Chapter 37
Kian
The yacht cut a slow, indulgent line through the Aegean Sea while I stood alone on the deck.
After Baron confirmed Jacqueline’s location in Greece, I didn’t waste any time. I had my men use every vessel at my disposal to scout the seas bordering Greece and Albania.
Every day after Sophie left for work, I’d take my helicopter and join them. Unfortunately, with the summer being at its peak, there was way too much traffic, so we hadn’t had any luck locating the unregistered ship.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled to my contacts until I landed on Lykos Costello’s name. I pressed it to my ear as I waited through four rings.
“Kian Cortes,” he greeted. “This is unexpected.”
“Why’s that? We’re practically neighbors.”
Lykos was the head of the Greek mafia, and although we occasionally did some business deals, we’d rarely interacted.
“Well, neighbor, your timing is theatrical,” Lykos said over the line, his English smooth. “You call while floating outside my waters.”
“I’m not in your territory,” I replied, eyes lifting to trace the coastline of Corfu. “Yet.” I sucked my teeth. “Which is the reason I’m calling. I want passage.”
He didn’t even hesitate.
“Granted.”
“I might need it for several days, possibly weeks. It’s not for any nefarious reason. I’m looking for someone.”
“We’ve been neighbors a long time, Kian. I think we can trust each other.”
“We can,” I agreed.
“Although, considering this bullshit with unregistered yachts, not sure why you even bothered.”
I stiffened. “Yachts? As in plural?”
“Yes.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
“That means anything to you?” he questioned cautiously.
I pushed my hand through my hair as the breeze swept across the deck. “Possibly. There’s a lunatic after my woman, and credible sources indicated she is in Greek waters.”
“So you think this is connected?”
“Possibly. The coincidence is too great.” And I didn’t believe in those.
“I see,” he said slowly. “I have a contact in the coast guard who’s been working on actively pushing them out into international waters. I can add you to that correspondence. It might help in locating the lunatic.”
“That would be helpful.” My phone beeped, indicating another call, and I glanced at it.
Fuck, it was one of the guards I’d assigned to Sophie today.
I’d been rotating them so she wouldn’t pick up on their faces, but none of them ever called because, as they claimed, Sophie’s days were uneventful, although chaotic, a result of her personality.
I pushed my sunglasses up my nose and wrapped things up with Lykos, promising I’d return the favor one day, then answered the call.
Besek didn’t hesitate to update me. “She’s on her way home, boss.”
“Why? What happened?” Her shift wasn’t due to end for another three hours and my woman wasn’t the type to cut her day short for the hell of it.
I could hear Besek’s harsh inhale over the line. “She’s… upset. I’m not sure what happened, but the director of the hospital sent her away.”
That couldn’t be right. I just donated millions to fund new hospital equipment. Maybe they sent her home as a thank-you. But then she wouldn’t be upset.
“I’m taking the chopper now and will be back at the villa in ten minutes.” I was already heading for the helipad. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
Once inside the cabin, I put my headphones on and nodded to the pilot to get going while I connected my phone to the Bluetooth. Then I called Hoti, the head of Vlore Hospital.
His secretary answered. “I need to speak to Hoti.”
“May I take your name and number, sir, and—”
“Get him on the phone. Now!”
“I’m sorry, sir. He asked me to hold all calls. He’s preparing for a meeting.”
“Yes, with Kian Cortes. Me.” I heard her sharp inhale. “Get him on the phone.”
Two seconds later, Hoti was on the line. “Mr. Cortes, what can I do for you?”
“You can start by telling me what happened.”
Silence followed, and I let it linger.
“Dr. Baldwin and I agreed,” he started slowly, a cautious tone in his voice, “that her language skills were somewhat lacking and it was best for our patients if she didn’t return to work.”
Red filled my vision. “You. Did. What?”
“You have to understand, we both agreed.”
“And you understand that if you made Sophie cry, you’re a dead man, yes?”
I didn’t wait for his answer, just hung up and turned to the pilot before barking, “Hurry home.”
Sophie
Late afternoon light slanted through the tall windows, laying golden bars across the living room floor. Dust hung in the air, slow and drifting, and somewhere outside cicadas screamed like nothing in the world was wrong.
Just another day. Except that it wasn’t.
I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing over the phone and it had me pacing back and forth in front of the window like a caged animal.
