Rebellion of a Kingdom by G.N. Wright
Chapter 43
MARCUS
Eleven minutes and forty five seconds. That's how long it takes us to get from the South Side up to the house. A house we haven’t been to in weeks, not since the night we left to get Cassie. I never thought I would be scared to come here, but right now, as we pass the line of trees up the driveway, I’m fucking terrified. There’s two bodies here, dumped onto the gravel like trash. Bodies that might just belong to my brother and my girl. A fact I try to prepare myself for, but how can I? What could ever prepare you for seeing something like that? Trust me, I know. My father’s dead body has been imprinted onto my brain since the night I found him. I can’t add to that.
The stones skid beneath the tires as I slam on the breaks and dive from the car, Asher right behind me. We didn’t wait for Max’s guys and I don’t give a fuck about them right now. The only thing that matters to me is the identity of these bodies. I spot them lying side by side, one male and one female.
My knees give out and I stumble to the ground, as I stare at them. The hands and feet are bound and there is a bag on both of their heads. The girl is wearing nothing but her underwear and her blood. Please don’t be my Ells. The bitterness of heartache bites at the back of my throat as I try to find any distinguishable markings, but there is just too much blood.
Asher passes me, slowly approaching them and crouching down. For the first time ever, I see him hesitate, like what could be under that bag is going to kill him as much as it would me. Grinding his jaw, he slowly reaches down to pull the bag off the girl’s body, and I close my eyes, waiting in agony.
“Fuck.” He mutters and my eyes snap back open as an anguished noise escapes me.
“It isn’t her.” He starts and I wish those three words could bring me some sort of comfort, but the next ones out of his mouth change everything. “It’s Taylor Kennedy.”
What? Oh God, no. I rush to my feet and move towards them just as my phone rings. I pull it out, answering it blindly as I stare down in disbelief at Taylor’s corpse. What the fuck? How did they get to her?
“Marcus?” Linc’s voice cuts into my sorrow. “We see you there, who is it?” His words are rushed and laced with panic, nothing like my quiet and reserved brother.
“It’s Taylor.” I choke out, bringing my fingers to my eyes, forcing them closed. So many memories assault my mind of her from when we were kids. She was the only true girlfriend Elle ever had, the only person from the North Side who didn’t treat me like a fucking pariah after my dad was killed. She was getting close to us again, too close, and now look at her. Caught in the crossfire of a war we shouldn’t even have to fucking fight. We should have done better, she deserved better. So why is it, the only thing I can think is, thank god it’s not Elle. It could still be Jace.
I bend down, ripping the bag from the male’s body and almost choke on relief when it isn’t him. Instead, Mason’s lifeless eyes stare up at me, his face battered and bruised. He put up a good fight before they killed him.
“Brother?” Lincoln whispers out and I know he’s waiting for me to tell him who it is. Waiting for me to tell him our world isn’t falling apart.
“It’s not Jace.” Is all I can manage. He might not be laying here dead, but all that does is remind me that he is alive somewhere and no doubt suffering. What’s going to happen when he finds out about this? He didn’t want Taylor involved at all. I know things were starting to change between them. Even if he wasn’t ready to admit it, I saw it, we all did. And now she's dead. He probably already knows, it’s probably the reason they were able to get to them in the first place. Fuck, how did we miss this?
“Fuck.” Lincoln curses bitterly, and I can hear people in the background mirroring his sentiment. This changes things. Elle is strong, the strongest person I know. She would fight to the death if she had to. She’s done it before, and she’d do it again. So many things could have broken her, but she never let it. She’s always fought back bigger and harder and without remorse, because she knew she had her own back. Only now, it isn’t just her own back she will be worried about.
“Marcus!” Asher snaps, and I open my eyes and lock in on him. He’s holding a bloodied piece of paper in his hand so tight that I’m surprised it doesn’t rip to shreds. I don’t need him to tell me who it’s from. Only one person in this town would drop off a pair of dead bodies with a fucking note. He holds it out for me, and I snatch it from his outstretched fist to read it.
I’ve got the Kingdom. I’ve got the King.
We’ll seal the deal with a diamond ring.
