Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
D imitrios
“And the cow is jumping over the moon.”
I vaguely heard Havros’ comment.
Goddamn fucking assholes. I was angrier than when we’d been floating out in the fucking abyss, almost eaten by sharks. I could have wrangled the creatures with my bare hands. Maybe I should have. Maybe I’d be able to think clearly now.
I noticed my two brothers were glancing between each other and toward Pops. His grin was wide.
“What?” I barked out. Yes, my nerves were rattled as fuck.
“You haven’t heard a word any of us have said. Have you?” my brother asked, snorting as if this was fun and games.
“No, he hasn’t. His mind is preoccupied.” Nico knew me even better than my brothers at this point, at least with regard to how I felt about Willow.
She’d almost fucking died. I’d yet to put that into any kind of perspective.
As I pulled the drink to my mouth, my thoughts drifted to her full rosy lips, soft and tender and perfectly positioned around the tip of my cock. Hell, she looked damn good on her knees, peering up at me with those doe eyes of hers.
Willow especially looked amazing naked on the beach, her sun-kissed skin shimmering in the sun.
The sadistic side of me wanted nothing more than to bind her wrists together, keeping her completely immobile while I fucked her like some wild animal. A tornado of lust swept through me, the ache impossible to ignore.
Everything about her evoked a deep and dangerous need that had only continued to build, especially after the incident in the garage. Hell, I’d wanted to fuck her in the airplane. Now that was reckless as fuck.
Somehow, her scent lingered, flaring in my nostrils as it had done so many times before. I flexed my fingers open and closed, longing for the buildup of heat when I brought my palm down against her rounded bottom.
Maybe we both needed for me to provide her with a round of discipline. I doubted she would follow my orders. But bringing her back to the house had been the best choice.
The only choice.
My phone had been replaced, brought to me by Atticus, and what had been the first call? An anonymous threat. Keeping an eye on her was required business.
Ensuring I had the right men around me was another.
“What did you say?” I asked, gritting my teeth for the tenth time that day.
“Pops asked if you had any idea who made the threatening call.” Havros was studying me carefully. Maybe I’d sprouted two heads.
I shook my only one. “No one I recognized unless we have some friends or business associates disguising themselves as the Joker.”
Christos sucked in his breath, blowing it out in a whistle. “Are you serious?”
“Exactly like in one of the movies.” That alone had been unnerving and it occurring in the middle of the night in a damn hospital room had only added to the fire I felt, the need to toss gasoline on someone.
“Someone knows about Willow.” My father’s voice reflected his own concern.
Havros eyed Christos again. “You haven’t told him,” Havros chided.
“I’ve been a little busy.”
Nico was stoic, but I could tell by the thick cords in his neck he wanted to become involved in the conversation. He’d hassled me for a solid hour the night before about enticing the assassin. Or as he’d called it, signing my death wish.
“Told me what? Are you in some kind of dangerous game?” My father might be in his late seventies, but he caught on quickly. There was nothing wrong with his mind.
“It’s necessary,” I told him.
Nico huffed.
Christos laughed. “You might as well tell him Willow is being used as bait. He’ll find out soon enough.”
What my younger brother didn’t know was that it was a page I’d stolen from my father’s playbook. He’d used our mother to lure one of his enemies into a tight net. They’d fallen in love afterwards.
My father laughed. “I think this calls for another drink. I value your ruthlessness, Dimitrios.”
“What?” Havros was shocked. “Are you kidding me? He was shot down by these people.”
“It’s part of our world. If you can’t handle the expectations of death, you aren’t cut out to be in a leadership position. I am curious. Her idea or yours?”
At least I could still smile about her spunk and tenacity. “Hers. We entered into a business arrangement.”
Atticus knocked then walked into the room. In his hand was his iPad, which usually meant he had information. His grin was entirely different than usual.
“You found something?” I asked.
“More like he found me. It would seem the Stalker has a sense of humor. My cover was blown on the dark web.” He handed me the handheld, his expression still one of amusement.
“What is it?” Christos asked, crowding my space.
“An intricate meme.” I handed it off.
Christos snorted then passed it to Havros. “Nice doctored picture of the two of you. You don’t look bad as the headless horseman.”
Another threat.
