Hades Bent on Revenge

Chapter 1

ONE

Hades (Sebastian)

Revenge— when the desire to inflict pain for an offense becomes stronger than the will to let it go, even when you know releasing the vendetta and building a life with her would be the ultimate retribution on your enemy.

I couldn’t have known that on this particular night, but if I had, I didn’t know if I would have done anything differently. Revenge was a powerful motivator.

On that sizzling night in July on the secluded island of Syros, she walked into my club and our story began…

Both loyal locals and curious tourists flocked to Club Hades. The authentic food and music rivaled the top-shelf liquor. Money circulated through here as smoothly as the blue water flowed through the sea.

As I strolled through the private bar in the club, the one reserved for the highest-spending clients who preferred privacy, I was met with eager handshakes from men who respected me and desperate greetings from women I had once considered, once had, and now had forgotten.

Being the most powerful and influential man on this island had its perks, but the status also came with curses. My past often came back to haunt me. I had to stay one step ahead of my enemies, which had made me more cautious over the years.

“Hades!” a woman screeched from across the room. “Can we get a selfie?”

As she charged toward me, two of my guards intercepted her before she could reach me. I smiled and waved at her as I continued making my way through the club.

No less than six similar instances occurred before I made it to the bar. Thankfully, my attentive bartender, Andrew, knew what I needed.

“Here you are, Mr. Zikos.” He set a bourbon on the rocks in front of me. “Enjoy.

“Thank you.” I raised my glass to him before taking a sip, allowing the sweet notes of caramel and vanilla to coat my throat.

“Tough night?” The tone of a soft voice flowed into my ear.

I rotated in the voice’s direction to find a stunning, young woman wearing a pale pink dress and Jimmy Choo metallic stilettos. She elegantly crossed her long, toned legs as she tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails against the smooth granite bar.

“No more than usual.” I swirled the alcohol in my glass.

“You seem to handle the attention well.” She swiped her thick, blonde hair from her shoulder, causing the curled ends to cascade down her exposed back. “From what I’ve noticed.”

“Some nights I’m more popular than others.”

“I can see why.” She sipped her wine as I admired her flawless, tanned skin. “What’s your name?”

“People around here call me Hades.”

“Like this club?”

“Like the god.” I finished my bourbon. “But yes, this club is mine.”

“It’s amazing.” She gazed around the bar. “I’ve never been here before.”

“How come?”

She knew someone prominent enough to get her into the private section of my club. My undivided attention belonged to her.

“I’m studying abroad,” she said. “I go to NYU.”

“That sounds interesting.” I didn’t particularly like the part of a young woman alone in a foreign country, but that wasn’t my problem.

“My semester just ended, so I finally have a little time to explore this beautiful island before I head back home.”

“Welcome to my island.” I motioned for Andrew to bring us another round. “I’m assuming you are over eighteen since you’ve already been served.”

“Don’t I look like I’m over eighteen?” Her boisterous laugh intrigued me. I would have expected something more dainty coming from such beauty. “I’ll be twenty-one in a few weeks.”

“So, you’re not legal in the states.”

“Depends on what I’m doing.”

What would you like to be doing?

“I can vote, drive, and join the military,” she said. “Study abroad, get a tattoo, and have sex, so I’m pretty legal.”

“I guess so.” Where the hell did you come from? “What part of New York are you from?”

“I said I went to NYU, I didn’t say I was from New York.”

“Sweetheart, with that accent, you’re either from New York or Jersey. There’s no hiding it.”

“Have you been to either?” she asked.

“I used to live in those parts.” I stared into the fresh glass Andrew had placed in front of me, recalling a time in my life when I wasn’t so jaded. “Almost twenty years ago.”

“Small world.” She gazed around the bar. “This place has such a cool vibe.”

“I like to think so.”

“My date is here.” She put up her hand and waved at the entrance as she hopped off the barstool.

Well, that’s disappointing. Is it really practical to think I would leave here tonight with a woman twenty-five years my junior? Of course, if I wanted to, I could. But just because I could, doesn’t mean I should.

