Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
W illow
Despair wasn’t for the faint of heart.
I’d lost my parents to murder and my brother to God knows what. What had I gained in a few days?
A husband I could never love.
But I reminded myself once again this was a business arrangement and nothing more. I was the lure. That much I’d gathered from what he’d said, which hadn’t been much. Yet he’d promised to talk to me when the time was right.
Could he keep any of his promises?
If so, I would insist on my freedom.
Sadly, the real question was could I bring Shane in and if I did, what would be done to him? Would I be able to stand by and watch it?
I closed my eyes, blocking the morning sun. Coffee churned in my stomach, the lack of sleep the night before not helping the situation at all. Heartache had torn through me earlier, but I’d shut it down. Now I felt cold and hard inside, capable of going through with my part of the deal.
That didn’t mean I could or would ever trust Dimitrios. In my mind, he was just like any other man, taking what he wanted.
He had no one to tell him when he’d crossed a line or if he did, he simply didn’t give a shit. Why should I care about his pain?
The passion we’d shared felt like nothing more than a dream or maybe an unwanted fantasy. I’d wanted to think of the time spent as just another nightmare, but that wasn’t the truth. God knew the last thing I needed to do was to keep lying to myself.
My family wasn’t the classic nuclear one you watched on Hallmark. At least my brother wasn’t. Right now, the security was tight, more so than before. I’d had a guard assigned to me since the moment I’d returned with Dimitrios. Since I’d been such a bad girl and all.
I needed some fresh air. At this point, I didn’t care if I was allowed to go outside on my own or not. After glancing over my shoulder, thankful I didn’t see the oversized brute assigned to me, I tried the handle of the door.
The fresh air felt good as soon as it hit my skin, the bright sun tingling every inch of my exposed arms. I gripped the scarf of my mother’s I’d taken, exchanging it with the necklace. The beautiful piece of jewelry had been purchased using blood money. I was positive of it.
It was back in the box it had come in. Maybe I’d sell the expensive piece for living expenses.
If I was allowed a divorce. Dimitrios was a thorough man. He’d make certain our marriage was legal in every way. Was divorce even possible in this country?
A soft yet bitter laugh threatened to give me away. I almost didn’t care. I headed straight for the pool I’d seen but had yet to visit. I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to such a sinful deal.
A sudden presence made me cringe. The brute had found me.
“You aren’t allowed out here,” he told me. I hadn’t even learned his name. It just didn’t seem important.
“I’m staying.”
“I can’t allow you to do that. Mr. Nomikos’ orders.”
“Tough.” I walked around the pool, trying to take my time, but as big as the man was, he was suddenly on me, jerking my arm. “Let go of me.”
“Listen, little girl. You will do as I say.”
“No, I won’t.” I managed to jerk my arm away, but my freedom was short lived. He was horrible enough to grab me again, starting to drag me toward the house.
“Let her go,” a deep male voice bellowed.
The brute did, but he grumbled before doing it. I rubbed my arm, surprised his grip had hurt like hell.
“She was trying to escape,” the brute stated. The man’s tone was full of arrogance.
“I was not. I was taking a walk. What’s wrong with getting fresh air?”
The brute made the mistake of baring and gritting his teeth. Did I hear him growling?
Evidently, I was right, Dimitrios advancing quickly. He had the man by the throat in seconds. I was shocked when he managed to jerk the guy onto his toes. The brute was at least twenty pounds heavier.
“ An tolmíseis na tis váleis xaná éna dáchtylo, tha se skotóso .” Dimitrios’ voice was full of rage, his entire body tense from anger.
“Yes, sir.”
“Get the fuck out of my face.” Dimitrios used tremendous force when he pushed the man off, the brute tumbling over one of the pool chairs and falling on his ass.
At least the man wasn’t stupid enough to react, only climbing to his feet and walking away.
“Fuck. Asshole,” Dimitrios groaned.
“What did you say to him?”
“I told him if he dared lay a finger on you again, I would kill him.”
It was the second time he’d showed a sign of jealousy. He was still huffing, even pacing the pool deck.
I glanced toward the soldier before moving closer to my soon to be husband, placing my hand on his arm. He acted startled as if I’d burned him. “While I appreciate your concern, I can take care of myself, you know. You don’t need to fight all my battles.”
I’d never seen his features so hard, the continued fury flashing in his eyes. Thankfully, he softened only a few seconds later.
“No one is allowed to touch you but me.”
He wanted me to take that at face value. I had no idea what to make of it.
“Just remember he works for you. He has your back.”