Father rose from his chair, first glancing at the cartoon before ambling toward the bar. He was in deep thought, taking time to refill his drink. “Clever. Just stay the course you’ve laid out, son. Willow is a strong woman. She will make an excellent partner. Both in business and in your personal life. When is the official beginning of this ruse?”
“Starting tomorrow at the funeral. After that, she’ll make another attempt at contacting her brother right after the engagement is announced. We’ll see what happens from there. Either her brother will come to her rescue, or he’ll remain in hiding. If that’s the case, we’ll know he is at minimum involved in planning something. Either way, I assure you I will hunt him down. He’s the key to every scrap of information.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be able to locate him. However, my guess is that your bride to be will manage to get through to her brother. It’s time our world changed, and grows into the future. Women are truly the strongest creatures. We need to allow them to work their magic.” He turned around, lifting his drink. “To a long and happy marriage and partnership. And grandkids.”
My brothers laughed, my men as well, but hearing my father’s desires to change business tactics was shocking.
Pleasantly so.
In a world where men ruled over women in every aspect, it was good to hear him talk that way. Yet Willow was still unpredictable and wild. Taming her wasn’t an option.
It was a requirement.
As my mind wandered to additional lurid places, the meeting was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Yes?” I called.
Eleni slipped inside, closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry to interrupt, sir, but I was coming in from shopping and there were three men being… questioned by some of your men.”
“Who are they, Eleni?”
“Davit Ajernian?”
Her pronunciation of the Armenian leader’s name was difficult for her, but I knew instantly who was standing on my doorstep. I took a few seconds to glance at the other men in the room. My father had experienced a friendly relationship with Davit’s father, but I’d had little contact with Davit himself. There’d been no need.
We weren’t considered enemies, our worlds completely different. However, he was considered a powerful leader of an international crime syndicate. “Show him in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Eleni. If you will, please take the items you purchased upstairs to Willow.”
“Of course.” Her face brightened.
“And thank you. You went out of your way to make her happy and that makes me happy.”
She opened her eyes wide. Willow had been right. I rarely offered my employees a thank you. That needed to change.
“Thank you, sir. I enjoy making you both happy. And if I may, I really like Miss Winters. She’s good for you.” Without daring to say anything else, she left the office, closing the door behind her.
Christos laughed while our father smiled. “She’s right,” my brother stated with mixed emotion. “I also think Willow is good for you.”
“How so?”
“You’re becoming human,” Havros added.
I snarled at him just as the light knock was followed by the door opening again. Three men walked inside. I recognized Davit from photos that had surfaced on the internet. The other two were obviously his soldiers. Both stood behind him. He approached with a bottle of liquor cradled in his arm, his hand out.
First, he shook my father’s hand. “Boss Nomikos,” he said as he lowered his head.
“Davit. It’s been a very long time,” Pops said to him.
“I was a young boy the last time.”
“It’s good to see you and say hello to your father. Dimitrios.”
Davit nodded, turning his full attention in my direction. It was obvious he had business on his mind.
“Forgive the intrusion, Dimitrios, but I wanted to provide my personal condolences for the loss of your brother. I realize bringing liquor to this meeting might seem inappropriate, but I couldn’t think of what else might be allowed.” He didn’t seem at all like I’d heard Pops describe.
However, that didn’t mean I could trust him. “Thank you, Davit. This is very kind of you.” I took it from his extended hand, gently placing it on the desk.
“Boss Nomikos. Havros. Christos. Please know my father is thinking of your family and extends his apologies for not being able to come himself. He is currently very ill. We do understand your loss as we lost my brother only months ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hadn’t heard,” my father said. “I’ll give him a call.”
“He’ll certainly appreciate hearing from you.” Davit smiled. “My brother had been ill for quite a while and it wasn’t a part of our business. I wondered if I could have a moment with you in private.”
He had to realize the people standing in this room with me were all trustworthy. But I could tell by the look in his eyes he had something specific and important to say.
“Let’s leave them alone, gentlemen,” Pops said, a clear indication they should follow his lead.
Davit moved to the back doors, peering out on our property. That allowed Havros to express his unhappiness by way of his gestures.
I waved him off. Free information was always worthwhile, no matter how the details were procured. Somehow, I had a feeling the afternoon was about to become more interesting.
The others were still in the process of leaving, which included his men as well when I offered him a drink.
