Chapter 8
CASSIA
I only eat the oats and honey because Jasmine insisted and Knight keeps glaring at me.
When I can’t force another bite down, I shove the plate to the side and look at the man who’s made himself at home in my hospital room.
When Dr. Anthony comes into the room, Knight instantly gets up from the armchair. I notice how his body tenses as if he’s getting ready to attack.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake,” the doctor says while glancing at the bowl of half-eaten oats. “Let’s take a look at you,” he adds while he checks my chart at the foot of the bed before coming to check my vitals. A sympathetic smile curves his mouth as he asks, “How do you feel?”
“Fine.” My eyes dart over his face, then I ask, “Where is my sister’s body?”
The sympathy deepens in his eyes as he replies, “In the morgue until you’re ready for the burial.”
God.
The sorrow squeezing at my heart is unbearable. I need to arrange Eleni’s funeral. I have to take her back to Athens.
Knowing there’s a mountain of things to take care of, I throw the blanket off and proceed to climb out of bed.
I hold my hand out to Dr. Anthony and demand, “Remove the IV, please.”
His eyes widen, and he quickly glances at Knight, who’s silently watching us.
“You should get back into bed. It’s too soon for you to leave,” the doctor advises.
I suck in a sharp breath, and I’m a second away from completely breaking down when Knight moves in partially behind me and growls, “She asked you to remove the IV.”
The doctor shakes his head as he starts to take the tape off before pulling the needle out of me. “You should at least stay another three days.”
I watch as he places a bandaid over the puncture mark before I say, “I’m having my sister’s body transferred to Athens, so please prepare her for the trip.”
The doctor’s brow furrows with worry. “If you insist on leaving, you at least have to have a check-up every day. You’re in no condition to travel.”
“I’ll be fine,” I mutter.
Considering the subject closed, I leave, but the walk out of the hospital saps my energy quickly, and I’m overly aware that I’m barefoot and not looking my best.
Heading to one of the golf carts so I can get to the other side of the island where the main building and the houses are, sweat beads all over my body, and I start to tremble.
Every alliance member has their own house here. We have a hell of a security setup and a team that keeps an eye on everything happening in the criminal world so we can stay on top of things.
Knight passes me by, and when he sits down behind the steering wheel, I don’t argue. I take the passenger seat beside him and ask, “Can you take me to my place?”
He only nods, and without saying a word, he starts the engine and begins to steer the golf cart along the narrow road that runs between the east and west side of the island.
God, the man is so quiet and intense, I don’t know what to make of him.
I’ve only been on the island a handful of times, and I stare at all the greenery. The air is humid, and within minutes, I’m sweating like crazy.
As we approach the main building where we hold our meetings, the other four members of the alliance come into view, where they’re standing by the entrance.
Maybe they just shared a meal at the restaurant?
One by one, the men look in my direction.
God, I hope they didn’t have a meeting about me.
“Stop near them,” I murmur to Knight.
Fear coils in my stomach because I don’t know how they feel about the attack on my family and whether they’re still willing to be aligned with me.
Santiago is the first to start walking in my direction, and when Knight brings the golf cart to a stop, Santiago frowns at me. “Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?”
I keep sitting because I’m not sure I have the strength to stand while talking with the men.
“I’m fine,” I say while my eyes dart to Dominik, Leo, and Enzo. All three men have angry expressions, while Santiago is the only one who looks worried about me.
Shit.
My fear increases, and I force strength into my voice as I say, “I assume you’d all like to have a meeting to talk about what happened.”
Dominik nods. “Definitely.”
I lift my chin. “Give me an hour to freshen up, and I’ll meet you at the round table.”
Knight starts driving again, and as I focus on controlling my breathing while my heart hammers in my chest, a thought crosses my mind.
What if Knight is keeping an eye on me for the others?
Jesus.
My eyes flick to his face, which might just as well be carved from stone.
No, that doesn’t make sense. There are security cameras and personnel all over the island.
When the golf cart comes to a stop near my house that Dominik had designed with Asian themes, I’m exhausted with a headache pulsing in my temples.
“Thanks for the ride.” I suck in a deep breath before climbing out of the cart, and as I cross the bridge that spans over a stream, my legs threaten to give way.
