Page 12 of The Boss

I did. “So?”

“I need to double check, but it would appear she was at the club last night. Right around the time of the murder.”

CHAPTER 5

Willow

My head still hurt, the dull throb behind my eyes just not going away.

It served me right for overindulging in one too many cocktails. I’d bought the thought hours of dancing would kill any chance of a hangover.

I’d been wrong. Oh, so wrong.

I felt like shit on a shingle, as my mother used to say.

I winced, the late afternoon sun still too painful, forcing me to shield my eyes.

“That was fun,” Athena said as she leaned out of the driver’s window. While it was late afternoon, I noticed she was keeping her sunglasses on as well. We’d been damn lucky we’d gotten home without wrecking, being arrested, or being accosted.

“Too much fun.”

“We should do it again before you leave.”

Exhaling, I glanced over my shoulder. “It might not be possible. My mother is insisting we spend quality family time together.”

Her laugh brought an instant pain in my forehead. “My mother is exactly the same way. But you can sneak out. I know you can.”

“Well, you’re moving to France. Your mother has a good reason to suffocate you. She wants to spend more time with you before you become rich and famous. I’m staying in Boston. She can see me all the time.” But I was getting my own place. I’d made the final decision. I’d saved enough money. Even if I had a shoe closet with a tiny bathroom, I’d be happy.

She pouted her full lips. “Call me anyway. Maybe we can squeeze in a lunch.”

“I will. It’s been so good to see you.” Now I was going to take a million aspirin and lie down for the rest of my life. Why had I been so stupid?

My God. My legs were still noodles as I backed away, waving for a few seconds before heading toward the door. My parents’ rental car was in the driveway. I’d hoped they’d be out enjoying the festive Greek streets or something. Why did it feel like they were waiting for me like they had when I was seventeen?

I made my way into the house, no longer surprised it was quiet. The place was so big, you could almost get lost in it. Besides, unless they were entertaining, my parents often did things away from each other. I envisioned my mother reading and Daddy talking to one of his clients. He just couldn’t get away from business. Not completely.

It seemed to take me twice the norm to head up the short set of stairs, walking into the kitchen. I was finally starving after being worried I’d upchuck whatever I consumed. I dropped my overnight bag on the floor, promising myself I’d do a load of wash later. After grabbing an apple, I tossed my purse onto the counter and headed to find my mother. At least if she knew I’d arrived back home safely, maybe she’d stop bugging me so much about seeing my friend.

“Mom? Where are you?” She wasn’t in what I’d thought would be her favorite reading spot. There were two comfy chairs, a warming fireplace, one small table, and a huge bookshelf full of novels. The quaintest location in the house.

She also wasn’t out on the deck. Neither was my father. Where the hell were they? I meandered down one side of the house first. There was a long hallway on the other side leading to the bedrooms, but I doubted either were taking a nap. There was also an upstairs, including an artist’s studio. I took several bites of my apple as I wandered into the large family room. With two doors, it connected with a media room and library as well as the kitchen.

A simply stunning home.

The moment I walked in, hair stood up on the back of my neck. I lifted my head, frozen to the spot the moment I noticed a strange man sitting in the huge leather chair near the set of all-glass doors. I darted my eyes to the doors leading to the hallway, trying to figure out how to handle this.

“Can I help you?” I asked in English. When he didn’t say anything, merely staring at me with the most gorgeous pair of deep blue, piercing eyes, I remembered where I was. “Boró na se voithíso?”

I repeated what I’d asked before, hopeful my Greek didn’t suck too badly. For all I knew, he could be a friend of my father’s. Sticking a letter opener in his eye socket wouldn’t be the best idea initially in case he was.

He smiled and cocked his head. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say he was without a doubt the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.

With his sharply angular jaw, aristocratic nose, two-day stubble accentuating his dark curls, and a body that I had a feeling gods were carved from, I was lost in a slight haze for a few seconds. But there was something familiar about him.

He remained silent and I was getting very irritated. “I think I need to ask you to leave. If not, I’ll get my huge father to toss you out the door.”

He laughed, which meant he understood English.

---