Bianca stood, pole axed, staring from one to the other of the men she loved with all her heart. They had pre-empted her. She had been about to ask them to back off, to ask them to make up their minds about the relationship they wanted with her. And now, they had gone ahead and PROPOSED?
O’ Grady looked aat his brother uneasily.
Why was she hesitating at all?
St Just took a step closer.
“If it’s time you need, sugar, we will wait.”
And O’Grady rumbled,
“We are going to wait. You can take as much time as you want.”
And then, he added, sheepishly,
‘But may be not so long. A man would like to start a family, you see.”
Both St Just and Bianca turned to look at him, horror and stupefaction on their faces.
” What did you…” began Bianca as St Just turned away and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes rolling.
Typical of O’Grady, he thought. Stepping in and putting his big foot where his mouth should be!
But Bianca was laughing, suddenly, peal after peal of tinkling laughter. She leant back against the base of the tree, her shoulders shaking helplessly. O’Grady looked at his brother helplessly.
What was wrong? Or rather, what had been so funny?
She opened her eyes, tears of mirth rolling down her cheeks as he opened her arms wide.
“I love you, my Masters, I love the both of you and I have missed you so terribly…”
The men were in her arms at once, kissing her, her face, her neck, holding her.
O’Grady raised his head from her mouth as he growled softly,
“Ah, lassie…”
St Just claimed her luscious lips at once and he groaned,
“Sugar.”
She was lifted up in O’Grady’s powerful arms but she squealed and pounded his chest with her small fists.
“Sweet Jaysus, I want to tell the world…” began O’Grady but his brother stalled him wisely.
“Not yet, O’Grady,” he warned and the Irishman, who had settled on a bench with Bianca on his lap, still holding her tightly, growled,
“Why not?”
Bianca wriggled on his lap, claiming his attention as she laid her feet prettily on the seat, stretching out to hold St Just’s hand as he stood over her, his tawny eyes gleaming in love.
“Because I want to be wooed, Mr O’Grady. And I want to study. And work.”
She turned to him, her eagerness shining on her face as she cupped his hard face in her hands, lightly stroking his stubbled jaw and went on, dreamily,
“I want to see the world, Liam O’Grady. Not begin to pop out babies!”
And seeing the hurt look on his face, she hurriedly added, stroking his well-shaped mouth, “Well, not straight away, at any rate.”
The men chuckled and the murmurs of their voices carried to the person who had entered the garden unseen by the trio.
The person stood, hands clenched, watching them, hating the Mafia men who seemed to be on the cusp of great happiness. Things would need to be evened out, thought the figure as it glided way noiselessly, blending once again, into the throng of people outside in the halls of Shangri La
*
When they re-entered the huge hall, the party was still in full swing.
Serena Kington, who had been keeping a watchful eye on the door, felt her body slackening as she saw the blissful look on Bianca’s face. The young woman was flanked by her two Mafia men and she looked ecstatic.
“Looks like they made up,” said Louis drily as he raised the glass of alcohol to his lips and drank.
Dom who was standing close by with his Indian girlfriend, Rani Nair, beside him, looked around following his twin’s gaze.
“Something warm and happy happening there, I believe,” he grinned, winking at Serena who looked mystified.
But Bianca was making her way across to Serena, her face glowing.
“Hi,” she dimpled shyly at everyone in the group, which included Paddy and his Chinese partner, Huang Song. Paddy had finally come out; he had been troubled for years about his sexual inclinations but when he confided to his Mumma, who had suspected for a long time, he was welcomed by his Delano siblings with warmth and love. Of course, the Mafia Don kept his counsel but Proserpina had beseeched him to hold his sarcasm.
Now they all moved away as Serena linked her arm with Bianca and led her to another corner of the vast, well-lit hall. Feeling the prickling eyes of someone watching them, Serena did a slow circle of the room with her eyes. Something was off, she thought.
Someone was watching them. And not in a nice way. A malevolent way, that made her uneasy.
But Bianca was practically bouncing up and down with joy.
‘Serena!!” she said in a whisper, gripping the other woman’s arm,
“THEY PROPOSED !!!”
Serena Kingston was a tough woman; she prided herself on being able to handle most things but this made her want to pick her jaw up from the floor. Delighted by her response, Bianca clapped her hands and giggled.
“Who did? I mean, which one of them?”
And then, as she saw the happiness on Bianca’s lovely face, she said in a shocked whisper,
” Bo.. both of them?’ Asked the astonished Serena.
*
From a corner of the room, the person who had glided out, unnoticed, was observing Bianca.
The Mafia men, who had brought down the human trafficking empire that had been running so smoothly in this little part of the USA, would not go unpunished, thought the person, sipping from the drink in hand.
The mysterious person’s gaze shifted to the other side of the room, where the great Delano clan was scattered, laughing and joking. The white-haired lion, Lucien Delano, had been the one to give the green signal to bring down the network. He would pay.
But it was Piers Delano, who was heading the mob now; it would be too difficult to get to him, with the slim, eagle-eyed woman at his side, the feared Israeli assassin of yore.
The person sipped thoughtfully.
It would take time. But it was not going to be impossible. They would destroy the Delanos and the two Mafia siblings who were now wearing identically goofy looks of love on their faces. With that thought, the person who was half hidden by the plants adorning the room drank the rest of the champagne in his flute.