by John Gubert
Jacqui shook her head. “Father will need to talk to his people. This is a turn he wouldn’t have expected. He’ll have no plans for it. He’ll contact us, but he knows it’s going to be tough. We know he kidnapped Juliet. We now know he must have been behind the incidents in the US. We know his people shot me. He must be getting worried. He’ll think you may also carry out your threat about the bank.”
“That places us in danger. Although he knows I am always careful, he may be frightened that I’ve left some papers somewhere safe. I did it before when we had the troubles in France.”
They sat quietly and took turns to comfort Juliet. Jacqui questioned her gently. It was evident that she had been well treated. She had not seen Di Maglio. That didn’t surprise them. She had been told they’d been called away on business. That was a tolerable excuse as they had left her before. But she had sensed something was wrong. She had evidently been worried rather than scared. She clung to whoever was holding her at the time.
They arrived in Zurich’s main station a few hours later. They established there was an early afternoon flight and they caught it to Heathrow. Charles called Maria on her mobile and explained what had happened. “Di Maglio called already. He wanted you to phone him when you returned. I’ll get Douglas to pick you up.”
In the early evening they returned. They were back home. They felt safe.
“We don’t call my father till later,” said Jacqui. “Have you got to get together with the Honourable James?”
“I’ll do it on the phone. But I have to head to the States tomorrow morning. We should contact Claire and get her back over here.”
“That may be difficult. She works for my father. She’s loyal to both of us. We’ll play that by ear. Let’s talk security with Maria. But, first, let’s get Juliet to bed.”
So she occupied herself with Juliet while Charles made arrangements for the States. All the time, he knew they were going to have tough times ahead. They had a new enemy. And nobody enjoyed that if the adversary was Di Maglio.
CHAPTER TWELVE
He picked up the phone again and dialled Di Maglio. He was put through to him immediately.
“You think I had something to do with the kidnap. I’ve been set up. I knew nothing about it. They wanted you to think it was me. I swear it must have been the Russians.”
“What about the nanny and her parents?”
“We’ve dealt with them. They’re dead. They betrayed me. They were offered money and new identities to help on the kidnap. They dealt only with middle men.”
“You’re capable of killing them if it suits your plans. But you could also make them disappear. I don’t believe you. I don’t trust you. I’ll use none of your people. Prove yourself by clearing up this mess and keeping it away from me and my family.”
“Can I speak to Jacqui?”
“She’s with Juliet. Just do as I say. We’re not in the mood to be sociable. We don’t believe you. You’re in this up to your neck. I can’t totally understand your game plan but I know what your end game is. You want us to run your operations. You can’t bear to think of them ending. You’ll do anything for that. I’ve news for you. We’ll take the banks but nothing else. So get off our backs and re-plan without us.”
Charles put the phone down on him. That was not the safest of strategies. Di Maglio could react violently. But there was an outside chance that he’d come to his senses and rid them of his business and its problems. Charles went through what he’d done with Jacqui. She thought it was the only way.
“I’ll not take his calls. Let’s freeze him out. He doesn’t yet know I’m pregnant. I didn’t need to tell him in the end and so never did. Once he does he may come round easier. He likes being a grandfather. He’s got that one bit of humanity left that a child seems to bring out.”
With that cold dismissal of her father and the ready assessment of his warped nature, she came to Charles. Her arms went around his neck. Her body moved against his. She brushed warm and moist lips against him.
“Juliet’s asleep. We should get an early night.”
“I thought you were pregnant.”
“I am. It’s amazing I still am after the last week or so. But that doesn’t mean that I am going to become celibate till next summer.”
So they moved to their room. Juliet was fast asleep in the adjoining one. They switched on her alarm and shut their door to the world. Jacqui and Charles kissed each other for a long time. It was more than a week since they had last made love and they needed each other as only people who have been through such a trauma do.
She pressed herself against him and smiled, “If you think I’m going to send you away like this, you’re mistaken.”
She was wearing a long quilted dressing gown and he pulled it down her shoulders and kissed her neck. The bandage from the gunshot wound had been removed and there was now just a plaster. He kissed around it and gently ran his mouth over the bruises round the edges.
She lent forward and undid the buttons of his shirt. One by one they were opened. At each button he felt her hand move across his chest in a light circular motion that sent tremors of excitement through him. As she finally removed the shirt, she ran her fingers down his chest, this time grazing him with her nails in a way that made him shiver in pleasing anticipation.
She undid his belt and trousers, easing him out of the rest of his clothes in one smooth fast movement. She moved again towards him and kissed him on the chest before resting her head there as if to listen to his heart beating. She moved closer to him and they made their way under the sheet for warmth, comfort and solitude. They came together as they lay side by side. Their lips clung together. His arms clasped her back as she eagerly pushed against him; demanding and inquisitive; exciting and excitable.
They lay together for some time after. Gradually they felt their bodies slip into a mood of total contentment and relaxation. Gently, they slipped apart, but continued to hold each other. First they were in each other’s arms, then hand in hand, and finally her head on his shoulder. Then, with one last, long, lingering kiss, they fell asleep. They were safe with each other. Harmony had returned.
