Proserpina emerged, looking drawn but still ethereal in a simple cotton dress, a baby doll variation that had a deep neck and flared out from her waist lovingly. She smiled as she approached her husband.
They exchanged a look which Maja noticed, a quick quirking of his heavy grey brows by the Don, an “are you ok?’ kind of look and the beautiful wife of the Don replied with the barest of nods, a small, barely imperceptible smile on her face, the dimples reappearing magically. The woman was glowing, thought Maja enviously.
How did she look so dramatically beautiful, without being beautiful in the full sense?
She was round and curvy, with a well-endowed figure.
But it was the movement of her body as she swayed across, sultry and sensual.
A siren, through and through, but with an innocence as well.
Maja felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to catch Schwartz, a speculative gleam in his eyes as he met her startled blue gaze and then his eyes moved away. Maja Nord looked down quickly and continued to munch on her cereal.
Proserpina was speaking to her, she realised when her daughter nudged her arm.
‘I was saying, ‘said Proserpina gently,’ You can stay here for as long as you wish.’
At this point, she dimpled at Maddy who responded with a broad gap-toothed grin ‘It’s great to have more people, especially young people, around the house,’
Maddy made a small appreciative sound but the sight of Lucien Delano scowling at them from down the table made her quieten immediately. Tara was squeezing Maddy’s hand in joy, beaming at her mother.
Magnus did not make a sound but he had stiffened, alert.
Maja thought drily, ‘Proserpina Delano, you’ve got a fan for life. Madeline De Luca will die for you now.’
Lucien Delano eyed his wife as she approached him. Ignoring the people at the table, he pulled her to him, a large muscular arm encircling her waist and propelling her forward. She smiled, placing her small hands on his dark jacketed broad shoulders.
‘I am going to the hospital this morning with you.’ he growled, tugging her down to kiss her hard. She made a breathless sound as she smiled.
‘Lucien…’ she murmured. And then, pushing herself away from him, she turned to Schwartz as she moved to the side to sit by Lucien,
‘You will be staying for a few weeks won’t you James?’ her face was serious and Maja saw the immediate change in Handsome James. He gazed at her, openly adoring, love shining in his eyes and she almost dropped her spoon with a clatter.
“The silly man adores her,’ she thought crossly and she felt a jolt of jealousy course through her. A sensation which she quickly put out, scolding herself for her irrational feelings.
‘If you say so, hen.’, he said with a smile, his voice low.
Lucien Delano did not react, merely raising his head to address his eldest son.
***
Britney was rudely awakened by a hand that was rough and refused to let go of her shoulder.
“What the f*ck?’ she shouted as she realised that there were a handful of men in her room, all with cold, hard looks.
She sat up in bed, feeling a look of fear in her gut.
“What…Who?’ the men said nothing, that in itself was the scariest of all, only one of them gripped her arm and before she could react, he had jabbed her neck with a needle. She tried to lash out but he held her fast.
In a few minutes, she was out cold.
Britney never knew when she was put into an old truck and bundled across the border to Mexico. When she woke up, she was back in the cramped apartment she had lived in since she accompanied her sister and fled from Shark.
It was too late to do anything. Lucien Delano had neatly cut her out of the picture.
***
Cole
He was released from his little jail, as he regarded it to be. Taken to a room with amenities for a bath and a shave, he was allowed to change and then led, yes led, like some lowly prisoner, to meet his father , the great Lucien Delano.
it was mid-afternoon and he had been served a simple meal. He was furious but made sure to put on a sad, defeated expression as he was led to his father. His eyes narrowed in hate as they met those of the large man, the Capo, who had carried him out after he had touched Proserpina.
Also in the room was Schwartz, the man who had been the Don’s right-hand man all his life. He was watching Cole, his eyes hard and unforgiving.
***
The Mafia Don came to the point directly.
‘You are going to be sent to work with a close associate of mine,’ he declared coldly. Even as Cole opened his mouth to ask more, Lucien Delano snapped, ‘To Australia.’
Cole stared at him, open-mouthed.
What in the world was he going to do there?
Lucien turned back to his work, dismissing him.
***
Claude
He was in bed, flirting light-heartedly with the nurses when his father walked in. Immediately, the women scurried away, vanishing like confetti scattered in the wind.
Claude tried to sit up, stiffly but his father approached his bed, his face as unreadable as ever.
“How do you feel ?’ he barked and Claude stared.
Has he heard right? Had his father actually asked about his health? Now that was a first, alright.
He mumbled something. Lucien stood, his eyelids heavy, dropping over his grey laser-sharp eyes.
‘You will be going home this afternoon; your Mumma is waiting for you.’ Claude gulped. This was more than any conversation he had ever had with his parent.
“And you need to get back into shape.’ Lucien continued in a hard voice, “You have a fight coming up.’ Claude was now open-mouthed. He nodded. But his father was already striding out of the room as the nurses entered, hurrying now to help him to get ready to leave.
What had gotten into his father, he thought as he stared at the man’s disappearing back.