ProserpinaThe flight touched down in a white world. It had been snowing all night and in the morning, the world outside my aircraft window appeared to be entirely draped in white. Tugging on my faux fur-lined gloves, I huddled into my heavy coat and stepped out after thanking the crew. Phillippe was beside me, his stance that of a fighter, wary and alert. As we descended the stairs carefully, I saw the man who had come to collect me.Siek Toth.Beston had given me the brief details before we embarked on our epic journey.Toth was a warlord and an arms dealer in the East European region. And Beston had also warned me gently to be careful when I spoke to the man. He was loyal to Lucien and they had been doing business for years. But being a traditional, conservative type of man, he had not been happy to learn that Lucien’s wife was dashing halfway across the globe to search for her missing husband. Siek Toth subscribed to the view that I, as a mourning widow, should have taken to bed,
LucienWhen he came awake next, he waited for his eyes to get accustomed to the gloom.Where was his woman? He thought with a frown, missing the clean, fresh smell of her body, her warmth, her soft body curled against him, ready for him…With a start, he comprehended that he was in a totally unfamiliar place.He was in a room; a small room and it was the smell that hit him. Unwashed clothing and human bodies. He scowled. Where in the f*ck was he?*Gradually the memories resurfaced.The last thing he remembered was the snow. Slowly, as he lay there, he began to remember snippets of what had happened. His quest to find Dmitri Rudenko. Leaving his woman and children behind as he headed for this remote little town in Slovakia.His lips twisted in a grimace. When he thought of his wife, he longed to hold her soft, pliant body in his arms, to crush those sweet lips and take what she offered him, so sweetly.*But it had not been as easy as he had imagined it would be. The wily Dmitri R
ProserpinaI sat down to the simple meal that had been arranged for us. Under the watchful eye of a few of Siek Toth’s gun-toting men, Phillippe and I ate the food.We were served by an old woman in her traditional dress and I stared at her heavily embroidered blouse and the skirts that swished about her as she moved. In another life, I might have admired the intricate thread work, lovingly crafted. But now, I sat like a zombie, staring at it without it really registering in my mind.The Kapustnica she had ladled out for us in large bowls was a delicious sauerkraut soup. I remember having read that it is one of the most warming and soothing Slovakian dishes. Although my mind was weary and I was bone-tired after the flight, I came alive to the rich flavours of the soup. It was a hearty mixture of sauerkraut, dried mushrooms, sliced sausage, and onions. Served with a dollop of sour cream, it was a complete meal, hearty and wholesome. Phillippe had more portions than I could count.One p
ProserpinaI was finally able to get Siek Toth to help me, a decision he seemed to take reluctantly. One part of my mind registered the fact that Phillippe seemed to have taken a dislike to the man. But I was too excited to find out why.After the man had left with his retinue, I turned to Phillippe eagerly.‘Let us go and visit Schwartz first and then we can begin. Oh, Phillippe, I am so relieved, ‘I cried.The boy looked at me and said nothing.“What is it, Phillippe?” I asked, puzzled.“That man. Toth. He is not to be trusted, “ replied my young companion shortly. I stared at him. Then I said gently,“Sometimes we make do with the help we get, son. We can not always afford to choose.”He said nothing, just held my hand tightly for a while and then said softly,“Madre, you are so innocent.” I looked at him in astonishment.Every now and then, the youth surprised me with his astuteness. This was one such occasion.I rose to my feet. Draping my Brunello Cucinelli double-breasted alpac
ProserpinaSchwartz was the one who suggested that we should ask about in the local areas. He wanted to accompany me but I firmly insisted that he should rest a while more.‘” Dear James,’ I said, kissing his cheek, ‘You are my very best friend and I would trust you with my life a million times over. ’Then, straightening up, I smiled and went on,‘But for that, I need you alive and intact.’ His eyes held a faraway, wistful look but he roared with laughter and held my hand, giving it a small squeeze before nodding.‘Go ahead, then, little lady.’ And turning to Phillippe who stood, hands in his jean pocket, he added,‘I trust this young man. He will take care of you.’ The young boy immediately thrust his chest out, glowing, feeling self-important.I giggled.“ Seriously, James! I am old enough to look after myself!’ But his eyes were grave as he said,‘Take care.’As I turned to bid Aiyana goodbye, she tugged on a formal, no-nonsense coat.“I’m going with them.’ She said briskly and
LucienThat evening, when the woman, Ivica, trundled in, she had a couple of dead rabbits in her hand. She smiled craftily as she saw him watching her.“Yes, my husband,' she said in what was supposed to be a seductive purr but came out more like a menacing growl,' Yes, I will make a delicious repast for you.'Chuckling, she moved to the far interiors of the room. Lucien had figured out by now that the room was not as small as he had first thought it to be. it was large. The darkness made it appear to be small. But in the back, there was a kitchen. She forced the old man to his feet, and made him start the fire, and soon, the smell of cooking filled the air. But with a pang, Lucien thought of his wife, her pristine kitchen, the methodical way she went about her cooking and the amazingly delicious spread she whipped out, made him feel anger and a deep sadness engulf him. The woman appeared before him, a plate of rabbit stew in her hands and thick slices of bread that were old and stale
