Semua Bab A Mafia's Dark Desires: Bab 421 - Bab 430

Stephanie wobbled into the kitchen. "What happened?" she asked nervously.Alexis pulled back from her partner and turned to her sister. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ben was in an accident but he's ok!" she finished in a rush as she saw her sister's shock. "It was a very close call and he could have been killed. Ben was riding one of the new bicycles when Arsene shot at him and tried to drive him down with his truck. Somehow Ben got away but Arsene crashed his truck and died.""Arsene's dead?" Richard, Henry, and Stephanie all gasped in unison.Alexis looked at the men and nodded. "Yes, he died in the crash and burned when the trucks caught on fire."Stephanie had a strange look on her face, somewhere between awe and satisfaction. Béatrice saw it and was confused. "What is it?" she asked."Ben said he was 'going to have to do something about him' and he certainly did," she smiled grimly.Alexis frowned. "Steph! Ben didn't do this to kill Arsene! He was wearing cameras which show

"After I checked us out of the hotel in Paris Margaux caught me leaving the lobby. She was insistent about talking with you again. I told her it wasn't possible as we were leaving for the airport to drop Tina off and then we'd be heading south. I may have told her we'd be here. I did tell her she needed to follow your suggestions... and until she did she was dangerous to you."Ben scowled. He couldn't really argue with Gabriella as she was likely right about Margaux but he felt a little indignant she'd kept this from him.Gabriella looked at him nervously. "You know I was only trying to protect you, right? It wasn't jealousy.""I know you look out for me Gabriella but I don't like secrets. Especially when I'm being kept in the dark about something. That makes me feel... like I'm being manipulated." He held up his hand to stop Gabriella's protest. "I know that wasn't the intent but it's how I feel. Margaux needed to speak with me, obviously enough to track us all the way down here. I t

Ben sat back in his chair and just soaked in the ambiance of the surroundings. He was sitting in a patio of a restaurant in a walled village in France with people he loved and who loved him back. A wonderful breeze was blowing up the hill cooling them as did the shade they were in. He smelled pine and the wonderful food around him. He felt a sense of peace settle over him and he closed his eyes to listen to the gentle sounds of people conversing quietly, the wind passing through the needles of the pine trees, the clink of cutlery and glasses, and the warble of the swallows flying above. He heard a click and opened his eyes. Daniel was smiling at him across the table. He turned his camera around and showed Ben the image.Daniel had captured the peace Ben was feeling at that moment. He looked completely tranquil. "Thank you Daniel. That image will always remind me of this day and will bring me back to the tranquility and perfection of this moment." Daniel grinned widely at his praise.G

Seeing they would not leave unless he agreed he nodded. The short one plunked herself down on the bench next to him and he hissed as his side stung from the movement. She looked down and saw some spots of blood on his shirt. Her eyes shot wide and she began to chatter to her friend in French almost too fast to discern individual words. She looked back at Ben in shock. "You were shot?""It's just a flesh wound," he said with his poor British accent.The young woman just blinked at him and Ben shrugged. It was worth another try.Her friend took pictures then they swapped places. They left gushing about the encounter and kept looking back.Ben's food arrived and he ate quickly. It was a shame because the meal was delicious and should have been enjoyed slowly.As he was leaving the restaurant the shorter woman rushed up to him with a marker in her hand. She looked up at him with an oddly desperate expression. "Monsieur! Would you- would you autograph my breast?" She bit her lip as she pul

Penny was standing at his back and lifted his shirt higher. "You have a lot of 'flesh wounds'!" She saw the stitches and looked at him with wide eyes."Yes, uh, my vacation has been a little more... exciting than I hoped it would be," he shrugged.Karen lifted the front of his shirt and saw the older scars. "These aren't new." She ran her fingers over the rough tissue. Ben squirmed with the sensations."No, those happened earlier this year."Penny came around to his front to see the scars and reached out to touch his bullet scars which were much lower on his torso. Tingles shot through Ben's body and he stepped back to find himself against the mirror. He looked at their faces but saw only innocent curiosity. He relaxed a little. "Those are from years ago."He pulled his shirt down and moved to sit on the edge of the table. The two women moved closer to each other and held hands. He saw it was an unconscious thing, drawing comfort from each other. They shouldn't have been separated."H