Nikolas Stavros, the grandson of a man I had done some confidential jobs for when I returned to Greece several years ago, joined us at the bar.

“You’re late.” She arched her brow as if to say ‘How dare you?’

I like this one.

“I’m so sorry,” Nikolas said. “I left your name at the door.” He extended his hand for me. “I never expected Mr. Zikos would keep you company. I’m not sure if you remember me.”

“Nikolas.” I shook his hand. “How is your grandfather?”

“He’s doing well.”

Michael Stavros ran most of Athens and the surrounding islands’ organized crime territory. A well-respected figure who kept the streets safe for those under his protection. He had hired me to help him do that on more than one occasion.

There weren’t many men I would come out of retirement for, but I would make an exception for him. He had helped me establish myself in Greece after many years on the run.

“Capri.” He touched her shoulder. “I apologize for being tardy.”

Capri?

I stared at the woman who had captivated me for the last few minutes. The name was far too unique for it to be a coincidence. But if what I thought was true, that would be one hell of a coincidence. I didn’t believe in coincidences.

“It was nice meeting you, Capri.” I smiled at her. “Enjoy your evening.”

“You’re leaving?” She climbed back onto the barstool with effortless grace despite her high heels and short dress. “We were just getting to know one another.”

“Look how crowded this place is,” Nikolas said to her. He must have felt the need to stake a claim. “Mr. Zikos is extremely busy.”

“I do have a few things that need my immediate attention.” Like finding out if the mystery woman sitting in my private club was who I thought she was. “It was lovely meeting you.”

I lifted her hand and brushed her knuckles along my lips. When I gazed at her, her lips were slightly parted and her big, brown eyes were laced with curiosity.

I turned and hurried across the bar, reaching for my phone in my pants pocket faster than I could get away from her. She would be the right age. She lived in the area where I last saw her. And her name…

I typed Capri Ferrante into the search bar.

As I waited for the results to load, images of the man who had ruined my life eighteen years ago popped into my mind. Leonardo Ferrante had been like a brother to me. We grew up on the streets of New York City, clawing our way to the top of the criminal food chain with unimaginable success.

Because of his Italian heritage, he was able to join one of the most revered mafia families on the east coast. He brought me in as his right-hand man.

There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for him.

I proved that when I took the fall for him, so he didn’t lose his status, family, or his life. In return, I lost everything.

Capri’s face flooded my screen with various social media accounts, some modeling work she had done, and the many accolades she had received running track in high school and college, confirming my suspicions.

I stared at her as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass. Is she bored? Would she rather be talking to me?

It had been years since I last saw her. While her family had meant so much to me then, I hadn’t given her much thought. When Leo asked me to be her godfather, I took the role seriously, but two years later everything changed, and not for the better.

Why are you here?

“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” Atticus, my head of security and trusted friend, approached me. “Are you okay?”

“Not a ghost,” I said. “More like an opportunity.”

“Tell me more.”

“Do you see that woman across the bar?”

“The one every man in here has noticed? What about her?”

“Look.” I showed him my phone. “I’ve uncovered some information.”

He studied the screen. “Are you kidding me? She’s Leo’s daughter?”

“It appears so.” I shoved my phone in my pocket. “The internet is a powerful tool.”

“What is she doing here? In your club of all places?”

That was an excellent question. One I intended on getting an answer to.

As Atticus scrolled on his phone, probably gaining intel on Leo, I kept a dutiful watch on Capri. Her body language didn’t give off the vibes that she was interested in her date. She wasn’t focused on him, but he couldn’t seem to take his gaze away from her breasts.

When she spun around to take in the atmosphere of the bustling room, Nikolas took the opportunity to reach over her glass and drop something into it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I mumbled.

“What?” Atticus looked up from his phone. “Is there a problem?”

“I would say so. Come with me. We have a situation that needs immediate attention.” I stormed across the bar, waving at my men who were staked out by the entrance, signaling for them to join me.

Just as I approached the couple, Capri reached for her glass. I knocked it off the bar, shattering it on the marble floor before she could pick it up.

