Page 65 of The Lieutenant

“We’re not having an affair.” I laughed when both men gave me funny looks. “Fine. Yeah, we’ve been intimate.”

“I knew it,” Christos chided.

“We’ll handle the public relations as necessary, but business remains the top priority. We move forward with the meetings in Europe no matter what happens or what’s reported. We’ll consider shutting down other operations until this shit goes bythe wayside. I’ve called our attorneys. Do not say anything else to the police, Havros. Let our attorney handle it from here.”

I threw up my hands. “I have no intention of conversing with the bastards. They were fishing, but they’re on a mission. Whatever plan was created has been in motion for longer than we’ve realized.”

“I expect the stock will drop even more in the morning. I don’t mind telling you, I don’t like this. We’ve worked too hard to get this far and we can’t let anyone bring us down.”

“I thought you had control of the police department.” Christos was almost as hot as I was.

“The Hellenic police are the least of our worries,” Dimitrios told both of us from behind his desk. We all had an office at Club Sin and Shame, although over the last few months we’d rarely used them for business purposes. In our attempt to appear entirely legitimate, our reputation didn’t pair well with late night meetings. Still, the space had proven useful over the years.

“You think this is about Bernardi as well?” I asked.

“It’s looking more and more that way,” Dimitrios said as he swirled the drink in his hand. “I’ve put boots on the ground, soldiers checking with all our informants. What’s bad is that we don’t have anything definitive yet.”

I nodded. He was right. The man was attempting to bring us down from an implosion instead of a direct attempt at either assassination or theft of our product. “He had Theo killed. Of that I have no doubt.”

“Yet the police want to pin his murder on you.” The Boss was contemplating making some crazy order to the troops. I knew how his mind worked.

“I wonder what’s next? Have me sent to an insane asylum?” At least Christos could still joke. He could also give me shit about being goaded by Aldo as well, which he’d done several times.

“I wouldn’t put anything past the motherfucker at this point. We need to obtain a signed contract in both Paris and Milan. At least we can move forward on the third club within Greece. We’ll soon have pressing business and customers in both cities.”

Pressing business included expanding our diamonds market, legal yet our methods of selling could be considered crossing an ethical line. It was much easier to use the guise of reputable clubs to handle our export business activities. At least with using various methods of payment, money laundering was kept to a minimum.

“We should consider locking down any further shipments until we have control over this.” My suggestion was met with both men nodding. “We’ll be placed under a microscope even if the police aren’t calling for a complete investigation. People shy away from making deals with anyone under the gun.”

“What about a press release?” Christos suggested.

Dimitrios drummed his fingers on his desk. “Not a bad idea. If we do, I’ll need to have it carefully worded. I’ll talk with the attorney when I meet with him in the morning. Above all, it’s business as usual.”

“Agreed,” I muttered, although I wasn’t certain anything could be handled as usual for the long term.

“How’s it going with the reporter?”

Now my older brother was grinning.

“Journalist. I think she’d tell you in no uncertain terms she’s more qualified than a reporter hamming it up on television or inPeoplemagazine.” I headed to the bar, finally allowing myself to enjoy a drink. It had been a long time, longer than I’d expected. However stressful it had been, the time spent with Kara had been the most disconcerting. The fact she was bound and determined to hate me had pushed my anger and my nerves to the edge.

“She’s insanely pretty,” Christos told me.

He laughed when I gave him a harsh look after turning with the drink in my hand. “Don’t you think about it. The time spent has been interesting. She’s very talented, but also determined to do this her way even after signing the NDA. She offered me the alibi today against my wishes.”

I noticed the look with brows up my brothers had given each other.

Dimitrios whistled. “I’m not certain what to make of that.”

“Did you have her background checked before agreeing?”

He nodded. “I’m well aware of what her father does in his current job. I also know he was the American ambassador to Italy. From what little I’ve read, he was well liked, very personable, and had the respect of his peers and enemies alike. He abruptly left his job.”

“Doesn’t that strike you as some crazy coincidence? You know how we all feel about that.” Christos had a damn good point.

“It’s possible she’s working with the Cosa Nostra. Just another part of the plan to derail us from the inside out.” I hated admitting that I could have been snowed by her feminine wiles and heavy banter, but with things getting out of hand, I had to look carefully at every possibility.

“Anything is possible at this point. You should do whatever it takes to find out. There’s also something in her past that concerned me. Her mother died mysteriously. I found nothing to indicate what happened or if it was by natural causes or something else. I had to have my men dig deep to find what little documentation there was.”

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