Hila leaned against the wall, her disguise in place. She was now working as part of the crew that did the mechanical work in the new Club and it had not been easy to wrangle a new identity card and more importantly, recreate herself all over again to fit the mould.
But she was resourceful and still had contacts within the Monk’s people, those who feared, hated yet obeyed the diabolical man who pretended to be a holy person.
In her new avatar, she was a member of the crew that helped to put the finishing touch to the electrical fittings of the sprawling buildings.
She was dressed scruffily, her black hair hidden in a wig of short brown hair, a bandana about her head, and tattoos and piercings attached to her eyebrow and lower lip. All removable, of course. But it guaranteed that most people would focus on the tattoos and not on the shining green eyes which glared at them.
All in all, a good disguise. And yes, since she was quite good at her work, for all her years in the army had trained her to be resourceful. Besides, no one came to bother her. They avoided her for fear of any reaction it might generate. On one of the first days, she had fended off a would-be molester, a large hulking man with a beard and a leer pasted permanently on his ugly face. Using one of the basic Krav Maga techniques, she had flung him onto his broad back, winding him and he had lain there, staring in bemusement as she stood, moving from foot to foot, preparing to hit him again.
Luckily, he had retreated shamefaced and no one had tried to touch her after that. As she concentrated on her work in the lobby, her mind moved back to Piers, the only man she had allowed within touching, nay, bedding distance after the ordeal at the hands of the enemy who had captured her and raped her for days before she had been rescued by the Mossad agents, her colleagues in those days.
Her breath hitched as she thought of Piers Delano and she winced as a fingernail broke with the force of her movements on the fixture. She swore softly and kept on working.
What they had shared that day, had been like the coming together of two combustible forces; he had seemed as much of a tormented soul as she had been, greedy to lose himself in her. And she had craved his brutality though she suspected that Piers was not a rough lover; he had seemed contrite and almost ashamed of himself after that first frenzied assault.
But she had wanted him, had captured his mouth and they had been lost to the world and its complications once again…
The wildness of their coupling was also because they knew it was a forbidden desire that was springing up between them.
*
What madness had brought her back, she thought for the umpteenth time. She would have done well to scamper away as far as she could, putting as much distance as she could manage, between the man she loved fervently, and herself. After all, Moshe had been spirited away to a safe place and she had the papers to help her to leave the US and begin a new life elsewhere. Hila was no fool; she knew how dangerous Lucien Delano was. And if the Mob Boss found out that she was on the premises of his grand new Club, he would not hesitate to kill her, with his bare hands too!
But the desire to see the man she had fallen so hard, so hopelessly for, had made her return. Especially in light of the news she had learned.
***
The Monk had lain low for a few weeks now but the man was deadly with his intent to take revenge. As was his half-crazed nephew, Dusak the One-eyed, who had returned to the country and was biding his time.
Since she had shifted her brother Moshe to a place where he was safe, and no one could get to him, for he was safest in Israel, she had decided to find out what the evil man was planning. Not too difficult for she had contacts everywhere. And when she had gotten wind of his latest, most dastardly venture, she had been too charged to refrain.
There was no way she would sit around and watch the family of the man she loved, be destroyed. For she knew, in all certainty, that she loved Piers. It was a love that had no happy ending in sight but she would continue to love him.
The message she had intercepted during one of her routines listening in to the chatter amongst the Monk’s men, had alerted her to the fact that the Monk was planning something huge.
Total annihilation of the Delano family.
Which was why she had returned to protect her love.
*
Now she tensed. The Delano warlord was leaving the Club. She glanced around, her curiosity too great. The man, his wide shoulders straining under the jacket, strode along, emerging from the elevator. But beside him was the exquisite woman who had her staring. Proserpina Delano, her masses of brown hair, deep in color, cascading down to her wide hips, dressed in a pink outfit that emphasized her soft, curvy figure as she walked beside her man. The woman was so lovely, thought Hila in wonder, not beautiful in a classic way but in a genuine, lasting manner, with an earthy sensuality and a brightness, that Hila found herself unable to look away from them. She was gawking just as most of the men with her were doing furtively but this was when she saw how much the Mafia Don was wound around the little woman’s finger for there could be no way anyone could miss the possessive way he held her hand, then shifting to pull her into an embrace, totally ignoring the people around them. The woman seemed to blush and demur as she tilted her face to look up at the man who dwarfed her. Not that it had any effect on the older man who held her and kissed her hard as he growled something in her ear. She shifted and looked away, blushing and smiling and in that instant, her gaze met that of Hila’s.
