The huge giant, Alexander Van Dyke had come up behind OโGrady. He had heard every word and his velvety voice growled,โWhich girl?โSt Just gripped his brotherโs arm as the Irishman sought confirmation from the hard-faced Serena Kingston.She flipped her red ponytail over her shoulder as she said, addressing Louis,โIโm off. Iโll follow him.โAnd she was running to her Subaru, heedless of the rain which had increased. One of Louis' men joined her at the Delano scionโs nod.Louis Delano turned to OโGrady.โClaude got a tip-off from one of his Bratva men. Cahill had kept the girl on a schooner in another area. Not here.โ He indicated the large liner which was now swarming with SWAT operatives. The FBI had also been alerted for it was a major international issue. There were apparently women from countries in the Far East, who were being used as captive sex slaves.Gunshots sounded and they could hear men shouting, and women screaming over the drumming of the rain.Van Dyke was watching
roserpina, who had emerged from the kitchen, with a bowl of food in her hands, quickly shot her daughter, the only one who resembled her, a quelling look.โJamie! Donโt talk to our guests like that!โAnd handing the bowl to Karina who had entered behind her, she glided over to Bianca and said,โCome child, you can sit beside me.โBianca felt close to tears but Tara had come up beside her and sank onto a chair, reaching out to her comfortingly.โNo Mamma. She can sit here, with Karina and me,โ said the young woman.Proserpina, who had been bending over her husband, serving him some food, looked up, her wide brown eyes puzzled. Then she nodded. Sitting beside the Don on a good day had a detrimental effect on oneโs appetite. And this child was distraught! Proserpinaโs place was always on the right-hand side of her husband. She would be under the Donโs silent scrutiny and it would make her feel horrible!The Donโs sharp grey eyes, which reminded Bianca of glaciers, had been following the
The atmosphere on the airfield was tense; Serena Kingston was out of the car, ignoring the rain as she got into position, her army training kicking into place as she tried to figure out how to shoot the man without harming the girl. Louis Delano was beside her, cocking his gun, a feeling of desperation rising in him. Any false movement might trigger off the frantic man who had his gun on the unfortunate child. Anna was sagging, unable to stand, her head lolling back. Drugged, thought Van Dyke. For Joe Cahill, the rain streaming down, over his head, down his long black raincoat, had hauled the poor child up and was using her as a shield, his gun to her temple.The large Jeep had pulled to an abrupt stop and men tumbled out. The blonde, lean St Just, his gun in his hand was running forward as he shouted, his voice faint over the sound of the rain.โCahill, Joe! Man, donโt do this!โAnd then as Cahill shook his head and yelled,โStop right there, St Just, or I shall shoot this little c*
Bianca had not slept all night long. Sitting in the armchair beside the long French windows in her room, she stared out at the beautiful rolling lawns and the small fairy lights scattered around them and sighed.What was happening to Anna?And her Mastersโฆ?When the phone rang, she jumped up and ran to the bed where she had left it .OโGradyโs face appeared on the screen, as handsome and vital as ever, his black hair mussed, eyes gleaming.His expression said it all and, in that instant, she knew that her sister had been saved by the men she loved.She was already crying in happiness as he spoke, gently, his voice reaching out to caress her,โBianca, lassโฆโHe sounded like honey and she leant against the wall, looking at him. โHereโs someone who wants to see you,โ he added and turned his charm on the person sitting beside him.ANNA!!!Biaca almost screamed in joy.Her sister was sobbing openly, her face bruised, looking haggard and pale . But she was alive!!Bianca managed to say so
The next morning, Bianca arrived at the hospital. She had been over the moon with the news, bursting to tell Heather and when she met Proserpina at breakfast, she blurted,โPlease, can I stop by the hospital? I want to meet my motherโฆโThe look of undiminished joy on her face made Proserpina smile. But thinking of how the sister had behaved cruelly to Bianca, Proserpina paused, thinking. The Donโs wife had a meeting with her academic team later in the morning and she was dressed to leave for it in a simple skirt suit. Bianca thought that the woman looked gorgeous in a burgundy twill wide lapel suit. She had a curvy figure and the skirt dramatically clung to her hips.But Proserpina had been thinking. The protective mother hen in her reared itโs head.โIโll get Serena to come with you,โ she said, after some thought, because Serena was between work at the moment and was expected to join them for lunch at the mansion in the afternoon.Proserpina found her much easier to get along with t
They arrived at Hollowford late in the evening. Bianca had been on edge all day, waiting to meet her sister.And of course, her MastersโฆShe blushed as her mind wandered over the different things they would do to her; with her full consent, of course, for both OโGrady and St Just had never ill-used her. They cared for her feelings, as was obvious with how they had stepped forward to rescue Anna. Serena Kingston, who had proved to be surprisingly friendly, for all her tough exterior, had described how the siblings had taken Cahill off guard. Bianca had felt her heart pounding as she listened.Earlier, Proserpina had wisely declared that Anna could stay the night here, at the mansion, before returning to the hospital the next morning.โHospitals have visiting hours,โ she pointed out gently and Binaca sighed. True. Her stepmother needed to rest, as her Italian beau had pointed out in the afternoon, a little reproachfully. For Heather had been so relived, she had wept a lot, till the nur
