The Love Killers Read online

  The Love Killers

  Mob boss Enzio Bassalino doesn’t like anyone cutting into his profits. So when beautiful crusader Margaret Brown persuades too many hookers to leave the ranks, she’s blown away. Three extraordinary women vow to bring down Bassalino—by destroying his three sons. Innocent-seeming, fragile Beth will go after Frank in New York; kinky underground film star Rio will seduce Angelo in London; slick, gorgeous jet-setter Lara will ensnare Nick in Los Angeles. But it’s a dangerous game, heating up to a spellbinding blend of dazzling intrigue and murderous suspense, of raw eroticism, and sudden, forbidden passion, as three sensational women use the only weapon Bassalino’s sons can’t resist…

  “Millions buy Jackie Collins’ books… impossible to put down.” —The Wall Street Journal

  “Jackie Collins pulls out all the stops, with a strong vein of suspense… you’ll have a marvelous time.” —Washington Post

  “Collins’ greatest hallmark is that she is a virtual geyser of narrative energy… Jackie Collins is one of popular fiction’s greatest natural resources… she is… the undisputed Scheherazade of the stars.” —New York Post

  “Nobody does it like Jackie Collins…” —Daily Nebraskan (Lincoln)

  “Jackie Collins possesses a razor-sharp sense of pacing…” —Philadelphia Inquirer

  “Collins’ devotees will… relish the snappy dialogue, whirlwind pacing, irreverent humor and opulent locales that are her trademarks.” —Publishers Weekly

  “Jackie Collins’ books are hot and steamy… enough overheated sex and action to put polar ice caps in danger of meltdown.” —Houston Post

  “Jackie Collins’ novels are always grounded in truth, laced with a bracing shot of humor… most importantly, Collins is a good storyteller…” —Los Angeles Herald-Examiner

  The Love Killers

  JACKIE COLLINS

  CHANCES, INC.

  Originally published in a different form as Lovehead

  Copyright © 1974, 1989, 2012 Chances, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ISBN 978-0-9857459-3-6 (ebooks)

  eBook editions by eBooks by Barb for booknook.biz

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘I don’t care if you can’t do anything else. I don’t care if you lose your income, your home, your possessions. Fuck all of it, baby. Just gather up your self-respect and walk right out. To be a prostitute is to be nothing, a mere tool of man. Take no notice of your pimps, your bosses. We will help you. We will give you all the help we can. We will get you so together that your old life will seem like a bad dream.’

  Margaret Lawrence Brown had been speaking for fifteen minutes, and she paused to sip from a glass of water handed to her on the makeshift podium. The crowd gathered to hear her talk was gratifyingly large. They occupied a vast area of Central Park, mostly women, a few men scattered among them. It was a warm August day, and her followers had turned out in force.

  Margaret’s tone was strong and outright. Her voice didn’t falter. Her message came across loud and clear.

  She was a tall woman in her early thirties. No makeup decorated her strong, radiant face. Her hair was long and black, and she wore denims, boots, and love beads.

  Margaret Lawrence Brown was a cult figure in America. A ceaseless campaigner for women’s rights, she had won many a victory. She had written three books, appeared on television regularly, and made a great deal of money, all of which she used for her organization, F.W.N.—Free Women Now.

  Everyone had laughed when she’d first taken up the cause of the prostitutes. But they weren’t laughing now, not after three months, not after thousands of women appeared to be giving up their chosen profession and following her.

  ‘You’ve got to get it together now!’ Margaret yelled, a determined thrust to her chin.

  ‘Yeah!’ the women yelled back.

  ‘You’re going to live again. You’re going to come alive!’

  ‘Yeah! Yeah!’ The reaction from the crowd was gospel in its intensity.

  ‘You’re going to be free!’ she promised them.

  ‘Yeah!’

  Margaret slumped to the ground while the crowd continued to stamp and shout its approval. Blood spurted from a small, neat hole in the middle of her forehead.

  It was minutes before the crowd realized what had happened, before hysteria and panic set in.

  Margaret Lawrence Brown had been shot.

  * * *

  The house in Miami could only be approached by passing through electric gates, and then undergoing the scrutiny of two uniformed guards with pistols stuck casually in their belts.