I want a wife. Those words plunge to the forefront of my mind. That’s what Greg said on the phone the night he took Cassie. That he would hand her over in exchange for a wife. The perfect wife. He’s going to make Elle marry him. Except I know Elle, my Ells would never agree to something like that. But then I look down at Taylor’s cold dead body and I know she already has. This is why they were dumped here for us to find. The message isn’t their bodies, it was just proof of Elle’s submission. Mason would have been killed before Elle and Jace were taken in order for Greg to be able to get to them. But what about Taylor? Owen is supposed to be guarding her, he isn’t with Max and he isn’t here, so where the hell is he?
I look down at Taylor again and grimace. This would have pushed Elle over the edge. Taylor may be dead, but Jace must still be alive. She will do anything to protect him, even if that means she has to tie herself to a fucking psycho.
“Fuck!!!” This is bad, worse than I thought. We are well and truly fucked. Another car speeds down the driveway and before it even stops, Liam is jumping from it, followed by Oliver after he kills the engine.
I push towards them and halt them, I know these won’t be the first bodies they’ve seen or dealt with, but their friend is here. “Wait a minute,” I start, but Liam cuts me off.
“It’s Mase, isn’t it.” He asks in a pained tone and all I can do is nod in confirmation. They both push past me so they can look for themselves.
“Fucking bastards.” Oliver curses, as he looks down at his friend. “Spineless fucking bastards.” He shakes his head in disgust as he looks back to me. “Owen?”
“Not sure.” I answer solemnly and they both curse.
Liam sighs, “we need to get rid of her and…” He starts looking at Oliver, but before he can respond, I cut in.
“You can’t fucking dispose of her like she’s no one, she isn’t one of them, she’s one of us.” I can’t hold back the emotions in my voice.
“Marcus,” Oliver starts, but then he’s cut off too.
“I swear to fucking God, Oliver, don’t.” Asher starts, “what are you going to do with Mason’s body?” He snaps, and I feel both Oliver and Liam flinch. “Are you going to dump him, like he was nothing?”
“Of course not.” Liam replies. “We will sort it out, make sure she gets a proper send off. That they both do.”
Asher nods, taking a deep inhale before snatching the phone from my hand where Lincoln is still on the line.
“Blackwell, I need a direct line to the board of Donovan Enterprises,” he says coolly, “tell them we are conducting an emergency takeover. Do whatever you have to do to make sure they are ready to overthrow my father and brother.” His tone is the one I’m most accustomed to: cold, serious, and completely deadly.
“And how am I supposed to guarantee that?” Lincoln responds, and I can hear the frown in his voice.
“I don’t know help, impress me.” Asher ends the call before Lincoln can answer him and then he looks between us. “I want her body to be handled with care and respect, ready for Elle and her family to pay their respects.” Liam and Oliver both nod and then Asher focuses on me, “we’re going to my house.” He turns and stalks back to the car before I register what he just said, and I have to run after him.
I catch the driver’s side door as he opens it, “what the fuck do you mean, your house?”
He rolls his eyes, “Marcus, do you really think my dad or Greg are going to be there when they finally have Elle back in their grasp? This is my one and only opportunity to get inside there.”
“What about security?” I try to point out the obvious, because even if they aren’t there, it will still be heavily guarded.
He pats the guns clipped to his sides, “anyone who gets in my way tonight won’t survive.” He pulls the door from my grip as he climbs behind the wheel and slams it shut. I round the front of the car, getting into the passenger seat and without exchanging another word, we head off into the night.
It doesn’t take us long to get to the Donovan mansion and as we approach, Asher pulls out his phone and taps out a message, before sliding it back in his pocket. I don’t bother asking who he sent a text to. One thing I know about Asher Donovan is that if he wants you to know something, you will. Clearly, he doesn’t need me to know. By the time we pull up to the gates, the guardhouse there is dark, and I frown.
“What the hell?” I mutter out loud.
He looks my way as he says, “my father and brother aren’t the only Donovan’s that people are scared of.” The gates open and we drive through without any trouble whatsoever.
His grip tightens on the wheel as we make our way down the elegant hedge lined driveway. “Greg is a psycho, has zero work ethic and my father is just lazy. They got cocky and overconfident. While they spent their days trafficking girls, I spent mine in the shadows digging. I have dirt on a lot of people on his payroll. He’s just too busy abusing girls to notice.”
