The Art of Retaliation Read online

  He sat down on a chair beside her and put his arms protectively around her body. There was no resistance. Stephane’s hand rested on her neck tenderly stroking the injured skin wanting to take the pain away. They sat for a few moments in silence. He couldn’t help feeling joy at the ways she clung to him until she calmed. After a while she let go and sat up. The billionaire lifted his hand and brushed away her tears unwilling to lose the closeness.

  “I’ll kill him for hurting you. If this is what he does to the woman he supposedly loves, what is he doing to my sister?”

  His hand lingered on Mara’s cheek rhythmically trailing back and forth as he talked. Before she would have pushed him away, now she seemed to want him near, to lean on him and for him to protect and support her. The invisible bond between them was tightening and even though each one pulled at either side to break away, its strength increased and pulled it taut, drawing them closer.

  “He probably hasn’t and won’t do anything. He will be pretending to play the loving husband until he gets the money,” Mara reassured him in a small voice.

  Stephane lowered his hand and dropped it uncomfortably into his lap.

  “You have to play his game, Stephane. Please for your sister’s sake.”

  “You really care what happens to her, don’t you?” he asked.

  “Believe it or not I do. I have never been part of this mess. I just got caught up in it. I suppose I don’t really blame you for what you have done. I probably would have done the same for my brother.”

  Stephane looked at her.

  “I knew right from the start that you were never part of it. It just made me feel better, even justified at what I was doing, to think that you were.”

  “I know,” she almost whispered to herself.

  “Stephane, Ryan wants to know where you are. He wants to talk business.” Leon interrupted.

  “All right I’m coming.”

  He faced Mara.

  “Are you all right to . . .”

  The Count raised his eyes to the sky with frustration mentally looking for a way out.

  “I’m sorry, Mara. I’m sorry I can’t stop this.”

  She covered his hand with her own.

  “I know I want to help you, Stephane. It isn’t the way I would have handled the situation. If you had come to me and told me what was happening right from the start I could have helped you both legally and morally.”

  “I couldn’t risk it,” he sighed heavily running his hand through his hair. “Besides it wouldn’t have worked. I will do everything in my power to help you get away from him when this is over. I know he will do anything to stop you but I will help. I promise you will have my protection.”

  She nodded.

  “I will help you all I can, Stephane. I don’t want your sister to die.”

  Leon and Ryan were visible at the other end of the deck at their dining table.

  “Come on, let us get this over with,” Stephane said weaving his fingers through Mara’s to hold her hand.

  The Count helped Mara stand. His instinct was to keep her close and protected by his side. They walked back towards the two men waiting for them hand in hand to present a united front.

  “Come and sit beside me, Mara,” Ryan demanded patting the chair next to him eyeing their interlocked hands with a frown. “I haven’t seen you for so long. I want to make sure you are all right.”

  Ryan stood up and possessively took hold of Mara’s arm attempting to take control of her away from Stephane. The billionaire aggressively tugged her back to his side.

  “Stephane’s, it’s all right. I will do as he asks,” she tried to soothe.

  “No you won’t. I will sit next to him and you will sit on the other side. I am in control here. I won’t allow him to hurt you again. Do I make myself clear, Mara?” he said fiercely removing Ryan’s hand on her arm with considerable force.

  Ryan laughed but did not object and Mara obediently nodded and for once did as she was told.

  “Well Stephane, you should be congratulating me.” Ryan said leaning back in his chair after they ordered their meal.

  “And why is that, Ryan?” Stephane asked in a cold tone handing his menu back to the waiter.

  “Your sister and I got married last week. It was a quiet affair, no family.” he smiled.

  The billionaire jumped from his seat full of rage. He took hold of Ryan by his shirt collar and lifted him up to standing.

  “What the hell have you done with my sister?”

  “Come on now, Stephane,” Ryan laughed nervously. “People are watching. You wouldn’t want to cause a scene now would you? You do want to find out where your sister is don’t you? Come on I thought we were friends.”

  Mara stood and put her hand on his arm. Stephane felt the gentleness of her touch and her voice soothed his anger when she spoke.

  “Please, Stephane he isn’t worth it. We will work this out.”

  Her soft slender fingers stroked his arm and her comfort broke through his anger and calmed his raging heart. He let Ryan go and sat back down again.

  “Where is she?” he asked calmly.

  “She’s safe. But before she can come home I want five million pounds deposited in my bank account.”

  “What? Forget it,” Stephane snapped.

