AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Unless he was carrying a disguise in his pack. Maybe turn himself into a woman?”
He flicked her another searching glance that sent a curl of physical awareness through her. “That would definitely throw anyone looking for him off the scent. I’ll pass your idea on to the lieutenant in case he hadn’t thought of it. You never know.
“Perhaps you noticed Darren’s birth date on the passport. He turned eighteen yesterday, which makes him an adult.”
“I didn’t catch that.” This man’s mind was a steel trap.
“What else do I need to know about him?”
She sucked in her breath. “My boss found out Darren comes from a well-to-do Connecticut family, so he probably has enough money on him to last for a while. Maybe he planned this before leaving the States, possibly with someone else who’s waiting for him at another destination.”
“Anything’s possible.”
“My guess is he’ll try to leave the island by boat rather than ferry. I’ve been studying my map of Thassos. There are dozens of harbors. How hard would it be for him to pay a fisherman to take him somewhere else and escape under the radar, so to speak?”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “It sounds like you’ve had experience with this kind of thing before.”
“Some,” she admitted. But not while she’d been working for the tour company.
“If he tries to get away in a boat, the harbor police will be onto him. In the meantime, I’ll head back to my house to change and go after him. As I recall, your tour brochure mentioned the Dragon Cave near Panagia.”
“Yes. They would have toured it this morning.”
“Then he might have decided to go there to hide for the night.”
“You’re right.” She hadn’t thought of that. “You’d make an excellent detective if you hadn’t been born a Konstantinos.” The comment had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her?
After a pause his lips twitched. “There’s a thought.” His amused tone played havoc with her breathing.
Andrea had visited the Dragon Cave months ago. It contained amazing stalactites and stalagmites. She’d seen the stalactite shaped like a dragon. “The literature says the cave hasn’t been fully explored.” Fear clutched her heart to think Darren might be foolish enough to penetrate a danger zone.
“I’ll check there first. There’s no time to waste.”
“Kyrie Konstantinos—” She thought he was about to walk away and wanted to stop him. He eyed her with such a penetrating gray gaze, she felt he could see right through her. This important man was ready to drop everything to look for a boy he didn’t know. With the police already doing a search, he didn’t have to do it and no one would expect it of him.
On top of his overwhelming male attributes, there was a goodness in him she could feel. The combination startled Andrea. She felt drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain and would have to analyze later. “I’d like to go with you and help.”
He looked stunned. “Why would you want to get involved?”
“Because in a sense this is my fault. I’m the one who asked the quarry manager if we could bring our tours here. These quarries have been worked for a thousand years, yet many tourists still aren’t aware of their existence. I find them fascinating and convinced my boss to agree to the idea of a tour here in the first place.”
His head reared back in surprise. “Your idea?”
“Yes. I can only imagine how much you wish your quarry manager had said no to me. I realize everything is a risk, but you could have no idea how responsible I feel now that this has happened on your company’s property. And to be honest, there’s another reason...”
She felt his gaze travel over her. “What would that be?”
“Eighteen months ago I lost my fiancé. He was a mountain-climbing guide who’d gone up on Mont Blanc with some other climbers. They were caught in a terrible storm. When it was discovered he was missing, I was told I couldn’t assist in the search because it would be too dangerous.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Immediately, his eyes softened with compassion. She could feel it.
“I had to wait ten agonizing days until they found his body on a ledge. When I think of this boy’s parents hearing the news that their son is missing, I can’t stand by and do nothing.” Her eyes smarted with unshed tears. “Even if I’m not able to do any good, I want to help in the search for him.”
She heard him inhale sharply. “You can add me to that list of people who feel responsible because I’m the person Gus appealed to for permission to allow tours here.”
A small cry escaped her lips. “I knew he would have to go through channels. What a surprise to find out it was you.” Incredible.
“I’d say today has brought several surprises. But I don’t regret giving permission, not even under these circumstances.”
