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For the next half hour, he drove them over one rough firebreak, then another. “There doesn’t seem to be any sign of him, Stavros. Do you think it’s possible he hid himself in one of the employees’ vehicles while no one was paying attention? Maybe the back of a truck or the trunk of a car?”
Andrea noted the grim expression marring his arresting features. “Those are the first places I assumed the police had looked before I got there. But if they weren’t thorough enough...” His voice drifted off.
“Do all the workers live nearby?”
“Their homes are in or around Panagia. If that’s what Darren did, then he could lose himself among the tourists in the morning.”
Andrea nodded. “With enough money, he could buy a bike or steal one. Once in Thassos, he could take the ferry to the mainland.”
For the second time that night, Stavros clasped the hand nearest him. “Who should have been the detective now?” Heat passed through her system in waves before he let it go. “I’ll find us a place to camp on the outskirts of Panagia.”
The gorgeous man at the wheel had no idea that the thought of spending the rest of the night with him sent her pulse ripping off the charts.
“We can try to get some sleep for what’s left of the rest of this night. In the morning, we’ll make early rounds of the bike shops.”
“We might actually bump into him.”
“Or her,” he added. “If he’s wearing a disguise.” He hadn’t forgotten what she’d said. “If not there, maybe at the ferry landing.”
“I want to believe that.” She was worried sick about Darren of course. Stavros couldn’t help but hear the tremor in her voice.
“That makes two of us.”
Before too long, he found them a secluded spot. “Do you mind if we don’t set up the tent?” His question prompted her to lift her gaze to him, noticing the shadow on his firm jaw. If anything, he was more attractive when he needed a shave.
“No. It’s a beautiful night. I’ve slept out with my father like this hundreds of times. A tent is too confining and we could miss spotting Darren if he were to come this way.”
“You’re too good to be true. I think I must be dreaming.”
“You’ll know this is for real if I scream out loud because another ferret the size of the one in the cave creeps onto me.”
With a low resonant chuckle he unraveled the bedroll for her to sleep in and made himself a bed on a couple of blankets. They both ate and drank from the contents of the hamper. Then she snuggled into the bedroll and turned on her side toward him.
“Stavros? Thank you for letting me search for Darren with you. I appreciate everything you’ve done, not only for me, but for him. You’re a remarkable man.” He was a lot more than that. She needed to turn off her feelings for him. They were spinning out of control.
“Don’t give me any credit,” he said. “I have just as much at stake here as you. And how long it’s taking to find him is convincing me he’s more clever than I realized.” His hand went to his watch. “I’m setting my alarm so we’ll have time to grab some breakfast at one of the cafés first thing in the morning.” Andrea watched him pull out his phone. “I’m going to leave a message for the lieutenant about our plans for tomorrow. Then it’s lights out.”
She turned off her flashlight while she listened. In a minute, he shut the big light off and stretched out on his back with only one blanket pulled over him. He put his hands behind his dark head. “You’re a very trusting woman to be out in the forest with me.”
“I know the important things,” she came back readily. “I did my research and learned that the Konstantinos Corporation enjoys an excellent reputation far and wide for the quality of their products and their fair dealings. The fact that you cared enough to look for Darren on your own time when you didn’t have to says a lot about your character.”
His compassion and understanding of her loss had really been the things that told her he could be trusted. But she refrained from sharing that with him.
“I’d rather talk about your character, Andrea. No one would expect you to have joined in the search. I’m touched that you would tell me about your harrowing experience waiting to hear news of your fiancé.”
She stirred restlessly. “I couldn’t just stand by this time. You’d be surprised how many searches I’ve gone on in the past.”
“What do you mean?”
“Living in some of the third-world areas meant helping out in a crisis at a moment’s notice. In some ways, it was easier to find someone’s lost son or daughter from a remote village than to track down a teen like Darren who wants to be lost in a country as modern and sophisticated as Greece. With money he could be anywhere doing anything. His poor parents must be frantic.”
Stavros turned on his side. “Has this happened before on one of the tours?”
“There’ve been a few serious health issues, but no one ever left in the middle of a tour before. Georgios has been with PanHellenic fifteen years and said he’s never had someone disappear on him.”
“It’s a bizarre situation, one we can’t solve tonight.”
“You’re right. Good night, Stavros.” She rolled onto her side away from him.
