Page 78 of The Lieutenant

Brilliant, only I didn’t feel as if I had any say in the matter.

I’d been forbidden to sit on the balcony for fear another attempt would be made. I certainly wasn’t the one with the target on my back. At least I didn’t think so. I hadn’t done anything so far that would push the boundaries with a single syndicate. Except with…

“Shit.” I closed my eyes briefly. “This night was insane. I was stupid to go to that club. I was blind with my need to discover the truth, whatever that is. Maybe I was the one who almost got Havros killed.”

“You can’t do that to yourself. Havros is a big boy,” Willow told me. “In case you haven’t noticed, the brothers are like three peas in a pod. Exactly alike. For them to take advice would alter the earth on its axis. You just need to ask yourself what truths you think matter. Maybe the real truth lies in a different path.”

“How so?”

“Trust me; when Leandro was killed, I witnessed the near destruction of that family. That’s how close they are. They rocked my world after it had already been taken from me. But as soon as Dimitrios decided toclaimme, I was suddenly one of the only things he could think about. We worked together to solve the mystery and the crime. We were stronger that way.”

“They’re all big he-men, huh?” Maybe she had a point, but how could I trust him enough to combine camps, so to speak? I’d been on my own mission for so long, I felt as if I didn’t need a wingman or maybe I’d be his. Oh, this was so infuriating.

“Hell, yes. Now drink. We can both use this.”

I accepted the glass, smiling at the woman. She was near my own age, her personality matching mine closely. I had a feeling it was possible if circumstances were different, we could become goodfriends. But I wasn’t staying and he wasn’t going to change his life. Still, it was wonderful to have someone other than Havros to talk to.

“Does this happen often, being shot at?” I asked, genuinely interested. She’d walked in like a breath of fresh air, immediately ensuring I hadn’t been hurt. Other than my ribs hurting from being tackled, my heart had experienced the most significant pain.

Yet it had nothing to do with almost being killed. What troubled me almost as much as Havros almost being killed was that I’d recognized both the car and the face of the man sticking his head out the window. I was positive of it.

Or so I continued thinking. Maybe I was crazy. It had been dark. I’d had a couple of drinks. A shiver tore through me. I would likely never know a decent night’s sleep again.

“No. Thank God. You learn to deal with your emotions and when days, weeks, and even months are quiet, usually amazing, you almost forget you care about a man leading a powerful organization.”

“You mean criminal one and I don’t care about Havros. We’re not even friends.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t kid a kidder. Don’t you remember the first thing you asked when I walked into the room? You had no clue who I was, yet you pounced on me asking about Havros. ‘Is he really okay?’”

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s because I’m not a bad person, at least not really. I don’t want him hurt.” Or killed. I groaned after the awkwardness of what I’d said and she laughed.

“Your secret is safe with me. For now. However, it’s pretty obvious the two of you hit it off nicely. I’ll leave it at that.”

“I can’t care about him. This is a horrible life. Always looking over your shoulder. Wondering if the man you… don’t care about is about to get arrested. Crimes. Blood.”

“Is it really? You’re from New York, right?”

“An implant there, but that’s where I’ve kind of been living when I’m not on the road.”

“So you’ve seen more than your fair share of violent crimes, or at least heard about them on the news. Yes? Hell, Boston was a mecca of crime. I was almost mugged twice myself.”

She had a way about her that made me laugh. “Yes, plenty. I’ve written about them as well. I’m no fool. Violence and crimes are everywhere, but I don’t need to expose myself to undue levels.”

“Maybe not, but you know really bad things can happen to good people for no real reason. Or that bad people can have a softer side.”

“If you’re from Boston, how did you end up with Dimitrios?”

“Long story, but my uncle is his best friend. My family vacationed in Greece because of my father’s job and we spent time together when I was a kid. Dimitrios made an impression on me. When my parents were killed while in Kolonaki, assumptions were made, things got ugly, and I was placed under his protection.”

“You mean he held you hostage.” Wow. Her story was almost too rough to believe.

She wrinkled her nose, twisting her lips. “Not exactly. As I said, a very long story. I wanted to hate him for who he was, blaming him for my parents’ murder, but as I got to know him, I realized he wasn’t that kind of man. He was kindhearted and the hero I’d pegged him as being as a kid.” A look of sadness crossed her face.

“I’m so sorry about your parents.” That didn’t make it any easier to understand how she could love the man, but it was as obvious as she’d claimed to see in me.

“They were very special and their deaths still hurt. But what I’m telling you is that there are tragedies everywhere, every day, to good people who’ve never done anything wrong in their lives and bad people we all think deserve their fate. My parents were madly in love. My dad knew the moment he laid eyes on my mother that she was the one for him and he pursued her. When you find something like that, you can’t give it up without a real fight.”

She’d even fisted her hands for emphasis. “Hold on. I’m not in love with the man.”

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