18. Finn
CHAPTER 18
Finn
The really lovely thing about Percy was that he could have had any car on the planet waiting for us for as long as necessary so he wouldn’t have to wear his feet out, but he never did. Percy walked everywhere. “If it’s not going to give me heat stroke, I’d rather walk,” he said when I pointed it out. “Besides, people know me in the States despite keeping a low profile. Walking around the city isn’t advised.”
So when we docked an hour before sunset, we strolled down the marble-paved promenade that led out of the town harbor and to the long city beach. He held my hand all the way there, never once letting go, and my resolve only grew stronger.
Fight for what makes you happy, not for what turns you into a bitter, vengeful person , I reminded myself. The lies I had woven into a spider web around myself were loosening. I could break out of them. The glimmer of the near future in which that was true was so beautiful and relaxing that it reminded me just how heavy all the lying had been.
“We’re going home soon,” Percy mused as we slowed down to a leisurely walk along the beach. If we remained on the sand, we would go directly to the sea-facing side of his house. The rising tide narrowed the beach significantly. People lounged on sandbeds with cocktails in their hands, enjoying the sunset.
“I thought you’d be happier,” I said. He had been complaining about the gathering since the moment we had met.
“It’s always sad when it’s almost over,” Percy replied, a small smile curling the corners of his lips.
“The grass is always greener on the other side,” I muttered.
He laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, my worst fears would have come true if it weren’t for you.”
“Darling, your worst fears are your family slightly invading your privacy,” I said.
Percy locked his gaze on mine and swiftly poked his fingers into the side of my ribcage, making me yelp and swat his hand away. “You weren’t there,” Percy growled.
We teased each other on the way to his beachfront villa. It was a walk filled with laughter and jokes. There wasn’t a single thing to worry about. Percy exaggerated just how nosy his family had been in the past. He shuddered when he spoke about the blind dates Judith had been setting up for him, wondered aloud what to do about Benny Tupper’s relentless business proposals, and mentioned how scared he had been to come out to his parents. “But they just looked at me like I was crazy. ‘Darling, of course you are gay. What on Earth did you imagine we thought?’”
I threw my head back and laughed out loud. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. And I still don’t know how they knew,” Percy said.
“I imagine there’s a rainbow aura around me whenever I open my mouth, but you’re almost straight-passing,” I said.
“Almost?” Percy gasped, one hand clutching his chest.
“Not so straight-passing anymore,” I said.
He chuckled and bumped his shoulder against mine, making me stumble.
“And what did you say to them?” I asked.
Percy hesitated a moment, then shrugged. “I cried. I’m still not sure if it was happiness or relief, or fear catching up, but I remember that my mouth dropped open, and I shuddered all over. So Dad tilted his head and put a hand on my shoulder. ‘Son, we were hoping for this. Of course, we would never pressure you either way if you were, say, straight…’”
I laughed so hard that I drowned the rest of his words. “They’d love you all the same if you were straight, huh?”
“Mom said she would never have to compete with another woman for my love,” Percy said. Alicia’s sense of humor flew over Percy’s head more often than not. “And she said they had their money on Emily coming out as bi within a year. And other than one drunken kiss in college, Emily is straight, so their gaydar is pretty broken.”
We arrived at the house and climbed the wooden steps from the beach to the pool deck some ten minutes later, laughing and speaking hurriedly the way new couples always did. I hoped this would last a long time. I hoped we wouldn’t just drift apart and I simply couldn’t see that happening. I was falling for him hard, but there was something stronger and steadier underneath my infatuation. It was a bond that was built on growing trust. You are my person , this part of me silently told Percy. We are one .
Emily was on the sun deck, cringing at the faint sounds of moaning and shouting from inside the house. They weren’t exactly crying sounds, but they came near it.
“What’s going on?” I asked before Percy could.