“Why didn’t we do this the night Cassie was taken?” Is my immediate thought.
He gives me a stare that would make a lesser man quiver, “do you not think I wanted to?” He snaps. “I was willing to walk right in here and grab her, damn the consequences, but you guys wouldn’t let me. I didn’t care that my father and Greg were here. I would have done it.”
I can tell how serious he is and how hard it must have been for him to have held back. To put Elle before his daughter, and abide by her wishes of keeping himself safe.
“You did the right thing,” I pat his shoulder, “we needed you.” He doesn’t respond, like I knew he wouldn’t, but I still had to ensure he knows how important he is to our dynamic.
Slowly, we move down the driveway towards his house and the hairs on the back of my arms stand on end, it’s been a long time since I was here. I don’t know why Asher needs to come here, but I’ve got his back no matter what.
Asher continues, “I run multiple corporations and am the owner of several successful IPOs. With Zack’s guidance, I now make more money than my father, but again, he is just too ignorant to realize it. He spends his time talking down to me, preparing me to live in Greg’s shadow, when in reality, I have been working to take the company out from under them. I want Donovan Enterprises to be nothing but a vague memory in people's minds. Just like they will be.”
He slams on the breaks and jumps from the car, just as two guards come out the front door. They have bullets in their head before I can even raise my gun. Asher shows no remorse and steps over their bodies like they’re not even there, so I follow suit. Once inside, I follow after him and notice every maid and housekeeper pass him with a nod as they make their way out. It’s like a chain reaction, as they come from everywhere. None of them batting an eyelash at us, as we pass. Asher kills three more guards and I kill two as we continue through the house. We make it to what I presume is his room and he taps a keypad outside the door. Of course, his room has a lock.
He stalks right over to his bed and then I watch in awe, as he taps a panel there and it pops open, revealing a small safe. He pulls out a lock box, some files, and a small black bag. He grabs another bag from his closet and shoves the contents from the safe inside along with some clothes, watches, and a few tech devices. Once satisfied, he zips up the bag and motions for us to leave the way we came. As we push back out into the hallway there is a woman down the hall from us.
“Gail.” Ash shouts, and it halts her in her tracks as she turns towards us.
“Asher, my sweet boy.” She gasps in relief, as she rushes over to him and grabs him by the shoulders. “You haven’t been sleeping?” She scolds him and I can tell from her tender tone that she loves him. Like a mother should a son.
“Do I ever?” He smiles softly at her, “sorry for the late notice.”
She shakes her head, “nonsense my boy, this has been a long time coming, I’m so proud of you.”
He ignores her sentiments of course, “have you got everyone settled?”
“Yes,” she nods, “they all know where they are going and appreciate the settlements you provided.”
“It’s the least I could do.” He replies solemnly.
“I heard what happened with Cassie.” she starts, and he stops her immediately.
“Hey, it’s not your fault, you were busy with your own family.”
“Look,” she pauses, and I can tell whatever she is about to say, Asher isn’t going to like, “I heard something, one of the maids, she's been bumping uglies with one of the guards. They’re all being pulled to the compound tomorrow,” she hesitates before adding, “for a wedding.”
A wedding. Tomorrow. Fuck.
Asher nods at her before surprising us both and pulling her into a quick hug, “Thank you, Gail. For everything.”
A tear escapes her eyes which she wipes quickly. “Anytime, my sweet child.”
“Now get out of here and don’t come back.”
A smile spreads across her face, “not unless you do.” She gives him a quick kiss before she disappears the way she was heading, and Asher leads me in the opposite direction. We head down a back set of stairs and into the kitchen. He turns on the gas on the cooker and then proceeds to smash numerous bottles of vodka on the floor.
He continues to pour liquor on the floor, as we head out of the house and when we finally reach the front door, he looks at me, nodding for me to go. Just as I turn, I see him pull a lighter from his pocket, he flicks open the flame and tosses it to the floor and we both run side by side and get into the car.
The house goes up in flames as we hit the drive and for the first time ever I hear Asher laugh. A full, throaty, loud laugh. “You have no idea how many times I have wanted to do that.”
He slams his foot down on the pedal and we speed off into the night with the orange glow lighting up the sky behind us.
We’ve got a wedding to crash.