His look of anger remained. “Yes, he does. If I had to remind him again, he won’t any longer.”
“You’re so uptight.”
“I have reason to be.” He took a deep breath, closing and rubbing his eyes briefly. “I had Eleni pack some of your things.”
“Why?” My muscles were instantly tense.
“Because we’re going on a short trip.”
“With every one of your men?”
“No. Just us. We need to spend time in private. We leave in five minutes.”
Private. With him. He wasn’t interested in telling me how dangerous the situation truly was. While I needed to know, a part of me was fearful of what I’d learn.
As he walked away, I remained right where I was. How many times had I told myself I couldn’t care about him under any circumstances? Enough I’d almost begun to believe it, but the thought of spending time alone with him excited every single part of the woman inside.
For all the things I’d been terrified of, that frightened me more than all of them.
“Oh, hell, no,” I told him, jerking out of his grip. He was leading me toward a small plane. He’d mentioned we would be flying, but I didn’t think he meant inside a tin can no bigger than my father’s SUV.
He stopped short, openly laughing.
At me.
“You’re afraid of flying?” he asked.
“I’m afraid of dying and I’m pretty certain that’s what will happen if I get inside that little… thing. One person couldn’t fit inside that piece of steel and plastic.”
“This thing is a Cessna 172 Skyhawk four-person seat aircraft.”
“So what about the pilot?”
“Just trust me,” he insisted.
“I’ll throw up.”
“There are bags if you do.”
“Can it fly that distance? Wait a minute. Where the hell are we going anyway?”
Dimitrios lifted his sunglasses, squinting from the bright sun. “We’re going to the island. Corfu Island?”
“Your other home.” A trickle of excitement countered the anxiety. But only briefly.
“Yes, now come on.” He grabbed me by the hand, intertwining our fingers. He had our two suitcases in one hand as he led me toward the plane.
The mobile stairs were already in position and they looked about as rickety as the plane itself. As we got closer, I truly did think I would lose what little was in my stomach. When we were directly by the stairs, he cocked his head.
“There’s nothing to be scared about. Go ahead. Climb inside. We have a beautiful day for a flight.”
“You are crazier than I thought,” I told him and the man just grinned. I was terrified and he just grinned like some loon? As horrified as I was of the prospect, I did as I was told, my legs shaking the entire time.
Once inside, he squeezed by me, tossing one of the bags behind the rear seat, another in front.
“What now?”
He struggled with the stairs as I watched, hating myself for admiring his sculpted muscles. He was in a short-sleeved polo, but the material was clinging to his chest, accentuating those fabulous abdomen muscles of his. Once the door was closed, he pointed toward what had to be the tiniest cockpit I’d ever seen. Including in movies.
“You take the passenger seat.”
“You’re not going to sit with the pilot?”
“I am the pilot.”
I was more in shock than with almost anything else he’d said to me. “Um. No. Nope. I can’t do it.”
“Would you relax, little dove? I’ve been a pilot since I was eighteen. You’re in safe hands.” As if it was going to make me feel any better, he cupped my jaw, rubbing his big thumb back and forth across my lower lip.
The action forced a slight pulse in my pussy, my nipples aching from his rough handling. While I hated the way my mind worked, the images floating through them right now were tasty.
“Just trust me,” he said and pushed me gently toward the front.
“Said the spider to the fly.”
“I’m curious who you think the spider is.” He waited until I was settled in the seat, fastening my seatbelt for me.
I gripped the edge of it, as tense as I could be. He laughed the entire time he sat down, getting himself ready for the flight. Yes, I was fascinated by everything he was doing, checking the systems and talking with the tower about takeoff.
But the sickness in my stomach remained, butterflies turning into a swarm of bees. Was he really this talented in so many things?
“We’re ready, little dove. Just enjoy the flight.” He was so damn confident while I knew I was white as a ghost.
I heard the dull roar of the engine and squeaked a little, giving away my intense fear. After turning the plane around and slowly making his way toward a runway, he placed his hand on my knee.
“Breathe, darling. Just breathe.”
My scream for him to just breathe was right there on my tongue, but I resisted, closing my eyes instead. As the plane started building momentum, I heard one too many rattles and let off a real moan. That was before I felt the plane lifting off the tarmac. Then I squeezed his hand with so much force, I felt confident I’d end up breaking bones.
Panting, I doubled over as much as the seatbelt would allow, telling myself I would make it through this. It seemed as if all time had stopped, but he finally squeezed my fingers back.
“We’re in the air. Just look around. The flight won’t take long.”
