Ruthless - [31]
‘I have to kill her,’ said Orla, her lips drawn back, baring her teeth so that she seemed almost to snarl. In that moment, she seemed more animal than human. ‘She took Redmond away from me,’ she spat. ‘It’s her fault he’s not with me now. I want to do to her what she’s done to me: snatch her family from her, hurt her so that she wishes she were dead.’
Rufus said nothing. He knew now how much she had lost when Redmond was taken from her, how deep and damaging that hurt must be. He couldn’t punish the other hurt she’d suffered; Pat and Tory were beyond his revenge. But he could see to it that the Carter bitch got what she deserved.
‘Let me help you,’ he said, his eyes burning into hers. ‘I swear I’ll do whatever it takes.’
Orla gazed at him, her eyes mad with the hunger for vengeance. Finally, she nodded. ‘Good. I’m going to destroy Annie Carter, I’ll make her pay for what she’s done – and then I’m going to kill her. And this time she won’t get away.’
28
New York, 1988
Annie Carter was standing among the gravestones in St John’s Cemetery in Queens, New York. She was holding a wreath. She came here every time she crossed the Pond, to visit the grave of Constantine Barolli. It was a hot day, New York was sweltering, baking in summer heat. Oblivious, she was staring at the elaborately carved headstone.
Here lies Constantine Barolli
Despite the heat of the day, she shivered. She could still see him in her mind’s eye, so clearly – the silver hair, the dark tan, the brilliant blue eyes, a collection of sharp suits worn with elegance and panache. He’d loved her. Constantine had steadied her, made her calmer. Whereas Max…
Ah God, what was the point of thinking about that? She laid the wreath of red roses and green laurel upon the grave, then straightened with a sigh. She was tired and feeling low. She’d spent much of the past week at Annie’s, the club in Times Square, making sure that everything was running smoothly. Which of course it was. She needn’t have bothered really. She knew she was only killing time.
Her marriage to Max had been over for eight years and her relationship with their now adult daughter was still not good. She was just wondering what to do next with her life. Pestering Sonny Gilbert was unnecessary. For the past fifteen years, gay exuberant Sonny had been in charge of operations at her New York club, and with him at the helm all her concerns were rendered superfluous.
Maybe she ought to stop coming to the cemetery. It always depressed her. It had been a long time ago, so long ago and so far away. Constantine was gone. He wasn’t here.
‘Hey,’ said a soft male voice, breaking into her thoughts.
She turned. And there was Constantine standing there, in the flesh.
Only of course it wasn’t. Miracles didn’t happen. Shit happened. Still, her heart gave a lurch as she saw the man standing a couple of paces away, tall and handsome as ever. He was wearing a thousand-dollar suit. His fair hair was lifting slightly in the hot breeze. His laser-blue eyes were smiling into hers.
As usual he had a bodyguard on either side. Sandor, of course – Eastern bloc, huge and black-haired, with only a rudimentary grasp of English but an unswerving devotion to his boss; the other man was slightly smaller but no less dangerous. Two more heavies were waiting by a long black car. Make one suspicious move towards him, and you’d be dead before you hit the ground.
He was holding two large bunches of red roses. On his index finger glinted a ring, the gold one glittering with diamond stars. Annie had a flashback then, men bending to kiss the hand of the godfather who would help them, grant their wishes, ease their pain – at a price.
She took a gulp of air and stepped towards him. ‘Hi,’ she said.
He pulled her in tight against him, hugged her. Annie closed her eyes.
‘How are you, Stepmom?’ asked Alberto, Constantine’s youngest son.
‘Fine,’ she lied.
‘Going home today?’
‘Yeah. In -’ she glanced at her Rolex – ‘about three and a half hours.’
‘Give Layla my love then.’
Annie sighed, thinking of her lovely, problematical daughter, still as hostile as ever, still keeping her at arm’s length. Unlike his siblings, Alberto had never resented her, never shown any hostility towards her. She had never said it – she never would – but he had been the main reason her marriage to Max had foundered. Max had never believed that her trips to the States were purely business. He’d been convinced that she went there to see Alberto, that she was having an affair with him. Because Alberto was almost the same age as her. And because he looked so much like her old love Constantine that it hurt.
