The Queen Mafia : Vengeance Footstep

Tempting

“I thought you’d get right to work,” Claude remarked, seeing Louise relaxing on the large sofa facing the garden behind his mansion.

They had arrived at Claude’s mansion two hours earlier after he’d contacted Stevan to have some of his men clean up the bodies of the men Louise had killed earlier.

Louise herself had already freshened up and rested for a while in the room Claude had provided for her. Her belongings, which had been sent ahead, had also been neatly arranged in her room by the servants.

“Taking a whole day off won’t change the outcome,” Louise replied without shifting her position.

“What kind of outcome?” Claude asked.

The woman then turned toward Claude, who had taken a seat beside her without asking, “Don’t you have anything else to talk about?”

“Plenty, but you won’t tell me all of them,” Claude replied.

“It depends on your question,” Louise replied.

“What’s your plan for hunting this rat?” Claude asked again.

“Do you know how to play chess?” Instead of answering, Louise reached for the chessboard she’d earlier asked one of the waiters for and placed it between them.

Claude raised an eyebrow, “Out of the blue?”

“And to answer your question. Yes, I can.”

Louise nodded, “In that case, let’s play.”

“It’s no fun without a penalty,” Claude replied.

“We’ll decide on the penalty later,” Louise retorted.

The man nodded in satisfaction. His eyes then caught sight of the mansion’s butler standing not far from them, clearly on standby in case the two of them needed anything. When their eyes met, the butler gave a slight nod before stepping away, clearly giving the two of them some privacy.

They began arranging the pieces on the chessboard before Claude made his first move. Piece by piece, they took turns. Claude furrowed his brow slightly a few moves later, until it was finally Louise’s turn.

“Checkmate.”

That single word from the woman’s lips made Claude shake his head in disbelief. “This is the first time anyone has ever beaten me at chess.”

“Really? Then give me a prize,” Louise said.

Claude stared at her for a moment before a mischievous smile spread across his face. He then lifted the black T-shirt he was wearing and took it off. His bare upper body revealed well-defined chest muscles—a sight sure to make any woman scream.

But Louise was different. She merely raised one eyebrow. “Not bad.”

“Let’s start again,” Claude challenged.

They resumed the game. A few minutes passed as Claude moved his piece with a knowing smile.

“Checkmate.”

Louise gave a small smile. She knew the man was determined to avenge his earlier loss. Without hesitation, she began unbuttoning her satin pajama top one by one. As soon as the top came off, Claude’s breath caught slightly at the sight of her beautiful upper body, still covered by her bra.

“Enjoying your view?” Louise’s comment made Claude chuckle.

“Of course.”

____

"I need access to the criminal cases handled by the FBI over the past five years."

Louise’s request made Claude stop the movement of his hand, which had been bringing a bite of dinner to his lips. They had entered the inner chambers of the mansion, which had clearly been cleared of servants, guards, and other staff, in accordance with Claude’s unspoken order to the head butler.

Claude’s upper body was still bare, as was Louise’s, who was wearing only lace bra to cover her beautiful breasts. It was an unspoken agreement because, during the third round, it had suddenly started raining, prompting them both to decide to enjoy dinner instead.

“That’s a lot. Are there any specific criteria?” asked Claude.

“Cross-reference it with the forensic reports. I need a victim who has a tattoo or perhaps an image left at the crime scene—the Stallion image,” said Louise.

“If that’s the case, it seems Vergette has the data. My father investigated it after a series of cases that appeared to be interconnected, and the image of the Stallion appeared in nearly all of them,” explained Claude.

Louise nodded in understanding, “I’m putting the puzzle together from all that data.”

“Lionel Baldwin?” Claude’s question left Louise silent for quite a while.

“Ah, your search has already led you there,” she concluded.

“Your ex-fiancé who died five years ago. Or at least that’s what you believed for a while,” Claude remarked.

Louise nodded in response, “Yes. He’s the rat I’m hunting.”

____

“Black Angel has arrived in this city. You managed to get her to leave Europe.”

A middle-aged man said with a broad smile to the young man sitting across from him, his hoodie covering almost his entire face. The young man took a sip of the drink in his hand.

“But she also killed the guest I sent to her,” the young man replied.

The older man waved his hand dismissively, “They’re just pawns. Don’t get so upset.”

“I’m not upset,” the young man replied again without hesitation.

“How did the talks with the Camorra go?” he asked next.

“It seems they don’t know Vergette is involved yet—even Claude himself guaranteed Miss Morrance’s safety,” the middle-aged man replied.

The young man shook his head in disagreement, “The Black Angel doesn’t need a protector. She can protect herself.”