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We go inside the beachside villa, take a quick shower, then change into our date night attire. I’m in a floral red and white maxi dress, while Ambros has chosen his typical black slacks and a white dress shirt. He’s so dark in comparison to his light shirt. I don’t think I’ll ever tan the way he does, but that’s genetics for you.
Ambros and I head to dinner at a local bistro, but halfway through, he gets a call from Linus. We transfer our food into to-go boxes, and then he drops me off at our villa. I go inside and lock the door behind me as he instructed, but my heart is pounding in my chest. What in the world happened that Ambros has to drive to go meet Linus? Shouldn’t Linus be on Mykonos anyway?
We came from Barcelona straight here to Corfu. This makes no sense to me. Unless Linus could be around? That would make sense.
“Ugh, I’m so ready for bed,” I mumble to myself as I make my way through the villa to the bedroom. I flick on the light switch and see a woman’s silhouette against the sheer curtains facing the ocean. I think she’s on the outside of the room for a moment until she turns.
It takes me a few seconds to recognize her, but when I do, a deep, uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. “You’ll get your wish soon enough. Only, you won’t be waking up.”
Zoe Drakos wants me dead, and I can only assume it’s because Ambros wants me and not her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ambros
I race as fast as I can from Corfu to Limni, which is about a fifteen-minute ride away. I got a call from Linus’ phone, which was followed by a text message saying he was in trouble and needed me to get there fast. He sent me a location, and I’m about two minutes from the pin he dropped for me.
I pull up to the Rodostamo Hotel and Spa, where Linus’ pin is.
I park the car and walk inside the front lobby, looking for my brother and whatever sort of situation he’s in… only I can’t find him anywhere. So I call him, and the phone continues to ring until he ultimately answers. “Linus, where are you?”
“At home. What do you mean?”
“I got a call from you, then a text. You said you were in trouble and needed help. Stop fucking around with me, Linus. Where are you?” I’m not in the mood for any sort of games right now. He obviously needs my help, so what’s going on? The more I think about it, the more I think he might have people in front of him. Maybe that’s why he’s acting like he’s at home.
“Linus, I’m serious. You sent me your location for a reason. Stop fucking around and tell me what’s going on!” I’m trying not to raise my voice while I’m in the middle of the hotel lobby. People around me are starting to pay attention and listen to what I’m saying. I have no patience for it. If someone dares ask me one thing, I’m going to snap them like a fucking twig.
“Ambros, I’m not fucking with you. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Linus is adamant, and I know he isn’t lying to me. I can tell, based on his voice, that he isn’t.
“Send me a screenshot of your text messages,” I order him, and within a few moments, I have a screenshot back.
It shows me the last conversation we had a couple of days ago while texting. Nothing about today. “What the fuck is going on…” I ask, not my brother specifically, but more so the universe. I don’t understand what’s happening right now.
“I don’t know, man. This shit is weird, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either. I left Xava back at the villa I rented for us while we’re here,” I murmur, and then my instincts take over. I end the call with Linus and immediately call Xava. The phone rings and rings, ultimately going to voicemail. I know there’s a good chance she could be asleep right now, and my dumb ass told Rolando to go enjoy Corfu for the night. His boyfriend came into town, and I wanted to make sure they could both go out and get some dinner. While I don’t want to ruin his evening out, I’m going to need help.
I shoot him a quick text message and let him know I need him back at the villa as soon as possible. Within a few moments, he calls me, and I’m walking to my car. I answer my phone as I get inside and start my car, knowing damn well he’s going to want me to explain the situation.
“I need you to tell me everything,” Rolando states, sounding as if he’s in a rush, too. Yep, that’s a natural instinct for you.
“I got a call from my brother, followed by a text message that said he needed help. He then sent me his location, and I drove like a bat out of hell to get to the hotel where the pin was. Only Linus wasn’t here at all. I called Linus, and he acted like he didn’t know anything that was going on. I don’t like this, Rolando. I have one hell of a sick feeling, and I’m racing back to the villa now.”
I mean it, too. I’m driving faster than I think I ever have in my entire life. Leaving Xava alone wasn’t my preferred choice, but I thought Linus was in trouble, and of course, I was going to race and go to him. If something serious was going on, I wasn’t going to leave him to deal with that by himself. There was no choice. I had to go.
Now, I feel like an idiot because I left Xava by herself. After what happened with Ruslan’s plane, I should know to be more careful… but I figured my father stopped his dumb games. Now I’m not so sure. Why would anyone send me texts and call me under the guise that it was Linus’ phone other than to hurt her in some way?
“Fuck. I’m on my way. Meet me there,” Rolando states before he hangs up the phone.
I continue driving like a maniac until I finally pull up in front of the villa. Most of the lights are off inside, but through the front door, I can see some illumination from the piece of glass above the door.
I use my key and push the door open, grabbing my gun from the back of my pants and holding it in front of me. I drop my key back in the pocket of my pants and scan the area, assessing the situation. Nothing seems to be out of place, and it’s eerily quiet.
“Xava, where are you?” I call out, still feeling like something isn’t right. I can’t put my finger on it, but I have a gut feeling.
“We’re in your bedroom, sweetheart,” a woman’s voice calls back to me, but it isn’t Xava. I think I know who it is… but I can’t be too sure.
I walk through the villa and enter the bedroom to find Xava on the bed and Zoe sitting in a chair on the opposite side of the room. She has a gun pulled out, aiming it right at Xava. “What in the fuck are you doing here?” I ask Zoe, having a hard time holding back my anger. I know if I act too furious right now, I might inadvertently put Xava at more risk. I have to be careful with how I speak to Zoe, even if I don’t want to.
