Chapter 21 Dimitri
DIMITRI
The clothes are the first thing I grab.
Calli's closet is three rooms down from the guest wing, still untouched. I rifle through her dresser, trying to find some things that will fit Athena. My sister's not here to complain, and even if she was, she'd understand. Eventually.
I don't even think she's been here in the past two years anyhow.
Once I grab a few things, I head back downstairs to the office. Cosmo's stuff is locked in a cabinet in the far corner of the room.
I never planned in a million years on showing this to anyone outside the family, let alone Cosmo's estranged daughter. But she's earned it, and there's bigger things here, and maybe she can, in fact, help.
I carry everything down the hall and push open the bedroom door.
The sound of the shower running in the guest bathroom fills my ears. I push away the image of water sliding down Athena's curves, of steam rising from her skin.
For a moment, I consider walking in. Following the pull between us. Pressing her wet body against the tile and fucking her.
But something stops me.
That's not what this is about. Not right now. Because for the first time in days, she's not in survival mode. She's safe. And alone. And maybe she needs that more than she needs me.
I place the clothes on the bed beside the computer and files, then shut the door quietly behind me.
In my own bathroom, I strip off clothes stiff with dried blood and sweat. I glance over myself in the mirror. I observe all the fresh cuts and bruises.
Jesus, it's like I enjoy collecting scars.
I step under the water, letting out a hiss as it hits my wounds. I brace my hands against the wall, head hanging down.
Bringing Athena here wasn't part of any plan.
This isn't some random safe house. It's a family home.
The place where I grew up. Where my mother used to sing while cooking Sunday dinner.
Where my father taught me to play chess by the fireplace before he grew too obsessed with power and turning me into the family enforcer.
I've never brought a woman here. Not a girlfriend. Not a one-night stand. No one.
But Athena.
I try not to think about what that means.
I close my eyes, feeling the water glide down my back, but I can't help it.
There's something about her. Something real. I want to peel away those layers until I find the woman underneath. The one who shot a man to save me, who didn't run when I gave her the chance.
I shut off the water and grab a towel, drying quickly. I get dressed in a shirt and jeans and head back down to the office.
I sit down and take a breath.
I know I need to call them, but what the fuck do I even say?
Hey, brother, I was kidnapped, shot at, and now I'm harboring the daughter of the person who ordered our father's murder, who, by the way, was also working with people who work for "S." Oh, and I've also slept with her. So, how's your week goin'?
Christ.
I press the call button before I can overthink it any further.
I dial Theo first. He'll be the most rational.
He answers on the first ring.
"Dimitri? Where the fuck have you been?" His voice is stern.
"I'm alive," I say, cutting straight to what matters. "I'm at the house in Piraeus."
"Jesus Christ." His exhale is shaky. "We've been looking everywhere for you."
"Had some trouble," I say, keeping my tone light. "Got a little lost."
"Lost? Is that what you call it? Because from the tapes it looks a lot more like you were fucking kidnapped. Shit, Dimitri. We thought you were dead."
I rub a hand over my face. "Okay, I was taken. Drugged, actually."
Silence on the other end. I can practically hear him shifting into business mode, all emotion buried beneath calculation.
"Who?"
"People connected to Cosmo Kouris and 'S.'"
"Encrypted phone 'S'? The one Cosmo was working for?"
"Yes. But I think we're getting close to finally identifying who 'S' is."
"We? You're not alone?"
I pause, weighing how much to tell him.
"No," I say carefully. "I've got someone helping me. Someone with information."
"Who?"
I pause, unsure how to deliver this.
"Who, Dimitri?"
"Cosmo's daughter. Athena."
"His what?" Theo's voice sharpens. "Since when does Cosmo have a daughter?"
"Since twenty-five years ago. Kept her a secret. Her and her mother. An affair. She was the woman in red at your wedding."
"I'm sorry, the woman who helped kidnap you? And you brought her to Piraeus? She's there now?"
I sigh. "Yes."
Theo curses under his breath. "Are you out of your fucking mind? You brought the daughter of the man who helped kill our father into our family home?"
"It's complicated," I say.
"Complicated like you're using her and then going to kill her, or complicated like you're sleeping with her?"
I don't answer, which is answer enough.
Theo exhales slowly. "Tell me this isn't just about your dick, Dimitri. It's our fucking father's life here."
"It's not. Shit. Bro." The response comes automatically, and I realize it's true. "She didn't know about her father's involvement. Someone's been manipulating her, feeding her information to get to us. And now they're trying to kill her too."
"So she's a liability."
"She's an asset," I correct him. "She worked for her father's company. Knows things that might help us find out who 'S' is. She's up looking over his laptop now."
"You gave her the laptop? Fuck. She drugged you and you just left her alone with the one thing we have? She's probably up there right now deleting everything. How can you trust her?"
I consider the question. Can Athena be trusted? She drugged me, kidnapped me, held a knife to my throat. But she also saved my life, stayed when she could have run, and she wants to help.
"She saved my life," I say.
"So did I. Twice. Doesn't mean you trust me."
I smile. "You're a different kind of asshole."
He exhales, but it's not a laugh.
"Fine. Bring her and everything with you," Theo says decisively. "We need to meet. Family meeting. Tonight."
I stand up, pacing the office. "Not tonight. I need time to follow up on something first. Then I can bring it to you and Ares. Just a few days."
"Dimitri—"
"Trust me on this, Theo." My voice hardens slightly. "I'll explain everything soon. To you and Ares."
"Do I have a choice?" he asks.
"No. This is my realm. Handling things. Dirty work. Let me do my thing."
There's a long pause.
"Fair enough. But keep me updated. Also, I'm calling Ares and Calli when we get off. Ares is furious, and Calli hasn't slept."
"Tell them not to worry. I've got this, and I'm okay."
"Whatever this is about, whatever you're not telling me, just fucking be careful."
I almost laugh. Too late for that warning. "Always am. See you soon, brother."
I hang up and set the phone down on the desk, staring at it. That went better than expected. Theo didn't push too hard, which means he's saving his questions, and his true judgment, for when we meet face to face.
I don't blame him. A typical Theo thing to do.
But still, I now have a few doubts circling my mind that weren’t there before the call. Or maybe they were always there, hiding, and Theo’s words brought them out.
I glance at the clock. I've been down here nearly twenty minutes. Long enough for Athena to have finished showering. Long enough for her to have started digging through Cosmo's files.
I should check on her. See what she's found.
As I stand, my gaze falls on the family photo on the desk, the last one taken before my mother died. All of us together. Happy, or at least pretending to be. The Kastaris family, united.
Soon, I'll have to explain why I've brought an outsider into our domain. Why I've put my faith in the daughter of our enemy.
But right now, I just need to focus on keeping Athena safe and getting close to finding out who "S" is. I also need to figure out why, despite everything, I can't seem to regret bringing her here.
I head for the door, ready to face whatever's waiting upstairs. Whatever's coming for us.
Because, ready or not, there's going to be lots of death and destruction before this is all over. And so help me God, if anyone tries to take her from me or harm her in any way, I'll burn the fucking world down to get her back.