Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
D imitrios
Willow walked away from me again.
And I’d allowed her to walk away from me. Again.
She had her head high, but I could tell she was holding back sobs, refusing to cry in front of me. Her tearstained face had nearly torn me apart. She’d needed to understand that she had no choice but to follow my rules, but to do it that way was…
Barbaric.
Fuck. I’d seen desire in her eyes. I’d felt the electricity burning brightly within both of us. I’d felt the energy as my adrenaline and pheromones had almost allowed me to cross the line.
But it couldn’t happen.
I slowly headed toward the house, cognizant that she’d found the back door, storming inside. The woman riled everything within me, but the arousal, the need to touch her was getting out of hand.
My thoughts should be considered ugly, the longing I’d felt to strip her naked by the fountain remaining. The sight of her rounded bottom alone had forced my balls to tighten.
Another thought crushed the sensual yearning. What if her father wasn’t who he’d always purported himself to be? Was it possible he was the real catalyst in all of this? It was just something else to add to the mix.
“ Móno oi anóitoi pistévoun aftó pou eínai brostá sto prósopó tous .”
Only fools believe what’s right in front of their face. That was one of my father’s favorite sayings. It had turned into Gregory’s as well since I’d heard that from the time I was a young boy.
Gregory.
Another complication I didn’t need.
A strangled laugh rushed to the surface and I was barely inside before both Christos and Havros accosted me.
“What the fuck have you found out?” Christos pushed.
“Not enough at this point. Shane is nowhere to be found.”
“That’s not good enough. We won’t be able to keep Leandro’s death under wraps for long.”
My breathing was becoming more labored and while I understood Havros’ anger, I wasn’t going to accept being questioned. “We work through the channels. Willow has already made contact. A voicemail.”
“I hope you have that woman under control. She knows something!” Christos pointed his finger at me and I got up close and personal.
“I suggest you calm down. Do you understand me?”
He backed off, but I sensed his rage was increasing. “We need to make plans. What the hell are we going to do about his funeral?”
“We will hold it. Just not for a few days.” I looked from one to the other. “Understood?”
Havros sighed. “And the girl?”
“For now, she will be considered my guest. You do remember her. Keep in mind she knows all of us.”
Havros laughed. “I doubt she’s an innocent child any longer.”
“Havros is right. She’s different than before.” Christos rubbed his jaw.
“Because she’s an adult now. She’s also smart and refuses to take my shit.”
“But does she know something?” Havros pushed.
“Honestly? I don’t think so, but I’m no fool, gentlemen. If she aids our foes, she will be treated the same as anyone else who betrays the family.” The commitment was what they needed to hear. The sentiment was entirely different.
I would never lay a finger on her other than basic discipline.
Never.
“What about the soldiers? The other employees? With the idiot boasting at the club, there’s no telling what kind of crap the staff is talking about. They will be asking questions.” Havros was right.
“Tell them nothing for today.” My answer surprised both. I almost always knew what the right decision was. But right now, I had no clue.
“We won’t be able to get away with that for long,” Christos stated, his voice falling off.
“No, we won’t. But I need to come to terms with his death. We all do.”
We’d never been at a loss for words, our family commitment to each other strong enough to withstand almost anything. However, we’d never anticipated losing one of our own, especially in such an egregious manner.
Havros cleared his throat. At least his hard expression softened. “What about Willow’s parents? Do you know anything?”
Deaths were tragic enough without violence being involved. “From what I heard from one of the contacts in the police, one of the neighbors called it in. They heard a woman’s scream then total silence. When the police arrived, the couple was already dead, but they obviously put up a fight.”
“That doesn’t sound like the MO of the Stalker,” Christos noted.
“No, it rings of a retaliation kill.” It was also more personal, a knife or some other sharp weapon used, which placed the killer up close and personal. “The amount of blood could possibly indicate there was more than one assailant, but that remains to be seen during the investigation.”
“We might be dealing with something entirely different than what we believed.” Havros scratched his head. “If Shane Winters is the Stalker, perhaps he fucked up.”