I opened one eye, close to hyperventilating, but I finally managed to lift my head. While I didn’t toss my cookies, something I was extremely proud of, I was still close to panicking.
“You can release my hand now. I do like to keep both handy for the flight.” His voice was still filled with amusement.
I snapped my hand back like a hot potato. “You’re having fun with me. With this. Aren’t you?”
“Maybe. A little. Truly, don’t worry. I’ve been flying to and from the island for years. It’s a simple ride. A little over an hour.”
“This isn’t a ride. Unless it’s straight out of a haunted mansion.”
“Just look through that window. You can see spectacular views of Greece. Soon we’ll be over the water.”
Against my better judgment, I did as he asked, still shaking but happy I managed to do it. I had to admit the scenery was beautiful, the island appearing gorgeous even from our altitude. Although he was flying pretty low to the land below.
“Is this what they call tree-top flying?” I asked.
“Something like that.” His laugh was more natural than I’d heard. “But safe. A lot of planes going short distances fly this low.”
“Groovy.”
“Did you just say groovy?”
“I did. Don’t make something of it.” I made the mistake of looking down and the coffee I’d consumed was headed in the up direction. I pulled back, resting my head on the seat. “Just tell me when this is over with.”
“Not long now.”
The not long turned into sixty minutes, but when he communicated with another tower, I tried to take deep breaths. He started his descent and for the life of me, I knew I was ripping holes in the seat.
I blamed him. He didn’t need to do this. What had happened to good old-fashioned boats?
He continued communicating to some tinny sounding voice at the tower. I thought we were almost down when wind caused us to rock to one side.
I almost had my head in his lap, the seatbelt stretching to the breaking point. He was stroking my hair and I groaned. “Hands on the wheel or whatever it’s called. Please.”
His chuckle was even more annoying, but I felt the wheels finally hitting the pavement. I expected some horrible thump or maybe the plane jumping up into the air, but the landing went smoothly.
As he started to slow the throttle, I finally looked again, taking a massive deep breath.
“You didn’t kill us,” I told him.
“I don’t plan on allowing that to happen. You just don’t know all my skills either. Now, do you?”
Touché. He had me there.
I didn’t know squat about him other than what I remembered from so many years before. Maybe that’s what this was all about. Or maybe he’d brought me here to grill me on my knowledge of my brother. Either way, the change of scenery would be welcome.
“When do the guards arrive?” I asked as he rolled into a hangar.
“I was serious. There won’t be any.”
“But what if…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. That had occurred too many times over the last few days.
“Tight security and plenty of weapons.”
“I asked you this before.” I noticed men coming toward the plane, but they looked like workers. “How can you stand to live that way? I bet you keep a gun under your pillow.”
“Those days are mostly gone, Willow. My father did. He didn’t go anywhere without his weapon. But we’re not in a war.” He unfastened his seatbelt, doing mine next as if I couldn’t do that for myself.
“Are you certain of that?”
He laughed in response. “If we are, then I have enough men and firepower to handle it.”
“But the way you’re forced to live is terrifying to me. I bet you look over your shoulder every time you go out.”
“You get used to it, but certainly we’re not always in danger. Besides, this life is all I’ve ever known. Come on. I’ll take you on a nice calm ride.”
“I doubt anything around you is calm.”
Still wearing a grin, he grabbed our things, guiding me down the same set of stairs.
A man spoke Greek to him and I didn’t bother asking what was said. I honestly didn’t want to know at this point. I felt the more I learned the more dangerous it would seem to me. He took me by the hand as lovers would do, walking quickly toward a door on the side of the hangar.
When he opened it, I felt a sense of relief. “A sports car.” The bright yellow beauty inspired all things wicked within me.
“A convertible. This girl is my baby,” he said as he pulled a key fob from his pocket, pressing until the lights flashed.
“Italian, I presume.”
His grin was infectious. “Not even close. American. A Pontiac, no less.”
“Really?” I was in honest to God shock.
“I don’t lie, princess. A Solstice.”
The car wasn’t very expensive. Was he doing this to impress me? No, that couldn’t be the case. “Interesting color for a man such as yourself.”
“Were you thinking blood red?”
I gave him a lust-filled look. “Why, yes. It suits you.”
“Then you don’t know me that well. It’s called mean yellow.” He studied me as he removed the convertible top, tossing it along with our things in the very tiny trunk.
“Maybe it does fit you perfectly.”
“I’ll have you know I bought this at a car auction. Less than ten grand. I had it shipped all the way from Philadelphia.” After dumping the things in the small trunk, he opened the passenger door for me.
