The sudden order made Tara jump.She had been deep in thought, recalling what Ben had told her about his work and how he had dropped out of school now to “see the world.’ He had told her that he was planning to go on a jaunt to Europe; hitchhiking. She was still dreamily contemplating how romantic it would be, going about the Continent, with a backpack and no worries. Maybe she could join him…?The sudden shout in her ear made her jump in an undignified manner. The smirk on Lou’s face did nothing for her fragile ego.Bristling, she rounded on the old woman, her eyes flashing.Tara was in infante terrible mode.She shot back rudely, glaring hotly at her Mumma’s staunchest supporter,“Or what? You’ll go running to snitch on me to Mumma? Well, just go ahead already, you crazy old bat.’And as Beatrice stared at her in astonishment, she continued, sneering,‘ Why don’t you just leave our house and go away? This Isn’t Your house, anyways. You are just a servant. Old and useless at that too
LucienHe wanted to throttle the man at the other end.The news was beginning to sink in slowly.Dead.The young Capo was dead.The lover his eldest daughter adored was dead.Schwartz was on the phone, frantically trying to contact people. He had even asked Aiyana’s old colleague, Bishop, for help. Now he turned, a defeated look on his face as he sank onto the large armchair, his strong shoulders slumping in defeat.The Don turned as the door opened and his son, Piers, walked in. The blonde haired young man, a virtual replica of Lucien, except for his body, for Piers favored practicing martial arts and had already mastered the ancient art of Kalari Payattu, a deadly art that came all the way from India. He could disable a man and even kill, but he had never done so.On the other hand, both Lucien and Claude were men who fought with their fists, their bodies well-muscled and bulging with corded sinews.Wordlessly, Lucien met his oldest son’s eyes.The young man did not say a word but h
The mountains of Azerbaijan are splendid to view. Home to diverse natural phenomena, from the Caucasian Mountains, stately and tall, to the Caspian Sea, blue and salty, the country is a marvel of Mother Nature and a tourist’s delight. But at that moment in time, it was the scene of a dreadful encounter that was about to unfold to its disastrous crescendo.*But even above the sounds of the plane as it began to slip, moving down to meet the ground at an alarming speed, even over the frantic appeals being made by the pilot, seeking assistance, the Capo had known that his end was inevitable.But Shah had stepped forward and said, his voice cold and controlled as ever.‘Capo, give me your jacket.’Philippe had met the passionate black eyes, the steady gaze of the man who had served Lucien Delano for years before he became a part of Philippe’s crew. He knew what the man was saying, even as the others scrambled to find life-saving equipment.If anyone found Shah’s body, in the unfortunate e
Dusak.He stood and stared a the shredded black jacket, the burnt bits of leather .He smiled as his men pulled out the burnt body of a man who was at the edge of the body of the aircraft.So the great Capo had been trying to flee? He thought to himself snidely, rubbing his crotch. Now that he was dead, Dusak could claim ria for himself. And there would be no lover to come to her rescue. He would deal with Lucien Delano. After all, his uncle had managed to snare the silly little Tara Delano and make her believe that she was carrying on a harmless conversation with a fifteen-year-old boy!His face darkened. He had got wind of the affair between the erstwhile gardener’s son and the Boss’s daughter. It had made him rage fo days. But now, her lover had been killed, it would be easier to get his hands on the girl who had enchanted him from the time he first saw her photograph. Those blonde curls, the dimpled smile, the figure of a Venus. He grunted. His lust grew manifold as he pictured Ri
PaddyHe could sense her presence even before he heard her. His eyelids fluttered as he did his best to blink, and he felt hands on him, examining him. With a sense of wonder, he thought, they are checking to see if I am alive!But then the voice of the woman he loved the most, his mother in every sense but one, sounded close by.Proserpina Delano.She was here.She was beside him.He tried to speak but his voice was not strong enough. The words would not form. She seemed to understand. Her hand, soft and cool, rested on his forehead and then stroked his face.“It is all going to be all right, son,’ she said softly and he smiled.If Mumma had said it, then it was going to be all right, he thought as he slipped back into a deep slumber.*TaraShe checked her phone surreptitiously on her way to school. She was very fond of Maddie but she was beginning to resent having to share her phone, okay, it was not really hers, but to let Maddie read her messages; it was getting to be a little to
Proserpina.My husband returned sometime in the afternoon and after a quick shower, he closeted himself in this study along with Schwartz. Lucien Delano was his usual taciturn self, laconic when he was stressed as he irrefutably was, at this point in time. With just a brief, hard kiss that left me reeling with its intensity, he had walked away, his faithful Gustav behind him and a couple of his bodyguards keeping step as he headed for the elevator on his way up to our rooms at the top of the house for a shower and to change.But his daughter managed to waylay him. Ria rushed to him, throwing her arms around him, and stopping him.“Pumpkin,’ he growled as he kissed the top of her blonde head and then gently put her away from him. His face was soft with affection and I felt myself grow warm. This was my lover, the doting father, Lucien Delano.What with the shooting of his aircraft, the threat to Philippe’s life, and the knowledge that his friend in Azerbaijan had been compromised, he w
TaraThe man who had been pretending to be Ben Iusuf reported directly to Dusak’s man. He put in a phone call that morning as soon as the silly schoolgirl had stopped sending him messages that were oozing with teenage love.The fat man, balding and bespectacled, whistled through his teeth as he set up a call with Dusak. He had a tattoo on his left arm, a reminder of his days in prison and he was in his mid-thirties. He was also interested in young children. His stint in jail for his pedophile tendencies had not cured him of his desires.Tara Delano, unfortunately, was just a bit too old; he liked them below ten.He knew from past experience that the One-Eyed would be angry. And that was putting it mildly.*RiaShe giggled again as she helped her mother in the kitchen, her airpods in her ear, as she listened to Philippe. She had never really thought of how sexy and warm his voice was as he growled and told her about how he was waiting to get back to Hollowford, to the Delano mansion.
PiersHe wanted to follow the woman, find out about her but he knew that Mumma had arranged a celebratory dinner at home and he needed to get back and change. Claude drove back with him, both the brothers lost in their thoughts. Danielle had also been invited and she was going to be there with her partner, Grace. And of course, Mumma’s best buddy, Melissa Lord. As for Uncle Schwartz, he was practically family but Piers wondered if he intended to bring along Aiyana Laughing Water, the dark and reticent woman who had been with the FBI and who had been Uncle James’ lover off and on.He just hoped that Maja Nord and her obnoxious children had not been invited; Mumma was a sucker for sob stories so one could never say but he did not really like those kids or their mother. Philippe would be returning in the evening after his battery of tests at the hospital had been completed. He was under observation in the hospital, heavily guarded by Lucien Delano’s men. The sorrow of having lost three o