LucienThere were glitches and then some. Nothing seemed to be going on the way he wanted it to. He scowled and swore at the men who were overseeing the final touches on the cage. He wanted it to be just so; enabling the audience a good view of the action, no matter where they were seated. The giant screens erected on the walls were also not functioning well. Some circuit trouble, stammered the electrical crew foreman, sweating profusely although the huge hall in the basement had the air conditioning working well. he avoided meeting the eyes of the Boss who looked angry enough to throttle him.All the men there were afraid of Lucien Delano. They were all familiar with his reputation; he was like a dangerous lion, prowling around, roaring and creating fear in the men who were working.Even though he was dressed like a gentleman, they knew he was an uncivilised thug when it came to things going wrong.Every man in the room wanted to leave the hall alive, not in a body bag.*Danielle mar
ProserpinaAs I entered the foyer of the Club, the cold air hit me and I shivered. It was cloudy and I squinted up at the sky. It might rain; I hoped that young Philippe would take in the baskets of chopped vegetables we had left to dry in the sun. I was trying out a recipe for an Indian pickle and I needed to have sun-dried vegetables for that.The cool interior of the Club was dark after the brightness of the day and it took me a minute to recognise the woman who had appeared before me. Shrugging, I walked forward and entered the elevator. The men with me had dropped back; this was after all, Lucien Delano’s territory. No harm could come to me if I was making my way alone to my husband’s rooms.Before the door slid shut, Sophie stepped in and I glanced at her in surprise, but having been at the receiving end of her machinations for far too long, I did not feel the need to exchange pleasantries with her.I frowned as she stepped forward, blocking my way.Startled, I met her eyes, as s
LucienHe heard the blood whooshing in his ears, and then he was on Sophie.Grabbing her hair, he hit her across the face. Before she could scream, he gripped her jaw painfully. “Where is my woman?’ He snarled, and then, “TALK!'There was a menace in his tone.His hand snaked to her throat, but Danielle stopped him.‘Boss,’ said Danielle urgently, and Aiyana stepped forward, gripping his arm.‘Leave her,’ said Aiyana softly.“There are people around. We do not draw unnecessary attention.’She nodded at the bodyguards, who had created a tight circle around the group, effectively obscuring the view of many interested spectators.‘Hey ya, folks!’ Cried Danielle,’ You could move on. We gotta get a little thief into the room to ask her a few questions, is all, okay?’Her commanding tone and the glare she gave everyone as she stood, surveying them, hands on her hips, made the few people who had stopped squirm uneasily and caused them to scurry away.Lucien was on the phone, desperate but ic
LucienHe was like a man on fire, a man possessed, although his mind was now moving coldly and clinically. He was reaching out to all the people he knew—the ones who had any idea about Dmitri Rudenko’s whereabouts, the ones who had agreed to stand with him if a gang war broke out.But he kept drawing blanks. Raking his hand through his grey-white hair, he turned sharply as the door was flung open.First things first, he thought as he nodded at Schwartz, who had run in, straight from the airfield. The younger man looked dishevelled and heartbroken.He snapped at the person on the other end of his phone coldly.“Yes. Keep me posted.’'Proserpina...' whispered Schwartz, and Lucien saw the pain and anguish, the fear that he was controlling with a superhuman effort, mirrored in his underboss’ eyes. Both men were bound with feelings for the same woman, who was lovely, kind and generous ProserpinaHe had known all along that Schwartz loved Proserpina. Lucien enfolded the other man in a bear
Lucien He stared at the wall in front of his eyes but in his mind, he was thinking of Dmitri RudenkoThe man with the bright red beard and bald head, the tall, thin man who had been his rival, who had only been a business rival till both of them began to eye the same contracts. Things had gotten out of hand when Lucien Delano had been able to gain an edge over the East European gang lord. Dmitri had never forgiven him. He had decided to go after Lucien by hitting where he hurt, attacking and killing the family of his Underboss, Schwartz. it had been his only recourse, after all. Lucien had discovered that Shark had been in cahoots with Rudenko. That only left Schwartz, who had been happily married.Lucien who had been unattached and busy moving from woman to woman, whore to whore, unattached and hard of heart, had been harder to hit.So he had taken out Schwatz's family.An incensed Lucien had gone after him.He knew that Dmitri's younger brother was very close to the gang lord. S
ProserpinaI stared at the man in some trepidation; Lucien had never directly spoken about him but Danielle had filled me in on the sadistic monster who stood before me, smirking.Another man entered the room behind him and I felt my skin crawl. He was deeply tanned, his shaven head gleaming and his small eyes were cold, like chips of glass. I felt a peculiar sensation as he stood at the door, his powerful arms bulging as he crossed them. His eyes were on me, unblinking, small and expressionless. Here was no triumph, no lust in them but I knew instinctively that he was a man who would kill without remorse.I did my best to refrain from shaking with fear but when the man they called Dmitri Rudenko approached me, I tilted my head, glaring at me.“So, he said, mockingly, ‘So this is Lucien Delano’s most prized possession, eh?’And he threw his head back and laughed, a loud laugh that seemed to bounce off the walls of that tiny cell. I stared at him, determined not to show my fear but my
A man named Oleg and another man came to stand on either side of me, holding my arms as one of the men turned on a set of bright lights, training them on us. I was still held in a painful hold by Dmitri, but the pain had solidified. I knew that if I struggled, it would only increase.A murmur went up in the room, and I felt the greedy eyes on me now.“Look at Lucien Delano’s pregnant little wh*re, boys!’ cried the madman who was holding me, prisoner.Oleg reached out a meaty hand and squeezed my breast painfully, and I cried out. Some of the men in the room laughed, and I could hear the murmurs.‘Please God, let me die,’ I thought, briefly closing my eyes.*Then Dmitri Rudenko began to speak, and I knew it was being recorded. It was a message to taunt my husband.“Lucien St.Claire, my friend! Look at what we have caught! A pretty fish, eh?'' He gave a hoarse chuckle, and Oleg reached out again to squeeze my breast, his thick fingers enjoying the pressure he was exerting as he yanked t
Lucien Delano’s underground prison, the one that was rumoured to be at the bottom of the Club was actually situated at a location that not many people knew of. At the bottom of a disused factory located in the vast empty spaces somewhere close to the Mexican border, it was a holding area as secure and anonymous as they come.*Paul Worthington had woken up at a little after midnight to find strange men in his bedroom. He had wisely enough, taken refuge in a tiny motel on the highway and was confident that no one would trace him down to this sleazy place.He was wrong.Now he sat up, as the darkness around him shifted. Men—silent men with guns—surrounded him.“ Hiya Boys, what’s going on?’ he said in his squeaky voice, although a cold feeling of dread was unfurling in his stomach.The men had not replied. They had hauled him away silently, still in his nightshirt, and whisked him off to an undisclosed location.When he was thrown into a tiny cell with no lights, he began to scream. Ther