Philippe stood, watching them, and Ria felt her face suffuse with color. It was growing warmer now, thankfully and although they were all wearing winter clothes, she had pulled down her hood, revealing her blonde head.
She felt Philippe’s eyes on her and was immediately wrapped up in them; strands of his black hair had fallen across his forehead and she longed to reach out and smooth them. There was something so compassionate and caring, so powerful and strong about his restrained behavior. She knew that if anyone attempted to hurt her, to slight her, the Capo would be all over them.
And yet, when he was talking to her, his voice was always soft and unflustered, indulgent as he growled, ‘Ah, Princess.’
She realized what it was; he saw HER, the girl she was, the young woman she had become. Possibly, because they had grown up together, for whatever reason, he was the one person who could see through her tantrums and her flirting. Because, he had seen her, really seen her.
Not just as the daughter of the Mafia Don and she loved him for that.
*
Hands on hips, Philippe watched them with a frown. Josh Bayard had a besotted look on his face and he could see that Ria’s bright smile and her innocent yet alluring way of tossing her head and moving her body were making the younger man feel hot and bothered. With desire, thought Phillipe angrily as he glared at the young man.
All the people he knew were aware that Ria Delano was off-bounds; not just because she was the Boss’s daughter, which was reason enough, of course.
NO, it was also because she belonged to Philippe; she was the Capo’s girl.
Now, his eyes like slits on his dark, handsome scarred face, he watched them silently and saw Bayards’ smile freeze as he caught the expression on the Capo’s face.
Her love for the man before her making her soft with longing, Ria came to him and tilted her head to his. They were quite open about their relationship before his crew.
He gripped her waist and kissed her hard before saying softly, grimly,
“Do you have to flirt with every man you see, Princess?’
She stepped back in astonishment and hurt anger and indignation all warring on her lovely features, the grey-blue eyes turning stormy.,
*
Claude
He sat before his Pappa, hands clasped tightly. His mother stood a little behind the Mafia Don, bouncing baby Rudi in her arms, burping him.
Mumma looked so absolutely gorgeous, he thought with a mixture of pride and love.
*
The Don studied his young son, his expression bland and closed.
He was not going to make this easy for poor Claude, thought Proserpina resignedly and stepped forward.
Lucien Delano looked up at her, the picture of motherhood, her face glowing from the way he had thoroughly enjoyed her body.
He frowned but she bent down and sinking onto a chair, a large upholstered one beside him, she murmured,
“Claude, your Pappa has something to tell you too.’
The baby clasped to her body, she looked into her husband’s face, the lined, harsh face, and saw the longing in his eyes.
‘ Lucien,’ she said softly and he grunted. Claude opened his mouth to speak but the Boss held up his hand imperatively and stopped him, cutting him off mid-sentence.
“Boy, you will be taking the ring on Opening Night. ”
And as Claude froze, the words dying on his tongue, his mouth hanging open, he went on, drily, holding his wife’s hand,
“Your Mumma wants it that way.’ Claude looked as though he wanted to shout or dance about, something to that effect.
From a faraway place, he heard his Pappa’s voice. Something about how Lucien Delano was going to fight just a few friendly bouts to inaugurate the match, the new Fight Club.
But I shall be doing the actual fighting, thought Claude, incredulity, and joy overwhelming him. With his heart in his eyes, he looked at his Mumma, as tranquil and lovely as ever, dimpling silently as she sat by the Don, her small hand in his.
He sat still, grinning like an idiot till his father’s hard growl broke into his thoughts,
‘Is that a yes, son?’
***
Maja
She waited for her son to call; he did not. Finally, she picked up the courage to speak to Schwartz for Handsome Schwartz was the only one who could help.
When she plucked up the courage to go and meet him at his home, it was, like many of her decisions, taken on the spot, impetuously. The vacation was still on and so, she was relatively free from school work although she felt that Melissa Lord was a real tyrant and stickler for rules. The petite blonde with the glowing green eyes was a person who seemed to be intent on making her teachers do their best and in a way, she admired Melissa, grudgingly.
Now as she stood at the door of Schwartz’s sprawling home, for she had called ahead and asked if he was free to meet her, it was dark. The shadows of the evening had fallen quickly for winter was still lingering on and the darkness came early. Huddled in her thin overcoat, she shivered and glared at her daughter who was busily tapping away on her phone.
Maddie had insisted that she needed a phone and Maja had caved in. The unspoken threat had been, she would head to her father to ask him to get her a phone if her mother refused. Knowing Tommas and his inherent penchant for creating trouble, Maja had agreed.
Now she watched her daughter and wondered if she knew where Magnus was holed up. The two were not too close but she had a feeling that the girl knew more than she was letting on.
*
The door opened.
A tall, olive-skinned woman with dark eyes, slightly slanting, a slightly flat nose, but otherwise sharp features, stood there, looking down at her.
She stepped back after a while and murmured in a throaty voice,
“You must be Maja.’
She indicated that they should enter and strolled ahead after making sure that the door was shut after them.
*