Schwartz“Mate, hey!’ The Boss looked around, his hand still holding his wife’s small wrist imprisoned in his large one.“We have guests, Lucien,’ said his wife gently and the Boss‘s cold, pale eyes swept the length of the room to land on Maja. He raised a brow and grunted.His wife went on, smiling reassuringly as she looked at Maja’s strained white face that contrasted vividly with her blazing red hair and blue eyes.“That’s Maja, she’s going to be a teacher at Hollowford High and her children. Magnus and Madeline.’The big man’s narrow gaze flickered across them but they rested longer than necessary on Magnus, who coloured slowly under the critical scrutiny. His eyes stabbed at Schwartz, and a message seemed to pass between the two men.Maja felt her palms break out in a sweat and she turned to look at Magnus. What had they noticed about her son that she, as a mother, had not seen?Schwartz was staring keenly at Magnus now and the boy had the look of a hunted animal.Maja did not k
PiersHe had been under a cloud so to speak, all during the amazingly delicious meal that his mother had brought to the table. He reached for the meatloaf and smiled at her. She looked so beautiful, the thought, wistfully. The phone at his side was on silent mode but it pinged and he looked away in irritation as he saw that it was Susie his ex-fiancee.His lips tightened.He had made it clear to Susie and her father that he was not interested in becoming a puppet. It was, of course, her father who was creating obstacles, but Piers had had enough. He was not going to pretend that he did not know his father was a mob Boss. He had lived with the knowledge for years and had even toyed with the idea of taking over but he knew that his heart was not in the violence and bloodshed that went with the post. And the good thing was, his father had understood.The problem now was that Susie simply would take no for an answer. She kept ringing, weeping, begging him to listen to her father’s plans.
Lucien DelanoHis face tightened, a mask that he wore when something terrible had happened, coming over his harsh features.Proserpina Delano, sitting beside him and attuned to every change in her lover’s moods, was immediately alert, her great brown eyes watching him almost fearfully as his hand paused over the plate.Then, he was on his feet, his eyes signalling to his best friend and second in command, James Schwartz, who stood up at once, unquestioningly.The people around the table stared at them in some surprise.Piers got to his feet too, “Pappa?” he said, a question in his voice and Lucien nodded. Proserpina rose to her feet shakily,“Lucien, is it…what is it?’ he turned to her and gripped her arms.‘Nothing, woman. Do not fret.’ Over her shoulder, his eyes met his eldest daughter’s steady grey-blue gaze.‘Look after your Mumma.’ he growled and moving his wife out of his way, he walked out taking swift, decisive steps and crossed the room even before they knew it.His men fell
Proserpina DelanoI sat at the small dining table tucked away in a corner of the kitchen; my hands clasped as I tried to focus on an image of the Buddha which had always made me feel peaceful. But tonight a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach made me aware that something was horribly wrong. I could not concentrate easily.My eyes absently ran over this delightful corner of my large L-shaped kitchen. This little area was my refuge. The cheerful yellow wallpaper created a sunny disposition no matter how low and weary I felt. adorned with the unlacquered copper pots I had picked from a flea market once a long while ago, the soapstone counters that quickly patina, and a simple central dining table instead of a kitchen island, the kitchen's lived-in atmosphere instantly makes anyone who enters feel right at home.It was tucked away in a corner, slightly removed from the ultra-modern equipment of the rest of the chrome and marble kitchen. There was a small pillar that sheltered it for it
LucienHe stared at the still figure of the boy, the blood roaring in his ears. there was just one thought going about in his head as he looked at the inert figure lying motionless at the bottom of the ravine, How would he break the news to his wife, he thought, his fists clenching. How?Beston and Piers, led by Philippe and a few of the men, had already scrambled down the slope, slipping and sliding but uncaring in their haste to get to the prone figure of the youth at the bottom of the crevice.All the while, Lucien stood, unmoving, his blood boiling as he realised that the boy had been deliberately targeted. This had been no accident. Paddy was someone who revered his bike; he enjoyed gliding along the roads and Gaston had seen him, a beatific smile on his face as he rode by, lost in the moment.He would never have rashly driven his beloved bike into the woods in this way; would never have taken this path which was not a path at all.Someone had chased him, forcing him to drive mad
Lucien Delano.He stared at his wife as she lay, a slight figure on the hospital bed. She had fainted in the corridor on hearing about Paddy and had been brought there. Seeing Claude sporting a thick bandage and lording it about in the corridor had only added to her distress, caught as she was totally unawares, for he had skipped telling her about their rash son and his actions.Although she was showing signs of coming to, she looked so tiny and white as she lay there, helpless, vulnerable…The Mafia Don sighed. F*ck, but how he loved her! And to think of the incessant pain she was being subjected to, mainly because of him, had him feel guilty as hell.*Now her lids flickered, the beautiful mocha-coloured eyes widening as the curling lashes lifted to look around the room and finally, to meet his gaze.She lay for a while, blinking as memory returned to her, eyes going around the unfamiliar room in surprise and alarm.Turning to him, she whispered, ’Lucien?’He sighed and she sat up s
ProserpinaThe doctor had finally agreed to allow me to see Paddy. The poor boy had been shifted from the theatre and lay in the large private room, the best in the small hospital, I guessed going by the spaciousness and the amenities. But then, it was to be expected. After all, it was Lucien and his mob that was financing this little hospital tucked away in a corner of the city. The police, I had learnt, were paid to look the other way on most occasions regarding the patients who were brought there..A mind-boggling number of tubes had been attached to his body and he lay, his body inert, unaware of anything around him. The nurse in the room, a small dark-haired woman, shot me a sympathetic look but she said nothing as she tiptoed out. The doctor had asked us to leave the room as soon as possible and I clung to Lucien, for I needed his strength as I approached the bed, to look at the poor body.My fingernails dug into Lucien’s muscled arm as I fought to control myself, the anger, the
MajaShe yawned and hid her wide-open mouth behind her hand.Unsuccessfully, it turned out that Camille looked at her and said, ‘You carry onto bed, why don’t you?’Maja Nord bristled and then realised that it was the done thing to alternately feel protective and adoring, about her children. She stifled another yawn and glanced at the large wall clock on the small, pretty alcove in a corner of the kitchen. April’s corner, the old woman, Beatrice, had said fondly when she caught Maja glancing at the area again and again, admiring the pretty floral arrangements, the wallpaper which made the corner so distinctive and warm.It was past 4 in the morning, and Maja rose. She had a long day ahead. First, she would have to find accommodation; there was no way she would live in that dismal little hovel she had seen. And dealing with her kids was an ongoing battle, an everyday penance, she thought tiredly. Especially Magnus.While Maddy was just a handful and mouthy, Magnus was tight-lipped and
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