The previous times I was here, I’ve always felt a sense of peace, but all I feel now is sorrow.
And fear. So much fear.
I have no idea what to do next. I’m aware of the glaring fact that I have to somehow take control of the organization, but I don’t even know where to start. Besides that, everyone’s numbers are on my phone, which I left at home during the attack.
I need to get back to Athens so I can make contact and find out who’s alive and who died.
When I push the front door open and step into the house that’s bathed in luxury, my body is trembling so badly that I head straight for the nearest couch.
As I sit down, I hear the front door shut. My eyes dart up, and seeing Knight has followed me inside, I frown at him.
I can’t look weak, and it takes more strength than I have to stand up again. I meet his eyes and say, “You can go.”
He just stares at me, and it has an apprehensive feeling tensing my muscles.
My mouth grows dry, and I hate that my voice trembles when I demand, “Why are you here? What do you want?”
He tilts his head, his eyes flicking up and down my body. “Sit down before you pass out.”
I’m stubborn by nature, and as much as I’d like to remain standing, I can’t. I drop down on the couch, my gaze still locked on the man who confuses the hell out of me.
Silence fills the tense air, and when it’s clear he doesn’t plan on saying anything else, I ask, “Why won’t you leave?”
A flash of something akin to pain ghosts over his features and he rolls his shoulders as if he’s trying to shake something off. Then he heads toward the bedroom, and I’m even more confused as I watch him search the place.
With a frown on my forehead, I can only stare at the man.
Once he’s satisfied that there’s no one hiding somewhere in the house, he takes a seat on the other couch before meeting my gaze.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my tone incredulous.
“Making sure you’re safe,” he mutters.
I exhale slowly before whispering, “Why?”
For a moment, a frown line appears between his eyes, and a muscle in his jaw jumps, then he says, “I don’t need your death on my conscience.”
What?
I blink like an idiot at the man, and it takes a few seconds too long before I think to respond. “I’m not your responsibility.”
He nods.
I shrug and give him a questioning look. “So? You can leave.”
This time, he shakes his head, and his lack of using actual words starts to work on my nerves.
“Did Santiago or the others tell you to keep an eye on me?” I ask, trying to get to the bottom of why this man is sticking to my side.
Again, he shakes his head.
Lowering my face into my palm, I let out a tired sigh. “Jesus, can you please use words.”
His tone is rough and impatient as he mutters, “I told you I’m keeping you safe because I don’t need your death on my conscience.” When I lift my head and meet his intense green eyes, he adds, “I’m your bodyguard.”
My eyebrows lift. “That’s not for you to decide.”
He shrugs. “It is.”
The man is so unbothered by everything but also gives off one hell of a dangerous vibe. I’m not going to lie. I’m starting to think he’s a little insane, and it scares me.
I’ll have to talk to Santiago. He’ll be able to control his sniper.
Getting up from the couch, I walk to the bedroom and lock the door behind me.
I previously left some clothes here, and there’s a fake passport under a different name, along with some cash, a burner phone, and a gun in the vault.
The bedroom door suddenly crashes open, and Knight shoves the shuddering piece of wood all the way open.
I stare at the unstable man with wide eyes. “What the hell?”
“Never lock a door,” he mutters before leaving again.
His crazy behavior is really starting to scare me. I was going to shower, but that’s not happening now.
Even though I don’t have any strength, I rush as fast as I can to get dressed in a cream pantsuit and matching leather boots.
I open the vault and grab the gun first. After I’ve checked the magazine to make sure it’s fully loaded, I tuck the weapon into the waistband at the back of my pants. I take the passport and credit card and shove them into my pockets.
Switching on the phone, I impatiently wait for it to start before using my thumbprint to unlock the screen. I quickly go into one bank account after the other and transfer every last dime to my personal bank accounts. With Dad dead, I don’t want to risk the chance of Michail or Savvas blocking me from accessing the accounts. We might be close, but I don’t trust them not to try and take over the organization and push me out.
Until I’m officially the head of the Greek mafia, the money stays with me.
When I’m done, I dart into the bathroom and quickly brush my hair. After I’ve braided the strands, I put on some makeup, and by the time I’m done, I’m out of breath and feeling dizzy.
Suck it up, Cassia. There’s a lot for you to do.