Chapter 44
FORTY-FOUR
VIOLET
Weeks of bliss had slipped by. We had a routine, and I’d started slowly exploring the possibility of offering some of my sessions via FaceTime or online. So far, the department and clients seemed receptive to it.
However, today was a Saturday and I intended to enjoy it with my daughter.
The city had fully awakened into spring with orange and lemon blossoms perfuming the air. Athens hummed around us with the commotion of the in-between season: not yet crowded with summer tourists, but alive with locals reclaiming their streets and coffee shops.
And in the middle of it all, I was deliriously happy.
It was almost frightening. I couldn’t remember ever feeling like this.
Even when I had Lily, there had been the shadow of our father’s presence.
It’d hindered the complete feeling of joy.
We had to tiptoe around him, and while Lily and I loved each other and would do anything for each other, we were always on our guard.
Now, nothing stood in my way.
I loved Lykos, Dimitros, and Aria, and somehow, impossibly, they loved me too. Not out of obligation or expectation, but freely.
It was the kind of love that didn’t demand anything in return and was protected from the shadow of my father.
And now that I knew how wonderful it was to have unconditional happiness and love, I was terrified of losing it. I knew I’d have to keep Aria a secret somehow because I still hadn’t forgotten my father’s threat.
I couldn’t underestimate how far he was willing to go.
That thought hindered some of my happiness.
What if they were taken from me? The loneliness that would follow would undoubtedly feel unbearable now that I’d tasted this kind of fullness.
I gave my head a subtle shake, pushing all thoughts away. Today was too beautiful to surrender to fear.
Aria and I had spent the entire afternoon wandering through quaint shops, drifting from one sunlit avenue to another. Flowers spilled in bursts of pink and purple from balconies above us, and the pavement radiated the day’s warmth through the soles of my sandals.
Shopkeepers called out in cheerful Greek, clearly familiar with Aria, and my wonderful daughter introduced me to everyone and translated everything for me when we stumbled into conversations with locals who spoke no English.
Now we sat on the terrace of a charming ice cream shop, laughter and the hum of scooters drifting on the breeze. The air smelled of sugar and citrus, and behind the counter inside, metal spoons clinked rhythmically against glass.
Aria leaned across the small table, her eyes bright and twinkling like sapphires. She had Lily’s eyes.
“This is Dimitros’s and my favorite place,” she said. “Papa brings us here every Sunday during the summer.”
I smiled, picturing the three of them, sunlight spilling over their shoulders, hands sticky with melting ice cream, laughter easy and unguarded. The moments I’d missed, but it was a life I was beginning to step into.
“I wish they were here with us,” she added softly. “The whole family together.”
“Me too,” I breathed, the words catching deep in my chest. That word—family—felt so warm.
I reached for my bag, a spark of excitement lighting through me.
“They had some work to do this morning,” I said, glancing back up at her. “But I’m sure they’re done by now. Your papa got me a new phone after the accident, and we’re sharing our locations now.”
A smile tugged at my lips, growing into something conspiratorial.
“How about we surprise them?”
I didn’t have to ask twice. She jumped to her feet, and like two detectives, we followed the blinking dot on my app.
The map pulsed steadily, guiding us through streets that grew quieter with every turn. The hum of the city faded behind us, replaced by the low whisper of wind off the coast.
Buildings turned from homes into storage units and shuttered workshops. This side of town felt like it was where things happened without witnesses.
It took twenty minutes to reach the edge of town, where the land gave way to a stretch of warehouses overlooking the vast, darkening sea.
“We’re here,” I declared, looking at the phone. The dot showed him inside the building ahead of us.
I slowed as we approached the warehouse. It stood apart from the others, its metal siding slightly dulled. It was eerily quiet, aside from the distant crash of waves and seagulls.
We followed the parking lot where three cars sat, their surfaces shining under the sunlight.
My gaze swept over them.
“There,” I said, pointing to his car.
I moved toward the door, the hot pavement too loud under my feet. My hand hovered inches from the handle, pausing when I heard a faint grunt.
A chill crept up my spine, and I glanced over my shoulder.
Nothing.
I swallowed, forcing my eyes back to the door.
“Open the door,” Aria urged, bouncing from foot to foot. “Why are you waiting?”
I forced a smile, realizing my paranoia might have gotten the best of me. Likely a result of thinking about my father earlier.