  “It’s a small price to pay out of the money you make from that wonderful business empire of yours, and compared to what your sister is about to inherit from her uncle it is a pittance.”

  “No. The deal is I let you get away without prosecution for attempted murder.”

  “No, the deal is I give you your sister back and get an annulment for five million pounds or I wait until she dies and her money transfers to me as her spouse and I become a billionaire myself. The wills are already drawn.”

  Again he was moving his chair out to stand ready to fight Ryan but again Mara’s hand was on his arm pushing him back down in his chair. She shook her head at him. She looked ready to collapse and he figured she didn’t need to suffer the consequences of any more confrontation between the men. He remained still for her sake.

  “And what about Mara?” he enquired making every effort to ignore Ryan’s threat.

  “I want her too.”

  “Now darling I know that you are a bit unsure about coming back to me but I want you to give me your word that you will. The deal rests on you. Leave my side and I will have you killed. And yes I know people who will do it and leave no incriminating trace.”

  Stephane heard himself issue a range of colourful French expletives at the man.

  “You harm her, Ryan and I will kill you,” he said darkly. “And that is a promise. I also know someone who could easily take care of you,” Stephane threatened.

  Ryan laughed.

  “You really have it bad for her, don’t you?”

  Stephane said nothing. He caught Mara’s hand under the table and held it tightly. She was trembling and he didn’t like the way she had gone very quiet.

  “I will do what you ask,” was all she said.

  Stephane closed his eyes with frustration resisting the urge to put his hands around Ryan’s neck and squeeze the life out of him.

  The food arrived forcing the silence between them to remain. The billionaire pushed his plate away his appetite gone and ordered a brandy.

  To his disgust Ryan tucked into his meal. The man never refused anything that was free.

  “When are you going to bring my sister back?”

  Ryan stared hard at the Count.

  ‘Do we have a deal, Stephane?”

  The billionaire had to fight hard to control his temper again.

  “Yes we do. Now when?”

  “I can ask her to get on a plane tonight. She is in Italy. She will do anything I ask of her, rather like a pet puppy.”

  Stephane refused to bite.

  “It will be hard telling her that I don’t want her anymore and that I am leaving her for another woman, but then again I have done it before.”

&n
bsp; “I don’t care how you tell her, just get her back here.”

  “Give me a week to sort it out and that will give you time to sort the money out.”

  “I’ve waited long enough, Ryan. She needs that operation.”

  “Patience, Stephane, patience. You have three days then. Have Mara ready.”

  “I can’t believe what you are doing to Mara. If she was mine, I would never treat her the way you have. I know you hit her and I know what you did to her tonight,” the billionaire was unable to help himself.

  He leaned over the table glancing at Mara who was dipping her head away from him.

  “Remember what I said. You lay one hand on her in violence and I will kill you” he told him in a deadly dark voice. “And he meant every word.

  Mara couldn’t believe what she had to listen to. They were arranging the rest of her life and Louise’s without any thought to what they wanted. She couldn’t wait to turn the tables. Sick of the scene and her humiliation she stood and without a word left the table and ran off to the ladies toilets downstairs vaguely aware of Leon following her and Ryan’s laughter ringing in her ears.

  She darted through a group of people waiting to go up the stairs to the bar and into the ladies toilets. A woman was just leaving. She looked at Mara’s tear stained face and turned away embarrassed that Mara had caught her staring. She put her head down and quickly left to avoid any involvement. Mara waited for her to leave and then walked towards the mirror. She pulled a paper towel out of the holder and wet it under the tap to dab the mascara that was running down her face but every time she tried more tears came. She eventually raised her head to look at the redness and discoloration beginning to appear on her neck. It was sore to the touch. She remembered how she had fought to take in air as he held her throat against the wall. For a brief moment she had thought he was going to kill her. She took in a deep breath, she needed to keep her head and try and work a way out of this mess.

  Mara took in another deep breath to calm her remembering how someone had told her that if she ever felt she was panicking to take in three deep breaths and she would feel better. She finished clearing the mascara from her face as she took in the final breath and then left the room ready to face whatever was necessary to secure her freedom. There was a crowd outside of people who had finished their meal and were going upstairs to the bar. She stood back waiting for them to clear when she felt someone grab her arm. Mara didn’t look round, she didn’t want to. It had to be Ryan. She pulled her arm away and began pushing past people in a flurry but the hand was there again pulling at her arm.

  “Mara stop. Mara.”

  “Ryan please leave me alone,” she shouted above the noise.

  This time the hand took firm hold of her own and pulled her round.

  “Mara, its me, Christophe.”