“Benny,” Emily said. “He tasted too many spirits on an empty stomach, got drunk, and thought it would be a brilliant idea to diversify his investment portfolio.” A small smile touched her face, but she ironed it out quickly.
“And how did he do that?” Percy asked.
Emily paused for dramatic effect, suppressing a bubble of laughter visibly. “He sauntered over to Harry Peterson’s widow and tried to serenade her, thinking Aunt Judith couldn’t see him.”
My mouth dropped open, but the demon siblings snapped their mouths like they were trying to bite down their laughter. “Dear me,” Percy said. “Is Aunt Judith very upset?”
Emily shot him a deviously mischievous look. “What do you think?”
I imagined that she very much would be, but Percy and Emily seemed pretty chill about the whole thing.
It didn’t seem to interest Percy much beyond saying, “Problems tend to resolve themselves if you’re patient enough.” He kicked his sandals off and sat on a lounger chair facing the pool. “Got any more of that Citron, sis?”
“Would I go all the way up there without bringing any for my brother?” Emily asked sarcastically. “It’s chilling in the fridge.”
Percy tucked his hands under his head and sighed contentedly. “Are you joining us, babe?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I gotta…”
“She’s fine, Finn,” Percy said. “Trust me.”
I decided I would trust him with my secrets, but I wasn’t so sure he understood the concept of being fine in this case. “I’ll just go and make sure that’s the case.”
“Sweet as a muffin, our Finn,” Emily said.
I didn’t understand them one bit, so I went inside and heard the shouting for myself. “…want to see you near my boy again. Go to that woman. See if she’ll have you. See if she swoons so easily.”
Benny stumbled into the hallway with an old, worn suitcase and a hat on his head, sweat pouring down his red face. “It was an honest mistake, Judy. I didn’t realize it was her house.”
“Out!” Aunt Judith bellowed, and Benny tripped as he moved backward. He saw me and pressed his handkerchief against his forehead.
“Finney,” he blurted. “Is Percy around, perchance? I was wondering if he gave that submarine idea some thought. Good business, that is.”
“I’m afraid he hasn’t, Benny,” I said. “Sinking things aren’t the soundest investment.”
“Well, we’ll be in touch,” Benny said, trying for some surety in his cracking tone. “My people will reach out to his people. We’ll have it all sorted out. Plenty of opportunities. Plenty. Anyway…” He stumbled backward toward the door and bowed out.
Aunt Judith stood straight in the bedroom when I appeared in the open doorway. “Um, Judith, are you…okay?”
“Oh, Finn,” Aunt Judith said, her face stern and hard. “Did you hear all of that?”
“Just the last bit,” I admitted. “I’m so sorry about the way it turned out.”
Aunt Judith smoothed her blouse a little and looked at me in wonder. “Sorry? What on Earth for?”
“Um…Benny being a, well, a scammer.” My words only seemed to confuse her. “That’s why he was here, right?”
Aunt Judith threw her head back and laughed until she jiggled all over. “Oh, darling Finn, don’t be sorry. Benny’s biggest sin was that he was nowhere near as fun as I’d imagined. But that’s my mistake.”
“You knew?” I asked.
Judith looked at me levelly. “Of course I knew, Finn. Who do you take me for?” It seemed to amuse her endlessly to watch confusion ripple across my face. “I’m sixty-two, dear, and I am perfectly happy to remain single. My priorities aren’t the same as yours because you’re still so young.” She smiled softly. “I don’t want a husband, Finn. I don’t want someone in my house where all my things are.” She practically shuddered before relaxing a little. “Ah, but we all like to have a bit of fun and a bit of attention, and who is better at flattery than the snake oil salesman?”
My brain blocked the images of a bit of fun, like an explicit Google Image search, blurring the reality so I wouldn’t have to live with the memory of it. Still, the surprise made my body vibrate. “But…” I stammered and fell silent.