I pushed the door open as a cry of pain traveled through the air and made me shiver.
Aria’s arms wrapped around my waist, her blue eyes widening.
“What was that?”
I swallowed, ready to turn around and drag her out of here. That stupid app must have dragged me to the wrong place.
Another cry sounded, and we both flinched.
But then I saw Dimitros standing to the side, his eyes locked on the man bound to a chair.
I gasped, recognizing him, and then quickly registered Lykos and Salvatore towering over him with hands covered in blood.
Lykos’s white shirt was covered in blood and rolled up at the sleeves, but what struck me was his face. There was no pity, no mercy, nothing.
Aria seized up next to me, and I realized my mistake. Her eyes dilated, her face taking on an expression that scared the shit out of me, and she let out a high-pitched scream.
All eyes jerked toward us.
She screamed and screamed, a loud wail that made the hairs on my neck rise. I wrapped her in my arms while I stared at the scene with disbelief.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, although I was certain nobody could hear me through the screams.
“Dimitros,” Lykos shouted, nodding toward Aria. “Take care of your sister.”
Dimitros ran over to us while all I could do was hug her and rock her, staring at my father’s bloodied body tied to the chair. Dimitros tried to take Aria, but she wouldn’t go to him, and judging by the expression on his face, it was the first time this had happened.
“Aria,” I whispered, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Who’s that?” she screamed. “So much blood.”
Then she let out another wail, her screams echoing through the warehouse. She was clinging to me like a wounded animal while reeling from Dimitros.
“Hey,” I murmured. “You’re okay. I got you. Dimitros is here too.” She turned her head, peering at her big brother through her wet lashes with a scared expression. “He would never hurt you.”
Her screams finally stopped.
“Who’s that?” she asked in a raspy voice while silent tears rolled down her face. “Why are you… killing him?”
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “He’s… That’s my father, and he’s a bad guy.” I had no idea where those words came from, but I was desperate to calm her down. “Dimitros and Papa were just protecting you.”
Dimitros took a tentative step, crouching down, and she let him hug her. He began to speak to her in a soothing voice. She leaned into him, soaking in his strength.
While my attention lingered on Aria, Lykos cleaned his hands and joined us. They remained faintly pink, but the blood was gone.
Then he was back and he hovered over Aria, watching her carefully.
“Aria, look at me.” When she didn’t move, he repeated, his voice soft but firm. “Look at Papa, please.” She slowly shifted to look at him, her eyes cautious, and he let out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this. I love you, and I’m still the same papa you always knew.”
Her eyes flickered to me, then behind me, only to return to Lykos. “That’s Violet’s father.” He nodded. “He’s a bad guy?”
“Yes,” he murmured, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “He hurt Violet and threatened to hurt you. I couldn’t let that slide.”
Aria’s eyes, full of questions, met mine. “Is that true?”
“Every word,” I breathed. “You stay here with your brother, okay?” I said calmly, although my insides were in chaos. I was hesitant to leave her, but I needed to talk with Lykos and ask what the fuck was going on. Why in the hell would he bring the one man I never wanted to see here?
“Yeah,” she murmured as Dimitros sat down on the concrete floor with her in his arms and nodded a silent acknowledgement that he had her. Aria whimpered before curling into her brother.
Lykos took them in with a pained expression, clearly wanting to stay and comfort Aria, but, in her state, she might start screaming again.
I took his hand and yanked him away toward Salvatore, who hadn’t bothered to wash up.
The coppery scent of blood hung like fog in the air, clogging my throat and nose, and it seemed to sink into my skin along with the horrible images of my father. He was still tied to the chair, his eyes burning a hole in me.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I hissed, glaring at both of them.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Salvatore drawled without a hint of remorse. “You know, people die when they witness this shit.”
“Salvatore, threaten my future wife again and you’ll be my ex-friend,” Lykos warned in a cold tone.
He just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
It was only then that Lykos’s words registered. Future wife? I sure as hell hope this wasn’t a proposal, because timing and circumstances sucked big-time.
“Your father was the reason I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t hurt another man for you,” Lykos said. “He’s a threat to you, Aria, my family and friends, and to my business.”
“That’s right,” Salvatore chimed in. “That fucker cost us our shipment last month. All because he wanted to get to Aria through Lykos and his business.”
“What… Is that true, Lykos?”