I took a deep breath before answering. “Perhaps. Or maybe the MO was purposely changed.”
“Or his parents were killed to lure him out,” Christos suggested.
“Yes. Which is exactly what we need to do at this point.” I’d already determined that before, but with no hard evidence, no threats to the family, I was beginning to wonder if Leandro hadn’t been the target.
“You’re using Willow as bait. Aren’t you?” Havros had a smile on his face.
The reality of what I was doing was a low blow, not only for Willow but also for the Nomikos reputation. However, at this point there were few options. “As I told her, I’ll do what’s necessary to keep the family safe, the business protected.”
“What now?”
I took a long look at Christos. It was obvious he’d had less sleep than I had. “Arrange to have her clothes brought to the house. Place additional men on the clubs, including those enjoying the sights and sounds of our guests. It started with Sin and Shame so I have a feeling there will be more violence in one of them.”
Havros nodded. “I’ll task Nico to arrange for the men to work overtime.”
“What about doing a more extensive background check on Winslow and Dottie Winters?” Christos asked, his grin returning.
“Good idea. Go for it.” My brother had a flair for handling our connections. Why not task him to have several lengthy discussions?
“Will do.”
“Leandro’s murder must be solved. We cannot afford to lose any additional people.” The ache from the loss was even more pronounced than before. “And brothers. Make certain everyone knows I’m not a man to be fucked with.”
There was nothing else to say to either one of them. After they left, I knew another phone call had to be made.
Gregory.
Lying to him had always been difficult, which was why we’d steered clear of having any discussions about my family. He didn’t need to be burdened with information that could be used against him. There was always the possibility an enemy could use him as a way of getting to me. That much he’d been told. That had allowed him a chance to tell me to fuck off.
No more friendship.
But he’d stuck with me, enjoying the man beneath the persona. How many years had we been friends? The fact he’d brought his entire family to meet mine had meant so much. I’d allowed my guard to fall. So had my parents and brothers. We’d all been one big happy family.
Now this.
Other than talking with my parents about Leandro, this was perhaps the most difficult phone call I would need to make. There were no words to ease the pain. I knew that far too well. I took long strides toward the bar, my rage spiking unexpectedly. Why did either one of our families have to go through something so tragic?
I poured way too much gin, barely adding any tonic. As I took a swig, I was grateful for the smooth, rich flavor, but I knew far too well there’d be no insight or courage gained.
Or peace.
Nothing would provide that.
I allowed myself to think about Willow, my concern running deep. She’d gone through so much I sensed her emotions were fragile, but she was a survivor as well. That was easy to see. Sadly, my thoughts weren’t as professional as they should be. Nor were they acceptable. However, my lurid wants and needs wouldn’t be denied.
My mind drifted to the filthy things I wanted to do to her.
Running my hands over her lithe body as I ripped off her clothes.
Kissing her soft lips before thrusting my tongue into her mouth.
Tasting every inch of her.
Pressing my cock between her long legs seconds before she wrapped them around my hips.
And fucking her for hours on end, taking her several times.
Fuck.
I was losing all sense of perspective. Any concept of decency had been tossed out the window.
Get your shit together. She isn’t to be touched.
No, she wasn’t.
Business was required. I shook my head as if that would help alleviate the cobwebs she’d managed to create. The phone call had to be made.
Given it was almost seven p.m. in Athens, that meant it was noon in New York City, the place Gregory now called home. There was no good time, so I pressed the single button for his number, moving toward the set of doors leading out to my private patio. Once outside, he almost immediately picked up.
“This is getting to be a habit,” Gregory stated. Given his voice was still chipper, holding a sense of amusement, I knew the Athens police had yet to contact him.
I had no doubt the police had already tried to contact Willow. So far, no one had texted or tried to call again. Additional proof Shane was already dead or hiding. I’d heard the strangled urgency in her voice. If that didn’t prompt Shane to return the call then one of my two suspicions was correct.
“A habit I hope will continue.”
