REBORN: THE FINAL CHAPTER OUT NOW!!!!

You have been very patient, but a man like DL will never be rushed! Now you can complete the most controversial Saga you will ever read, and find out what happens when the ultimate Dominant man finally breaks. Your copies can be ordered by clicking on the links below, and two sample chapters have been added as a little taste…

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Chapter one

MISSING

The woman rolled over in the bed and groaned as she looked up at the man quietly getting re-dressed. He stood in the shadows, his face hidden by the meager light thrown from the candles. She didn’t know his name, only that the other locals called him “Det Eremit”, the Hermit, and he lived on one of the islands furthest from town. The sex had been good, but, when she had looked into his eyes, he appeared to be somewhere else entirely. She lit a cigarette, and noisily blew the smoke towards the ceiling before speaking.

“So, Mr. Mystery Man, will I be seeing you again? You haven’t been in our part of the world for very long, yet you have tongues wagging already.”

He paused in the process of fastening his pants, his shoulders lifting in a shrug.

“I visit town once every three weeks, so, if you are free, you know you’ll find me in Harald’s Bar.”

The woman huffed at the non-committal tone of the response and stubbed out her cigarette angrily.

“I am not some cheap whore you can pick up and fuck whenever you are passing! Who the hell do you think you are?”

She heard what sounded like a deep growl before he stepped closer and came into the light. This time his eyes flashed, and she could see darkness boiling there as he stood over her. Her stomach gave a flip of fear, and she backed away across the bed to put distance between them. As she watched, the anger vanished from his face and it composed itself into a mask of nothingness before he spoke again.

“I have no need of anything else. If that doesn’t suit you, then we will not meet again.”

He turned on his heel, collected his jacket, and left before she could give a reply. The cold northern air bit at his ears, and he quickly pulled the collar of his jacket up to protect the sensitive skin. After a glance around to get his bearings, he set off in the direction of the harbour to find his boat. He had known it was a mistake to come to the town in search of pleasure, but his needs had grown to the point they could not be ignored. The encounter had been unsatisfactory, but at least he no longer ached.

His anonymity was important to him right now, so, in the future, he would be a lot more careful in his choices. Inquiring minds could possibly reveal his location. After fifteen minutes, he had boarded his small motor boat and pointed it’s nose across the lake. At this time of the morning, there was no-one to see him slip away into the dawn mist.

*****

Angela Moody, aka Lady J, slammed the receiver of her phone down in disgust. The Board was being pedantic over the release of the final funds for the latest headset, It seemed they required Gabriel’s support before releasing such a large amount of cash. She stood and paced her large office, grumbling to herself that she had been stupid enough not to keep in contact with him. Her duties as head of Der Unterworld kept her extremely busy, yet she was aware that it had been over six months since she had last spoken with Gabriel Douglas. Returning to her desk, she opened her email and composed a brief message. She apologised for not speaking with him personally, but if he would get in touch then she would arrange to come and see him. She pressed “send”, then rose again to fetch a large drink from her personal bar. She was halfway across the room when her computer gave a small ping. Curious, she turned back to see what the notification meant. She saw immediately that the email had been returned as undelivered, the address marked as “not in existence”. Angela frowned, and carefully re-typed the address on the mail, once again pressing send but this time remaining at her desk. When the mail bounced back again she swore loudly.

“I know that fucking address by heart, of course it fucking exists!”

She tried again several times, her exasperation growing with each attempt.

Finally, she picked up the internal phone and called her Tech Department. The quiet voice who answered picked up on her mood instantly.

“As you wish, Mistress. I shall run a check on DL’s mail setting and be back to you within five minutes.”

Angela replaced the phone, and decided that drink was needed more right now. She had just taken a long sip when the phone buzzed. The same quiet voice was hesitant, as the bad news they were passing on was sure to cause a storm.

“We have checked, Mistress, and his mail address has been discontinued. As a precaution, I went into the Der Unterworld site and looked at his personal profile.”

There was a slight pause before he continued.

“There is no longer a profile for DL listed anywhere, Mistress.”

Angela thanked the unknown technician and placed her phone down slowly. What the hell was going on? She checked her watch before calling her receptionist.

