Betrayal (32 page)

'I'll show you some of the secret walks!' she said excitedly. 'I'm the only one who knows how to find my way through them!'

In the annexe things were not going so well for Neal. He sat at the head of the table listening to the people around him, fingers tapping his notepad.

'There's no doubt they're bringing some of the stuff in,' said a thin-faced man called Keith. 'It's not as pure as ours and it's got a lower street value but it does limit our potential.'

'Are the Bellinis behind this?'

'They steer well clear of drugs. All Renato seems interested in is the bank.'

'And women!' laughed Mike.

Neal frowned at him. 'What about the casinos?'

'They've applied for a couple of licences but we can always try and have them turned down.'

'It isn't a question of trying. I don't want those licences issued and I'm leaving it to you, Bishop, to make sure they're not.'

'It'll cost us.' 'How much?'

'Less than a wedding reception at Claridges.'

Neal was too experienced to rise to the bait. 'In that case money won't be a problem. See to it.'

'There's protection,' continued Bishop. 'Presumably you want your new wife to have a minder?'

'Not an obvious one. She's a complete innocent. The last thing I want is to arouse her curiosity. On the other hand… '

'She's an obvious target for P2 if they want to muscle in. They're well aware that she'd make a more valuable hostage than Naomi.'

'Had you anyone in mind?' asked Neal icily, suddenly picturing Lisa kidnapped, tortured and half-starved, just as he'd once had the wife of a thriving loan merchant abused until the man agreed to hand over his list of clients and leave the country.

'I thought Mike could do it. He's been training and he's used to Mrs Gueras. She won't suspect anything if he's the one who drives her around. He's even practised getting out of road blocks on the police skid pan, haven't you, Mike?'

'Yep! Passed with flying colours too.'

'You might have to die for her!' said Neal softly. 'I'd expect nothing less. In fact, should she be killed and you survive, I'd rectify matters personally.'

'No problem.'

Bishop gave a sigh of relief. Mike wasn't his idea of a perfect bodyguard, but if things went wrong, Neal himself had made the final decision.

'Anything else?' Neal was anxious to get back to his new wife. 'Apart from the next big job, which still needs a lot of groundwork done, there's only the problem of Renato Bellini.' 'What problem's that?'

'We think he's here to get back the gold we took from his bank.' Neal smiled. 'Of course he is! Did you think he'd come to enjoy our winter weather? Don't worry. A few more dinner parties, a couple of discreet meetings, maybe a very small concession in some area and he'll be off. You can safely leave Bellini to me.' 'And your good wife,' murmured Bishop. 'What did you say?' All the men sat very still.

'I was merely remarking on the wonderful way your wife has with him. They seem to have such a lot to talk about when they meet up.' 'That's one of the reasons I married her!' snapped Neal, colour flooding his face because he knew that Bishop was deliberately trying to make him jealous, and—even worse—succeeding. 'She's a wonderful hostess.'

'And so say all of us!' exclaimed Bishop when he and Mike were alone in the room.

Mike smiled. 'She's all right, there's no side to her. I like her.' 'Then you'll die content, won't you? I'm getting back to London. Derren tells me we've got trouble with some of the girls at the casinos. They're providing extra services out of working hours.'

'Life's just one problem after another!'

Ignoring Mike's amusement, Bishop gathered up his papers and left. In his opinion not enough had been done about Bellini, and if Neal wasn't going to take the Italian seriously it might pay him to keep in touch with the man himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd run with the hares and hunted with the hounds.

At three-fifteen p.m. on the 22nd March, in a private room at Queen Mary's, Paddington, Lisa finally gave birth to the baby on whom Neal had gambled so much. For sixteen hours he had paced the floor of the waiting room, refusing to go in to the delivery room with his wife or to leave the hospital. He knew very well the risks he'd taken in .order to make Lisa his wife and knew the trouble that could be caused should the marriage fail, as it very well might if the baby was a girl.

At three-twenty the consultant obstetrician, wiping sweat from his forehead, hurried into the waiting room. When a man paid as much as Neal Gueras for attention, he didn't expect to have a nurse break the news to him.

'Well?' He was braced for disappointment.

'You have a fine healthy son, Mr Gueras. He weighs 9lbs and is already crying lustily. Your wife is rather tired but… '

'A son!' His face lit up and he found himself shaking with reaction. After three bitter disappointments and so many risks he'd finally got what he wanted. 'I have to see him,' he said, brushing the specialist to one side.

'Your wife is very tired but I'm sure she'd like to see you for a few minutes.'

'If she's too tired I'll just see my son.'

'They're together!' He couldn't keep the note of disapproval out of his voice, having seen Lisa struggle to produce such a large baby without the use of any painkillers in case they damaged the child.

Neal realised he wasn't behaving in the way expected of him and managed an apologetic smile. 'I'm sorry, you must think me very selfish. How is Lisa? I thought that as she'd already had one child… '

'It was a bit of a struggle. Her pelvis seems to have become tilted and that made the last stage very difficult. However, she's as excited as you are at the end result!'

He went quietly into the room where Lisa and his son were resting. She looked tired but there was a flush of triumph in her cheeks and her eyes were shining with excitement. 'Isn't he gorgeous!' she exclaimed, holding out the dark-haired, red-faced baby for him to admire.

'He's certainly big! I can't believe it, darling. This is the happiest day of my life.'