Aunt Judith shrugged a little and moved toward me. “But why did I let a faithless stranger into Alicia and Lawrence’s home? He couldn’t do any harm, Finn. Do you think this was the first Benny Tupper that came after Percy’s wealth? Since he sold that strange encryption code, he’s been attracting them like honey attracts flies. Sometimes, they’re fun, dear.”
I wasn’t sure if I was horrified that Aunt Judith reeled in scammers for some summer fun or impressed by her vitality.
The mischief was gone from her face. “I’ll admit I didn’t realize Benny was like that until he arrived, but his proposals to Percy were a subtle hint.” She added sarcastic emphasis on that word. “It was a disappointment, but also a relief. And Emily looked him up, discovering a string of bankruptcies. That man has ruined every company he has touched, but he sure can row a boat if he thinks it’ll get him into other people’s bank vaults.”
Again, I refused to consider what rowing a boat meant, even as I recalled Benny Tupper literally rowing them out to sea one morning.
“A bit of drama, darling, that’s all there is to it. It’s the spice of life,” Aunt Judith said wisely.
I wasn’t sure I agreed. I could totally sign up for a life without a single excitement. If I could just curl up next to Percy on a sofa in the evening, and if we could just have a cat nestled between us, I could spend my whole life that way. I didn’t need intrigue and drama. I’d had more than enough of it in my life already.
And what are you if not a lowly scammer here to provide some fun for your host? I heard myself asking internally. It was a terrible thought, cold and nasty, and I tried to rid myself of the icky feeling it left in me once it crossed my mind. I wasn’t like Benny and Percy wasn’t using me for some quick release. If anything, I was more devious than Benny, and Percy more trusting than Judith.
“You are a darling for worrying, Finn,” Aunt Judith said. “But put him out of your mind and get ready for the party. We only have two days to go.”
“Well, I’m glad Benny hasn’t hurt your feelings,” I said, wondering if I was going to hurt Percy’s feelings. He knew I was in trouble, but he had no clue just how much trouble. I wondered if he would be relieved once he knew just how serious that flash drive was.
Aunt Judith hugged me, then sent me on my way because she needed a bit of rest. As I closed the door of her room, I saw Percy standing in the open space between the kitchen island and the living area, fiery beams of sunset pouring into the house from behind him. Emily had a bottle of some Naxos brandy in her hand, Nektaria and Dimitrios were in the kitchen getting dinner ready, and Alicia and Lawrence had appeared on the balcony, wet after a swim in the sea. Percy gazed at me and I at him.
A gust of wind from an open door pulled the white curtains behind Percy up and they billowed in the draft. Percy’s gaze slid from me to the main door that was three paces behind me. His face split between a welcoming smile and a creasing worry. “Richie,” he greeted.
Even as the first word left the newcomer’s lips, my stomach opened into a hollow abyss and my heart fell through it. “Anybody home?” The dark, deep voice of the billionaire investor and crypto scammer Richard Harrison chilled my blood and spilled goosebumps down my spine.
My ears rang and my throat closed tightly as I fought hard against the urge to sprint off. I turned slowly on my heels and found myself face to face with the man who had ruined my family, threatened me into exile, and, at one point, tried to get me into his bed. His cold, shark-like gaze turned to me, the corners of his lips growing hard and still, and he pointed at a small suitcase he had just lowered by the foot of the stairs. “You may take my luggage to my room.” He turned his gaze warmly to Percy, inhaling as if to say something.
In a moment of pure shock and horror, I saw myself bending down to pick up Richard’s luggage, my heart pounding out of my chest.
“No, Finn. Don’t do that,” Percy said, half-confused and half-chuckling. “Richie can take his own luggage. Can’t you, Richie? Finn’s not staff.”
Richard Harrison—or Dick as his acquaintances in New York City’s most exclusive clubs had called him around me—made an apologetic face. “Oh, forgive me, I thought you were hired to help with the party. My bad.” His smile was so genuine and open that some small part of me thought this couldn’t have been the same man, but then I looked into his eyes and nothing was smiling there.