“Cancel my appointments for the rest of the day, and tell the twins to have my car ready in ten minutes.”

She drained her glass, and reached for her coat.

The elevator whisked her quickly from the top floor to the underground car park, however, as expected, her car was parked waiting with the twins almost standing to attention beside it.

The twins had been with her for over three years, and were her own private bodyguards and playthings. They stood over six feet six inches, and both had the chiselled physiques of hardcore bodybuilders. With their bleached-blonde hair and permanent tans, they turned heads wherever they went, and that was always at the side of their Mistress.

The big Jaguar made good progress through the late morning traffic, and was soon hurtling along the M40 motorway heading north at highly illegal speeds. The journey to DL’s country home took just under two hours, and more surprises awaited her there as they stopped at the entrance gates. For a start, they were open, and she could see that the surveillance cameras were not operating. With growing concern, she growled at the twin driving to head for the house.

Her worry increased when she saw how unkempt the grounds were as the car followed the driveway, and, as they pulled up outside the imposing main door of the hall, she was already half-way out of the car. Angela went up the steps that led to the large oak door and pressed the ornate bell sharply. She could hear it ring beyond the door, and, after waiting for five minutes, she pressed her thumb against the bell again and left it there. Though the bell could clearly be heard there was still no response.

Growling at the twins to come with her, she set off around the side of the house. They had only walked a few yards when a voice called out from the nearby garage block.

“What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?”

Angela turned to see what looked like a security guard advancing towards her. He was in the process of buttoning his tunic as though caught unaware, and, at his appearance, the twins moved swiftly to place themselves between him and their Mistress. The two large men made the guard stop in uncertainty, a flicker of fear obvious in his eyes. He swallowed hard before finding his voice.

“This is private property, and you have no business being here.”

Angela gave him a tight smile and stepped forward between her bodyguards.

“This house belongs to a very close friend of mine, and I would like to know why YOU are here?”

The security guard blinked a couple of times before replying.

“We are looking after the place while the owner is away. I have been here for the last five months, and you are the first visitors I have seen. Just how well do you know Mr. Douglas?”

Angela digested the information with a heavy heart. This didn’t sound good at all.

The security guard contacted his office, and, after several minutes, it was confirmed that someone called Lady J did indeed have the owner’s permission to enter the house. Giving the guard a withering glare, Angela took the keys and returned to the front door. The silence, and mustiness, that greeted her were in such stark contrast to her last visit she could feel tears prick at her eyes. The house had been full of laughter and gaiety, but now had the sombre feeling of a tomb. But a tomb for what? She walked slowly through the spacious hallway and made towards the back of the house, as she knew his office was one of the rooms off the Orangery. All the furniture showed a patina of dust, as though left without care or in a hurry, and she almost dreaded what she would find in his study. She stepped cautiously into the familiar room and took in the sight that greeted her. The desk and his computer were as she remembered, but the rest of the room looked as though someone had lived rough in there for several months. There were pizza boxes stacked in a corner, old newspapers scattered across one of the ornate leather couches, and empty vodka bottles filled the remaining floor space. She counted over twenty before she gave up and sighed.

“Dear god, Gabriel, what the hell happened to you?”

She moved some paperwork from the chair and sat in front of the computer. If there were going to be clues, they would be on here.

Once the machine had fired up, she tapped quickly at the keys to get into its registry. She was frustrated by passwords at each level, and knew that it would need someone far smarter at hacking to discover its secrets. She was just about to turn the computer off when an icon on the screen caught her eye. The trash bin had items in it. Surely it couldn’t be that simple? She moved the cursor and clicked. There were several files and copies of documents that looked like letters never completed, but it was the pictures that made her heart sink. There were hundreds of them, and all of them told her that something had gone horribly wrong. The smiling face of Joss looked back at her from each picture, but it was the added note at the base of every one that made the tears finally flow. It simply said, “Gone.”

Angela took a shuddering breath to control herself before looking at one of the twins who stood in the doorway.

“Get this computer into the car. I want it in the Tech Department the moment we return. They will tell me what the fuck happened here!”

