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“That could work, but they have ways of finding people. She won’t be truly safe, and you know it,” Andreas countered.
I slammed my fist on the table in frustration, knowing he was right. “Dammit, there has to be something we can do. I won’t let her be a pawn in their game.”
Andreas leaned back in his chair, studying me carefully. “There’s one more option, but it’s extreme.”
“Tell me,” I demanded.
“We eliminate the Pappas family entirely,” he suggested, his expression dead serious.
I scoffed at the idea. “That’s a war I’m not ready to start. The consequences would be catastrophic. We can’t afford to escalate things to that level.”
“Then we need to find another way to keep her safe, boss,” Andreas replied, his gaze unwavering.
I sighed. I knew I was fighting against myself. I knew there was only one option left. With a sigh, I finally said what I’d known all along to be the inevitable.
“She’ll need to stay here. With me. Permanently.”
CHAPTER 9
Maci
When I finally opened my eyes the next morning, it was well past noon. Honestly, it felt really good to sleep for so long. It had been days since I’d gotten a good night’s rest, and it had been fucking awesome to sleep in a bed rather than on a cold metal floor. I stretched my arms high over my head and groaned. There was still a slight residual ache in my shoulders, but I felt mostly fine otherwise, like the last few days hadn’t happened at all.
But it hadn’t been a dream, not when I woke up in a room like this.
With a yawn, I climbed out of bed and padded into the bathroom. After splashing some water on my face, I brushed my teeth and my hair. When I was ready, I raided the closet for a new comfortable pair of leggings, as well as a pretty long sleeve wrap dress. Then I headed downstairs to the kitchen, where despite the late hour, there was still the aroma of bacon wafting through the house.
Tentatively, I turned the corner into the kitchen to see that my godfather was there already, waiting for me. He was sipping a cup of black coffee as his eyes flicked up to meet mine, and I found myself, once again, entranced by the tumultuous depths of his stormy gaze.
My pussy clenched when it shouldn’t have, but before I could give my wayward body any credence, he cleared his throat.
“Maci, come sit,” he said, his voice warm, and I moved to take a seat across from him at the polished wooden table.
The silence between us was heavy, and I couldn’t help but feel the tension in the room, nor could I tell what he was thinking. I cleared my throat, trying to dispel some of the unease.
“Thank you for everything, Nikolaos,” I said softly.
He nodded, his expression remaining unreadable. “I think it’s time for the two of us to talk.”
“There’s so much I don’t understand,” I began, my voice shaky. “Why did they want me? Why did you bring me here? Who are you?”
He sighed, placing his coffee cup down and leaning forward, his hands clasped together. “Maci, there are things I haven’t told you, things I’ve kept hidden to protect you so you could have a safe, normal life.”
I furrowed my brow, feeling a growing sense of frustration rise within me. “Protect me from what? What’s going on?”
He hesitated for a moment, as if debating how much to reveal. “I’m the patriarch to a major shipping family here in Greece, one of the biggest ones in the world.”
“So, you’re like the mafia,” I answered, raising an eyebrow and pulling back just a little bit.
What if he was dangerous too?
“No. I’m not a mob boss, but I do oversee a massive empire. There is certainly legitimate business that we do every day that brings in a great deal of money, but there’s a darker side to my world that involves very dangerous people who would use you against me, who would kill you to get to me. Those people are part of the mafia.”
I blinked, trying to process his words. “You mean like the Pappas family?”
He nodded gravely, “Yes, like the Pappas family. They’re not just my enemy, Maci. They’re part of a world I’ve tried to shield you from all this time.”
My mind was spinning. I had thought my godfather was just a successful businessman, but I had no idea the sheer scale of it, and now it seemed he was involved in something much more complicated and dangerous then I could have ever imagined.
