Belladonna
The Second Book of Gabriel
by
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The female gladiator simply stood there, motionless, short sword now held down by her side in her right hand, accepting the crowd’s loud acclaim. Then, slowly and deliberately, she raised her head, looking up at one particular table. She held the stare as everyone in the place gradually followed the direction of her gaze. Laura was puzzled, for everyone in the club was now looking their way. Theirs was the table the female gladiator was so obviously looking at. She said nothing, maintaining her silence, just continued to look up at their table, and all around the whispers and the gossiping started increasing in volume. Laura looked across to Borgia, who met her stare and smiled knowingly. She then looked across to Belle, and found her to be visibly shaking, trying to control herself as she glared down at the woman in the arena. Only the eyes and her lower chin were visible under the helmet, but those cold eyes met Belle’s, and she knew instantly who they belonged to. “Belle, we’ve been made. It’s a trap!” Laura realised, trying to get her daughter’s attention. Belle’s view was fixed on the masked woman in the arena below, and she hardly felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder. “I know,” Belle said under her breath, trying to remain calm. She glowered down at the silent figure in the arena. The hair was the same vivid shade of red, though worn much longer than Belle remembered. Why she had thought her dead, knowing what she did of the increased longevity of some of the Church’s agents, she didn’t know. She had thought their paths would have crossed much sooner if that had been the case. “If you get the chance, take Borgia out. Otherwise get out and save yourself. You can’t help me in this,” Belle hissed under her breath, and then she stood up. Gasps went up all around as she stood, attracting the stare of everyone in the audience.. Amid the hubbub and whispering, the masked figure, in the arena below, finally spoke. “Coming down to play, little girl?” she taunted.
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About the Book
Gabriel has always thought himself the last survivor of his species—until he learns his daughter, Mirabelle, may still be alive. Believed to be stillborn, Mirabelle was taken from Laura, at birth. Now, with only a name to go on, Gabriel commissions his friends around the world to help find her. But when his contacts come up empty-handed, he pins all his hopes on his Italian Mafia contacts. What Gabriel is about to discover will change his world forever.
It is soon revealed that Mirabelle, who is known by the code name Belladonna, is a female operative within the Vatican’s Sword of Solomon organization, the same organization that has pursued his kind for centuries. Belladonna is an assassin—and a good one. Known to be a shrewd operator who lives up to her name, Belladonna continues her work, not realizing that her real parents are doggedly pursuing her. But Laura knows there is no way she can afford to let Gabriel find their daughter first. Tormented by her own demons, Laura has no idea that Gabriel harbors his own dark secrets.
In a world where vendettas are a way of life and the past has a horrible way of coming back to haunt those who seek happiness, a struggle among opposing forces ensues—and a fierce battle to save their future.
About the Author
Ernest Oglesby has enjoyed a lengthy career in the field of engineering, for which he has worked in many diverse locations around the world. Today, he divides his time between the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and Trinidad, where he continues his career. This is the second book in his Gabriel series.