Because, because, because…
She had fought tooth and nail to convince Max that this was not true, that it was him she loved. But slowly, steadily, his insane, stupid jealousy and his refusal to believe her had gnawed away at her patience, exhausted her, eaten away at her love.
She would not be confined. She would not live in a box of his devising, watched and worried over like some bloody possession
Only the lawless will survive…It is 1975 and Ruby Darke is struggling to deal with the brutal murder of her lover, Michael Ward.As her children, Daisy and Kit, battle their own demons, her retail empire starts to crumble.Meanwhile, after the revenge killing of Tito Danieri, Kit is the lowest he's ever been. But soon doubt is thrown over whether Kit killed the right person, and now the Danieris are out for his blood and the blood of the entire Darke family.As the bodies pile up, the chase is on – can the Darkes resolve their own family conflicts and find Michael Ward's true killer before the vengeful Danieris kill them? Or will they take the law into their own hands…Lawless is the heart-racing sequel to Nameless, from bestselling author Jessie Keane.
Stay Dead is the heartstopping sixth book in Jessie Keane's bestselling Annie Carter series. Annie Carter finally believes that life is good. She and Max are back together and she has a new and uncomplicated life sunning herself in Barbados. It's what she's always dreamed of. Then she gets the news that her old friend Dolly Farrell is dead, and suddenly she finds herself back in London and hunting down a murderer with only one thing on her mind…revenge. But the hunter can so quickly become the hunted, and Annie has been keeping too many secrets.
Александра никому не могла рассказать правду и выдать своего мужа. Однажды под Рождество Роман приехал домой с гостем, и они сразу направились в сауну. Александра поспешила вслед со свежими полотенцами и халатами. Из открытого окна клубился пар и были слышны голоса. Она застыла, как соляной столп и не могла сделать ни шага. Голос, поразивший её, Александра узнала бы среди тысячи других. И то, что обладатель этого голоса находился в их доме, говорил с Романом на равных, вышибло её из равновесия, заставило биться сердце учащённо.
Валентин Владимиров живет тихой семейной жизнью в небольшом городке. Но однажды семья Владимировых попадает в аварию. Жена и сын погибают, Валентин остается жив. Вскоре виновника аварии – сына известного бизнесмена – находят задушенным, а Владимиров исчезает из города. Через 12 лет из жизни таинственным образом начинают уходить те, кто был связан с ДТП. Поговаривают, что в городе завелась нечистая сила – привидение со светящимся глазами безжалостно расправляется со своими жертвами. За расследование берется честный инспектор Петров, но удастся ли ему распутать это дело?..
Если вы снимаете дачу в Турции, то, конечно, не ждете ничего, кроме моря, солнца и отдыха. И даже вообразить не можете, что столкнетесь с убийством. А турецкий сыщик, занятый рутинными делами в Измире, не предполагает, что очередное преступление коснется его собственной семьи и вынудит его общаться с иностранными туристами.Москвичка Лана, приехав с сестрой и ее сыном к Эгейскому морю, думает только о любви и ждет приезда своего возлюбленного, однако гибель знакомой нарушает безмятежное течение их отпуска.
Если весь мир – театр, то балетный театр – это целый мир, со своими интригами и проблемами, трагедиями и страстями, героями и злодеями, красавицами и чудовищами. Далекая от балета Лиза, живущая в Турции, попадает в этот мир совершенно случайно – и не предполагает, что там ей предстоит принять участие в расследовании загадочного убийства и встретиться с любовью… или это вовсе не любовь, а лишь видимость, как всё в иллюзорном мире театра?Этот роман не только о расследовании убийства – он о музыке и о балете, о турецком городе Измире и живущих в нем наших соотечественниках, о людях, преданных театру и готовых ради искусства на все… даже на преступление.
В номере:Денис Овсянник. Душа в душуИгорь Вереснев. Спасая ЭрикаОксана Романова. МощиТатьяна Романова. Санкторий.
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