“Come back,” the head of the hospital pleaded. “We can hire a full-time translator for you.”
I stopped and stared out at the horizon, watching the helicopter approach, my body shaking with fury and disbelief.
“No.”
“Dr. Baldwin, I beg you. I have a family.”
He was terrified he’d be punished. Kian had somehow found out that I’d been sacked—for lack of a better word—and he’d threatened the head of the hospital and his family.
I pressed my palm to my chest, trying to calm the violent thud of my heart. It felt lodged in my throat, every beat sharp.
“Everything will be all right,” I finally said. “But I’m not coming back. Not until I can communicate effectively in Albanian.”
“But please—”
“Nothing will happen to you or your family,” I stated matter-of-factly, although I had no business being so certain. Except, deep down, I knew Kian was a fair man. Once I explained it to him, he’d see reason and all would be okay.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I have to go.” I ended the call just as Kian appeared at the doorway of the living room.
He was shrugging off his jacket, his expression hard. I wanted to talk rationally like two adults, but anger and the adrenaline pumping through my veins took over.
“How could you do this?”
“I do many things,” he answered, his voice cool. “You’ll have to elaborate.”
He casually crossed the room, his expensive loafers squeaking against the floor while my pulse thundered in my ears.
“I just got off the phone with Mr. Hoti,” I said, his presence overwhelming me.
Kian’s eyes froze over, something heavy sliding into place behind them. “Did you now?”
“Yes, and he’s terrified.”
“Good.”
The word hit me like a slap.
“How can you say that?” My voice rose with each word. I should have known better than to let anger take over, but I had bigger concerns. “He’s worried about his family, begging me to come back, and all you have to say is ‘good’? What the hell, Kian?”
“He upset you.” He closed the distance between us. “And his family is safe from me.”
“But not him?” I shot back. “You are being unreasonable, Kian.”
Silence dropped between us, thick and suffocating.
“He should have thought things through before he did something so stupid,” Kian said flatly.
“That’s the problem,” I said. “He didn’t do anything stupid. If I were in his position, I would have done the same exact thing.”
His jaw tightened. “No one gets to fire you.”
“It was a mutual decision,” I said, my voice cracking despite myself. I loved working there, and this brief taste made my longing for my old job even worse. “Yes, I’m upset, but with myself more than anything.”
That stopped him, and our gazes locked before he asked in a resigned tone, “What good is my power if I can’t protect you?”
I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled before I answered.
“I know you can do a lot of good with your influence and this import-export business. Like your donation to the hospital.” He thought I didn’t know, but everyone had been whispering about it in awe.
“What I don’t know is whether I can have a boyfriend who threatens anyone who upsets me. ”
The air around us stilled, and for a moment, I thought Kian stopped breathing. “Boyfriend?”
My brows furrowed. “That’s what you took from all that?”
“Sophie.”
Hesitancy slid down my spine.
“Well, yes, I think of you as my boyfriend. Aren’t we… dating?” I asked slowly, suddenly unsure whether I mistook all the signs.
He remained silent, each second making me feel like a greater fool, so I changed subjects.
“Call the hospital,” I said, holding up my phone. “Right now.”
“Sophie—”
“Now,” I said. “Assure him he’s safe. Tell him no one is touching him, his hospital, or his family. Make it clear.”
The air between us felt charged, metallic. I could smell his cologne, familiar and grounding and suddenly unbearable. What if he only thought of me as his fuck buddy? I mentally slapped myself at how skewed my priorities had become.
“You’re asking me to undermine myself,” he said quietly.
“I’m asking you to be fair,” I said. “I’m asking you not to turn me into someone who looks away.”
Admittedly, it might be too late for that after I’d seen the man in his cellar.
His gaze searched my face, and after a long moment, he exhaled sharply and pulled out his own phone.
He turned away and dialed, lifting the phone to his ear.
“Yes,” he said when the call connected, his voice smooth and controlled. “It’s Kian. I’ve spoken with Sophie and she has assured me you have your patient’s best interest at heart and it was a mutual decision. You, your family, and your hospital are safe.”
I closed my eyes, listening to the conversation as Kian further reassured the man.
When he hung up, our eyes locked, and suddenly I felt silly, tired, and confused. About him, this boyfriend and dating assumption, and everything else.
“Umm…” I pushed my hand through my hair nervously as I headed for the exit. “I need… some time alone. I’m going for a walk.”