The next day, the magic of the moment was still with them. They had experienced this so many times. The feelings changed. The moods were different. But the peril of their lifestyle pushed them to different peaks in their own lives and in their own physical longing. He would rather not have left. Maria would stay. Douglas would be there.
He had now also some special guards. He had arranged that with the Commander. They were not police but they were the Commander’s own men. His job took him to areas where he used unusual methods. He, therefore, had some unconventional acquaintances for a policeman.
Charles left the house with Juliet and Jacqui waving at him from the window. He noticed the guards there, visible to a trained eye but not to the occasional passer-by or inquisitive glance. They were different from the usual Di Maglio people. These would be ex-members of the Special Air Services, the elite anti terrorist brigade of the British Forces. He was grateful for his friendship with Commander Delaney. He knew that Jacqui and Juliet would be safe, especially as Maria would also be with them.
The car sped to the airport and got him to his plane in plenty of time. He walked into the first class lounge and read the papers. The markets were quiet. Thankfully, there were no articles about anything related to their activities. That was excellent. It would have been the last thing they wanted. Suddenly a pair of hands covered his eyes; a perfume that he recognised immediately swept gently over him and a voice said softly, “Guess who?”
“Claire. What on earth are you doing here?”
“There was no point in staying in the compound. I didn’t have a job when you upped and awayed. Tell me how you did it. How on earth did you find her? Di Maglio was furious. But I can tell you about that later.”
Charles explained what happened. “Do you know what Di Maglio did to the people who held Juliet?�
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“He was remarkably lenient. The father was beaten up for his stupidity. Otherwise they did nothing. The daughter had to see a doctor. Bullet in the stomach as punishment. Jacqui has a bit of the Mafia about her after all.”
Charles noted again that Di Maglio had lied to him about these people. He had said he killed them. One more reason, if they needed it, for them never to believe a word that he said.
“But how exactly did Di Maglio react when he heard?”
“I was asleep still. It was about eight o’ clock when he came storming into my room to see if I was there. He told me you had sneaked off with Jacqui. He thought I might have been involved. I played innocent. It was quite convincing. We then waited and about two hours later we got news of the car crash and the shooting. Somehow, the explosion had not been picked up on his monitors; it appears there were some faulty surveillance cameras in the area and that made him even madder. He went ape-shit with anger. He hadn’t thought of sending extra cover to the house where Juliet was, as he thought he had it covered electronically. So he said he’d bluff it out with you.”
“He tried, but it wasn’t convincing.”
“Anyway, I got up and was told to head back to New York. Di Maglio said he wasn’t happy with my role. He said he didn’t want me to work with you again. He said I was too close to you. That could lead me to betray his orders. He thought it better that I stayed clear of you all. He was giving me a warning. I’ll need to be careful. So I put myself on this plane, as I knew you’d be on it. And here I am.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? What if he sees us together?”
“I’d be in trouble. I don’t know what he’d do. In the old days he would have had me knee-capped or something as a minimum, perhaps even killed. But they have always been more lenient with women; they think women are weak. They’ll say I was attracted to you and it was sex. That’s always the usual reason for them. In any case, Di Maglio has softened up in recent years. I wouldn’t be hurt much.”
She shrugged her shoulders dismissively at the idea. Charles looked at her and smiled. He looked at the blond hair, the blue eyes, and the trim pleasant figure. He noticed, not for the first time, the slight breathlessness with which she talked. He wondered what she’d look like if she really were pregnant.
Somehow it was difficult to associate motherhood with her. He knew very little about her past. She always refused to talk about it. Jacqui thought she had started in the hotel side, but both Maria and Claire drew a veil over their earlier lives and how they got into Di Maglio’s evil world.
“And how are you?”
“Well I got here early for the plane. The other thing hasn’t happened yet. It was due yesterday. I’m usually quite regular. We’ll have to wait.”
They went over to the desk and arranged two seats side by side. The plane was then called almost immediately. On board they started talking again. Charles brought up the question of Di Maglio, despite her earlier casual dismissal of his reaction, for he was concerned at the likely reaction if she were found with him.
“Is Di Maglio going to cause you problems? Are you sure you’re not running a big risk? We know he’s aware we’re all quite friendly. This conflict with him could turn out quite nasty.”
“He knows I helped you follow the kidnappers. But that won’t cause a problem. He didn’t tell me what he was doing. I just tried to protect you all, but that was my role. He may wonder why I did not report in when we were on the road. There was no reason for a communications blackout. But I doubt he’ll do anything about it. He’ll be working out his next move. That’s the sort of man he is.”
“What will you do? What have you done for Di Maglio all these years? You’ve actually never told me how you got involved.”
Charles knew he’d asked this before and been told that it was none of his business. But now he needed to know. After the night in the barn, it was imperative for him to know. This was not driven by idle curiosity. He wanted to understand how the past could affect the future. Claire appeared to realise this and revealed all.