  “Christophe.”

  She threw herself in to his arms and clung to him burying her head in his chest. He quickly put his arms around her and held her tightly.

  “We’ve been so worried. Maxine is beside herself and so am I.”

  He kissed her head affectionately and then held her at arms length.

  “Come on we have to get you out of here.” he said cautiously eyeing Leon who was distracted talking to a long legged blonde in the crowd by the stairs. His back was turned.

  “No, no, I can’t leave. I promised.”

  “You promised what? Come on the boat is going to dock in a few minutes to let on some more passengers. We have to try and get off when some of these people do.”

  He gestured to a group waiting patiently for the boat to dock.

  She gave a small gasp as Ryan passed by making his way to the group. Christophe recognized him instantly and pulled Mara back into the small corridor that led to the toilets. She was still clinging to him unable to let go.

  “Look at you, you’re shaking. Here put my jacket on you must be cold like that tonight.”

  He slipped off his suit jacket and made her put it on and then took her firmly by the hand as the boat juddered to a stop.

  “No I can’t he needs me. I can’t Christophe please let me go.”

  She was pulling away from him but he was stronger. As they opened the gate to allow the passengers off he gave a sharp tug on her hand and led her into the heaving crowd. They passed by Leon unnoticed as he searched in vain and out into Paris.

  When Leon ran back in to the restaurant in a panic, Stephane knew she was gone. He cursed Leon and almost felt like hitting him. Not now. Not when they were so close. He looked back out of the window. She couldn’t hide, not in Paris. He would find her again. A part of him was angry, he thought she had really cared. Her rekection stabbed him through the heart. He’d thought that she was doing it all for him.

  She must realize he would get her away from Ryan when it was all over or maybe she didn’t. She couldn’t really know where she was with him. He couldn’t blame her but she wouldn’t be away for long. He would get her back in time and he would make her go through with it.

  Why did you run from me? I love you.

  Mara let Christophe lead her through the people descending the ramp of the boat and up on to the road running parallel to the river until it merged into La Place de Concorde. Christophe broke out into a small run forcing Mara to as well.

  “Please, Christophe slow down. Didn’t Maxine tell you that I hurt my ankle?”

  He stopped abruptly.

  “I’m sorry but we have to hurry. We don’t want them to catch up. Look the car is just around the corner. It won’t be long. Please try.”

  She nodded through clenched teeth and quickened her pace. Moments later they were standing by his car, a sleek black BMW.

  “How did you find me?” she asked out of breath with the exertion as he helped her get in to the car.

  “I’ve been following him Stephane all day.”

  He paused until he moved out of the junction and turned right up the Champs-Elysses.

  “I sat outside the Chateau in the car waiting for him to bring you out so I could follow you. I got my chance tonight. But I couldn’t find you on the boat. I eventually saw you go into the toilets and caught you when you came out. Never mind you’re safe now.”

  Christophe smiled and took his hand from the steering wheel to give her own a squeeze.

  “Thank you, Christophe,” she whispered feeling she ought to say something. But all she could think of was Stephane and how devastated he would be that she had left him.

  They didn’t speak again until they turned into the car park outside Christophe’s father’s residence in Versailles. He helped her out of the car and she found she was leaning on him heavily. Maxine greeted them at the door in tears as she hugged her friend.

  “I thought I mightn’t have seen you again. The Police wouldn’t believe anything I told them,” she sobbed leading Mara into the kitchen were she had been camped over a cup of coffee anxiously awaiting her arrival.

  “I have to go back, Maxine. He needs my help.”

  “Mara, what are you talking about? You are tired. Go to bed. We can talk about this in the morning,” the impatience was evident in Christophe’s voice.

  He turned to Maxine.

  “She keeps saying this.”

  He took out a beer from the fridge and listened to Mara narrating events.

  “I don’t care. I’m sorry about his sister but it isn’t your fault. You are more important to me. Maybe there is some other way you can help him? What about your business contacts? Christophe tell her.”

  “Mara, Ryan could kill you. Maxine and I will not let you go back to him.”

  Christophe grew annoyed and sank another beer. He’d waited years for her to notice him and now some man kidnaps her and she is in love with him. He would never understand women.

  “But there must be some way of helping. There must be something I can do.”

  She pulled Christophe’s jacket around her tighter as she sat at the kitchen table and Christophe found himself loving
her even more.

  “I think we should get you back to England.” Maxine said standing up.

  “Yes that’s it. I can get Ryan’s brother to help. Ryan will listen to him. He always does. He will make him listen.”