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I rub the back of my head, wondering why in this moment I’m wishing Lina was here with me. Since my father died, the only one I’ve had to truly depend on unconditionally is Maxwell.
“I’ll get to the hospital and get an update on Niko. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Then, I’ll contact the morgue and make arrangements for Max’s body to be brought home.”
“I’ll call Zane and Levi. I’ll have them contact Bobby and start getting cameras from the area to see if we can spot a shooter in them,” Stone adds, surprising me. He might work out after all.
“Call me the minute you find something out,” I respond before turning my attention back to Vic. “You drive here?”
“Taxi,” he says, and I nod.
“You can ride with me. I’ll have the driver drop you off at my jet.”
I grab my jacket and head out the door, leaving it up to Victorio to follow me or not. I don’t have time to wait, and even though I know it is all wrong, all I can think about in this moment is that it looks like Lina will slip through my fingers.
At least for now.
melina
I collapse down on the bed with a sigh. My gaze moves over to the circa 1980’s alarm clock that has bright red numbers on the built-in nightstand. Eleven. It’s no wonder I’m so tired. I’ve been on three different buses today. I’ve made it to Sparta which is only about one hundred and forty miles from Athens. It’s not a lot, but at least I know I’ve not been followed and since I’ve used cash, I feel relatively safe. My father will probably still be on his business trip. The house staff may have alerted him or my brother Marco of my absence, but they wouldn’t have been able to do a lot about it today. I know from here out it will get trickier to stay hidden. My father has averylong reach.
I’m really not sure where I’m going, either. I have a paper map and I’ve been picking my destination by the name. Small villages seem safer, so I’ve chosen that route. I do have my ID and passport, but the minute it is used, my father will be alerted. That pretty much leaves air travel out for me. Trains need ID, too. I suppose you need it for buses, but the ones I’ve dealt with are a small enough service that waving cash got me a ticket without issue. For that much, I’m grateful.
In the back of my mind, I’m sure that my father will eventually find me. He’s evil and evil men always manage to get their way. I’ve lived enough years as his daughter to know this for a fact. Yet, even knowing it’s futile to run, I’m still going to do it. If for no other reason, I’m hoping that if I’m gone long enough, my father will call this horrible marriage off. I don’t even want to contemplate being married to a man old enough to be my grandfather.
I truly can’t even see it now that I’ve been with Antonio. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I left his bed, and my body is grieving the loss of him. I know that’s stupid. I do. I mean, if I had stayed, the man would have just kicked me out anyway. Plus, I couldn’t stay even if he wanted me to. My father would kill him. Heck, if he ever found out about the night I shared with Antonio, he would kill us both. I know that with a surety that can’t be explained. I’m still surprised my one-night-only lover is still breathing after talking to my father the way he did. I think Antonio is smart enough to watch his back. I hope and pray he is.
I sigh and do my best to pull my thoughts away from their current track. That is my past and if I’m going to stay out of my father’s reach, I must concentrate on the here and now. I want to rent a car, but to do that, I have to use my ID and there is paperwork involved. Staying under the radar is my best option. Besides, I need to watch my money carefully.
I slowly get up and walk into the tiny bathroom of the motel. It’s a dive and I guess that’s why I picked it. This is about as far as you can get from a place the great Dracos Stratakis would stay in. That’s why I picked it. He wouldn’t be caught dead here. I’ve never been the kind of girl to take the life of wealth and so-called privilege I receive into account on anything. Still, right now, I’d kill for a decent four-star hotel with a large soaker tub. Or, shoot, even a three star. I don’t care. I’m pretty sure this place would have negative stars on Yelp. I’m afraid to look, to be honest.
I frown at the bath. There’s a yellow tub that has probably been here since way before I was born—maybe even before my father was. The torn white plastic shower curtain doesn’t really help the ambience of the room either. Still, I’m desperate enough to try it. I’m still suffering from my wicked night with Antonio. I swear when I’m walking there are moments when I get phantom pains of being stretched by him—as if he were still inside me.
I frown at the small towels that feel rough and scratchy. Okay, maybe luxury has spoiled me a bit. I’d kill for one of my big, soft, fluffy bath towels at home right about now. I strip down quickly. I reach into the tub to turn on the water. The pipes creak in protest. It’s so loud that I wince. They eventually quiet, only to be followed by a vibrating sound in the shower wall that’s so loud that I cup my hands over my ears.
This can’t be good.
There’s a hammering on the wall at the same time. “Cut it out in there!” a hoarse voice screams, the sound muffled.
I do my best not to panic. I could skip the shower, but the truth is I really need one. Once I get in under the water, I rethink that idea because despite being turned all the way to hot, the water is ice cold. It’s so bad that I shiver the entire time I bathe. I want to shave my legs, but my teeth are chattering, so I don’t even try. Maybe wherever I end up tomorrow will have a better shower.
I grab the towel which is akin to drying off with a scouring pad. Luckily for me, the cold seems to have numbed any feeling I have in my limbs. I fish around in my backpack and find a clean pair of panties and once I have those, I fish out Antonio’s shirt that I stole this morning. Slipping it on, I’m enveloped by his cologne and masculine scent. I go straight to the bed and crawl under the cover, close my eyes and think about the night I spent in his arms. Remembering the relentless way that he claimed me, makes me feel warm all over. It also leaves me feeling achingly alone. There’s yelling beginning in the next room over. I guess if he couldn’t take his anger out on me, he will on his woman. They proceed to get louder and louder, then, I hear things hitting the wall.
I grab a pillow and pull it over my head to try and muffle the noise. It’s only then I discover I’m crying. I let the tears fall.
melina
Two Weeks Later
I smile as I step outside the small café I’ve been working at. It’s hard to believe that in two weeks I’ve found heaven, and yet I have. Heaven is a tiny island called Kastellorizo. It’s a quiet place where technology doesn’t run everything. It’s quaint and peaceful. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Most everyone walks or rides bikes. There’s an old taxi that makes a run here or there for the older citizens, but other than that…nothing.
The only drawback to the place is that there’s a good chance it is still not far enough away from my father. I figure I’m close to six hundred miles from Athens. That’s not great, but considering this is the island that time forgot, I’m thinking my father won’t even think of it. I feel safe here. There’s every chance that I’m fooling myself, but I can’t drum up the courage to care. I’m trapped in Greece. The minute I buy a plane ticket my father will find me. He’s that powerful and that ruthless. He won’t let me go easily—especially since he’s already brokered a deal involving me. That means my best hope is to keep my head down and stay under the radar. I’m trying to do just that. I get paid cash under the table. I’ve rented a small cottage on the seaside and I’m living a life about as different from the one I used to have that I can—and loving every minute of it.
If there’s one dark spot in the last two weeks, it’s that I truly do miss Antonio. It’s crazy, but I think he’s somehow marked me. At the very least, he’s left his mark on my body because I ache to be with him again. The loneliness gets so bad sometimes that I almost regret going to the hotel and giving myself to him.
Almost, but not quite.
It’s hard to regret the single greatest night in your life. I want to say that in the future I’ll find love and be happy, but I can’t manage to lie to myself enough to believe that. The future is out there and the promise of it can be terrifying. That means, I’m going to enjoy the here and now.
“Hey, Lina!”