OโGrady was pacing up and down, shirtless. His muscular physique with the wiry dark chest hairs, made him look like a superb specimen of a male animal, thought St Just who was watching him. The blonde sibling was lounging on the bed, also shirtless, but he appeared to be cool as always.They were waiting for their Pet, hoping against hope that she would be able to sneak out from next door while her sister slumbered on.Unlike his Irish half-brother who looked like he was about to explode.โDo you think sheโll come?โ asked OโGrady, looking towards his brother like a hopeful puppy and St Just grinned.He wasnโt happy but the expression on his brotherโs face made him think; Liam OโGrady might be a feared Don in his circle, a killer, an excellent pugilist, a sharp businessmanโฆBut little Bianca Cruz seemed to have reduced him to a love-sick puppy, craving her loveโฆFinn St Just sat forward as the thought struck him. He frowned at his brother.โAre you in LOVE with our Pet, OโGrady?โ he as
When Bianca crept back to her room, she was exhausted. OโGrady came with her, his arm around her waist, holding her up.โAh, pet,โ he said in a soft, tender tone and she wanted to lean into him, spend the night in his arms. ButโฆShe kissed him quickly and opened the door slowly.Luckily, the doors in the Delano mansion did not creak.Bianca stood for a while, holding her breath, staring at the dark shape of her sister who was dead to the world. Poor Anna was dead to the world, exhausted, no doubt.She smiled as she tiptoed to the washroom and took a quick shower, giggling to herself as he saw the marks made by her Masters on her body.They had been aware of the small window of time they had, but her Masters had pleasured themselves, taking care to bring her to the heights of pleasure too, in that short space of time. But she had been too on edge to stay and bathe with them.Lord, but she loved themโฆWhen she snuggled down in bed, beside her sister, she smiled, looking out at the moonl
Jamie was delirious with relief when her brothers arrived in a matter of seconds to take her back home. Captain Davis wanted to question her, he declared, but one look from Claude silenced him. โOur sister needs a doctor, mate,โ drawled Louis, who was beside his brother, his hiccupping sister in his arms. โYou can come home and ask her all the questions you want,โ added Claude, hefting her tenderly into his arms. Jamie curled into her brotherโs safe embrace and shut her eyes. โPappaโฆโ she whispered as she was carried away. The Captain stood, hands clenched, watching them go. He could not very well question her now, of course, for she had been so very agitated. Butโฆhe sighed. The scent of Jamieโs body- a strawberry fragrance? he wondered- clung to his body, and he turned to meet the knowing look on his Lieutenantโs face. โRight, letโs get down to asking those men some questions,โ he said crisply and his team were soon fanning out, trying to find out more about the mysterious man who ha
Captain Davis watched in stupefaction as the man who had been dragging Jamie Delano, suddenly swayed and went down in a heap, blood all over the place. Jamie screamed in terror as the man fell on top of her and she wailed as she struggled to push his dead weight off her body. The Captain did not waste a minute. He was beside her, pushing the dead weight of the fallen man off Jamie, and he lifted her into his arms, soothing her, his face in her fragrant hair, as he spoke hoarsely,โHush, baby, Iโve got this, Iโve got youโฆโ Jamie clung to him, sobbing hysterically, barely aware that she was being cradled by the man of her dreams.In the corridor, Hila Zidi shook her head in exasperation, The girl was already like a moon calf, swooning over the dashing policeman; now she would imagine it was a divine sign and go after the fellow hammer and tongs. Well, that was a problem for another day, she told herself decisively.Looking around swiftly, she jerked her wig off and hurried down the c
The back garden was deserted, and the man who was dragging her along had planned his escape down to the last T.He had however, not taken into account the fact that Jamie had only had one drink all evening. The cautious teen had refused to get inebriated, for she did not want to disappoint her father. So the job of taking her to the waiting car without difficulty was proving to be a huge challenge. The man swore and tried to pick her up, but she wrestled with him, using all her self-defence training to her advantage. But the trained assassin was too much for her. With one hard blow, he felled her to the ground and began to drag her unwilling body.Jamie was struggling for all she was worth. Something was off and she was not about to go without a fight.โYouโฆโ she screamed but her voice came out soft, whining. She tried to hang back but the man smacked her across her head, hard. Jamie literally saw stars as she cried out. Once, long ago, when she was a child, an attempt had been made