“You’re being a gentleman and I adore the color name.”
“Did you doubt it? I do have a mother. She taught me manners. If I was rude to anyone, she’d tweak my ear and let me tell you, it hurt like hell.” He closed the door, bending down to wink at me before walking to the other side.
He could surprise me with silly quips and kind words. He could also terrify me with the looks he gave. Once inside, he started and revved the engine. The garage-style door magically opened and he floored the car out into the open, spinning it around, the tires screeching. It was a five speed and I had a feeling he knew how to drive this baby.
I was proven right as he zoomed out of the small parking lot, hitting the road at forty-five miles per hour. The bastard was doing this on purpose. Little did he know I might hate planes, but I adored fast cars.
As he drove, I finally relaxed, savoring every inch of the beautiful scenery.
The road was curved and he took every one with tight precision. I was laughing as I enjoyed the ride more than he thought I would. His constant looks were almost endearing, but it was the thick bulge between his legs that set my soul on fire.
My body as well.
I could no longer call her a betraying bitch. My mind was now in agreement. As we rolled through a quaint town, he was forced to slow, highlighting the tiny shops and festive-looking restaurants.
“The best ice cream in Greece,” he pointed out, smiling when I said a single word.
“Yum.”
“An ice cream girl. Yes?”
“You don’t remember?” I taunted him. “Think about the last time I was here. I begged you for ice cream and you finally relented.”
He shook his head. “Pistachio. Right?”
“You remember.” How was that possible?
“How could I possibly forget? You were a little adorable pain in the ass that entire trip.”
I smacked him on the arm. “You will always be a bastard.”
“Yes, I will be. I kind of think you like that about me.”
“You think wrong.” At least I could laugh easily, maybe forgetting for a little while the horror we’d both been through. The guilt was still there, but my parents would want me to live.
If you could call this living.
I felt like I was floating at this point. A private plane. A massive estate. Another on an island. This was what all little girls dreamed of in finding their Prince Charming.
The inner voice told me I had to stop thinking that way.
Only a few minutes later, he pulled down a more private street and I remembered the gorgeous crape myrtles I’d loved so much. They were in full bloom, spreading a flowery display of petals across the road. It reminded me of a wedding.
Oh, God. I was getting married.
I’d agreed to it. No one could ever accuse him of forcing me. Not really anyway.
He roared into a driveway and I suddenly couldn’t wait to see the gorgeous setting all over again. There were happy memories that I refused to lose, no matter who he really was.
Or the violence he’d perfected.
Seeing the way he’d been with one of his own men was a clear indication of how he’d be with any enemy.
Including my brother.
The deal I’d made with him would be laced with blood.
I shoved the thought from my mind as the house came into view. While it appeared similar to the smaller Greek homes and businesses I’d seen throughout Athens, there was a special more Mediterranean flair that provided a lush look about every detail. From the arched windows and doors, to the vines with shades of crimson and violet draped halfway down to the mermaid fountain in the driveway, the several-story buildings and grounds were exquisite.
Even the iron gates allowing admittance to the grand entrance were spectacular, not suffocating. The house was on a private cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea, winding steps leading down to the soft white sands of the beach. And unless the entire interior had been renovated, every room offered vibrant comfort, with accent walls and vividly colored paintings adorning them.
I was still leaning forward as he pulled the car directly in front of the main doors. I remembered several separate buildings including a six-car garage, a maintenance shed, and an outdoor kitchen that would rival any fancy restaurant. There was also an office-studio combination.
“Is the ballet room still here?” I asked, feeling instant tension crawling inside the man.
“How do you remember that?” He turned off the motor, remaining exactly where he was.
“I wasn’t a good girl back then. Don’t you remember? You found me dancing in the room. You were so angry.”
“I didn’t scold you,” he said. His voice was also entirely different.
“Your eyes did. You know they’re reflections of your soul. Yours were screaming pain and hatred. But even as a little girl, I knew you weren’t really angry with me. Who were you angry at?”
When he didn’t answer right away, I turned my head, noticing his jaw was clenched, one hand wrapped around the steering wheel with tremendous pressure.
“Listen to me, Willow. This house is now your house. You will be free to come and go within the noted guidelines, but you may not enter that room again.”
His mandate surprised me. “Why?”
“Because I said so. There are some things meant to be left in the past. Remember that.” As he finally turned his head in my direction, I sensed I’d crossed some invisible line. One of sorrow and self-loathing.
He held his own terrible secrets. How soon would they come back to bite him?
And his soon to be wife?