Hila immediately looked away her breathing becoming shallow; all the maintenance crew was going about their business, pretending to ignore the obvious display of affection by the Don. The woman’s wide brown eyes opened slightly as though she was thinking of something but her husband was already sweeping her away. After a pause, Hila rose to her feet and slipped away to the restroom, murmuring something about a break to the foreman, a large, jovial giant who nodded absently.
Once there, she leaned against the door of a stall, breathing heavily.
She hoped the woman had not guessed at her identity.
*
Ria was flushed with happiness as she went about, her eyes constantly flickering to her finger where she now proudly wore the slim but old, antique ring. It fitted her perfectly and she blushed as he remembered how Philippe had growled fondly in her ears, telling her when he had managed to get the size of her finger.
Her mother’s soft voice jolted her from her reverie.
Proserpina smiled fondly at her eldest daughter.
‘Your father wants to announce your engagement on the day when the new Club is going to be inaugurated,’ she said, dimpling, stepping forward to stroke her daughter’s face gently.
Ria smiled, her cheeks turning rosy.
She could not wait to hold her lover in her arms that night and tell him, no show him how much she loved him.
*
Dinner was as always, riotous until Lucien Delano strode in with Schwartz behind him. He narrowed his eyes as his gaze swept across the table, singling out Piers and Tara for a cold stabbing of his gaze.
As he sat down, his eyes met his Woman’s and he nodded imperceptibly.
‘Tara,’ he growled and his daughter flinched, her pale face, with the dark circles under her eyes, going tense and whiter if that was possible. Lucien had not spoken to his younger daughter since the day she had been brought back home. Now the girl peered at him from beneath her lashes, uncertainly.
“Daughter, your mother and I have decided that you should visit your …Mumma’s friend, Brian in Bhutan. Spend some time there.’ He raised a thick brow, his eyes on his Woman’s face. Tara looked uncertain, shocked, and bewildered, all at once.
Her mother, who had come to stand beside Pappa, her beautiful face soft and concerned, holding baby Rudi in her arms, added,
‘It will be a good change.’
It had taken a lot of arguing and persuading to get Lucien to agree to her idea but he had finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Tara’s lower lip wobbled as she said in a soft, sad voice,
‘Pappa, I did not mean…’
Lucien felt the slight squeeze on his shoulder from his Woman’s soft hand and he growled, his eyes on his younger daughter as he said,
‘Come here, Tara.’
The softening in his face, in his voice was obvious and she was out of her chair, weeping as she threw her arms about her father’s strong broad shoulders and sobbed.
He had not spoken to her since that day and now, as he hugged her, pulling her onto his lap, she shuddered, sniffing and mumbling,
‘Pappa, I am so sorry, so very…’
“Shhh… “he growled but his tone was gentle.
Her siblings were silent and then, they were about her, Ria first, followed by Claude, her twin brothers, and Piers who stood awkwardly. Baby Rudi waved his arms frantically, lashing out at the nearest person, who happened to be Claude, and whacking him with his small, plump fist, then laughing uproariously as Claude whirled around, a mock angry look on his face.
Proserpina sighed softly, happily as she watched her husband.
Piers who had been standing awkwardly at the edge of the group, made up his mind; screwing up his courage, he edged closer to his formidable father and drew a deep breath.
Stepping hesitantly to his father the young man said, mumbling awkwardly.
‘Sir, I…uh…I made a mistake…’
Lucien shut him off, drawling gruffly,
‘Get back to work tomorrow, seven a. m. sharp.’
Piers met his mother’s eyes, astonishment and elation warring on his handsome face. He knew without a doubt that she had been behind this decision and he moved around the crowd to hug her.
“Mumma,’ he murmured as he hugged the rounded figure,
‘I am so sorry, Mumma…’She hugged him back with one arm and then a small fist landed on his shoulder and he looked up as baby Rudi prepared to land another blow, chortling all the while.
“This one is going to be a fighter like me!’ cried Claude and then, as his father raised a quizzical brow, he added hastily,
‘And Pappa, of course!’
He pulled his baby brother out of his mother’s arms and ran out into the hall, pursued by Dom and Lou, shouting and yelling. Tara was in Ria’s arms, hugging her tightly as Schwartz spoke to Piers in soft tones.
Lucien watched his family wryly and Proserpina moved to her husband, her soft breasts cushioning his head gently as she bent to him and whispered, ‘My love.’ before kissing him full on his mouth.