Chapter Twenty-Three
Mitch
One Month Later
Corfu didn’t have a big airport, much to my relief, because saying goodbye to my boys wasn’t easy, and I wasn’t in the mood for huge crowds.
“They’ll be fine.” Kirsty, the chaperone for minors, smiled at me. She wore a navy uniform with the airline’s logo on the breast pocket, and her dark hair was cut into a fantastically neat bob. “And I’ll get them to message you as soon as we land.”
“Thanks.” I steeled myself for the goodbyes.
Nathan and Harry had spent the first week of my two-week holiday in Greece with Amy and me. But that was as long as Sarah would part with them. School started again in a few days, and they had to be home.
She had a point.
But it had been wonderful. I hadn’t felt so whole or so happy for as long as I could remember.
Amy was a natural with Nathan and Harry.
She treated them with kindness and was friendly and engaging, but on their terms. Which to be honest were pretty intense terms. It was clear they both enjoyed her company and chatting all things sport with her.
They were eager to get inside information on the workings of the big clubs they followed.
I’d sat full of pride and with a full beer while she’d charmed them as much as they had her. There’d been tight throats and a few sniffs when they’d said goodbye back at Jamie’s villa; it was clear emotions were high and strong bonds had been formed.
I’d never imagined finding a woman who would so easily accept two youngsters who’d been through the mill and needed understanding. But that was exactly what she’d done, effortlessly, it seemed, and I’d fallen even more for her.
She was the one for me.
No question.
Mine.
Forever.
Hugs and slaps on the back ensued, the rest of the airport fading away. Just us. Harry’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. He was trying to be brave, though Nathan let one slip to his cheek unchecked.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said, giving them some euros to get a snack during the flight. “Only two weeks and we’ll be at the game.”
“Will Amy be there?” Nathan asked.
“You know she will be. And with the England sweatshirts she’s promised.”
“I can’t wait.” Harry smiled and then sniffed. “It will be great.”
“It will.” I ruffled his hair.
“And Italian first, right? For pizza and garlic bread.” Nathan bobbed his head. He already knew it.
“Table is booked,” I confirmed and drew him into a hug.
Harry joined the hug, and for a moment we clung to each other. Me and my boys. My world…or at least a big part of it.
“Right then, fellas,” Kirsty said firmly. “Let’s get through security, then we can find a place to sit, get a cola.”
“Good plan.” I smiled at her, grateful for her presence. “Thank you again.”
“No thanks necessary, all part of the service.” She tapped Nathan’s shoulder. “This way, young man.”
He reached for Harry’s arm, and tugged him away. “See you, Dad.”
“Bye.” Harry waved.
“Message me as soon as you land,” I called after them.
“We will.” Nathan held his arm aloft and then was lost in the crowd.
All I could see was Kirsty’s neat hair as she headed through a door with Departures written over it in big black letters.
I checked my phone and made sure it was off silent in case the boys needed me for anything.
It was.
A man jostled me. “Sorry,” he said and rushed off, pulling his suitcase behind him.
To my right a child wailed, and above me the loudspeaker boomed in Greek.
Suddenly the airport was oppressive, too busy for my tangle of emotions.
I made for the door. My expression must have been dark because people moved out of my way as if scared I might bite.
The thick heat did nothing to calm me, and it wasn’t until I was sitting in Jamie’s black Jeep with the air-con on full blast that I began to breathe more steadily.
I’d happily have turned back time to have the week again with Nathan and Harry.
But that was impossible. What I needed to do was concentrate on going forward.
I still had a whole week of sunshine and relaxation with Amy at my side. We’d been reserved in our affection while the boys had been with us. Fucked quietly at night with the bedroom door firmly locked.
But now…now we didn’t have to do any of that. We’d have our own sexy, naked party.
Best get on with that!
I started the engine and pulled out of the car park. Soon I was on the main road toward the small town of Kassiopi, my mind full of the deliciously wicked ways I could make Amy come.
The woman was so damn receptive to my touch it was almost impossible to believe she’d struggled to orgasm for years. A few suggestive whispers, a caress and a stroke, and I had her pupils dilating and her breath hitching.
My cock twitched, and I adjusted my weight on the seat.
We’d go without clothes for the rest of the week. No need for such frivolities in the fabulously private cliff-top villa. No one to see us. No one to disturb us.
Just us.
I could feast on her perfect body. Rub in her suntan lotion, make her cocktails that would render her soft and pliant in my arms, and make her come outside, under the Greek sky.
