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‘No, no!’ He was horrified. He clasped the suitcase close then gestured for her to precede him. It was unthinkable, apparently, for her to be left alone to enter the airport.
Yiorgos remained with her through the flight check-in and would have stayed longer, she was sure, except for a peremptory summons on his cellphone. The way he snapped to attention convinced her it was Costas on the line. Her heart lurched, realising this was the closest she’d ever come again to the man she loved.
She pushed back her shoulders and walked away to find a seat while she waited to board the plane.
The wait went on and on. Too nervous to sit for long, she paced continually, but the time crawled by. Eventually she looked at her watch and realised the flight should have been called. Had she missed it?
No. It was there on the board. Delayed.
Sophie bit back a frustrated oath.
So there was a slight delay. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if she had a connecting flight booked. All she had to do was get into Athens and find a cheap pension for the night. Then tomorrow she’d visit the embassy and everything would be settled.
‘Miss Paterson?’ There was a discreet cough behind her and she swung round. Two men stood there. One in uniform and the other in a grey suit that strained over his rotund form.
‘Yes? I’m Sophie Paterson.’
‘Excell
ent,’ said the man in the suit. She saw a flash of gold as he smiled. ‘Would you mind coming with us, please?’ ‘What’s wrong? My flight is due—’
‘Nothing is wrong,’ he assured her, gesturing for her to accompany them. ‘The flight is delayed but not for much longer. In the meantime,’ he led her across the waiting area towards an unmarked door, ‘there is a message for you.’
‘For me?’ She swung round. Who could have left a message for her? She gazed at the plump little man beside her but got only an unctuous smile. And the uniformed guy behind him looked so serious she felt a thrill of fear skitter up her spine.
‘Are you sure there’s not a problem?’
‘No, no.’ The man beside her opened the door and gestured for her to precede him. ‘As I said, just a message.’
He ushered her into what was clearly an interview room. Furnished only with a table and a couple of chairs. Automatically Sophie wondered what was wrong.
She swung round just as the door closed behind her. The guard hadn’t come in. She assumed he was stationed outside the room. The idea made the hair prickle on the back of her neck.
‘If there’s a difficulty with my papers—’
‘No, no. Nothing like that.’ Again the stranger smiled, spreading his arms wide. ‘Please, take a seat.’
‘I’d rather stand, thank you.’
He tilted his head to one side. ‘As you wish. I will just be a moment.’ And with that he let himself out of another door. One she assumed led into the airport offices.
The room must be soundproofed. She couldn’t hear anything. Not the people waiting for their flights nor the hum of engines. The realisation chilled her. She didn’t know why she was here. Or for how long. What if she missed her flight? It was the only one to Athens this afternoon. She didn’t want to stay on Crete another night.
Sophie bit down on her lower lip. Panicking wouldn’t help her. Whatever the problem she’d sort it out. She hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.
The door opened and she swung round.
Her heart leapt into her throat and she would have stumbled if she hadn’t grabbed on to the back of a chair.
Costas stood framed in the doorway.
‘Sophie.’ He paced towards her and the walls of the small room seemed to close in around her. His face was unreadable but the tense set of his shoulders was eloquent.
‘What are you doing here?’ Her voice sounded rusty.
‘I need you.’
His dark velvet eyes held hers and the world tilted. He needed her?
