Page 21 of The Boss

Her eyes darted to the uneaten apple and she frowned. “You need food.”

“Excuse me but I’m not hungry. You see, my parents were murdered yesterday and I was taken hostage by a man I thought was a good guy, but it turns out he’s a terrible man capable of doing reprehensible things.” My words came out rapidly and I had a feeling she understood only half of what I’d said.

But just enough to bring a flush to her face. “No, Mr. Nomikos is a good man. Kind.”

She made it sound like she was a slave, not his employee.

“Not to be rude or mean to you, but I couldn’t care less. He didn’t tell me why I was here or what I did to deserve this.” I looked away, fighting the urge to light into her.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched as she placed the towels on the corner of the bed, staying as far away from me as possible. Why was I still thinking about how gorgeous Dimitrios was? My stomach clenched as a vision of his face popped into my mind.

He was certainly the kind of man who demanded attention when he walked into a room. I’d witnessed that at the club. Maybe all the people had done so because they feared him. I bit back a laugh. He certainly had stood out in his dark suit at Sin and Shame where everyone else was wearing party clothes.

Except for the brutal-looking men accompanying him. Maybe there was a strict dress code in the world of the Greek mafia.

Even the night before, he’d appeared perfectly dressed in charcoal gray trousers, matching jacket, and a crisp white shirt adorned by a flaming red tie. The shirt was tight fitting, accentuating every muscle developed through hard work and exercise.

I pressed my fingers across my lips to keep from making a sound.

“How long am I going to be here? Is Dimitrios in another part of this building? If so, I demand I be allowed to talk to him.” There I went losing my temper. “And what is your name?”

I was certain at that point she was going to burst into tears. “Eleni. My name.”

It was funny that since she’d attached a name, some of the fury left my system. I couldn’t be upset with her. “Beautiful name.”

Her smile returned, although wary as it should be. “Mr. Nomikos left early this morning. I do not know when he will be back.”

“Great. Just great. Meanwhile, I’m required to stay in this room a prisoner.” Of war or something else? When I’d met him all those years before, had he given any indication he was a ruthless prick? Maybe I’d been too young and enamored with him to notice.

“I am sorry. I don’t know…”

“It’s okay, Eleni,” I stopped her. She didn’t know anything and asking her could only put her in some crazy kind of risk. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“Can I get something to… pass the time?” She bit her lip as if frustrated she couldn’t speak English better.

I had no idea what to request, but I thought of something that used to calm me when I’d had a nightmare or a bad day at school. “Do you have a pen and maybe some paper?”

She looked at me quizzically.

“I like to write poetry.”

Eleni’s smile brightened. “Yes. Yes. I can get that for you.” She nearly rushed from the room.

I followed her, hoping in her excitement she’d leave the door unlocked. The sound of the lock engaging told me I was wrong. At least I could use the pen to drive out one of his eyeballs when he returned.

She returned only a few minutes later with a full empty pad and two different pens, tentative in her actions.

“Thank you. These will help.” At this moment, I wasn’t certain if anything I wrote would be coherent.

I could tell she was curious about me. Maybe she’d answer some questions. “You work for Mr. Nomikos?”

“Yes.”

“Is he good to work for?”

“Yes.”

Great. One-word answers. That wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “What’s he like?”

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