Chapter 23 Theo
THEO
The coffee mug warms my palm as I sit on the balcony. Dawn's just breaking, the sun giving off hues of gold along the Italian stones in the garden.
I've been out here for almost an hour, watching darkness give way to light, unable to sleep after last night.
On top of holding my son for the first time, I also made love to Stassi for the first time since she disappeared from my life.
Now, she's sleeping in the same bed as me, and I can smell her scent on my skin. Evidence she wanted me as desperately as I wanted her.
A hawk circles in the distance, hunting. Between going after my father's killers and Stassi back in my life, I feel like I've been doing the same—circling, waiting to strike.
I take a sip of my coffee. For the first time in four years, I don't feel the gnawing emptiness that's been my constant companion. Instead, there's something warm and alive in my chest.
Last night filled something in me I thought was permanently empty, not just about companionship, but with the knowledge that I have a family.
My family.
And with how Stassi treats me, she makes me feel like I deserve this. Deserve this level of happiness. This perfect little family.
When she's by my side, I feel like I'm worth so much more than just the second in command. The only thing my father taught me, made me swear to.
She unknowingly undoes all those things and tosses them out the window and makes me feel whole. Complete. Like me.
The burner phone Dimitri gave me before I left buzzes on the table next to me.
Finally.
I pick it up. "Tell me you have something," I answer, already knowing who it is.
"Well, I'm glad you're up early," he says. "Hopefully you've slept."
I can hear in his voice he's tired. Hasn't yet made it to bed.
He cuts right to it.
"We found an address from the Hawk's ledger mentioned quite a few times," he says, voice rough. "A safe house in a really shitty part of Athens."
I straighten in my seat. "And?"
"It was a small place, behind a dry cleaners, back alley entrance. We watched it for a bit and then made a play. Shit was scattered everywhere, so whoever was there cleared out fast."
"Damn it. I was hoping for something more."
"Well, I haven't gotten to the good part."
"Jesus, Dimitri."
"Okay, so whoever was there bailed fast and forgot to empty the trash."
I lean forward in my chair. "And you got something?"
"Yeah. Sending screenshots now." A ping hits my phone and I put Dimitri on speaker and open the file he's forwarded. "We found it in the garbage can under the kitchen sink. Partly destroyed and shoved under paper towels like someone didn't want it seen."
The images load slowly.
Finally, they pop up. It's fragments of a business contract, partially burned or marked with some kind of black stains, but with one signature perfectly intact: Cosmo Kouris.
I zoom in on the signature, studying it like it'll give me answers. "Who's this Cosmo Kouris?"
"Yeah, I didn't know who he was. Looked him up. Turns out he's not only a member of the Greek Parliament, he's also the Minister of Infrastructure."
I take Dimitri off speaker.
"So a government official is doing business with the Hawk. Interesting. Call our guy at city—"
"Already ahead of you, brother," Dimitri says, cutting me off.
"Had our guy pull any business records that matched that address and Cosmo.
Turns out, there were two. One is non-operational, but that led us to the other, called Greek Spartan Holdings…
" Dimitri trails off. I hear him shuffling papers.
"The account Cosmo Kouris used to set up both is from one of those restricted accounts your guy couldn't access."
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Yes, and I have in front of me all the restricted accounts that were funding the Athenian Warriors.
And all of them, Theo. Not just one or two, all of them are under Greek Spartan Holdings management.
They're all tied to Cosmo Kouris, and since he's in government, they're restricted. But we fucking got him."
"And you've triple-checked? It's the exact same account numbers?"
Dimitri laughs. "Yes. And if you need any more convincing, Chris Xanos, the lawyer who offed himself in front of us, he's listed as their legal representative."
"What the fuck."
"I know. They'll need a new lawyer," Dimitri says, laughing again.
I glance back toward the villa where Stassi sleeps. Where my son is safely tucked away. My priorities have shifted overnight, but I have to keep going.
"I need to get back," I say, the decision forming as I speak it.
"What about your little thing with Stassi?"
Little does he know it's become huge, and I'm not even talking about finding out who's threatening her or my son yet.
"I can't bring them back. I can protect them better there anyway."
"Them?"
"Sorry. Her," I lie. I think it's time everyone knows, but I don't want to deliver the news over the phone.
"Dimitri." My voice sharpens, trying to change the subject. "Don't approach anyone. Just observe. Wait for me to get back."