As they left the house, the security guard came bustling up and held out his hands.

“Hey! I know you were allowed in there, but it says nothing about you being able to take anything away!”

Angela turned to him and snarled.

“My friend is missing, and this will help me find him. If you have any objections I suggest you take it up with my boys.”

The twins moved quickly and loomed over him, their expressions leaving no doubt they did not negotiate. He swallowed heavily and shrugged.

“I guess I didn’t see anything.”

He backed away and quickly returned to his makeshift office.

The journey back to the office seemed an eternity. Angela couldn’t get the images of the discarded pictures from her mind. Those two had been inseparable. so what had made everything go so wrong? When they finally arrived, she hustled the twins through to the lower floor that held the Tech Department. Their arrival caused the staff to pause mid-task with worried looks. She stormed into a startled manager’s office and pointed at the computer being placed on his desk.

“I want that hacked, and all the information on it to be in my possession as quickly as possible. Don’t make me wait too long!”

He nodded, open-mouthed, not even managing a reply before Angela stormed back out. Two of his staff poked their heads through the door and looked at him. He nodded at the machine as though it would bite.

“You heard Mistress, get everything off it and up to her office as fast as you can. Do it by five o’clock, and the beers are on me tonight!”

The staff members grinned and quickly carried the computer away.

Upstairs in her office, Angela dropped into the chair behind her desk with a loud sigh. God-damn it! Not only was she stalled on the new headset, now the man who was possibly her closest friend had vanished off the face of the earth! She cursed herself for not being there for him when things had obviously got very dark, but at least she could make amends now. Whatever it took, she would find him. She flipped open her address book, and ran her manicured fingers down the list of names until she found the one she wanted. As she dialled the number, she tried to remember the last time she had spoken to the man. He was an enigma to most people, but, where Gabriel was concerned, he would move heaven and earth and god help anyone who tried to prevent him! The long distance call finally connected, and a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

“My dear Angela, what a lovely surprise! It has been a while since we have spoken. I hope all is well over there in Britain?”

Angela took a deep breath before replying.

“I wish I could say it was, Sato, but I’m afraid that Gabriel has gone missing.”

CHAPTER TWO

HIDEAWAY

The ranch-style house loomed out of the mist as he tied the boat to the jetty. It was much too big for him, but the isolation of being on its own island had caught his eye. After living here for several months, he had come to appreciate the silence and solitude it gave him. His wish to be quiet, and away from distractions, was perfectly fulfilled. He went through the now-familiar routine of going into the kitchen and opening the chest freezer that dominated one wall. He retrieved a frosted bottle of Russian vodka, collected a glass from near the sink, and walked out onto the porch that framed three sides of the house. The cushions on the chair still carried the cool of the night as he sank into their folds with a sigh. The syrupy liquid seared his throat as he downed the first glass in one gulp, and, with practised ease, the glass was refilled automatically. After three such movements, he felt himself starting to relax again. A brief memory flashed across his mind and he shook his head with a growl to dismiss it. He refused to let those thoughts linger, and another two glasses of the iced vodka followed in rapid succession. He had turned his back on his world and yet his hungers still drove him. He cursed out loud, staring out across the lake as though salvation would appear from the surrounding mist. It hadn’t so far, and he doubted it ever would.

Angela replaced the phone with a satisfied smile. If anyone could find Gabriel, it was Sato. The Yakuza kingpin had powers that spanned the globe, and, with his network of information working in their favour, no-one could remain hidden for long. All she needed were a few hints, and hopefully the computer would give her that information. She was just about to call the Tech Department when the phone buzzed. Her secretary informed her there were two technicians waiting outside for her, so, with a curt “Send them in”, she looked at the door expectantly. The two young men shuffled into her office nervously. It was the first time they had been up there and neither had actually spoken with her before, so they were unsure of their footing. After they had stood there in silence for a few seconds, Angela tilted her head and frowned at them.

“Do you have something for me, or am I supposed to guess the reason you are here?”

Both of the technicians blanched, and, after a nudge from his partner, one of them stepped forward holding out a memory stick.

