The Art of Retaliation Read online

  Chapter Twenty

  “I suppose we better get ready for breakfast,” Stephane sighed looking down at Mara.

  She lay content in his arms her head on his chest after making love again. His captive snuggled up closer at the thought of having to leave the bed and him.

  “I don’t want to leave here. I want to stay in bed with you forever,” she laughed lifting her head up to him.

  “I would love to, Mara. There is nothing I want more than to be with you always.”

  She laughed again but the expression on his face told her that he was serious.

  “I wasn’t lying. I meant every word I said last night. I want us to be together.”

  Mara moved her hand across his body feeling how smooth and tight it was under the single white sheet that covered them and then sat up frowning.

  “Come on I suppose we should get going.”

  He pulled her back down towards him, kissing her long and hard, searching for her breasts again.

  “Don’t doubt me.”

  “I don’t know how we can be together, Stephane,” she said betraying the heavy resignation and disappointment she felt in her heart.

  “We will find a way. I won’t give up. You are not escaping me again.”

  Mara threw the sheet off the bed praying he would find a way but there was too much to lose. She gave him a shaky smile and nodded to calm his agitation and moved off the bed to put her clothes back on.

  “Stephane, you actually knocked. I’m flattered,” Mara laughed as he strode across her bedroom back in the main portion of the Chateau. He helped her zip up the summer dress she had washed and changed in to.

  He slipped his arms around her waist behind her and moved his mouth to her neck.

  “You smell gorgeous. Always wear that perfume for me and no one else,” he commanded. “I don’t want another man near you.”

  Mara didn’t have time to say different in return. He was brushing her neck with small kisses sending her into a frenzy. She closed her eyes losing herself in his caress as she felt his hands begin to travel the length of her body.

  “Mara, you have lost weight. This dress is hanging off you. We will have to do something about that,” he whispered “I’ll have to have you fattened up. I can’t be seen with a skinny wife. People will think I do not take care of you.”

  She giggled when he tickled her sides trying to show her there was little flesh on her bones.

  “I want your curves back,” he demanded.

  “Monsieur, mademoiselle, breakfast is served and you are both wanted downstairs,” they heard a voice shout behind the door of Mara’s room.

  “We are coming now,” he said acknowledging the house keeper.

  Stephane opened the door for her and headed out into the hall. They were half way along the hall when she put her hand in his. Surprised he gave it a gentle squeeze. The housekeeper watched them from the bottom of the stairs and frowned as she entered the dinning room. Mara felt herself blushing and grew a little afraid. How would Chantal take their relationship and her son’s determination to marry?

  As they approached the dinning room, Stephane hung back letting Mara walk forward still holding his hand. He swung her around and moved her against the wall opposite the door. His body moved against hers as he held her small waist in his hand, whilst the other was above her head resting on the wall. His mouth quickly sought hers. The billionaire was ravenous for her once more.

  “Stephane, someone might see,” Mara breathed as his fingers trailed her face and moved down to her chest.

  “I don’t care,” he said.

  “I can’t keep my hands off you.” he murmured moving his lips to her neck. “I want you in my bed tonight.” he whispered urgently. “I want you here and now as well.”

  Stephane’s hands begin to roam her body once again, lifting the skirt of her dress up to her waist tugging at her panties. He groaned.

  “I hate these never wear them when I am with you or I will be angry. I want always to be able to touch you.”

  “Stephane, are you there?” a voice called from the dining room.

  The sound of footsteps stopped him pulling at the material.

  “You are safe for now,” he grinned lowering her dress.

  Mara giggled.

  Leon appeared at the door and saw the knowing glance the two exchanged and the healthy rosy flush on Mara’s face. He had never seen her smile like that in the short time he had known her. Leon had seen enough signs to know that his suspicions for their absence were correct. Stephane smiled and put his finger to his lips before following him in to the room.

  Stephane’s mother was pacing the floor when they entered.

  “Where have you both been? We have been waiting to eat?” she snapped.

  Stephane gave Mara a quick glance as he sat down and allowed the Butler to pour him some coffee.

  “We’ve been talking.”

  His mother sat down and began to eat her breakfast.

  “Have you told Mara what is happening tomorrow, Stephane?” she asked casually obviously aware that he probably hadn’t.

  Stephane’s eyes lowered with guilt when Mara looked at him intently.

  “No, I haven’t” he said slowly. “I wanted to try . . .”

  “I will tell her then,” Chantal interrupted. “Mara, you will be pleased to know that your fiancé rang last night he is ready for the exchange to take place tomorrow.”

  A cruel triumphant smile rose around the woman’s lips as she told Mara the news.

  “Really,” was all Mara could say.

