So, here is it. The next chapter :-) My only excuse for the heavy delay is that I was suffering from a serious writer's block after I had written myself into a corner with this story. I hope that's resolved now. I really want to thank everyone who encouraged me not to give up and who reminded me that I still had to deliver this puppy.

I also thank my beta Gemenied who did a great job! Every mistake you might find is my entire fault.

Chapter 10

The heavy door closed shut behind her and she couldn't help but feeling locked up. So that was it. That was her hiding place. A nunnery. With a smirk she remembered the countless times, Perry had advised his clients to hide in a motel, registered under their own name. It seemed times had changed. Now he had her booked in a cell in a convent. Her own bodyguard at hand.

"I know our convent appears dark, but you'll get used to it fairly quickly," Maria Andrea said, as if she had read Della's mind. Della let her eyes wander over the stone walls of her new refuge and tried to smile. "I'm sure it will," she answered. "I'm just sorry, I'm disturbing... your peace."

"Oh, you're not disturbing me," the nun assured her swiftly. "I'm glad to be of help. Reminds me of my first life."

"And what did you do in your first life?"

Maria Andrea smiled, but didn't answer. "Let me show you around. We also need you to get a different outfit."

Della's jaw dropped. "You mean... a veil and everything?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so... a veil and... everything."

Della swallowed. She knew it was necessary, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She also knew she was vain to a certain extent and didn't want anyone to see her looking like a nun. But how fat was the chance someone would visit her around here? It was too risky. It was possible she wouldn't see Perry, Paul or anyone else she cared for, for a long time.

"All right," she sighed. "Let's give me a makeover."

Paul sat in his usual lazy position in Perry's office and played nervously with his lit cigarette. So far everything had worked out as planned. So far, but there was still the same old knot in his stomach that kept him on his toes. To him something just didn't feel right.

In the early morning two cars had left Della's house. In one Della and a FBI agent, dressed up like Perry had been driving and in the other a female agent dressed up as Della with the real Perry at her side. Both cars left for different destinations and since Paul's men had had their eyes on both cars, they could be pretty sure no one had followed Della's car to her new "accommodation".

"I still can't believe you placed her in a nunnery," Paul shook his head, a bit annoyed. He knew the idea was good, but he still had his doubts. Perry stood at the window and stared into the dark afternoon sky.

"There are worse places and it's not forever. Just until we've caught Pauline."

"Let's hope, Pauline won't find out where Della is. Or do you believe some holy walls will protect Della from that nutcase?"

"Not just the walls, but the people inside," Perry explained, as he returned to his desk to help himself for a new cigarette. "A former FBI agent won't leave her side until Pauline is back behind bars."

"A former agent?" Paul asked surprised.

"Yes, she's a nun now, but I'm sure she's capable of taking care of everything."

"A nun with a gun?" Paul joked.

"Something like that," Mason replied with a small smile.

"Once this is over I want to meet her," Paul said.

"She's a nun, Paul."

"I heard you," the PI assured him. "I'm just curios."

The phone rang and interrupted Perry's chuckle. "Yes, Gertie?"

Paul watched the lawyer, as his face darkened and he just listened to the person at the other end of the line. "Thank you. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"What happened?" Paul asked, holding his breath.

"That was the successor of Gabriel Monroe. He's just told me Mae's in the hospital. Apparently she had a stroke."

"I have to say "the veil and everything" looks quite good on you!" Maria Andrea complimented, as she and Della took a walk around the inner yard of the convent.

"And why do I feel like a prisoner on her daily walk around the yard?" Della asked. It would take her some time to get used to the habit. Not that it wasn't comfortable and she certainly didn't have to worry about her figure as long as she would wear it, but she had the strange feeling that her visual field was soomehow narrowed.

"Maybe we can find you a suitable task. Something that keeps your thoughts away from your problems and the reason you're here."

"Time flies when you're having fun..." Della remarked dryly and the nun laughed.

"Maybe you'll leave sooner than you think and you won't have to get accustomed to anything."

Della sighed and drew a deep breath. It was time to get over her bad mood. A lot of people had gone through a lot of trouble to assure her safety and the woman next to her had been nothing but kind to her.

"I'm sorry," she finally said in a low voice.

