Novels by Louise Hope

“You look beautiful!” Jessica smiled at Cara through the mirror. “Let’s get this on.” She picked up the long ivory coloured dress from the hangar, draping it across the bed. She examined it closely, undoing each button and holding it open for Cara. She stepped into it, pulling the straps over her slender shoulders. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, the deep V that plunged between her breasts, accentuating her bust. The tight corset that squeezed her insides but revealed her curvaceous figure. “Archer’s going to love this, not so sure about taking it off though. These buttons are a bugger!” Jessica squeezed and pulled, the force pinched at Cara’s stomach. “When did you last get this fitted?” “Jess, don’t.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Oh babe!

*Six Months Later* It had been a quiet plan in the making and Archer was slightly nervous as he drove Cara and Ayla down the quiet streets. Ayla sat in her car seat mumbling and gurgling gibberish as Cara gazed wondrously out of the car window. Bright green bushes reflected emerald light, while dazzling flowers beamed under the intensity of the sunlight. It was early spring, the floral foliage danced in the light breeze and bees bumbled around gleefully. “Why have we come this way?” Cara asked him. They had been visiting Archer’s parents and he had taken this detour purposefully unbeknownst to her. “I want to show you something.” He answered simply, concentrating on the road in front. His sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel as his stomach churned anxiously.

The loud beeps of the monitor penetrated Cara’s eardrums. She winced at each piercing note causing her to open her eyelids. She groaned as her eyes fluttered open, attempting to figure out where she was. Her vision was blurred, grogginess enveloped her heavily and a dull ache radiated down every part of her body. While her body felt heavy and stiff, she could feel her extremities again and she was thankful that she wasn’t paralysed. “Cara.” Archer’s voice whispered to her. He stroked her supple cheeks, waiting for her to come around. He couldn’t hold onto his patience as she awoke, he had been waiting nervously for the last 24 hours for Cara, it had been a difficult time for everyone. He had been terrified of losing her and the baby, he was furious with himself that he was unable to protect them both. When she had told him she was having the baby, he felt physically sick. He had to control his anger and g

Max leaned forward, his teeth shone in her face. His breath was hot and Cara grimaced as she inhaled. He brought the needle to her neck, his other hand still grasped at her throat, firmly blocking her airways. She scratched and clawed, gasping for breaths. Cara had only one other option. She slid the gun out from her side, placing it between her chest and his. “Bottoms up, my love.” He sneered at her. She closed her eyes, she could feel the sharp pierce of the metal on her skin, her finger squeezed the trigger as the cold liquid began to trickle into her veins. A loud bang exploded through the room and Max slumped to the ground. The room fell silent, only the heaving breaths that came from Cara resonated with her. The loud ringing in her ears pierce

Cara awoke suddenly, bright lights impaired her vision and a foreboding headache had formed across her frontal lobe. She felt groggy, her throat was dry and the searing pain that radiated up her spine was incapacitating her by the minute. She turned her head, blinking heavily and groaning as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Everything was still blurry, she could feel the open cut on her forehead, it stung in the cold air, making Cara wince. Cara tried to wipe her head, but her arms were instantaneously yanked back by restraints. “Not so fast.” Max taunted her with a smirk. The sudden realisation of what was happening shook her and she became more alert.She pulled and tugged but her restraints remained fi

The corridors blurred into one as Cara ran as fast as her feet would take her. The blood seeped down her leg and she clutched her stomach protectively. She needed to get out of the building, but on each turn of the corner, she found herself more confused than the last time. The excruciating pain gripped her spine, it felt like it was almost breaking but the adrenaline that coursed through her veins refused to let her stop moving. She needed to get to safety; she needed to find Agent Carter. Everything had happened so fast, one minute she was waiting for Agent Carter to return and the next she woke up on the top floor of the building. She was now wandering aimlessly across the seventh floor, unsure of how she got there and dazed and disoriented by her surroundings. *One Hour Earlier*

In one effortless swoop, Giovanni scooped me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style to the super king sized bed at the other side of the room. He lowered me to the floor, spinning me round to undo the laced back. His adept fingers made light work and in moments my wedding dress was nothing more than a pool of material at my feet. Giovanni stepped back, drinking in my figure, the way my corset squeezed at my waist and pushed my breasts up. Gazing over every inch of my creamy skin and my lacey underwear left little to his imagination. He licked his lips hungrily, green eyes landing on the white garter gripping at my thigh. Giovanni dropped to his knees, tugging the garter down with his teeth until it fell from my foot. “It’s going to be a long night