  The painful reality began to dawn on her. She had been stupid and naïve just as she had been with Ryan. Maxine was right. For an intelligent person Mara had no common sense. She’d known all along the plan couldn’t change but she had blocked it out deliberately, forgotten its power cocooned with Stephane in that room. Stupidly she had some misplaced idea that love would conquer all. But sometimes it didn’t.

  “Maman,” Stephane sounded frustrated. “I was going to tell her but I thought we could work something else out.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” his mother returned, her face clearly showing her contempt for her son’s lack of loyalty. “I know you are attracted to her. I don’t know why she isn’t even French. Don’t let your heart rule your head just because you slept with her. She’s a woman, you will find another one as soon as you get rid of her.”

  Mara hung her head ashamed of herself and wanted to sink down in the chair slip off it under the table and hide. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Stephane.

  Mara quietly stood her chair scraping the floor as she moved it back, breaking the stunned silence in the room. She said nothing, she couldn’t. It was hard enough to fight the impulse to run out. Tossing her napkin on the table she slowly walked out of the room. Stephane stood up.

  “No wonder my father left you and sought comfort elsewhere. He probably couldn’t stand being in the same house as you,” he shouted at his mother.

  The billionaire couldn’t stand being in the same room as her. He followed Mara out but when he reached her room, he found it locked.

  “Mara, please let me in. Don’t listen to her. She’s just angry. I was going to tell you that we could work something else out. I was going to get the police involved. I . . .”

  Stephane shook the door handle in vain and then slammed his hand against it in anger. He was angry because he’d known all a long that he couldn’t change anything and he blinded himself to it. He’d hurt Mara more than he could ever have done by keeping her a prisoner. She would see him as having betrayed her and would probably never forgive him. After tomorrow he would never see her again. He shook the door handle once again unable to bear the loss before it had even happened. Eventually he had no choice but to walk away from the closed door and resign himself to his fate.

  Mara listened to his footsteps as he walked away. When the sound faded she calmly, mechanically walked to the wardrobe. She took out all of her cloth
es, careful to put to one side any that he had given her and folded them neatly into the open suitcase she’d already lay open on the bed and stayed in her room for the rest of the day. To her surprise she was not disturbed again.

  The next morning she did not go down for breakfast but sat waiting patiently for him to come and collect her. When he arrived, she was power dressed in the suit she had worn at Maxine’s when he had kidnapped her, all defenses and armor back in place.

  “Are you ready?” he asked coldly.

  Mara nodded and stood. Her movements where slow and deliberate like that of an automaton. She didn’t speak when he took the suitcase from her and refused to allow him to take her laptop bag.

  “I’d rather you didn’t. There are important documents in here that I would like to keep beside me,” she said haughtily.

  Mara followed the billionaire along the hall and down the stairs and out to the car for the last time. He handed the suitcase to the chauffeur and then got in to the front of the car ignoring her presence. Leon looked after him and shook his head.

  “Come on, Mara this will be all over soon,” he said resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  She looked at him surprised at the warmth in his voice. He sat beside her in the back of the car. Their destination was Paris to the Eiffel Tower. Mara shook her head and raised her eyes to the sky. The setting all fitted in with Ryan’s sense of melodrama.

  On arrival she was led in silence to the nearest exit to the tower accompanied by both men. It was cramped full of passengers eager to see the sights of Paris from the tallest advantage. She stood against the wall watching the people talk in their different languages. Above the melodious din she heard an English woman speaking and her eyes moved quickly to seek her out.

  “Don’t even think about it, Mara. You couldn’t escape from here anyway,” Stephane said sharply.

  She ignored him but knew that he was right. In minutes they had reached the first level. They followed the hordes of people on to the platform. The sky was overcast and a wind was blowing across the platform lowering the temperature but she was unable to feel the chill only numbness.

  “They’re not here yet,” she heard Stephane say to Leon in a temper.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure they will be here in a minute,” he answered.

  It was five minutes before they did arrive. They walked out of the lift towards them.

  “Look at the state of her, Stephane,” Leon put his hand to his mouth.

  The Count stared at his sister as she walked over huddled in an over coat which she had pulled up to her chin. Her hair was piled up as always but seemed to emphasize the blackness around her eyes and tired features.

  “Stephane, I’ve missed you,” she said hugging him. “Please don’t be angry that we got married. Let’s just be friends I’m too tired to argue.”

  Stephane visibly heaved a sigh of relief and kept tight hold of his sister.

  “The pain in my head has been so bad I’ve almost been screaming with it. Ryan says I need to have the operation now. He changed his mind after finding out some more information from the doctors on my condition. He cares for me so much. Please be friends.”

  Leon quickly glanced at Stephane and then Ryan.