"Don't be," the nun said, waving Della's concern away. "I know you've had a rough time."

"Yes, but that's hardly your fault. Nor is it the fault of Bishop Corro."

"Do you know him well?" Maria Andrea asked, somehow throatily.

"The bishop? I'm afraid not, but my boss, Mr Mason and the bishop are old friends."

"And how is he, your Mr Mason?"

Della didn't have to think about her answer. The words streamed out of her mouth, before she knew it. "Kind, gentle, honest, strong."

Maria Andrea smiled, she had expected that description. "Seems the Bishop and Mr Mason have a lot in common." Then she sobered up and added thoughtfully. "I know you don't like the arrangement your boss and mine have made, but you'll soon realize it was actually a good idea. This is not a jail. Underneath our veils we're free souls and free thinkers. Our clothes take the burden off the appearance and transform into something light and unimportant. But aside from your inner world where no one can reach you, if you don't want, our convent is perhaps the one place where that woman won't search for you."

"I appreciate what you're doing for me. What you risk for me. I guess I've just realized I've reached a point in my life, where I don't know what to do or how to go on," Della sighed. "I feel like I am stuck at a dead end."

"Then try to see your stay here as an opportunity to think about what to do. Here you're undisturbed by any outer influence..."

The longer she thought about it, the more Della saw the other woman was right. Maybe her hiding in this unusual place wasn't such a bad idea after all...

Stefan Corro looked at his tired friend and felt sorry for him. The lawyer had a tough decision to make and the longer he talked about it, the more Stefan wished to help him. But how could he ease the weight that burdened Perry? As always when there was a choice that was hard to make, it wasn't wise to give him advice.

"Have you talked to the doctors?" Stefan asked calmly.

"Yes. They say her condition is serious, but stable." Perry sighed and lit his next cigarette. "The point is, what happens if I don't tell Della? She would never forgive me, if I didn't tell her about Mae's condition. And if I tell her, she'll want to see her aunt. She would have to leave her hiding place and that could put her in danger..."

"Why don't you sleep on it? Sometimes a bit of rest can help us to resolve things," Stefan suggested.

"I don't have to think about it," Mason returned darkly. "I know what Della would want and I have to figure out, if I can live with the consequences in case I decide to go against her wishes."

Stefan rose from his chair and patted Perry's shoulder. "Do as I say. Get some rest and when you know what to do, give me a call."

One night later

It was a soft hand that shook her shoulder to wake her. She had really fallen asleep in a chair, a book on her lap, her index finger caught between the pages.

She blinked, a little confused and looked at her watch. It was almost midnight.

"I'm sorry," the nun who had woken her said gently. "But he's here and needs to talk to you. It's urgent."

"All right... thank you, sister."

She put the book aside and looked at the bed on the other side of the room. The woman in there was sound asleep and for a moment she considered waking her up, but then she decided otherwise. At this hour no one would bother her for very long.

"He's in the chapel," the other nun explained lowly.

"Thank you."

The night was cold and when she reached the cloister that was bathed in soft moonlight she felt upper body stiffen. All of her senses went on alert and she fastened her pace, trying harder to ignore the awkward feeling inside her gut. Something was definitely wrong. She felt it. Nightly visits in a convent certainly weren't something that a nun could count into her normal routines. Not even under the present circumstances this visit could mean good news. The old chapel came closer and she saw the door was already open. A few candles lit. The lights that guided her...

She heard the steps behind her, before she realized the shadow building up behind her. So her senses hadn't betrayed her. Instinctively, she raised her elbow, pushed it backwards and hit the person behind her, possibly in the stomach, as the angry groan confirmed. She turned quickly and lifted her leg in the attempt to place a kick at her attacker, but the habit didn't allow her to move the way she wanted. She received a hit against her larynge and for a moment she couldn't breathe. Gasping she tried to push the other person back, but the pain in her throat was too absorbing. And then she felt it. The pain in her abdomen that came out of nowhere. She buckled in pain, unable to breathe, bend forward, uselessly trying to protect her body. The warmth of her own blood ran over her hands as she clasped them against her stomach. Was it really meant to end this way?

The knife fell onto the ground next to her and she noticed the blood that glittered in the soft light of the moon. It was the last thing she saw, before the world around her faded into darkness.

~tbc~

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