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“Yeah,” I admit, knowing that Antonio DeLuca would kill any motherfucker who dared to touch her. She was his wife, but she was also cherished, and it showed in everything my sister said and did. I don’t smile much but the thought does make my lips twitch. Then, I let out a breath. “So, what shit is headed our way now, Eli?”
“Zervas,” he responds.
He only says one word, but it’s enough. Zervas hates me and I hate him. Those facts have been true for as long as I can remember. That hate only increased when I took the helm of what used to be my father’s business. I haven’t forgotten that Zervas fucked up my play to get rid of my father before shit went to hell. Now, he and his family are the biggest rival to my interests here in Greece. My father should have struck out against them ages ago, but my father was too weak. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Ruining them and wiping them from the scene here in Greece is on my list. The problem is my fucking list seems to grow every damn day.
“What’s going on?”
“You aren’t going to like it.”
“I don’t like the mention of his name, so I think that’s a given. How about we quit playing this game and you just tell me outright.”
“Word is his father put him in charge of their American interests. He’s been living there for two months.”
“Why does this matter? The fact that he’s that farther away from here is good news as far as I’m concerned.”
“You would think that,” Elias mutters.
“Damn it, Eli, out with it already.”
“He’s in Phoenix.”
“So? It’s a large city and highly populated.” I don’t like he’s close to Helena, but to my knowledge he has no idea who she is.
He reaches inside his blazer, and fishes something out of the inside pocket. He tosses it across my desk. I pick it up, frowning when I realize it’s a photograph. I flip it over to see what the picture is actually of and can’t believe my eyes. Helena is at a restaurant laughing and talking with Zervas. Bitterness churns in my gut.
“He’s running the gallery your woman is working at.”
“Motherfucker!” I hiss.
Helena belongs to me—has always been mine. Just because she deserves better than the blood in my veins, doesn’t mean I will let her go. Seeing her laughing and sitting with this piece of shit is a fucking blow. Zervas is an asshole of epic proportions. Being who I am and my father being who he is, that’s saying something.
“How in the fuck…” I mutter, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.
“We’ve had the new guy that DeLuca sent over—Callister—watching over Helena like you ordered. She hasn’t been around Zervas often, and it’s always some kind of work luncheon, but if that fuck-wad is involved...”
“She could be in danger,” I finished.
Fury, the likes of which I haven’t tasted since my father was alive, spoils the air around me so much that it burns my lungs and overtakes me.
“Does her father know?” I ask.
“He knows Zervas is running the gallery. You pissed him off enough that last meeting with Helena, you don’t really have an ally there anymore, brother.”
“Then they all need to learn a lesson.”
“Do we extract Helena now?”
My first instinct is to say yes. I don’t do that. She loves her job. I need to figure some things out and, in the meantime, I need some help.
“Not yet.”
“Brother, I don’t think you should keep waiting.”
“Duly noted. Tell our man to stay close to Helena, but make sure she doesn’t know she has a tail on her. I’m going to call Antonio. I may need a little extra help.”
Elias lets out an annoyed breath, but he nods, clearly not happy with my decision, but thankfully, he’s not going to keep questioning me. I can’t stop to talk to him about it right now. I need to get someone close to Helena now. Then, I need to figure out exactly what Zervas is doing because I’m sure it’s bad whatever it is.
Chapter 29
Marco
“Something going on?” DeLuca asks, in place of a hello. He sounds irritated. I smile.
“Can’t I just call my brother-in-law to shoot the shit?” I ask, and despite the poison currently churning in my gut, my lips twitch.
I hate to say that I like this asshole, but I do. He is good for my sister. He shelters her. It’s the way she should be protected, the way I wanted to and tried—but ultimately failed. He also spoils her and that makes me happy.
I can’t really ask for more than that.
“Don’t remind me of the only drawback I had in claiming Melina as mine.”
I laugh. Yeah, damn it. I like the bastard. He’s been good to my family. He didn’t have to let me oversee things here. He sure as fuck didn’t have to let my brothers either. My father was a bastard who destroyed everything he touched, and he lost to DeLuca. Yet, instead of burning it all to the ground and erasing Stratakis holdings, he restructured and gave it the DeLuca umbrella of protection. That said, Greece is small. The power we wield here is nothing compared to the vast holdings DeLuca has in America. It’s still a fortune and sure, I may answer to him, but I’m in charge here and that means something. The fact Melina wanted her brothers happy may have factored into DeLuca’s decision somewhat, but he’s a man who took over a fucking kingdom and not only did it successfully, but he also made it bigger, stronger, and better.