LucienThe days blended into each other, the greyness around them changing to white during the mid-morning, only to become a bleak grey at night. One morning, a few days later, he caught the old man alone. On seeing him, the old fellow tried to quicken his pace but Lucien was swifter and lunging forward from his imprisonment near the bed, he grabbed the man’s neck.‘How did I get here?’ he snarled, his cold eyes showing his willingness to kill if need be.Quavering, the thin man sank to the ground. He barely weighed more than a few pounds, thought Lucien. the old crone kept him underfed but Lucien could not feel any pity towards him. he gripped the man’s thin hair, tilting his head back forcefully.‘Speak, ‘he ordered cruelly and kicked the man savagely.*Wheezing in pain, the old man gave him a detailed account of how they had found him. It had snowed lightly the previous night, he said and the river was in spate. Lucien’s body had washed up on the river bank near sundown when the
LucienHe swung the axe up in the air with his powerful arms. He had discovered where the gun was. It was kept hidden in the woman’s bed, beside her pillow, and stored under a pile of smelly blankets. He swung the axe again and brought it down on the logs, splitting them with the force of his powerful blow.A Nosler M48 TGR 2010A, he reflected absently as he paused to wipe the sweat from his face and arms. As always, he had discarded the jacket, and he was bare-chested as he worked. One of the best hunting rifles, one that he had also examined a long time ago when he had been doing business with a Texan dealer.It was a large hunting rifle that she kept clean and ready. He had seen it the day she had killed a rabbit with it. An act of mindless cruelty, he thought as he watched the old man pick up the limp body of the dead animal. But he had seen where she kept it and had later asked the old man Gustav about it when the crone had set off on one of her sojourns into the forest.Gusta
Piers's loud shout made the hall fall silent. For a minute, every head in the room swivelled to stomp in the doorway.Even Lucien Delano and Proserpina, absorbed as they were in their burning need to lose themselves in their desperate need for each other, stopped. Proserpina blinked as she turned to look, safe as she was, nestled in her lover’s strong embrace. And the Mafia Don scowled in annoyance, muttering,“What is with that fool boy?’Piers whipped his head to face his parents across the room, an arm around Hila, holding her to his chest as he cried, "Mumma! Pappa!’And when he was hurrying to them, his eyes were wild with excitement as he cried in joy, dragging his lover beside him,‘I…you… I mean… Mumma, I’m going to be a dad!”Proserpina was out of her husband’s protective arms as her son whooped and threw his arms around her, laughing with him. Lucien watched drily as Claude and Ria immediately crossed to him, pulling him into a huddle. Tara joined them, and after a pause, so
LucienHe began to make his way slowly through the milling throng of his guests to where his Woman was standing, in a daringly backless gown, her beautiful body making his staff harden with desire. Ria and Tara had chosen the slinky gown for her. When Proserpina had protested in embarrassment, her hands on her pink cheeks, the girls had declared,‘Mumma! Even after eight kids, you still look WOW!’It had been one of those rare weekends when Tara had come home. Ria had little Jamie on her lap, jiggling the fat little girl who was cooing at her Pappa, for the Mafia Don was hands down, her favourite person. Jamie was the apple of the Don’s eye, as Ria often teased her father.Lucien, who had been in the bedroom working on his phones and tablet, had been watching them in amusement.After the heart attack, mild though it had been, he had taken to spending time at home, working from his office or sometimes, his spacious bedroom.‘Please…but it’s BACKLESS!” Proserpina had gone on, her eyes m
A love like the kind her parents shared was almost like a fairytale…She sighed and touched her small belly. Big Philippe placed his large warm hand over hers and whispered concernedly in her ear,“Princess?”She looked up into his dark eyes and felt the rush of affection, of love that kept them bound to each other. Philippe, the Capo would bring the Moon and place it at her feet if she asked for it, she thought and unmindful of the crowds milling around her, the sound of glasses clinking, the chatter of people as, Ria reached up and pulled his head down. Murmuring against his lips,‘Philippe Diaz, I love you,” as she kissed him.***Piers Delano was staring at his phone. His mind was on other matters, although he had turned up for the party after his twin’s wedding ceremony. It had been a brief ceremony; Philippe had been born a Catholic, so there had been a small wedding service at Church. Old man Diaz had passed away a few years ago, and Philippe’s brothers, both of whom had been a
