Lawless

The second book in the Ruby Darke series, 2014

With love to Cliff, as always.

The Camorra is Naples’ equivalent organization to the Mafia. It came into existence in the eighteenth century, about a hundred years before its Sicilian counterpart.

Now it is a huge political and economic force in southern Italy, and its tentacles stretch out even further, well beyond Italy’s shores…

The Darke Family

‘What’s gone and what’s past help

Should be past grief.’

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The Winter’s Tale

It happened one night as Reg drove Ruby Darke home to Marlow on the edge of the Thames. And really, was she even surprised? For weeks there had been such stress, such an atmosphere of dread surrounding her that the final thing, the last act in this horrible play, was almost a relief.

She was a strong woman. Tough in business, uncompromising, used to cutting deals and making her mark. After years of graft, she was now not only Ruby Darke the once-despised mixed-race child from the East End, she was also known as the Ice Queen of Retail, owner of the Darkes chain of department stores.

Ice Queen, she thought to herself. What a joke.

She had never felt as weary or as vulnerable as she did at this moment. Michael, her great love, had been murdered, Kit was in trouble – and now there was Thomas Knox who had come into her life and tipped her world upside-down, ruined everything. And these awful people, this merciless Italian clan who seemed intent on damaging the Darke family any way they could.

As the Mercedes turned into the drive leading up to her small Victorian villa, she sat up and stretched in anticipation. A hot bath, a warm bed. She needed both, then she’d start to feel a bit better.

But… there should have been two men on the gate.

The thought sprang into her brain and with it Ruby felt a bolt of fright shoot from her feet right to the top of her head. The family was under threat, so Rob had been taking extreme measures to keep them all safe. Instead of leaving it to Reg, her chauffeur and minder, to protect her, he’d assigned two men to guard the gate…

But they weren’t there.

‘Reg…?’ she started, alarmed, her heartbeat quickening.

Reg said nothing. He kept driving.

Ruby reached forward and tapped his shoulder. ‘There was no one on the gate. Where are they?’

Reg didn’t answer. He brought the car to a halt outside Ruby’s front door. In the white glare of the headlights she could see people moving about. But not Kit’s people. These were men she recognized, with a shiver of foreboding.

She lunged across the seat and threw open the far door, getting ready to run. But someone blocked her path and leaned in. As the interior lights came on, she saw Fabio Danieri standing there grinning at her.

Then the other rear door opened, and Vittore Danieri got in and sat beside her. Ruby shrank back. Fabio got in too, so that she was caught, helpless, between the two of them.

‘Good evening, Miss Darke,’ said Vittore, turning his dark vulpine gaze on her.

Jesus, they were going to snatch her. They really were.

She thought of Kit, the son who still resented her, hated her for giving him up all those years ago. He had said he would try to forgive her, but he never had; she knew it. Now her heart clenched as the bitter realization hit her. If they thought he would pay them even a single penny to get her back, they were mistaken. He wouldn’t.

But maybe this wasn’t a kidnap at all. Perhaps this was it, the end: perhaps they just intended to kill her, not bargain over her. As if reading her thoughts, Fabio drew out a knife and held it almost casually against her throat.

Panicking, straining away from him, terror gripping her, she could only think of Thomas’s last angry words: that there could be bits of her daughter Daisy sent through the post to her, bits of Daisy’s children if this feud with the Danieris wasn’t brought under control. But he’d got it wrong. She realized that now.

It wouldn’t be bits of Daisy, or her kids.

It would be bits of her.

‘Now, Ruby Darke,’ said Fabio. ‘You choose. Where should I cut you first?’