  Alio Marcusi passed this scrutiny easily. He was a fat old man, with liquid booze-filled eyes and the walk of a pregnant cat.

  As he approached the big house he began humming softly to himself, uncomfortable in his too-tight gray-check suit, sweating from the heat of a cloudless day.

  A maid answered his ring at the door. A surly, big-limbed Italian girl, she spoke little English, but she nodded at Alio and told him that Padrone Bassalino was out by the pool.

  He patted her on the ass, making his way through the house to the patio that led out to a kidney-shaped swimming pool.

  Mary Ann August greeted him. Mary Ann was an exceptionally pretty young woman, with old-fashioned, teased blond hair, and a curvaceous body exhibited in a skimpy polka-dot bikini.

  ‘Hi, there, Alio,’ she said with a giggle, rising from her lounge. ‘I was just gonna make myself a little drinkie. Want one?’ Posing provocatively in front of him, she toyed with a gold chain hanging between her generous breasts.

  Alio contemplated the young vision, licking his lips in anticipation of the day—not far off, surely—when Enzio would grow tired of Mary Ann and pass her on, like all the others.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll have a Bacardi, plenty of ice. And some potato chips, mixed nuts, an’ a few black olives.’ He rubbed his extended stomach sorrowfully. ‘I had no time for lunch. Such a busy day. Where’s Enzio?’

  Mary Ann gestured out toward the never-ending gardens. ‘He’s around somewhere—pruning his roses, I think,’ she said sweetly.

  ‘Ah, yes, his roses.’ Instinctively Alio glanced back at the house, and sure enough, there she was, Rose Bassalino herself, peering out through a narrow chink in her curtains.

  Rose, Enzio’s wife. She hadn’t left her room for years, and the only people she would talk to were her three sons. Rose kept an endless vigil at her window just waiting and watching. It gave Alio the creeps. He didn’t know how Enzio stood it.

  Mary Ann swayed over to the bar and began preparing drinks. She was nineteen years old and had lived with Enzio Bassalino for almost six months—something of a record, for Enzio never kept them around long.

  Settling into a chair, Alio slowly closed his eyes. Such a very busy day…

  ‘Hey, ciao, Alio, my friend, my boy. How you feeling?’

  Alio awoke with a start and guiltily jumped up.

  Enzio loomed over him. Sixty-nine years old, but with the hard, bronzed body of a man half his age, all his own teeth, a craggy, lined face, topped by a mass of thick steel-gray hair.

  ‘I feel good, Enzio, I feel fine,’ Alio said quickly. They clasped hands, patted each other on the back. They were cousins; Alio owed everything he had to Enzio.

  ‘Can I fix you a drinkie, sweetie-pie?’ Mary Ann asked, gazing at Enzio adoringly.

  ‘No.’ He dismissed her with a look. ‘Go in the house. I’ll ring if I need you.’

  Mary Ann didn’t argue; she obeyed him at once.
Perhaps that was why she had lasted longer than the others.

  As soon as she was gone Enzio turned to his cousin. ‘Well?’ he asked impatiently.

  ‘It is done,’ Alio replied in a low voice. ‘I saw it myself. A masterful job. One of Tony’s boys. He vanished before anyone knew what happened. I flew straight here.’

  Enzio nodded thoughtfully. ‘There is no greater satisfaction than a perfect hit. This Tony’s boy, pay him an extra thousand an’ watch him. A man like that could get himself promoted. A public execution is never easy.’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Alio agreed, sucking on a black olive.

  * * *

  ‘She must be thirty,’ the woman hissed spitefully.

  ‘Or older,’ her friend agreed.

  Lined, and overly made up, the two middle-aged women watched Lara Crichton climb out of the Marbella Club pool.

  Lara was a perfectly beautiful woman of twenty-six. Slim, suntanned, with rounded, sensual breasts, a mane of sun-streaked hair, and wide, crystal-clear green eyes.

  She dropped down on the mat next to Prince Alfredo Masserini and sighed loudly. I’m getting bored with this place,’ she said restlessly. ‘Can’t we go somewhere else?’