“What the hell?” Capri moved off the stool and backed away from the shards of glass.

I grabbed Nikolas by the throat as my loyal patrons looked away. “Do you want to tell her or shall I?”

“Tell her what?” he asked.

“Don’t.” I squeezed his neck, causing his eyes to bulge. “I don’t know where you think you are, but I don’t tolerate that here.”

“Tolerate what?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“Your date put something in your drink while you weren’t looking.” I shoved Nikolas toward my security guards. “If I hadn’t seen it, you would be in for a night of hell.”

“You’re mistaken,” Nikolas said. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know what I saw.” I stepped close to him and motioned toward the cameras overhead. “I have security footage that will prove it. Do you still stand by your story?”

“You tried to drug me?” Capri wedged herself between me and Nikolas. “Why would you do that?”

“To loosen you up a bit,” he said. “We’ve had three dates and you still won’t put out.”

She hauled her hand back and slapped him across the face. “You pig!”

Did I mention I like her?

When she charged him, I grabbed her arm and tugged her against my chest.

“Settle down.” I lowered my lips to her ear. “I’ll handle this.” I guided her back to her chair and made her sit. “Andrew, please get the lady a glass of water.”

“I need to get out of here,” she said.

“That’s not happening.” I pointed to the bar. “Don’t move.”

She glared at Nikolas before returning her gaze to me. “You’ll take care of it?”

“It will be my pleasure.”

“Fine.” She took a sip of the water Andrew had placed in front of her. “I’ll wait here.”

“That would be wise,” I said.

My security team followed me to the back of the club and down a secluded hallway.

“What do you want me to do?” Atticus asked.

“Have the guys show him why we don’t drug women.” I smirked at Nikolas. “Especially not in my club.”

“Wait!” Nikolas attempted to pull away from the guards to no avail. “My grandfather will come for you if you harm me.”

“He can come for me, but I have proof of what you did. He’s an honorable man who would never accept what you tried to do to a young woman from the states. We don’t need that kind of publicity here, and your grandfather would be the first to agree.”

“You’re not going to get away with this!” he shouted. “I don’t care how many men you assassinated for my family.”

“Get him out of here.” I nodded toward the basement steps before looking at Atticus. “Call Michael Stavros and explain the situation. Make him understand that the only reason his grandson is being returned to him alive is because of my respect for him.”

“How long should we keep the rapist?” Atticus asked.

“Long enough to scar his pretty face so no other woman will accept an invitation from him anytime soon.” Nikolas would not be having the night he anticipated. “Then have him delivered to his grandfather’s home.”

“Understood.” Atticus took out his phone. “I’ll call Michael now.”

“I’m going to address the other serious situation that landed in my club tonight.”

How did I want to play this? I didn’t want to scare her away before I could figure out what she wanted with me. Her father would not have sent her here alone after all these years. That would be a serious miscalculation on his part. While he was a disloyal piece of shit, he wasn’t stupid.

Sending his daughter here to provoke me would ignite a war he didn’t want. Not now, not after all this time. I had put that betrayal behind me. But if Leo wanted to unearth his sins, I would be right there to make him suffer.

Capri swiveled in her chair as I came toward her.

She uncrossed her legs and straightened her posture, causing one of the thin straps of her dress to slip off her shoulder.

I leaned against the bar, clasping my hands together and admiring every extraordinary detail of the woman my goddaughter had become.

“Thank you for the assist,” she said. “But I should leave now.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” I maneuvered my finger under the fallen strap of her dress, lingering as the crackle of her warm skin radiated against my hand like the burn from a blazing fire. “It’s not safe for you to be unattended in a foreign country.”

Revenge was more meaningful if it boiled to the point of bubbling over into a raging torrent of possibility. Bonus points if getting that retaliation came in the form of a gift from an enemy who should have known better.

“Um…” She glanced down at my finger still wedged under the strap of her dress. “You don’t have to look after me.”

“I wouldn’t have to if your daddy kept a better eye on you.”