  “You haven’t told her have you?” he asked Ryan.

  “No.” he grinned. “I thought I would leave that to Stephane.”

  “Louise, we need to get you to a hospital. They are waiting to operate right now. If we don’t let them, you will loose your life. Ryan has been lying to you,” Stephane said quickly not wanting to wait any longer.

  Louise pulled away.

  “Your lying. Ryan loves me. He wouldn’t do that.”

  She moved back to Ryan and clung on to his arm. Her husband pushed her away.

  “Listen, Louise I don’t really love you. Stephane is right. I saw you as a meal ticket and nothing else, honey. I still love Mara and I’ve brought you back here so I can get her back. There is no other treatment. I lied. I was just going to wait for you to die so I could inherit your money,” he told her flippantly without a care.

  He gave her a push towards Stephane when she started to cry.

  Louise stared back at him in disbelief then lowered her head to the ground as she tried to take it all in. He was right, he spent most of the time asking her questions about when she would receive the money from her uncle and how much she was going to get. He had abstained from sleeping with her. She’d thought it was because she was in so much pain that he had wanted her to get a good nights rest not because it did not want to be near her. Anger swelled inside her. She couldn’t take it out on him because she loved him too much despite his faults. Louise walked over to the source of her misery and spat in Mara’s face.

  “Louise,” Stephane snapped pulling her away. “That won’t solve anything. It’s not Mara’s fault.”

  Mara raised a hand to her face and wiped it. This wasn’t the first time this had happened to her and she stared at Stephane and his family with tears in her eyes. The Count’s cold demeanor appeared to falter for a moment then he pulled the mask on tighter. Ryan took hold of her arm, painfully digging his fingers into her skin.

  “Enough time has been wasted. I take it you will see to the divorce. I’ll send the address to you so that your lawyer can send me the necessary papers,” he said angrily. “thanks for the money you put in my account.”

  Stephane nodded as he held his sister who was now sobbing. Leon handed Ryan Mara’s suitcase and gave her back her mobile phone, passport and handbag as the billionaire began leading his sister to the lift doors. Mara gripped his arm as he passed.

  “I won’t let you get away with this, Stephane, any of you,’ she said with scorn.

  Ryan’s laughter at her words was cut short by Stephane.

  “Get Mara out of here and back to London. It isn’t safe in Paris for her. Get away from here as far as possible. There are people trying to kill her.’

  Ryan watched him walk to the lift amused.

  “He’s got it bad for you, Mara. Too bad he can’t have you,” he said as the lift doors closed and Stephane disappeared from view.

  “Yes it is a shame isn’t it, Ryan. I’ll take over now.”

  Abdul Hassem stepped out of the crowd peering over the rails of the tower, elusive as a phantom.

  Mara backed away but Ryan’s hold on her arm brought her back to heel.

  “Ryan, I thought I meant more to you than that,” she sneered not surprised to find him ready to hand her over to the criminal.

  “Sorry, love. He was going to kill me if I didn’t agree to do what he asked. He gets half the money and you. I get my life and a nice nest egg. It was all worth it even if I don’t get you, honey,” he said with a grin. “I suppose you can’t have everything.”

  Ryan pushed her towards Abdul.

  “She’s all yours. Do what the hell you want with her.”

  Abdul took her arm from Ryan and snatched her laptop from her.

  “You won’t find the evidence in there. Raymond Matisse has it all and I am guessing you can’t find him. Your time is up.”

  Abdul dropped her laptop bag like a stone to haul her up by the waist on to the railing.

  “I have had enough of your interference.”

  Mara panicked grabbing at his wrists as he leaned her back. She struggled fiercely for her life. Ryan was making a hasty exit uncaring of her fate. Max Spencer and the rest of Abdul’s men stood guard like faithful hounds keeping watch. They were in a secluded place on the level and there was no one to shout out to.

  Mara looked over Abdul’s shoulder as she felt him winning pushing her backwards and let out a sob. It was a long way down. She fought Abdul with all her strength and tried to keep a grip on the railing with one hand feeling dizzy. When she looked up to face him again all she could see was his head being knocked sideways and his body hitting the deck hard as though he had been struck dead. He was out cold.

  Stephane caught her as she lost bal
ance and started to fall backwards. He lifted her from the rail and held her tight against him. He was shaking. The French police swarming like bees between people to arrest those involved. It was all over.

  “How did you know?” she cried against him.

  “I had a feeling Abdul was somehow involved from the start when Louise went missing. I knew he would use this opportunity to get to you. The exchange was supposed to take place and I arranged with the police to have everyone arrested. They were late but thankfully they got Ryan downstairs and I made it here in time. I could have lost you,” he said kissing her head.