Page 20 of The Boss

Poor Frankie never knew what hit him.

CHAPTER 7

Willow

Loneliness.

It struck me hard, more so than I’d ever experienced before. The shock from what Dimitrios had told me weighed heavily, but I had no real reason to believe what he’d said was true.

Although in my heart and soul I knew my parents were gone. I could feel a strange absence, almost as if I could sense their spirits watching over me. Being alone was creating monsters in my mind.

More so than the man who’d kidnapped me.

Why did Dimitrios think Shane was involved? And why would he care? Hadn’t my brother been sent to rescue me from danger? If so, he’d gone about it in an entirely ridiculous way. I was exhausted, unable to sleep more than a few minutes during the night. He’d told me nothing after bringing me to this house and locking me inside a room.

I’d banged on the door, yelling for several minutes, but no one had come to my rescue. Why was this happening? “Let me out! You bastard!” After pummeling the door for another thirty seconds, I turned away more disgusted than before.

At least my prison was nicer than anything I’d seen in the news. The room was oversized with a king-sized bed and comfy mattress. But I sensed the room had been stripped of anything I could use as a weapon. There were no books, no drapes, no hairdryer in the bathroom. Nothing. There weren’t even any towels.

Maybe the horrible man wanted me to suffer in his own way.

I wiped tears from my eyes and tried to concentrate on staring out the window. So much time had passed, which had increased my anxiety. Time wasn’t always a good thing. It allowed concerns and fears to fester deep inside. My stomach was in knots and my head throbbed from the tears I’d shed. Along with the lack of sleep, I was close to being a basket case. But I had to be strong. If not for me, for my brother. Damn Dimitrios.

At least I knew I’d managed to fall asleep at some point, waking to find an apple and a bottle of water on the nightstand. Had he brought the refreshments into the room? I doubted it. I’d seen several people standing by the house when we’d arrived. They’d all had guns in their hands.

Maybe it was good for me to know the man I’d once thought a Greek god was nothing but the monster my friends had suggested him to be. To think I’d found him attractive in any way kept the anger rolling in my system.

The near blistering hatred for him was better than feeling the extreme sadness that had dragged me close to hell. I’d known my parents would eventually die, but now? Together?

Murdered?

Another sob forced me to double over. I could barely breathe from fear and worry. Was my brother okay? We hadn’t been close in years, but that’s what happened to siblings. Right? They grew up and held different interests. Plus, he enjoyed his job tremendously, including the fact it took him to distant shores often. I’d never known a diplomat traveled as much as he did for business, but that’s almost all he’d talked about the few times he’d come home to visit.

Oh, God. Home. Tears fell down both cheeks and no amount of wiping them would stop the flow. I was a mess, still in the same clothes. My phone taken. My dignity stripped away.

And my parents stolen from me.

As I pressed my hand against the glass, I remembered the near ugliness between my mother and me before I’d left. What if I hadn’t gone out for the evening? Would I have managed to save them?

Or be killed in cold blood as well?

I closed my eyes, allowing myself to grieve so maybe I could get it out of my system. As I rested my face against the warm glass, I felt grateful for the bright sun. And I didn’t know why.

“Eísai kalá, despoinís?”

The voice was one I hadn’t heard before, young and lovely. I turned my head, once again fighting the tears. “I… I don’t understand much Greek.”

“Oh, yes… I… I asked if you were okay?” She was struggling with the words. While I had no clue who she was, the fact she had a set of towels in her hands indicated she likely worked here. Her face was pensive, fear in her eyes. She had no clue what to do with me any more than I did with her. Maybe this was her home.

Wherever home was.

I’d paid very little attention to my surroundings, which wasn’t what my father had instructed me to do. He’d insisted I take traveling seriously, including the possibility of being kidnapped. I’d never questioned his motives but now, I was beginning to wonder if I should have asked him questions.

I had no idea what to say to her. She didn’t deserve me lashing out. I eased my back against the window, biting my lower lip as I always did when I was nervous. “I don’t know.”

She smiled, her expression softening. “I… Brought clean towels.”

“Thank you.” What else was there to say?

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