“Welcome, old friend,” Percy said, coming closer to me.
I held my breath, waiting for Richard to tell them I had stolen his most private data after gaining his trust. I waited for them to turn on me. The Davenports were battered with scammers whose only goal was to extract whatever they could from Percy. Why shouldn’t they believe I was just like everyone else? And how was I any different? How was I different from Benny Tupper and his sort?
“It’s good to be here again, Percy,” Richard said. A stubble covered the lower half of his hard face. His teeth were pearly white when he smiled and his voice was deep, but not menacing like it had been the last time we had spoken.
“You’ve met Finn. My boyfriend,” Percy said, letting go of Richard after a brief hug.
“I sure have,” Richard said. It made my stomach turn as he directed his gaze at me. He offered me a hand to shake and I took it limply. His hand was cold and mine was sweaty. He squeezed me just enough to make me notice. “Sorry about the confusion, Finn .”
Not that long ago, he had known me as Matthias. His subtle pressure on my hand and the emphasis on my name that might have sounded to everyone else like a man trying to commit a new name to memory were enough to warn me of a hellishly bad time to come. He wasn’t going to out me just like that. Of course not. It would be too risky for him.
But he sure as hell was glad that fate had brought us to the same house.
Richard released my hand and moved to hug Emily, passing between me and Percy to get there. I stared at the back of his head, still numb with shock, and I flinched when something touched the small of my back.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s me,” Percy said, amused, and tried to wrap his arm around my waist again.
I forced a smile to my lips. There was a sliver of worry in Percy’s eyes, but our attention drifted back to Richard as Alicia and Lawrence walked into the house. “Richie, darling, you’re as arrogant as ever. Where on Earth is your valet?” Alicia said, making me choke.
Richard chuckled warmly. “You’re ravishing, Alicia. The silver in your hair looks good on you.”
Her laughter was melodic and warm, obviously pleasing her to duel with backhanded compliments. “Welcome to Paradise,” Alicia said, kissing Richard twice.
As my heart hammered in my chest and my stomach filled with acid, I learned that my fight-or-flight instinct was broken. Had I been an antelope and he a lion, Richard Harrison would be enjoying a fine feast by now. I was stunned off my feet, which were fused solidly to the floor until Percy nudged me forward a little.
Nektaria was dicing a carrot furiously and Dimitrios ignored everyone while pouring white wine into a decanter. Emily looked away from me when my gaze went to her, but she still wore her little smile, speaking to her mother in the next heartbeat.
The flurry of activity around the dinner began and it felt like a swarm of bees flying around my head.
We moved toward the terrace and the dining table. Alicia and Lawrence went in to get dressed, talking under their breaths about this party being their anniversary, and I was able to put together the rest of their opinions on the new arrival. Emily was going to speak to Aunt Judith about Benny, which left Percy, Richard, and me on the terrace.
“I forgot how beautiful the view was,” Richard said as he sank into a chair. “Is this your first time here, Finn?” He was the definition of friendliness and politeness, but I remembered the hatred that dripped from his steel-like tone during our last conversation.
“Uh-huh,” I said, squeezing the sound through my strangled throat.
“How do you know Percy?” he asked conversationally. “I don’t think he mentioned you the last time we spoke.”
“Oh, that’s a funny story,” Percy said, putting his hand on my knee. “Just before we spoke, I slipped and made up a boyfriend- sized excuse to avoid coming here and Finn just sort of crashed into my life to play the part.”
No, dammit. Don’t tell him that , I thought. He hadn’t admitted this to his own sister, yet he spilled the beans to the worst man I had ever met. God dammit. I was sweating through and shivering on the inside as if a terrible fever rocked me.
“How convenient,” Richard said. “That sounds exactly like something you’d do, Percy.”