“We have pulled off all the information from the computer, Mistress, and it is all on here. What would you like us to do with the machine itself?”

Angela took the offered stick and waved her hand in dismissal.

“You will put it somewhere extremely safe. No-one is to have any access to it. If I find out any of you have so much as browsed what’s on it, I will fire the whole department. Do I make myself clear?”

Both men nodded, wide-eyed, as they backed quickly out of the room. Angela slipped the stick into a USB port and, after a brief pause, started to read.

Five hours later found her sitting on the couch in her office, the large drink in her hand doing nothing to quell the feeling in her stomach. Her eyes were still red-rimmed from the terrible evidence she had found. He had destroyed the very thing that gave him happiness. It had been such a stupid act that, when she read it, she had actually shouted at the screen. Angela stood and moved to the window, pressing her head against the cool, thick glass as she gazed at the city below. Her voice was quiet in the dark office.

“Oh, Gabriel. Once again your nature showed its dark side, and it hurt you more than anything before. You stupid, stupid man. Where have you gone, my dark Lord? Where can you possibly find the peace you need after this?”

She turned from the window and returned to her desk, punching the number she had called earlier into the phone. When Sato answered, she explained what she had found. The silence on the other end told her he knew just how serious this could be.

*****

It had been over a week since his last visit to town, and already he was feeling the effects of his hunger. The vodka served only to dull the ache, so sooner or later he would have to go and seek out company. He was sitting on the porch again, a habitual spot when drinking, and the morning bottle was already half empty. He ran a tired hand over his unshaven head and grumbled quietly. He needed a distraction. He had, in the past, enjoyed working with his hands. The thought of actually doing something, after all this time, slowly percolated down through his consciousness until it actually seemed like a good idea. All he needed were tools and wood. Staggering slightly, he walked through the large open-plan sitting area to find his phone. He called the only local number he knew, Harald’s Bar, and waited for old Harald to pick up. The gruff greeting always made him smile. You would think it would scare potential customers away, but, in fact, the bar was the most popular drinking establishment in the town.

“Harald? This is Gabe. How would I go about getting my hands on some woodworking tools and wood in this god-forsaken place?”

There was a low grumble and the clearing of a throat that had smoked far too many cigars.

“You came to this fucking lake, Eremit, so stop complaining! I have a niece who can help. I take it you’ll be paying cash as always? Tell me what you want and I’ll see what I can do.”

The line went dead as soon as he had finished.

Two days later he was once again on the porch, the breakfast drink taking longer than usual since he was suffering from indulging until the early hours. It had been one of those nights where the memories and faces had come back to him, and he had woken soaked in sweat. That led him to the vodka, and it was only as the clock had passed four in the morning that he finally fell to sleep. Now, at mid morning, he was feeling decidedly rough. The sound of a boat caught his attention, and he shaded his bleary eyes against the glare from the water to see who it was. The fat, green boat was unfamiliar. Not in the mood for a random visitor he stepped from the porch, heading down to the beach to wave it away. He waited until it was in hailing distance before raising his voice.

“This is a private island, you cannot land here!”

The motor was cut on the boat, and it swung sidewards to the beach as the current caught it. He could make out a figure in the stern, and he shouted his warning again. The figure, that he could now make out was a woman, waved her arms at him and shouted in return.

“Harald said you were a miserable Englishman! If you want, I’ll take these tools and wood back where they came from!”

He sighed and waved for them to come ashore.

He wasn’t really in the mood for this, but at least it would keep him busy for a few hours. He watched as the boat beached in front of him. The woman jumped over the side into the shallows and waded up towards him, her smile wide as her eyes looked him over.

“So you are Gabe? I am Elsa, Harald’s cousin, and I have the things you wanted. He said you would pay in dollars, is that correct?”

He bridled at the way she openly assessed him, becoming acutely aware he must look like a vagrant. Her eyes had taken on a calculating look as she mentioned the money, and he realised the stuff wasn’t going to leave the boat until she had it in her hand. He shrugged and nodded.

“I can do that. How much are we talking about?”

Elsa rubbed her chin and looked at him closely.

“Considering I have got you top-of-the-range stuff, I think five hundred should cover it?”

