Page 24 of Promised Vows

Next on the agenda was Jason and Anna’s father. After finding out that Lorenzo was hanging around, I’d had a guard hovering nearby when she went out. He’d told me about Anna’s father, and I wanted to know why he was making unannounced visits to his daughter, especially when he hadn’t been in the country since Jason took power. My gut said some details needed to be filled in and it wasn’t a leap to connect her tears to it.

Hand in my pockets, I waited while his secretary stepped inside his office. Since I was the soon-to-be brother-in-law, I thought he might let it slide if I didn’t make an appointment.

She reappeared, leaving the door to his office behind her open with a view of Jason in front of the city beyond. “Mr. Georgiou said he has time to speak with you.”

“Thank you,” I said and nodded as I moved past her inside.

Jason sat back in his chair, his arms across his chest. “Ari, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

The door clicked shut before I replied, “Two things.” I took a seat opposite of him and set my left ankle over my right knee.

“Lucas would appreciate it if you could attend a meeting tomorrow with him and Gabriele Moretti.”

“Gabriele Moretti?”

I nodded. “I’ve secured a location that is neutral with an underground parking garage to give us cover. Security will be tight. You have my guarantee that you and anyone you bring will be protected while you are there.”

He studied me. “Do I have to answer right this second?”

“No, I would never expect that.”

“Okay. What’s the second thing?”

It was my turn to study him. I needed to see every movement. If he lied, he wouldn’t have to worry about the meeting. “I thought since we were going to be family, maybe you and I needed a chat.”

“Is Anna not being cooperative?”

At the mention of her name, the events of the previous night filled my mind. I’d held her the night before. That curvaceous, vibrant woman had flattened her body against mine and stayed like that until she fell asleep. I couldn’t put into words what it felt like to have her melt in my arms. What she didn’t understand is that I drew as much comfort from it as she did. Having someone to hold at the end of a long, stressful day was something I’d wanted for a long time. She’d given me a gift.

As far as her softening to the idea of marrying me… “We’re working on it.” I smiled. “No, this is more about your father’s retirement.”

Tension filled the air instantly. His eyes dilated and he swallowed hard. “There’s nothing to discuss.”

“Are you sure? Why did he move to Greece, seemingly overnight? You lost a lot of your men around that time too, right?”

He worked his jaw. “It was a family matter that’s been taken care of.”

That was the point of marrying Anna, right? To join our families. “Okay, bro, what happened.”

“It’s none of your concern.”

I took my phone from the pocket inside my suit, tapped the screen, and showed it to him. “Did you know he was in town?”

The guy’s face blanched. “What?” He stood, took the phone, and stared at it. “That’s Anna’s apartment building.”

“Yeah, and he was there yesterday.”

Grumbling under his breath, he shoved the phone back into my hand, picked up his phone, hit the screen, and put it to his ear. “Michael is back… Yes. He was at Anna’s. She goes nowhere without security. No, it’ll break her heart.” He ended the call and retook his seat.

“Jason, Anna is mine. If your father is putting her in danger then I need to know.”

His eyes turned dark. “There’s nothing to know. It’s been taken care of.”

I understood the need to keep things under wraps that could potentially make the family look weak. That was part of my job, but Michael was able to hide his return to the States from Jason. The time for trying to hide weakness was gone. “Look, I get it. You don’t want your dirty laundry aired, but this involves Anna, which means it involves me. I need to know.”

Jason held my gaze for a moment and licked his lips. Finally, it seemed the debate was settled when he sighed. “He was moving toward sex trade. Girls like Anna. I found out from Thomas one night about four years ago. Thomas was a childhood friend and now my second. He was and is loyal to me. He didn’t like it any more than I did. I spent the next seven months begging my father not to do it while I prepared to take action if he did. I gave him every opportunity I could to stop. I didn’t want our family associated with that. Strip clubs… I wasn’t fond of them, but the women weren’t slaves, so to speak. Not in the same way as these women being shipped in.”

A coup?

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