Emiliana I could have stayed like that for hours. Even if my eyes closed as I relaxed in Giovanni’s arms, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I felt my body being lifted from the ground, but my eyes were too heavy to open. The gentle sway of my body lulled me further into my slumber and it wasn’t until I felt my body pressed into soft sheets that I eventually stirred. Giovanni slid in beside me, wrapping me in his arms and never letting go. His breath skated over my neck, soft puffs that caught in my hair. My cheek pressed against his warm bare chest and moved with each inhale and exhale. “I’m getting you home, Emiliana.” Giovanni’s gentle whispers lapped at my ears like a soothing melody, his hands combing through my hair like it was a

Giovanni The doors were weightless compared to the guilt that tore shreds from my chest. I could almost hear my heart breaking under the strain of what I was about to do. My palms were clammy as I turned to my grandfather, every part of me was in conflict. “Abuelo.” (Grandfather.) I cleared my throat. I had no speech prepared or memorised, this was all about to roll off my tongue, freefalling. “¿Qué necesitas?” (What do you need?) He sighed, resting his elbows on his desk. If he wasn’t family, I would have been intimidated by the way he glared at me, peering over his glasses like I was in trouble. “No es para mí,” (It’s not for me,) My voice mumbled, I shuffled my feet hesitantly. “Es para Emil

Emiliana “Are you hurt, Chiquita?” Vinnie crouched down in front of me, his eyes studying me carefully. I didn’t bother to conceal my emotions as the tears fell from my eyes. It was both shock and relief that washed over me like a waterfall, releasing into my tears. I shook my head and in one swift motion Vinnie had me in his arms, carrying me to the car on the other side of the road and placing me in it. Smoke billowed from the hood of the SUV now abandoned in the ditch, the smell of burning rubber permeated my senses and drowned out any other sensation. I fixated on that one smell, the deep charred stench that prevented me from drifting off into my thoughts. Vinnie’s large form paced over to where Giovanni was slumped against a tree, his

Emiliana Giovanni gripped the strangers head, pressing their foreheads together while smiling widely. I had never seen so much relief plaster his face before. “¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado?” (How long has it been?) The stranger clutched Giovanni in a brotherly embrace. “Demasiado tiempo.” (Too long.) Giovanni answered, his voice muffled by the leather that pressed against his cheek. “You’ve caused quite a stir.” The man glanced at me before releasing Giovanni. They both took a step back, but they were now shaking hands and patting each other on the back. “This one causing trouble?” He nodded in my direction. Giovanni turned to me, now I had two sets of eyes staring me down.

“We need food.” I called as I searched through the empty cupboards on my tiptoes. There was nothing in them, bar from a few crusty packets of noodles and a take out menu. I knew Giovanni was still attempting to conceal his pain from me and maybe that’s why we hadn’t left the apartment in two days but it was almost ridiculous that Giovanni had described this as a safe place when there were no provisions supplied for our stay. I padded through to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Giovanni zipping up a black duffel bag. My interest piqued, mostly because Giovanni was looking more shifty and less inconspicuous. “What’s that for?” My eyes investigated the outside of the suspicious looking bag before my hand reached for the zipper. Giovanni rested his hand on top, shaking his head. “Principessa,” he warned me with a raised brow.

EmilianaIt had been five years since I had last seen him. Five years since Giovanni last told me he loved me, kissing me with everything he had.It was hard on both of us, knowing we had to part once more and the more we spoke that night, the harder it became. Neither one of us wanted to leave with bad memories–despite losing Vinnie–so he held me, promising the following two days would be filled with happiness.It was a promise I was all too happy for him to break because I understood why he did it. I respected him even more for leaving in the dead of night, while I fell asleep with our son beside us. It can’t have been easy for him, in fact I knew it wouldn't have been. He had lost so much in one night, and walking away from the only thing he had left would have broken him.I put on a brave face, the same one I had painted on for the last five years, even though it killed me.Five years was a long time to pretend that the father of your child didn’t exist, but the truth was so much