“Fuck,” I muttered as my cock stiffened further. Thank goodness it wasn’t far to the villa.
My phone rang. Quickly, I hit ANSWER on the hands-free.
“Mitch, you good to talk?”
“Hey, Prof. How’s it going?”
“Not bad, raining, you’ve probably got better weather where you are.”
“Yep, hot and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.” I chuckled. “Perfect.”
‘And I bet Jamie’s place is stunning.”
“Something else. You should bring Chelsea here for your honeymoon.”
“I’d be happy to, but she’s planning some big trip to the Maldives. Far too much money for a beach, in my opinion, but there we go. She tends to get what she wants, especially when her father is paying.”
“Ah, you’ll have a great time wherever you are with your new bride.”
“I’m sure I will.” He paused. “I was calling to fill you in.”
“Okay, much happening?”
“Yeah, there is. The Animal Welfare guys called the police when they found the dogs, which we’d suspected they would.”
“And? Anything for them to find?”
“A few human bones. We should have found some pigs to throw those assholes to; apparently they eat absolutely everything. Organs, bones, clothes.”
“And is it a problem? The bones?”
“I don’t think so. The farmhouse is listed as unoccupied. The owner died years ago, and it’s in contention with a bunch of family members.”
“That’s helpful.”
“So our bad guys have no links to the place, and they won’t have been reported missing. I don’t think so anyway.”
“I agree, I don’t think it will be a problem. Anything on the phones you grabbed?”
“Yeah, seems our Beelzebub twat was a WhatsApp fiend, so we got quite a lot.”
“Go on.”
“He’d been messaging a guy called Matt Stump about a group of women from Bulgaria who are coming over illegally this week, back of a truck.”
“What? Jesus, these people.”
“I know, right. And our asshole was going to store them for him, until he could sell them on, for a price.”
I waited for him to continue; knowing Andrew, he would have a plan of action.
“So we’ve been staying in communication with this dickhead, confirmed the address of the farmhouse et cetera. For his delivery.”
“Have forensics done their thing?” I asked. Sometimes they could be slow, especially a scene that wasn’t in public view. They had no reason to rush. “Or are they still milling about?”
“Cillian swung by yesterday and all was quiet.”
“Excellent.”
“So we’ll be waiting, when Matt Stump arrives with his goods.”
I gripped the steering wheel. That would be one hell of an operation. “Want me to come back?”
“No, no way. You’re still recovering and—”
“I’m fine.” My jaw tensed. “Back to normal.”
“And you’re away with your woman. We can handle this.”
“You know I will if—”
“We’d all rather you were getting laid. You deserve that after taking a bullet for the team, and you know, your ex, Sarah, and all that crap she put you through.”
I pursed my lips. Shit going down without me…that was not easy to justify in my head.
I did like getting laid, though.
Big time.
“You’ll let me know how it goes?” I said gruffly.
“Of course, I’ll call you after we’ve taken the bastards out and got the women to safety.”
“You do that.” I paused. “Anything else on his phone?”
“Yeah, an insight into the way he was luring women to the UK. He’d been messaging over fifty foreign women, flattering them, telling them he wanted to help and could get them visas and jobs once they got here and he’d take them for dinner and around the sights in London.
Images he showed of himself were of some gym dude with perfect teeth and no warts. A far cry from his ugly mug.”
“What an asshole. Have you let the women he was messaging know?”
“First thing we did. We sent a message to all of them telling them they were not only being scammed and lied to, they’d also nearly put themselves into a very dangerous situation. Hopefully they won’t fall for those kind of tricks in the future if they want to get to the UK.”
“We can only hope.”
“So that’s you up to date. I won’t keep you.”
“Thanks for the call, Prof. I appreciate it. And let me know how it goes at the farm. Be safe, yeah, we don’t want any more Galahad guys with bullet holes in them.”
“Sure thing, mate. Take care, don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“I can’t promise that.” I chuckled and hung up. Took a left under a giant fig tree and onto the track that led to the villa.
It did niggle me that Galahad were on a mission without me; a fruitful one, too, by the sound of it. But when I really thought about it, I was glad not to be going back to that crappy old farm. I didn’t have the best memories of being there.
Soon I was pulling up in front of the villa.
The huge white building was covered in dazzling pink bougainvillea, the vines stretching up into the sky like thin sun-worshipping arms. Thick marble pillars supported the porch, and upstairs, on the balcony, white nets fluttered in the sea breeze escaping from an open door.