“I would enjoy whatever you’re having,” he said as he turned back to face me.
“Gin and tonic it is.”
He smiled. “Very American.”
“The country does offer some incredible flavors.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. I’ve always wanted to go, but my father’s illness has kept me from doing so. We can’t always do what we want.”
I prepared the drinks as I tried to read between the lines. “How is business in your world?”
“As to be expected. Ups and downs.”
After stirring the drinks and adding lime, I walked toward him. “Yes, the way of our world.”
“The way of everyone’s world these days. It seems a preferred method of challenging our opponents is simply to hire someone to kill them. Problem solved.”
“Are you suggesting Leandro’s death was accidental in that the assassination was meant for me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. You must know your reputation is quite formidable. I wouldn’t put it past several world leaders to mandate your death. It would make their lives easier.”
I thought about Davit’s claim and smiled. How many threats had been sent to me over the years? Enough that most I didn’t take seriously. “How did you come by this information?”
“Just as you have informants, so do I. They hear things that I suspect you aren’t privy to.”
“Did these provide any names or details?”
“Only that the Stalker was hired to perform the assassination.” He waited to see if the news shocked me.
At least I knew a portion of what he was telling me was fact. Maybe to disarm him, I laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard of him. If he exists. Now that his original prey wasn’t killed, what are his plans?”
“I assure you that he exists and the Stalker never misses. The fact he did is a black mark I believe the man won’t overcome. In my experience, the easiest way someone can get close to their target is with assistance from someone the target trusts. If I were you, I’d be very careful who you confide in. I wish I could provide you with more, but given your reputation, I’m certain you’ll know what to do with what little I’ve told you.”
“If that’s the case, perhaps he’ll need protection for the real enemies.” It was entirely possible that goading him would provide additional answers.
“I doubt he’d appreciate working with anyone. Much as you would not.”
He was right about that.
After taking a sip of his drink, he smiled. “I was correct in my desire to visit America. Perhaps I’ll insist on placing that on the top of my agenda.”
One thing I did know about the Armenians, they would stop at nothing to gain power, even if that meant doing so by entering another country. They were smart people. They knew better than to take on the Nomikos family. However, that didn’t mean I shouldn’t consider him dangerous. An opportunist. I’d need to keep that in mind in the days to come.
“I appreciate you coming here, both in offering condolences as well as providing insight.” Why did I have the sense he had more on his mind? “Is there something else, Davit?”
“Threats are a necessary evil in the business we work in, Dimitrios. I feel the pressure all the time. In fact, I’ve received recent threats from an unknown source. My car was shot at by an unknown source only a couple days ago. It is entirely possible we’re both targets, someone desiring to take away all that we’ve worked to achieve.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. We live in a dangerous world.”
“Yes, we do. Perhaps after your brother’s funeral we could confer on certain business items that could be of mutual benefit.”
I had the distinct feeling he was here only to test the water temperature. It would be foolish of me to say no at this point.
As I moved toward him, holding out my hand, he certainly wasn’t surprised I’d agreed. He accepted the gesture, lifting his glass after grasping my hand.
We drank together, the hard stare something we’d both been taught to do. I held no animosity toward him, but trust wasn’t something I could afford at this point.
“I must admit. Hearing you survived a shark attack was impressive. You’ve got balls, my friend.”
“All in a day’s work.”
“Yes, I can tell that.” He took another gulp of his drink before slowly walking to the bar, even taking the time to pour the rest into the sink.
“Say hello to your father for the family,” I told him.
“I’ll do that.”
In the corporate world of crime syndicates, we were similar to any Fortune 100 company in the money we made, the clout we carried, and the influence we wielded like a weapon. Corporate moguls had enemies. While many pushed pens in their acts of devastation, the damage they could do equaled ours.
People mysteriously disappeared or were killed even in their illustrious and supposedly squeaky clean world. However, the acts taken were usually far less bloody and violent.
Usually.
There were always new groups vying to be top dog. It was how you handled the situation that could increase or ruin your reputation.
What I’d learned from Davit’s visit was it was entirely possible we were both facing the same enemy.
However, that would remain to be seen. I wasn’t a stupid man.
Often information provided came at a significant price.
Now I just needed to determine if that was the case with my Armenian friend.