EmilianaI could hear the distinct sound of voices traveling through the darkness. Words were mumbled, jumbled into sentences I couldn’t quite make out. It was the wave of nausea that awoke me, dragging me to a conscious state and thrusting me into bright lights and agony.“Em!” Giovanni’s voice called to me, and when I blinked and turned my head, his green eyes brought me down to reality. They were red rimmed and tired, a torrent of emotions played on his face as he leaned forward and kissed my head and in my confused state, I couldn’t understand why.I let my gaze wander. My eyes focused on the minute details around me.A white room. Monitors. The incessant beep. The wires.And all I felt was white hot pain shooting through my stomach.“Gio?”I felt him grip my hand, his face solemn and pained, like he had lost everything in the blink of an eye.I could only vaguely remember what had happened. I remembered seeing my mother. I remembered parts of my conversation with my father, and

Giovanni “Why? What did I do that made you hate me so much?” Emiliana’s voice broke into a million pieces, fragments of her words piercing the much awaited declaration. It was the same question I asked myself and my heart broke as I heard the words leave Emiliana’s mouth. I didn’t think Emiliana had this much strength. Yet again, she astounded me with how strong she really was. I should have never doubted her decision. Emilio stepped forward, his features softening a fraction as he said, “I don’t hate you.” It was a fleeting moment where I saw sympathy pass across Emiliana’s face. It was so quick that I was uncertain I had seen it in the first place. She didn’t believe her father. None of us did. No man could say they loved their daughter, yet put them through so much pain. Only a monster could do such a thing. “Then what is it? Why are you so hellbent on ruining Gio? Ruining our family?” I didn’t miss the way she clutched her belly protectively. Just like me, she was prepared to

Emiliana“I’m fine!” I snapped as Ollie touched up my makeup.We already decided that we would visit my parents tonight, and I wasn’t about to miss out on seeing the look on my father’s face before Giovanni dealt the final blow.“Em.” Giovanni’s stern voice had me spinning around on my stool.“Don’t ‘Em’ me! I’m more than capable of making my own decisions,” I reminded him.He leaned against the door, black shirt stretching across his delicious chest, a sexy smirk spreading his lips. “Always so stubborn,” he tutted, shaking his head.I ignored his comment and turned back around so Ollie could finish my makeup. It was something we both enjoyed, spending time chatting and gossiping while Ollie worked his magic on my face.“Done,” he sang, plopping a brush down on the side. He tugged me by the hands, spinning me around, and the bright blue summer dress floated around my fleet. “Don’t you think she looks gorgeous?” he asked Giovanni.He stepped forward, sliding his arms around my waist. “

GiovanniI left Emiliana with Vinnie at her apartment while she awaited her surprise. It wasn’t just for her, but for Vinnie, too. Having Ollie around would keep them occupied, keep them happy and hopefully give me enough time to talk business with Massimo.Neither of them had seen Ollie since the wedding, since my incarceration. I was all too aware of how much they both missed him and before this all went down; I wanted to give them something to enjoy.It was much more than Emilio’s death that I had planned.The future of the Magnone’s empire, and the Castellano’s support, was to be aligned in this meeting. Not only did my grandfather want Emilio gone, but Massimo had no qualms about seeing his uncle’s demise. Emilio had done far too much damage, destroying his family and his father’s legacy. It was about time the man served his sentence.Luis drove us through the city, back through the streets I once drove Emiliana. It brought back so many memories. Right from the start, she had cap

EmilianaI hadn’t realized how tired I was until I woke up with Vinnie carrying me to my room. After the week of rest Giovanni and the doctor had ordered me to take, I didn’t think I could sleep much more, apparently, that’s all I needed.The gentle sway of Vinnie’s massive shoulders, the air that whipped around me, and the quiet conversation between Giovanni and Vinnie, stirred me from my sleep.“Hey, Principessa,” Giovanni smiled down at me as Vinnie laid me down on the bed.A yawn escaped me, my body stretching and adjusting to the sudden change in position.Vinnie left the room, and Giovanni perched on the edge of the bed, stroking my face. I didn’t miss the tiredness in his eyes or the way he watched me with uncertainty.I reached up, cupping his cheek. “What’s wrong, Gio?”He sighed, leaning into my touch. The silence between us was almost deafening and I realized I didn’t need to ask to know what was going on in his head. Vinnie’s words still sat with me a week after our conver