A few years later.The years have been kind to him, thinks the Don fondly as he surveys the guests at his daughter’s wedding party.Lucien Delano has aged but in his predictably indomitable manner, he looks and of course, his wife is testimony to the fact, that he still behaves in the same manner as he used to.His still-muscular physique belies his years and he continues to practice in his gym and has a friendly bout of boxing in the Ring, off and on. His son Claude is now an established name in the world of boxing, simultaneously running the underground fight clubs he has set up, and partnered with Paddy. The two of them work in tandem, Paddy with his enviable skills on the computers, has managed to make the Fight Clubs very lucrative indeed! thinks the Don.The Mafia Don is still actively handling the matters of his mob, which has branched out to become a powerful organisation, but one that is totally against human trafficking. He has made his millions through his arms dealings, a
LucienHe looked at his Woman fondly. She was on the bed, her head lowered to the baby at her nipple, the little child whose brown curls were bobbing as she sucked hard at her mother’s swollen teat.Proserpina wore a look of divine bliss, and Lucien moved over to her, taking her chin in his hard grip and kissing her.It was all he could do, for she had been spending almost a month at the hospital now. A month during which the Mafia Don had practically lived in the hospital too, his only concern being his Woman.And of course, the littlest child of his, who had charmed him already, though she was too small, too tiny to utter a word. Yet she could be ear-splittingly loud, too!He found himself staring in wonder as the baby yawned, exposing her small toothless gums, pink in colour, as he watched her face adoringly. And when Proserpina laughed at him, at the way he fawned over his youngest daughter, the Mafia Don growled at her, his eyes hungrily wandering over her.“Woman, I want to bree
RiaShe was running down a corridor that stretched out endlessly. The sound of the man’s footsteps thundering after her made her pant in fear. He was after her. She stumbled and fell, picked herself up, and kept running, her hands reaching out in the dark for some door, some way out of this place. And then, suddenly, out of the blue, she grabbed a shirt sleeve.The face of the man looked up in front of her.She screamed as Dusak’s face appeared out of the gloom, grinning maniacally.He had blood pouring down his forehead and a large hole in his cheek where he had been shot. But he opened his mouth and spoke in a guttural voice she knew she had heard before.“LOVELY Ria, my Ria, I am going to be with you forever now...'He reached out a long skeletal hand with talons, and that was when Ria screamed.Dusak Rudenko began shaking her throat ungently, and she felt a gurgle of panic erupt within her. A deep fear, unnamed and unknown.And then Philippe’s voice came into her consciousness, be
Lucien stood, staring in shock as a beaming Camille reached out to hand over the little baby to him. He stared in confusion for he had never held any of his newborn kids; it was a first for him.But even as he hesitated, the little child, its skin pink and puckered, a thatch of dark hair on its tiny head, opened one eye and looked at him quizzically an eyebrow raised questioningly, weighing him up critically so to speak, before shutting her eye firmly and ignoring the people around her, her mouth blowing a red raspberry pout.Ria and the other children began to laugh as Lou cried, with a shout of laughter,“Pappa, Sir, she is not impressed by you!’But it was Ria who declared, wonderingly, as she leaned against Lucien, who was holding the precious bundle cupped to his chest fiercely,“Pappa, I think she has Mumma’s colouring!”***ProserpinaI opened my eyes slowly. It felt as though there were weights holding my lids down. It had been a dream that seemed to go on forever, tumultuous
Lucien looked around at his family who were in the large waiting room. The younger boys, Dom and Lou, were piled on a sofa, their mouths open as they snored softly; Tara was curled up in an armchair with Aiyana beside her, an arm draped protectively around the child. The ex-FBI woman sat, her legs folded elegantly even in sleep.James Schwartz was sitting in another chair while the Capo dozed uncomfortably, Ria’s golden head on his lap, Rudy nestled beside her. Lucien’s face softened slightly as he looked at James. As though his thoughts had touched his second in command, the Scotsman stirred and stretched, sitting up, alert in an instant.He looked around himself and met Lucien’s eyes, an unspoken look passing between them.Snoring loudly, Claude was sprawled in abandon, sleeping on a mattress someone had thoughtfully provided, which was spread on the floor, his arms thrown wide, while Paddy had chosen to settle in an armchair close to the corridor leading to the theatre door, positi
She mumbled,"Yes Sir...' and her molten brown eyes, clouded with desire and want, with pain and pleasure, misted over as she looked at him, beseeching him to release her from her need.Her absolute submission aroused him tenfold, and the big man growled shakily, for the sight of her large breasts with the evil clamps fastened to her tender nipples was too much for him.“I shall f*ck your t*ts today, wh*re,’ he said hoarsely, "to punish you. Pain, wh*re, and pleasure."She made a sound, her breasts wobbling as she tried not to shift too much, but he lowered his head to sink his teeth into the fleshy mounds savagely, and she cried out.He tugged lightly at the clamps with his teeth, and she met his eyes, her own filled with tears of pain but she dimpled slightly as she said breathlessly,'Master... I am yours, Lucien Delano..."He grunted.F*ck, but he could never have enough of this delectable offering laid before him: this lush body, the thighs wet with her want, her shining pink c*n