Chapter 30
Lamya’s birthday party was tomorrow and the town was in full prep mode as Nolan snuck away at five in the morning. He’d kissed Helena and told her he had some work he needed to do and that he’d see her tonight.
The first plane out of the Lexington airport was a direct flight to New York City.
Nolan stepped out of the airport and waved down a taxi.
“Diakos Holdings,” Nolan told the driver before giving him the address for Helena’s father’s company.
He was early, so he made sure to pick up a dozen bagels from a place he’d heard Helena talk about before entering the lobby the moment it opened.
“Can I help you?” the security guard asked, stopping him from making it to the elevators.
“I’m here to see Mr. Diakos.” Nolan looked around and realized his jeans, boots, and the black quilted jacket with Keeneston Fire Department embroidered on the left chest were probably not what he should have worn to make the best impression.
He hadn’t thought about it when he’d hurried to buy the ticket.
He should have worn a suit. However, he just wasn’t a suit guy and it was important to Nolan that his future father-in-law liked him for him.
“Do you have an appointment?” the security guard asked as other people began to enter the building. They scanned ID cards, which meant they worked in the building and didn’t need to get a guest pass.
“I don’t, but if you could tell him Nolan Flynn from Keeneston is here, I’m sure he’d meet me.” The security guard practically laughed in Nolan’s face. “I’m Helena Diakos’s boyfriend.”
“You? Sorry, but I’ve known Helena for eight years. You’re not her type. Now, if you don’t have an appointment, I need to ask you to leave.”
“Would you just call up and ask if he will meet me? Please.” Nolan didn’t beg, but he wasn’t going to back down either. He should have asked Marcy Davies for one of her apple pies to bribe his way upstairs.
“Fine. I’ll take pity on you, but you leave the moment I hang up and this little game of yours is over.
” The guard picked up the phone and it was clear he was talking to Mr. Diakos’ assistant.
Then he was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh. Okay. I’ll send him up.” The guard hung up the phone and handed him a guest pass after Nolan signed in.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Flynn. Top floor. Tell Helena I said hi and I miss seeing her around.”
Nolan nodded. That wasn’t the hard part. Now came the hard part. Nolan walked to the elevator, pressed the top button, and waited. The door opened and a woman smiled at him. “Mr. Flynn, Mr. Diakos will see you now.”
The top floor had floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a 360-degree view of New York City.
Artwork that Nolan recognized was on the walls as people in expensive suits began to fill the offices.
He followed the assistant to the corner office where a man who reminded him of Helena sat behind a massive desk.
Everything about him screamed power and money.
That didn’t intimidate Nolan though. The fact that he was Helena’s father is what intimidated him.
“Thank you, Stacy. Please close the door on the way out.” Mr. Diakos sat back in his chair as Nolan stood in front of his desk. They both waited for the door to close before speaking. “This is a surprise, but I have a feeling I know why you’re here. Have a seat, Nolan.”
“Thank you, sir.” Nolan sat in a leather chair and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small red velvet case and set it on the table. “I want to ask Helena to marry me, but I thought it only right that we meet first. I know I’m asking a lot to get your blessing on such short notice.”
“But you’re here nonetheless.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Diakos reached across the table and opened the ring box. “The last man to ask for my blessing to marry Helena did so with a six-carat ring.”
“One is all I can afford and it would be financially irresponsible to spend more than I can afford while I’m also planning on a down payment for a house for us.
” Nolan took a steadying breath, and it somehow relaxed him.
“Sir, I know I’m not what you imagined as a son-in-law.
I’m a part-time firefighter and I manage my retired parents’ feed store, which is now mostly mine.
I can’t offer your daughter private jets to Paris for dinner.
However, I can offer her something so much more than that.
I love her for her. I don’t need or want anything from her or from you besides the chance to be family.
I didn’t go to an Ivy League college, but I do have a degree in agricultural management.
I live in an apartment, which, honestly is probably bigger than most New York City apartments.
And it, along with the building, is all mine.
No rent. And I have a twenty percent down payment saved for a house in Keeneston that I hope Helena will love.
It’s near her best friend, Quinn. I don’t have a trust fund, but I have a solid work ethic, a pension, a retirement, and will spend every day of my life making sure Helena knows she’s loved and cherished,” Nolan told her father, who sat back in his chair listening.
“What’s her favorite drink?”
Nolan was temporarily thrown by the question but answered it quick enough. “Champagne for alcohol and water with lime for everything else.”
“Favorite food?”