“Tell no one,” Percy said lightly. “But here we are, in Paradise, and, well, we’re taking this seriously.” Percy looked at me with a smile that warmed his eyes in ways that Richard could never pull off. This was what genuine care looked like, I reminded myself. “Oh, let me get us some glasses,” Percy said, glancing at the bottle of Citron Emily had left on the table.
“And some good wine, please,” Richard said as Percy got up. Terror soared through me. Don’t fucking leave me alone with him . “You know I can’t drink these things without causing a scene.”
Or keeping your mind sharp when we all start slipping , I thought.
Percy saluted his ex-boyfriend and the man who was partially responsible for Percy’s wealth. I wondered how deep their friendship ran. Percy had invited Richard here despite the fact that nobody liked this man.
As Percy slipped behind the curtains, Richard turned his cold gaze to me, and I found myself wanting to cower. Instead, I lifted my chin defiantly.
“You are a hard man to track down, Matthias,” Richard said in a low voice. “But the game is up. Give me the drive.”
I ground my teeth. “What makes you think it’s not with the FBI?”
Richard didn’t even blink at that. “I might not have known your real name, but I know that you are a spiteful little shit. You wouldn’t be in Greece hiding from me if the drive wasn’t here. Besides, do you really think I wouldn’t have heard from someone if you’d surrendered my private belongings to the bureau?”
He was bluffing. He couldn’t have bribed all of the FBI. Right? I chose to believe so. “You’re never gonna find it.”
“I don’t need to,” Richard said. “Because I found you.”
“This is what they call a Mexican standoff, right?” I spat back. “You shoot me and I shoot you.”
Richard thought about it offhandedly. “You made a terrible mistake, Matthias. These are my friends here. I made these people rich. Do you really think they’ll believe you when you tell them whatever you think you know?”
“You’re wrong,” I whispered. “They’re not your friends.”
“Percy is. He and I go way back. Way, way back. That man is so love-starved that he’ll forgive me for breaking his little fantasy with you if only there’s another shoulder to cry on.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I husked. Liar.
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. But you have twenty-four hours to give me the drive or I’m telling them everything tomorrow. Do you hear me? And the weather is almost always perfect. I don’t remember a single rainy day here. Isn’t that right, Percy?” Richard looked at the curtain as it moved aside and Percy walked out. He carried the glasses and a decanter.
“That’s right,” Percy said. “It’s as close to Heaven as it gets.” He poured Richard a glass of wine. “What would you like, Finn?” he asked.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was terribly dry. Percy looked at me oddly and I felt so isolated in the following heartbeat that part of me wanted to get up and run. “Actually, I should shower while you two catch up. I can feel salt on my skin.”
“Went out for a swim, huh?” Richard asked conversationally.
“Took the yacht out to Delos and back,” Percy explained in a casual tone. “Dinner’s going to be in an hour,” he told me.
“Plenty of time for a quick shower,” I said hurriedly.
Percy lifted his head and shot me an innocent smile, his lips quivering for a moment before he smiled. “Do I get a kiss?”
Richard looked away as I leaned in and pressed my lips against Percy’s. God, they were so warm and sweet. I hated everything about this. I hated that all my resolve had gone out of the window. And I hated the creeping doubts that filled my heart after I pulled away from him.
Would he pick my side or Richard’s? Would he put his blanket trust into someone he barely knew, a certified liar and a thief, who reminded him of another liar who had just been sent out of the house in a cloud of dust? Or would he trust the man who had helped him create all this wealth that, as a side effect, attracted scammers in troves?
I smiled at Percy as warmly as I could while turning away and I went upstairs to our shared room. Every step was heavier than the one before it and my heart sank whenever I heard laughter from the terrace.
I believed Richard that he would give me twenty-four hours. I believed that he would wait for my will to cave in and for the drive to return to him. He was scared of me, but I was scared more. Because he had done the one thing he had wanted to do. He had made me doubt whether this place was safe at all.