Marc was met by silence. Just when Marc wanted to repeat himself, Keith said, “I can’t find him anywhere.” “What do you mean you can find him?” Marc was on full alert.
“He’s not at the shop, and he doesn’t answer his phone.” “Did you try the cemetery?” Marc said because he knew that Bailey was visiting Brendan’s grave regularly. “I did; he’s not there either,” Keith said. Marc had noticed the panic in the man’s voice, which wasn’t good. “I don’t like it. Where are you now? We need to meet so we can start the search,” Marc said.
There was a moment of silence between the men, then Keith told Marc that he was at the Flower Hut and that he would be waiting for Marc so they could work on a strategy to search for Bailey. Marc called Byron and left a message when the phone went to voice mail. Byron was working, and that meant that he didn’t answer his phone. He would, however, listen to the voice mail. It was what the brothers had talked about; if it were urgent, then Byron would call back immediately.
Marc was walking toward his car when his phone rang, and he knew that it was Byron, so he answered right away. Marc told Byron that he was going to the Flower Hut to meet with Keith because Bailey was missing. They wanted to put up a plan to start searching for Bailey as soon as possible. Byron said that he would be there as well. Marc told him to stay at work, but Byron insisted on helping them find Bailey.
When Marc arrived at the shop, Byron had already arrived. The man was leaning against his car, obviously waiting for him. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Byron softly said. Marc nodded, and then they walked up to the entrance. Keith had seen them and unlocked the front door so both men could enter.
Marc, Keith, and Byron went to the back of the shop. Marc and Keith knew that they had to work together, form a team if they wanted to find Bailey. “Could it be that Bailey is visiting a friend?” Marc questioned; he didn’t think so, but one never knew. Keith shook his head. “No, I don’t think so because he was scared that they would find and kill him because they didn’t succeed the first time,” Keith answered.
Marc looked thoughtful because Keith was right; Bailey knew that he was the target and that they had killed Brendan by mistake, which meant they were still after him. Marc knew that if those thugs had gotten their hands on Bailey, there was a huge chance that he was dead.
As if Byron had read Marc’s thoughts, he said, “We will find him alive.” Marc wasn’t convinced, and neither was Keith, judging by his expression. “We Will find him alive. We will,” Byron repeated. “If you need me, I’ll be home behind my computer,” Byron added as he eyed his brother intently. Marc nodded; we will be there shortly,” he replied.
“Excuse me. We?” an indignant sounding Keith said. “Yes, we,” Marc answered; he didn’t look at Keith, but he kept staring through the window. He knew that Byron had left for home to start investigating Bailey’s disappearance. Marc was curious about what his younger brother was up to.
Marc turned to face Keith and said, “We need to stick together; that’s the only way to find Bailey.” Keith eyed him suspiciously, and Marc knew that the man didn’t believe him. Shit. “What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?” Keith narrowed his eyes and said, “If you want me to come with you, then you better come clean and tell me why you want me in your home.”
Marc just eyed Keith; he didn’t quite know what to tell the man. He couldn’t tell him that he was an assassin, could he? So, what to tell Keith without telling more lies. “Bailey is dear to you, right?” Marc cautiously began. Keith nodded. “Yes, I see him as my little brother, although I wouldn’t tell him that, ever. He had one brother, and well,” said Keith.
“I think that you are in danger because of your close relationship with Bailey. You know too much, and because of that, they will hunt you down as well,” said Marc. Keith looked thoughtful. “If you say so,” he replied, and Marc could tell, by Keith’s expression, that the man wasn’t entirely convinced. But he would accompany him to the mansion, and that was what Marc wanted. He needed to keep Keith safe because he had turned down the assignment to kill the man, but soon, another assassin would come to kill Keith.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Byron whispered to an empty room. He studied the footage over and over. Byron grabbed his phone and hit speed dial. Marc answered on the first ring. “Hey bro, what’s up?” “I have looked at the footage of the street cameras, and I saw where Bailey was heading. I just don’t understand why,” Byron said in a calm voice. The man always stayed calm, just like Marc, even in a crisis.
“We are a few minutes from the mansion. Is your office cleaned?” Marc asked because he wanted to let Byron know that Keith would be there as well. “Yep, the office is clean and ready to receive visitors,” Byron replied, and Marc could hear the smile in the man’s voice. “Alright, see you soon,” said Marc,
and then he ended the call.
Keith eyed Marc for a long moment before he said, “What aren’t you telling me.” Marc looked sideways for a quick moment before his eyes were on the road again. He sighed and softly said, “Keith, there’s so much that you don’t know. And let’s keep it that way, for now. We need to find Bailey alive; that’s our priority. To Marc’s surprise, Keith didn’t push the issue. They drove the rest of the way in silence.
Marc parked his car in the garage. He and Keith entered the house through the door that opened into the entrance hall. They went straight to Byron’s study, where the man was already waiting for them. Marc saw that Byron had shut down his computer, clever guy.
Assassins the Florist Book One Part One Page 10