"Okay. And one last thing, Zervas's men helped, so Zervas knows. He wants you to call him as soon as you can. It's urgent."
We end the call, and I immediately dial George Zervas.
I take a final drink of coffee, the liquid now cold. The Italian sunrise continues its slow crawl across the landscape, but my mind is already back in Greece, plotting our next moves.
He answers on the first ring.
"It's Theo."
"I assume you've spoken to your brother then?" he asks.
"Yes. I've learned all about Cosmo Kouris," I reply.
Zervas exhales sharply. When he speaks again, his voice has dropped even lower.
"If Cosmo Kouris is really linked to this, it's bigger than we thought. And that presents a very dangerous opportunity."
I don't speak, unsure what he's getting at.
"If you go after him, Theo, if you expose Kouris, the dominoes won't stop.
Parliament, the government... they won't be able to ignore it.
Or us. Anymore. They'll be forced to act.
Crackdowns. Sanctions. Surveillance. We could lose the quiet tolerance that's kept Kastaris and my operations untouched for decades. "
"I don't give a fuck about tolerance," I snap. "If he had anything to do with my father's death, he dies."
"Theo," Zervas warns. "I understand your grief. Your rage. But you must think strategically. Exposing this could bring everything down, not just for you. For all of us."
A long silence stretches between us.
Zervas continues. "Your father was many things. But above all, he was precise. He calculated every risk. Every alliance. You can't let emotion cost us the empire he built." He sighs. "They'll come for all of us."
"Let them come," I say.
"You don't understand what you're saying." Zervas's voice hardens. "This isn't some street thug or rival family. This is government. Military. Police. Every official who's ever taken a bribe or looked the other way—they'll turn on us in a heartbeat to save themselves."
I stand and walk to the edge of the balcony, looking out over the Italian countryside.
"I understand exactly what I'm saying," I reply, my voice like steel. "If Cosmo Kouris ordered the hit on my father, or had anything to do with it, I don't care who stands with him. He dies."
"You're playing with a different kind of fire now, Kastaris." Zervas sounds almost resigned. "Once you move against someone like him, there's no going back."
"I heard you," I say.
"I hope you're listening," Zervas replies. "Because what you do next, this decides everything."
Just as I'm about to tell Zervas that I'd burn Greece to the ground to get to the bottom of everything that's going on, I hear little footsteps behind me.
I turn to find Xander standing in the doorway to the balcony, his tiny frame drowning in dinosaur-print pajamas, one small fist rubbing sleep from his eyes. His dark hair, my hair, is messy, and there's a crease on his cheek from his pillow.
"I have to go," I tell Zervas abruptly. "I'll be in touch."
I end the call before he can respond and slide the phone into my pocket. Something inside me shifts instantly, the murderous fury replaced by a different kind of protectiveness.
"Hey, buddy," I say, my voice entirely different now.
Xander takes tentative steps toward me, bare feet padding on the cool stone of the balcony. "I woke up," he says simply, still rubbing his eyes.
"I see that." I crouch down to his level. "Did you have a good sleep?"
He nods, then looks around. "Where's Mommy?"
"Probably still sleeping. I can take you to her," I gesture back toward the house.
He nods and stretches out his arms for me to pick him up.
He rests his head on my shoulder as we walk back inside. "You smell like Mommy," he observes innocently.
I smile but don't respond because I'm unsure what to say.
"The sun looks like fire," he says, pointing with one small finger over my shoulder.
I look back. "It does," I agree. "In Greek mythology, the sun is pulled across the sky by the god Helios with his horses."
Xander looks at me, eyes widening with interest. "Horses?”
"Yes, four of them, with fiery manes," I tell him, surprised that I remember these details from childhood stories my mother told me.
"Wow," Xander breathes, looking back at the sunrise with newfound appreciation.
As I walk him toward our bedroom, I suddenly think of my father—of how he raised me and my brothers.
How young we were when we witnessed our first beating, our first killing.
How he hardened us deliberately, believing it was necessary for survival.
I'd never questioned that approach until this moment.
I thought I'd do the same, but now, now all I want is to keep him away from that life for as long as I can.
I open the door and see Stassi sitting in bed. Seeing her hold him, I know in a few hours, I'll have to make decisions. About Cosmo Kouris. About returning to Greece. About how to protect Stassi and Xander while pursuing those who threatened them and my family.
But for now, for this moment, I won't think of any of that.