“This Greek pastry thing her grandmother makes that I can’t pronounce, but I’ve introduced her to a hot brown that might tie it.”
“How often does she use the private jet?”
“Not very often. She told me she wants to prove to both herself and to you, just like you did when you left your family’s business in Greece.
However, I can see her using it for someone else before she’d use it for herself.
” Nolan answered the rapid-fire questions from her father, who didn’t seem to blink.
Nolan could see where Helena got the calm demeanor that made her such a good attorney.
“Will you sign a prenup that gives you nothing more than what you have right this moment in time if there’s a divorce?”
“In a heartbeat because we’ll never need it.”
“You’re not going to negotiate a settlement?” That got a reaction of disbelief out of Mr. Diakos.
“What kind of asshole does that?” Nolan was disgusted by the idea that he would negotiate money for Helena.
Mr. Diakos laughed and shook his head before standing up and holding out his hand across the desk.
“You’re everything Helena told me you were.
I’ve been eager to meet you since your name started coming up after her first trip to Keeneston.
My daughter may be hard to read for some people, but not to me.
I knew this day was coming, so I’m going to tell you the truth.
I had you investigated at the first mention of your name.
You, Nolan Flynn, are exactly the kind of man I have always wanted for my daughter.
I think you’ll both be very happy together.
My Helena will do what she wants, and marrying you is what she wants.
I do appreciate the visit nonetheless. It confirms the kind of man my report said you were.
Welcome to the family, son. You'd better call me Rafail. Now, get ready to have a lot of Greek women very invested in your future babies. But, trust me, the homemade food is worth it.”
Nolan shook Mr. Diakos’s hand and smiled. “I’m afraid they’ve got nothing on the town of Keeneston. There are already bets on our wedding day and future children.”
That had Mr. Diakos laughing. “No wonder Helena loves it there. It makes her feel at home.”
Helena, Lamya, and all the others stood in their new clothing. “This is bulletproof?” Helena asked for the fifth time. It looked like a cream-colored sweater dress that curved to her body without clinging.
“And knife-proof. That’s nanotechnology for you,” Greer answered with a smile.
Abu and Kuol modeled their suits. Lamya, Fiza, and Nafisa all wore long dresses in bright winter colors. Theirs were reinforced with a corset-type top that really was a thin layer of extra Kevlar since they were more at risk.
“It’s just slightly heavier than what I normally wear but otherwise, I would have no idea,” Lamya told them, giving the dress a little twirl. “Do you really think Garang will show up?”
“Intelligence says he’s already in the U.S.,” Bowen answered for Greer. “We’re tracking his team. There are fake roadblocks set up to make him think he’s sneaking into town, but we’re ready for him.”
“Now, let me show you one other feature of the corsets,” Greer told them as she pulled out three daggers. “There’s a sheath inside the dress so you will be armed at all times.”
“What about me?” Kuol asked. “I need to be ready to guard Lamya and my cousins. That is my job.”
“Helena has convinced me to give you a chance to prove you’re mature enough to handle it.
I was shooting at nineteen, so I’ll give you a chance.
You will come with Ahmed and me to the training center.
If you can pass their firearms course, I will let you carry a weapon that is to be used only in defense of your friends.
Understood?” Greer asked very seriously.
“Yes, let’s go.” Kuol took off his tie and, with a look far too mature for a teenager, stalked from the room. Helena had seen the boy kill Garang’s men already. He was on a mission, and age had nothing to do with it. This was personal and he would get revenge for those he loved.
“The parties are all set up,” Veronica told them as she walked into the room with a thick folder. “Each location has a different theme to keep it festive. Everyone knows where and when to report and decorations are complete. Food is almost complete as well. We will be ready for tomorrow.”
Helena nodded. This was good. She wanted this set up and over, but at the same time she didn’t want it to happen. She hated the idea of making Lamya, her family, her friends, and herself a target. But if they wanted this nightmare to end, they were going to do it on their terms.
Night fell as Helena finished going over the planning. Tomorrow, each director would arrive separately and be picked up by one of the Davies brothers. Everything was in place and no more planning was needed when Nolan’s truck rolled up the drive and stopped outside the security center.
The town was buzzing with excitement, but all Helena wanted was to make the world disappear for the night.
One kiss told Nolan what she needed and he instinctively seemed to know.
Nolan took her home, made her dinner, and then made her forget everything, including her own name.
The reprieve was delicious, but all too soon the morning sun rose and it was time to face the devil.