He smiled and tilted his head, picking up on the hope in her voice.

“You have had a wasted trip, Elsa. If you had said three-fifty you would be unloading now, but I’m not in any great hurry to be ripped off.”

He turned to start walking back up towards the house, and Elsa stepped forward to pull at his shoulder.

“Are all you English so tight with your money? Make it four hundred, and you have a deal.”

He smiled and nodded, and Elsa rewarded him with a bright grin. He motioned with his head towards the house.

“If your man can start unloading, you and I will go and get the cash.”

Elsa turned and rattled off instructions in the native tongue before following him. As they reached the porch, she smiled at him and indicated the house.

“I have lived around here all my life, and I have often wondered what this place would look like inside.”

He shrugged and waved a hand.

“Be my guest. It’s pretty much as it’s been for the last fifty years.”

She grinned and skipped up the steps before disappearing into the house. He followed more slowly, going into the sitting room and crossing to the fireplace. Above it hung a picture of a very large horse, one that someone must have thought was special in some way, but its true purpose was to hide the safe set into the wall behind it. He swung the frame out and dialled in his code. As the heavy, thick door to the safe swung open, he heard a gasp from behind him. Elsa stood staring at the stacks of money that had been crammed into the small safe.

After he had retrieved the money he needed, he locked the safe and turned to face her. His voice was very low as he spoke.

“If I should suddenly get nocturnal visitors, or return to find this place ransacked in the near future, I will know exactly who to blame. Do you understand?”

Elsa blinked and nodded, her face pale at the threat.

“I won’t tell a soul, I promise! Who are you? Where did you get all that?”

He sighed and handed her the money, then walked through to the kitchen to find a fresh bottle. She followed in his wake, once again gasping when she saw that the chest freezer was virtually full of vodka. She put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes noting the flinch that he tried to control.

“You have all that in there, and yet you do this?”

She lifted a bottle and looked at its label, her eyebrows going up as she held it out.

“These are nearly a hundred dollars each! My Uncle said you were his best customer, and now I know why. Is that why you are here, to drink yourself to death?”

He drained the glass in his hand and poured another.

“You ask an awful lot of questions, Elsa. Be a good girl and just get my stuff up to the house, please.”

Elsa put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“Get your own fucking stuff! Just who do you think you are, Mr. Gabe Englishman? You talk to me like I am some kind of servant, or a little girl! If I were a man I would punch you in the nose!”

He looked at her flushed cheeks and flashing eyes before bursting out laughing.

“It is ON the nose Elsa, not IN the nose, and I do believe you would. It has been years since anyone has answered me back like that.”

He shook his head and smiled softly.

“And I apologise if I have offended you. Care for a drink?”

He picked up another glass and poured a generous measure, smiling at her again when she refused to take it.

“It would be nice not to drink alone, so, please, Elsa?”

She huffed quietly before taking the drink. He motioned for them to go back out onto the porch, and graciously pulled a chair out for her to sit. She looked at him warily as he leaned back in the other chair and sighed quietly, raising his glass to her in a brief toast.

“Maybe one day I’ll be able to answer your questions, Elsa, but for now I must keep that to myself. It would be lovely if you joined me for a drink on another visit?”

Elsa looked at him and shook her head.

“You look as though you need a good bath and shave, Gabe, not to mention a good meal. There is more to life than hiding at the bottom of a bottle, no matter how good or expensive the vodka may be. If you invite me for dinner, and make an effort, then I may be tempted.”

He chuckled and inclined his head.

“I can scrub up if the need is there, and I cook a mean steak. If you would do me the honour of coming to dinner, then I will make sure my appearance isn’t so rustic.”

She smiled as he turned on the charm, and nodded her head in agreement.

“I will expect you to have made a real effort, Gabe, if I am not impressed I will be off in a moment!”

She pointed down at the beach, where her helper had finally finished unloading the wood and tools.

“I suggest you start moving those, the weather forecast is for a storm coming our way.”

She finished her drink and stood.

“I must also get back before that arrives. I will be here two days from now, at 8 pm, so make sure you are ready for me!”