“What’s wrong? I can always tell when you’re holding back on me.” He was still laughing, noise in the background indicating he wasn’t alone.
“Greg, listen to me. Wherever you are, can you step outside or go into another room?”
“O-kay. I don’t like the sound of this, but sure.” He did as I asked. I heard a door close. “I was just prepping for a lunch meeting, but the assholes can wait. What is going on, bra?” He’d used the term for brother since I could remember, acting like the Boston brat he was. Fortunately, his accent wasn’t as strong as it used to be.
Neither was mine.
“There’s been a terrible incident in Athens.”
“Incident? What the hell?”
“Greg, there’s no easy way to say this. Your brother and his wife were killed.”
I heard my friend suck in his breath then all was quiet. Too quiet.
“Are you there?” I asked him.
“How?” The single word allowed me to hear clearly just how affected he was by the news. I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath.
“Murdered. It was violent and I’m not going to lie to you, so far there are no suspects.”
A noise indicated he’d either sat down or tossed something. “What about my niece and nephew? Where are they? Are they hurt? Do they know? How the fuck do you know?”
“Calm down. Willow is with me.”
“With you. Alright. And Shane?” He seemed confused.
“He’s nowhere to be found.”
After snorting I could hear his nervous laughter. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“That means he’s not answering his phone and Willow hasn’t seen him since they arrived, although he was supposed to attend a family celebration.”
“My God.”
I allowed him time to absorb what I’d told him, if that was even possible.
“Okay. What is Willow doing with you?” My friend was already moving to the anger phase. Something I knew far too well.
“She’s under my protection.”
The next round of silence was followed by an explosion of emotion including hatred. “So that fucking life of yours finally affected my family? My. Family? I told you never to allow them to know about your business. I asked you one thing from our friendship. One. Never, ever to allow your fucking criminal world to bleed over into theirs. Let me guess. This is all because of you and your fucking mafia friends. Right?”
“Greg. Leandro was also murdered.”
He hadn’t been expecting that. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. You think the same people killed all three. Right?”
Exhaling, I held the glass to my head. “I do. That’s why Willow is here.”
He would eventually find out I’d lied to him, but right now, what he was discovering was far too painful to add onto the shit he’d be forced to deal with.
“Keep my niece safe. No matter what you need to do, keep her safe.”
The anguish from keeping him partially in the dark wasn’t something that would go away any time soon. “Don’t worry, my friend. I will protect her with my life. Now, I need to ask you a difficult question.”
“What isn’t difficult right now? Just ask me.”
“What do you really know about your nephew? Have you kept in touch with him? Are you aware of his activities, his job description?”
Gregory laughed, but I sensed anger in his tone. “What the fuck are you getting at?”
It was time to remove the kid gloves. “Is there a chance he hasn’t been working as a foreign diplomat for quite a while?”
“You asshole.”
“Learning about Shane’s activities recently is vital to determining who placed a target on your brother’s head. I know you’re angry with me and perhaps you have every right to be, but this is my world. Not yours. If you know anything that might help, it’s best you tell me.”
“Why does that sound like a threat, my friend ?”
“It’s not a threat. But a promise that whoever killed my brother will face my wrath. Do you understand?”
“Oh, I get it. You’ve pinned this on my nephew because you’ve lost touch with your dangerous organization. Well, don’t bring my family into this. My brother and his wife are dead. I blame you.”
Blame was something I was used to.
He ended the call as I’d known he would. In a world where monsters were often considered heroes, the common man, one with no ruthless intentions the underdog, he’d proven that the two worlds couldn’t mix. I’d lost a friend over accepting the position I’d been born into.
It was painful but necessary.
My loyalty had to remain with my family.
No matter the circumstances.
No matter the danger.
No matter the lies.
I would soon need to lay down the gauntlet. As soon as I did, it would be time to see how many cockroaches crawled out of the darkness.
One thing was certain. I’d enjoy crushing them.
However, I’d made a pledge to protect Willow and I intended on keeping it.
Even if it meant crossing the line.