Jamie felt a little lightheaded as she was firmly guided to another room, down a long corridor. She giggled hysterically as she noticed something odd..She had spotted some women, young women at that, with pacifiers worn around their necks on plastic strings. She stumbled, staring as she wondered why they wore them.โLike babies,โ she thought and giggled.The man who was escorting her impatiently looked down at her from a great distance and his voice was loud as he said, in exasperation.โWhatโs so funny?โJamie giggled again but shook her head. She felt disoriented but also, vaguely, cheerful. Se kept staring at the man who seemed to be glowing, like an angel.โYouโve got an aura!!!โ she cried in wonder.The man rolled his eyes but continued to tug her along the corridor, his movements getting more agitated as he did so.He ahd a deadline to keep; the car would be waiting outside and he had to spirit this wretched girl away at the earliest. Or Jana Rudenko would eat him for breakfast
Jamie stepped out of the car, having been driven to the door by her fatherโs men. She beamed at them, for she had known them since she was a toddler. Bidding them goodbye, she said softly,โThanks,โ and then, she was entering the modest house. Music and laughter echoed in the corridor as she hesitated, for she did not know many of the guests, who mostly belonged to the crowd that Sadie currently moved in.Older youths, with long hair and tattoos, girls in the shortest of clothes, their bodies on display as they swung their hips exaggeratedly and walked.For a minute, Jamie considered the option of turning and heading back home. A deep sense of uncertainty swept over her. A sixth sense, like her Mumma called it, begging her to turn and leave before it was too late.When she had been in the protected confines of her old school, she had been cosseted, protected from reality. But Lucien Delano had abruptly announced his decision to shift his children, Rudolph and Jamie, to a school closer
Jamie danced down the stairs and then, hastily sobered as she walked down the passage to her Pappaโs study.She wanted to meet her father, promise him that she would be back soon and then leave. Because she loved, nay worshipped her Pappa; he had always been the star in her life, the only man she had looked up to, the one who never let her down.Her very own Knight in Shining Armour.And now, as she walked, she beamed at her Pappaโs valet, old Gustav, who smiled benevolently at her as he held the door open for her to enter.โUmmmโฆis he alone, Uncle G?โ she asked in a small, diffident voice for she did not want to anger the Boss by going in when his associates were around. The room was inevitably full of cigar smoke and the smell of alcohol when he had guests over and the law that was never to be broken, was that none of the Mafia Donโs women were to be anywhere around at such times. Mumma always obeyed Pappa and so did Jamie and her sisters. Lucien Delano had flown into an unholy r
When Bianca came awake the next morning, it was to the tantalising aroma of freshly brewed coffee.โWake up, sleepyhead,โ chuckled OโGrady and she blinked. He was shirtless, leaning over her, a tender look on his handsome face.She dimpled.โQuick, to the bathroom, lass,โ he chuckled, tugging off the bedclothes and she pouted. His eyes narrowed. Even with the baby bump, Bianca Cruz could make him hard in a minute. In a husky voice, he growled,โQuick, lassieโฆorโฆโ she giggled and grabbed her nightshirt from the floor as she trundled to the washroom.A few minutes late, she was having a hearty meal of bacon and eggs, scrambled just the way she liked it. Pancakes were stacked on the side and the sight had her waddling across to hurry and eat one. But St Just, who was busy making them, turned and grinned as OโGrady easily grabbed Bianca, restraining her.โIโM HUNGREEEE!โ she wailed crossly, glaring at St Just who was obviously enjoying the scene.โSo am I, pet,โ grunted OโGrady, rubbing
Her Masters were literally over the moon.They held her in their arms, kissing and generally making a fuss over her. Roxanne Piccolo, who had been hovering in the background, softly spoke up,โIโm leaving now, Bianca.โPushing herself out of the arms of her men, Bianca rose and went to hug Roxanne.โYou went to a lot of trouble for me, bae,โ she said softly but Roxanne only dimpled shyly.After she had left, with a couple of OโGradyโs men to escort her safely home, Bianca turned to her Masters, leaning against the door, her eyes dancing. She held out her arms to them, appealing and suddenly shy.The brothers exchanged looks. OโGrady came forward and lifted her up in his arms, an arm under her knees, the other supporting her as she wound her plump arms around his neck.โLead the way, Saint,โ declared OโGrady with a devilish grin, pretending to huff and puff as he took the stairs.He deposited her tenderly on the bed and she raised herself on an elbow, as she commanded,โI want you ge
Jamie sat at the table, looking at her father nervously. They were at dinner and Lucien Delano was conversing in a low voice with James Schwartz, seated on his left.Proserpina hovered around, bringing out the dishes, till her husband gripped her wrist and growled,โSit the f*ck down, Woman. Why do I have a house full of f*cking help ?โSending him a pointed look for using such language, Proserpina subsided, dimpling at Schwartz, who looked at her, his heart n his eyes.โNo mystery about why Uncle James never got married,โ thought Jamie drily.She cleared her throat and her brothers, Dom and Rudy, who had also turned up for dinner, looked at across at her in surprise.โPappโฆโ she began, ashamed to hear the squeak in her voice. But after the evening when he had slapped her, she felt a great deal of fear when she faced her for her intimidating patent. Pappa had such a daunting personality, that people automatically quaked when they saw him, and women swooned. Jamie knew of his legendar