“It’s not hard to get involved. I was good at school. Good at sport. I could have gone on to university and got a degree. But I was bored. I wanted to travel the world. I became a second rate model. I had the height but my boobs were too big. They were into the anorexic look at the time. So I did what a lot of models that don’t make it do. I became a really high-class hooker. And I was one of the best.
I always liked sex. I actually enjoyed making love to all those men and quite a few women too. I had about twenty regulars and then did the odd elite party. I did that for a bit and then met Di Maglio at a party. He said I was too bright for a hooker. He offered me a job. He said it would pay me more. He had me taught guns. I got to learn unarmed combat. And I became a controller.”
“What’s a controller?”
“I managed a group in Chicago. They were mainly pimps. I then moved to the hotel business and did a couple of years in Las Vegas. I then went to work in the Di Maglio headquarters as an enforcer. That’s where I really got to know Maria. She was one too.”
“What’s the job of an enforcer? Are you still one?”
“No is the answer to the second question. An enforcer sorts out anyone who falls out of line. That can mean anything from talking to them through to getting rid of them permanently. The group was ruled with a rod of iron then. It was brutal. Actually the concrete boots were never my line. I tended to give the early warnings.
I then joined his elite. I became a sort of Girl Friday. We did anything that was needed. I once had to sleep with a President so that we could get leverage on him. I helped kidnap an oil magnate’s wife. I took part in a raid on one of our rival gangs. And I tell you that made your jaunt in the South of France a couple of years ago look like a primary school party.”
“You even looked after us in Barbados that year,” said Charles with a wry smile.
“That was a great assignment. It’s strange. I’ve known you for three years or so. We went to bed together way back, and then the other day again. That’s not bad for an ex-hooker. I really have reformed. And the irony is that I must have slept with hundreds of men in my time. Well I guess that’s exaggerating. There weren’t quite hundreds. I told you, that I tended to have regulars. I didn’t just pick them up. I wasn’t particularly careful but nothing ever went wrong. I wouldn’t do it again. It’s strange. I then sleep with you twice and every minute that goes by implies I could be pregnant.”
“What’ll you do about Di Maglio if you are?”
“I wouldn’t be very much good to him would I? I’d have to quit. That wouldn’t be a problem. Once he knew I was pregnant.”
“And where will you go?”
“I’ll buy my farm. I’ll disappear off the face of this earth. It would be crazy for you to know about your son or daughter. I wouldn’t have to marry. I’d find someone every year or so to sleep with. Just to remind me that I sometimes liked sex. I wasn’t meant to be a whore. I wasn’t meant to be a wife. I was meant to be a mistress.”
“Can’t I see you? We could have an annual reunion.”
She smiled at him. There was sadness in her eyes. Her voice became a bit throaty. “No. It wouldn’t work. It’s not you and it’s not me. I’ll ride my horses. I’ll watch things grow. But we need to stay apart. Or we’ll destroy what we had. And we’ll destroy what we have.”
“You know, you’re amazingly moral. You should have hung around for the right guy. You should never have become a hooker”.
“But I did. And it was right for me. I’ve several million in the bank. I have earned it. I invested in good illegal businesses. Now I have clean cash and I can live on it for the rest of my life.”
She lent over and kissed him. The seats were wide. A wide table separated them. It was far from comfortable and some heads turned. But they turned away when they ignored them. She then took his hand and kissed it, too.
She murmured, “I would have
loved you. I would have been good to you. But I met you at the wrong time and in the wrong place. The spell will be broken now. You know my past. It will always worry you. It’s too alien for you. You can’t comprehend.”
He knew she was right even if he didn’t want to admit it. They talked on and off as the plane wended its way to New York. She was going home. He would be close by in the Pierre. They agreed to share a car.
“But I go home on my own. You go to your hotel.”
He had started to realise that she was drawing a veil over their past. She was getting ready for the future. He needed to meet the Honourable James in any case and had no appetite for bumping into him with Claire. So they landed in New York. He hadn’t thought of booking a car in advance. Nor had she. So they decided to take a cab. It made its way through the ugly drive from JFK and headed to the smart flats where Claire lived.
In the back of the cab, she turned towards him. She held his hand against her stomach. He left it there and gently caressed the firm flesh. She glanced out. He looked at her questioningly.
“We’re being tracked,” she said. “I’ve noticed that grey limousine twice. They keep on trying to keep just one car between them and us. They were near the taxi queue at the airport and they have followed us through ever since. I can’t believe Di Maglio would try it again.”
“We’ll never get away from them in a cab.”
“We need to take them to your hotel and then create a diversion, somehow. If they’re just following us we should be all right. If they want to attack us or something we could have problems.”
They thought how they would create a diversion. It was difficult when you can’t trust the driver. They could pay him off quickly. And then run. But that was not going to fool professionals. And somehow they both suspected that this time Di Maglio would have used people he could trust. This time, he would have chosen people who would succeed. But what would they have to succeed at?
He thought through the options. Perhaps he wanted to frighten them? Perhaps he wanted to kill them? Perhaps he wanted to kidnap them? Would it be both of them or just one of them? Would they recognise Claire? Or would they assume she was just a hanger on?”