Owning the Mafia Don

Lucien

It was the sound of the voice of his beloved woman that made him raise his head with a start.

Proserpina ?

He heard her and then saw her, the familiar, lovely woman he loved with all his heart. She was racing down the hill, the momentum causing her to tumble down and she rolled down and landed there, a little way off.

She was before him, almost kneeling before them, hands raised in supplication and he roared in anger, in dismay, his heart swelling as he saw how distraught she looked, white-faced, her soft mouth trembling, the brown eyes overflowing with tears as she whispered,

‘Please, No,”.

Proserpina

“NOOOO!!!’ I screamed and set off down the hill, waving my arms. I was barely aware of falling and rolling down to within a few feet of the three people who stood in the doorway, staring at me.

Lucien raised his head sharply as I landed on the ground, crying out helplessly as the sharp stones dug into my body. His eyes blazed and at that moment, I knew once again how much I loved him as he mouthed my name.

And suddenly, there was pandemonium.

*

In the gathering darkness, the woman seemed grotesque with the light from her lantern playing on her face, throwing shadows on her face, the sharp, hollowed cheeks and her thin, long nose prominently outlined.

She took a step toward me, as I tried to sit up. Her arm was wrapped around Lucien’s throat and she had her rifle in one hand.

But I threw caution to the wind and cried,

“Please, please do not do this, I beg you. Leave my husband,” I pleaded, as I almost knelt before them, a distance away. “Leave him, please!!!’

I was dimly aware that I was wringing my hands, and sobbing, my body ached and I felt as though my heart would burst.

The woman snarled and for an answer, she levelled her rifle at me, preparing to shoot.

“WH*RE!”

She still had an arm wrapped around Lucien’s neck, his hands bound behind his back forcing him to remain immobile although I saw the expressions of anguish and fury on his face as he struggled wildly.

I noted all this with growing agitation, as she screamed in the voice of a maniac,

“I SHALL KILL YOU, WH*RE!”she screamed and I heard the click of the safety latch.

“If you think you can take him away from me, I shall kill you. Stefan is MINE, do you hear? MINE!!!”

Schwartz.

He lay for a few minutes and then, with growing dismay, he realized that the monk and his cars had taken a different route. even as he thought so, he saw the car approach from the other side. He was too far away to make a good shot. But he wanted to warn Proserpina and the others. The car doors flew open and the monk stepped out. He was accompanied by two other men, all with guns and Schwartz felt his heart sinking.

At the same time, the passenger door of the car swung open and a youth stepped out. A familiar-looking boy with a bandage around his eye.

Belatedly, he remembered the boy who had tried to smash a stone on Lucien’s head. The Boss had swung out with his brass knuckle dusters and the boy had fallen to the ground, clutching his face, screaming in pain, blood oozing from his face.

Schwartz froze. They could not see him but he wanted to take a chance.

Lucien

The sight of his beloved woman, her face bloodied, her lovely tresses tangled, made him stop in shock and stare,

She had come.

His Woman had come searching for him and she had found him.

But then, he felt his heart race as he heard the safety latch being released.

The woman’s arm slackened slightly in her stranglehold around his neck for she had draped an arm around his throat when Proserpina appeared before them.

Without another thought, Lucien reared up, slamming his head into her face and taking her by surprise. The loud, sickening sound of her nose taking the force of the blow, seemed to explode in his head, sending waves of pain through his skull, but he knew he had to act fast.

He shouldered Gustav away roughly.

*

Ivica cried out, her nose bloodied. Without losing a moment, he raised his bound fists and hit her in the face again, slamming his fists into her broken nose again and again. The woman tottered, her gun slipping from her hand as she attempted to save herself, to protect her face.

His bonds slipped loose and Lucien turned to tackle Gustav.

But old Gustav was not one to give up.

He reached out with a heavy stick to bring it down on Lucien’s head when suddenly, out of the gloom, another figure, a young man sprang out, taking him by surprise.

*

Philippe Diaz had been crouching in the corner, having stealthily picked up the axe. Now he swung it high and brought the axe, the blunt part of the axe head, down on Gustav’s head with such tremendous force the man gave a loud wail and sank to the ground, his skull cracked, bleeding profusely. Philippe stepped over and kicked him viciously in the ribs, even as Lucien turned to pick up the gun. But even with her bloodied face, the woman was too swift.

She made to get it, crawling and had picked it up when Lucien fell on top of her, wrenching it away, and hitting her hard. They fell on the ground and were close to Proserpina who was cowering in fear when a shot rang out.

It was followed by a fusillade of bullets and without thinking twice, the Boss raced over to Proserpina and threw his big body on hers like a shield. Covering her trembling body with his own, he began to roll, taking Proserpina with him, over and over to avoid being an easy target. With an oath, Lucien realized that the bullet had been meant for him. And Ivica had taken it as they fought on the damp ground.

Her big body sagged as she gurgled and the life went out of her.

A shot rang out and he grunted as it grazed his shoulder. Philippe yelled,

“Boss, Madre, this way, this way.”Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

But before they could move, answering gunfire came from the other side of the hill. A man was running down the hill, full tilt, a lean, tall man with a head of waving blonde hair and Lucien felt his lips twist in a smile.

Handsome James Schwartz.

He had come to the rescue again.

*

Then all of a sudden, as though the emergence of Schwartz had galvanized them into action, Toth’s men and Aiyana were there, returning gunfire and he saw Schwartz crashing through the undergrowth, getting to them. He was shooting randomly as he ran and a body rolled down the hill.

The people who had been shooting suddenly stopped and there was the sound of car engines revving up as they left the scene in a hurry.

And then, Lucien Delano was holding his Woman in his arms, burying his face in her hair, his arms wound tight around her as he kissed her hungrily, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent of her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, weeping and laughing together as she whispered,

“I found you, Lucien, my love, my love.”

Suddenly, Schwartz was there, laughing and crying like the hopeless romantic he was, thought Aiyana drily as she looked at them. And Lucien Delano tugged him into the big hug as the three of them held each other, sobbing and laughing like fools.

“Boss, Mate!” Schwartz kept saying over and over again.

The Mafia Don stretched out an arm to enfold him in his embrace and the three of them half lay, half sat on the ground, in an awkward huddle. Proserpina was weeping, her face buried in her husband’s shoulder as she whispered again and again,

“Lucien, Lucien…’

Lucien Delano lifted his head and met the dazed gaze of Philippe who was standing, with Seik Toth’s men, his head of black curls tousled.

He had just mortally wounded the man who had been attempting to kill his Boss and was reeling from the knowledge. But meeting the grey-blue eyes of the Don, he struggled to smile.

“My Enforcer of the future,” thought the Mafia Don as he nodded a curt thanks at the boy.