  Prince Alfredo sat up. ‘Why are you bored?’ he demanded. ‘Am I boring you? Why should you be bored when you are with me?’

  Lara sighed again. Yes, the truth of the matter was the prince could be very boring indeed. But who else was there? She’d made it a rule never to let go of anyone until there was someone else firmly ensconced in his place. She had been through most of the available princes and counts, a few movie stars, and a lord or two. It really was tiresome she had set herself such high standards.

  ‘I don’t understand you,’ Prince Alfredo complained. ‘No woman has ever told me she was bored with me. I am not a boring man. I am vibrant, lively. I am—how you say—the life and brains of the party.’

  Lara noticed with an even heavier sigh that as he spoke he was getting an erection in his nifty Cerruti shorts.

  ‘Oh, God, do shut up,’ she muttered under her breath. Sex was becoming the biggest bore of all. So predictable, worked out, and mechanical.

  Prince Alfredo did not hear her. ‘Come, my darling.’ Aware of his erection, and proud, he pulled her to her feet. ‘First we take a rest.’ He winked slyly. ‘And then we drive the Ferrari into the mountains. What do you think, my lovely?’

  ‘Whatever you say.’ Reluctantly she allowed herself to be led inside. All eyes followed them as they left. They certainly made a beautiful and exciting couple.

  They had separate suites, but by unspoken agreement all sexual activity took place in Lara’s. She stopped him from entering at the door.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked indignantly. ‘I have a good hard-on—a very good one.’

  ‘Save it for later,’ she said firmly, closing the door on his protests. I’ll call you when I wake up.’

  Lara felt restless and hemmed in. A feeling she had often felt when married to Jamie P. Crichton. A divorce had solved the feeling then, but what now?

  The phone rang and she picked it up, ready to tell Alfredo no—definitely no. But it was not the prince. The operator informed her it was an urgent call from New York.

  ‘Yes?’ She cradled the receiver, wondering who knew she was in Spain.

  ‘Lara? Lara, is that you? Oh, God! This is such a terrible connection.’ It was a woman’s voice, her tone bordering on hysterical.

  ‘Who is this?’ Lara asked sharply.

  ‘God! Can’t you hear me? Goddamn it—this is Cass.’ A pause, then, ‘Lara, something terrible has happened. Margaret’s been shot. They’ve shot Margaret.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  Margaret Lawrence Brown was rushed to the nearest hospital. She was still alive, but only barely.

  Her loyal followers gathered in tight, silent groups. Only those closest to her were allowed inside the hospital, where they waited with as much hope as they could muster. There were no tears; Margaret would have hated that.

  Cass Long and Rio Java stood together near the door of the emergency room. A doctor had just announced they were doing a blood transfusion.

  Cass was Margaret’s personal assistant and confidante. They had met in college and been best friends ever since. Cass was a short, untidy-looking woman, with cropped brown hair and a cheerful disposition. Right now her regular features were frozen in shock.

  Rio Java—Margaret’s most famous supporter, one of her closest friends, and also a staunch and founding member of F.W.N.—was a far more glamorous figure. Undisputed queen of the underground movies, she was a notorious public personality, fashion freak, mother of four children of various colors, and quite outrageous. Over six feet tall, she was starvation-thin, with a long, dramatic face, shaved eyebrows, and exotic makeup. Part Cherokee Indian and part Louisiana hillbilly, she lived her life exactly as she pleased.

  ‘Where’s Dukey?’ she asked, groping for a cigarette in her oversized purse.

  ‘He’s on his way,’ Cass replied. ‘And I reached Lara. She’s flying in.’

  They watched silently as more doctors appeared and hurried into the emergency room.

  ‘Can I at least see her?’ Cass pleaded, catching one doctor as he emerged.

  ‘Are you a relative?’ he asked sympathetically, noting her blood-soaked dress. She had cradled Margaret’s head on her lap until the ambulance arrived and then traveled to the hospital with her.

  ‘Yes,’ Cass lied.

  The doctor drew her aside. ‘It’s not a pretty sight,’ he warned.

  She bit her lip. ‘I know,’ she whispered. ‘I brought her in.’