'I'm pretty excited too. He's so perfect, not a bit like… '

'Didn't I tell you he'd be fine? You should have more faith in me! The doctor said it was pretty painful for you.'

'Not really, more like hard work. They asked me what we'd decided to call him and I explained we hadn't dared to choose in case he turned out to be a girl.'

'I want him called Alexi,' said Neal firmly. 'Alexi James?'

'If you like. I can't believe it!' he repeated, putting one tanned finger gently against the baby's hand. 'Now then, tell me what you'd like as a reward? You can have anything in the world, anything at all.' Bellini had been right, thought Lisa. For this one brief moment she could ask for anything. The chance might never come again because already she was learning how quickly her husband tired of things once he'd obtained them. 'There's only one thing I really want,' she said slowly.

'Name it, darling, and I promise you it's yours.'

She raised her eyes to his and was stunned by the emotion in them as he gazed at his newborn son and heir. 'I want Jessica to come home to Berkshire.' Her voice was soft and for a moment he didn't seem to have heard. Then all the adoration vanished from his eyes and he stared at her in disbelief.

'I thought you 'd got over that!' he exclaimed. 'When I said you could have anything, I meant diamonds, rubies, emeralds, jewellery of some kind, not… '

'Jessica's all I want.' 'But… '

'I want my daughter back.' She surprised herself by the hardness of her tone.

'Darling, I… '

'I've given you your son, now let me have my daughter.'

'Very well!' He took the baby from her and walked across the room to the window so that he could stare hungrily down at the tiny features. 'Have her back,' he snarled, 'but don't think I'll forget this.'

'It was always intended that she'd come to Berkshire. You said she could have the top floor.'

'I'd have promised you the moon in order to make my son legitimate, but I wouldn't have gone out and got it after he was born.'

Another point to the Italian, she thought with dismay. He'd made it clear that Neal's promises weren't usually honoured. 'I'm staying here ten days,' she said calmly. 'By the time Alexi and I get home, I want Jessica and Nurse Antony in their rooms at Beckett Lodge.'

'And—if they're not?'

'I shall tell everyone how you broke your word twice over.'

Neal remained with his back to her, his features twisted with fury, and it wasn't until he had himself under control again that he turned to her with a valiant attempt at a smile. 'I can't imagine why we're quarreling like this, darling. Of course Jessica can come to live with us. As long as I'm not expected to see her and she isn't allowed near Alexi.'

'I'll see to that.'

'You don't want anything else as well? Not even an eternity ring?'

She thought an eternity ring would be highly inappropriate. 'No thank you. I really am very tired now.'

'I'll be back tonight with some flowers. I assume flowers are acceptable?' And he bent over to give her a kiss. She lowered her face but he lifted her chin with his right hand and kissed her full on the mouth.

'You're mine!' he whispered triumphantly. 'My very own wife, mine forever. I think an eternity ring would be very suitable.'

Fighting back a desire to pull away she allowed his tongue to dart into her mouth for a moment before he stood up and began to re-button his jacket. 'Only another six weeks to wait!' he murmured. She was grateful he was going to give her any time at all.

When he'd gone, leaving her alone with Alexi, she looked ruefully at their son's elongated head. 'They are not long, the days of wine and roses!' she quoted, knowing full well that the honeymoon was truly over and hoping that somehow she'd find the strength to be the kind of wife that he was going to expect from now on.

Ten days later a proud Neal escorted her out of the hospital and into the waiting car. There were one or two photographers waiting to take their picture and Neal smiled broadly for them. Lisa kept her eyes fixed on little Alexi and tried to quell her excitement at the thought of seeing Jessica again.

'Congratulations, Mrs Gueras,' said Bishop smoothly from the driving seat.

'Thank you, and thank you for the flowers too.'

'She was snowed under by flowers!' laughed Neal. 'Bellini sent the largest bouquet I've ever seen.'

'Really? What was the message?'

'Lisa lost the card, didn't you, darling.'

She nodded, knowing that Bishop wouldn't believe her but relieved that her husband had. 'Now you're safe' was hardly the sort of message she could wave around.

All the staff were lined up in the hall to greet the new heir to the estate. Alexi slept through the proceedings, a great relief to Lisa who found his loud cries for milk the moment he woke rather wearing. But she was relieved by his exceptionally healthy appetite and the speed with which he'd first fastened on to her nipples. No Jessica-type problems for this baby.

Neal had installed a day nurse and a night nurse for Alexi, plus a young girl straight from school to help out with the tasks that didn't involve physical contact with his son. Lisa, who hadn't wanted anyone let alone three people, had to greet them pleasantly and quickly lay down the ground rules for the way she wanted him brought up.

She sensed that the day nurse wanted a strict routine but even the faintest hint of an orphanage-style regime made her sick to her stomach. She insisted that whenever she was around she was to have full and uninterrupted access to her own child, and that she must always be consulted if he seemed unwell.

The nurse, used to young socialites who intended to be perfect mothers but soon lost interest, gave in graciously and without any fears that the initial enthusiasm over the child would last. She might not have been so optimistic if she'd known about Jessica.

Lisa carefully controlled her impatience to see her daughter. She rested in the bedroom for an hour after lunch, then spent the afternoon quietly with Neal, discussing the forthcoming social season and where they intended to be throughout the year. Neal was unable to keep his eyes and hands off his wife now she was home, remaining with her when she fed Alexi. She had a feeling that he even resented his precious son when he lay suckling at her breast.