  The doctor felt sorry for her. ‘Well, I suppose if you’re a relative,’ he said. ‘It’s against regulations, but—all right, come with me.’

  Rio nodded at Cass to go ahead, and she followed the doctor into the emergency room.

  A team of professionals were doing everything they could. Two catheters were allowing the first pint of blood to be transfused. A tube was at Margaret’s nose. A doctor worked at massaging her heart.

  Cass felt sick. ‘There’s not much hope, is there?’ she asked, choking back tears.

  Grimly the doctor shook his head and led her quietly out.

  Rio looked at her. They didn’t need words, they both knew.

  ‘Who did it?’ Cass demanded, rubbing her eyes. She had been asking the same question ever since the fateful moment in the park when Margaret fell. Margaret had so many enemies; a lot of people hated her because of the causes she fought for. And because she led her life exactly as she pleased, and didn’t give a damn about criticism or gossip. The man she was currently living with was Dukey K. Williams, a black soul singer with a dubious past. Cass didn’t like him. She felt he was using Margaret to get publicity for his sagging career.

  Rio dragged deeply on her cigarette. ‘Listen—it’s no secret Margaret made enemies. It comes with the territory. She knew it.’

  ‘I kept on warning her,’ Cass replied mournfully. ‘She never listened. Margaret never thought anything through, she just went for it.’

  ‘Ah, yes,’ Rio replied. ‘But that’s what makes her so special, isn’t it?’

  ‘I guess,’ Cass said, thinking about all the hate mail Margaret received. ‘Nigger Lover,’ ‘Commie Bitch,’ and the like. There were also threats to kill her. ‘Lawrence Brown. I saw you on “The Tonight Show.” I hate you. I hope you drop dead. I might kill you myself.’

  These letters were almost a daily occurrence, so mundane as to be casually deposited in the lunatic file and forgotten.

  The ones that always worried Cass were the telephone threats. Muffled voices warning Margaret to leave certain causes alone. Recently it had been the matter of the prostitutes. So many had been following Margaret, that suddenly the pimps, the madams, and the hoods that controlled it all were getting worried. A dearth of prostitutes—it was becoming an impossible situation, and each time Margaret held one of her open-air rallies
, hundreds more vanished overnight, spurred on by the fact that F.W.N. offered them more than words; it offered them a chance of starting afresh. The organization arranged jobs, living accommodations, even money if the need was urgent.

  There had been many threats for Margaret to drop the ‘Great Hooker Revolution,’ as New Month magazine called it. They had recently featured her on their cover with a six-page story inside. But Margaret had no intention of dropping anything. Margaret Lawrence Brown was fearless when it came to her causes.

  * * *

  Dukey K. Williams rushed to the hospital from a recording session. There was a struggle to get inside—the place was swarming with police, press, and television crews.

  Dukey, accompanied by his manager and P. R. man, refused any comment as he pushed his way through the mob. At the elevator he was stopped by a security guard who refused to allow him to board.

  ‘Jesus Christ!’ Dukey screamed his frustration. ‘Get this lowlife outta my way before I fuckin’ cream him.’

  The guard glared, his hand twitching nervously near his gun.

  ‘Calm down, Dukey.’ His manager tried to defuse the situation. ‘They’re only protecting Margaret. Cass must be up there.’

  Cass was sent for, and the guard allowed Dukey and his entourage through.

  ‘Jesus Christ! How did it happen?’ Dukey demanded. ‘Have they caught the son of a bitch who did it? Will she make it? What the fuck is goin’ on?’

  Sadly Cass shook her head. ‘They don’t seem to know,’ she replied quietly. ‘It doesn’t look good.’

  Rio was at the elevator to meet them. ‘Forget it,’ she said in a flat, toneless voice. ‘Margaret just died.’

  CHAPTER THREE

  Enzio Bassalino was a big and powerful man with huge shoulders and a wide girth. It always amused Mary Ann August when the mood took him to cook dinner. He would clear the kitchen of all the help, tie an apron around his waist, and then go to work cooking spaghetti, his special meat sauce à la Enzio, and hearty chunks of garlic bread.