Page 68 of Sin and Deception

“I’m nosy and love to snoop,” I said, pointing to a vehicle before asking, “Whose car is that?”

“It belongs to Tobias Stratos.”

I clenched my jaw. “Asshole refused to take no for an answer and now is going to pretend it’s about family honor or some other bullshit.”

“He is Andraius’s nephew. You can’t expect anything but a similar response to rejection,” Theo reminded me. “Both are sore losers and play dirty.”

I cocked my head to the side and asked, “Does that still mean the two of you plan to serve him up on a platter for me to enjoy?”

“Yes,” Theo stated. “In my opinion, you deserve every Stratos bowing at your feet for what they allowed to happen to you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Xander smirked, then shifted his attention to the agent. “When were these taken?”

“Last week.”

The agent’s eye no longer displayed the complete look of professionalism. They had softened, and if I noticed correctly, there was an amused glint.

Interesting; she found the ridiculous banter with Xander, Theo, and me humorous.

“Is there anything else we need to know?” I asked.

“Yes. The tail we have on Gusto Aetos photographed him at dinner.”

She swiped the tablet again, and the exterior of Vinnie’s Greek restaurant, an old favorite haunt of my father’s, appeared.

“I love the food there,” I said. “They make the best desserts.”

I zoomed in on one of the restaurant windows. Nothing had changed in the two years since I’d left. I wasn’t sure why I thought it would when it looked just as it had since I was a little girl.

The decorations remained the same, from the red and white tablecloths and fake grapes hanging from the ceiling to the giant wine bottles perched in the corner, with those littlered glass candle holders flickering on each table and bowls of olives ready for guests when they arrived at the tables.

In my mind, I made a note to take the boys there when they were a bit older and could sit for a meal without a meltdown.

A pang of grief washed over me as I realized Papa would never get to meet my boys, and Linus wouldn’t ever get to run around with his nephews.

I refused to allow their memories to fade away. I planned to do whatever I could to teach my boys about the two people who’d sacrificed so much for our family.

I peered down at the photograph. Gusto and Tobias dined together. “They sure look friendly. I can almost guess what they are celebrating a toast to.”

“Assholes,” Theo stated. “Well, this confirms they’ve banded together against us.”

I looked over at the agents. “Is there more?”

“This is the latest for now.”

“Thank you for the information. It’s invaluable.” I glanced toward Theo and Xander, waiting for them to speak.

“My estate—our estate, the Angelos estate—is on high alert. My teams have prepared for every eventuality. We’ll stay safe if we return there,” Xander’s words conveyed confidence, indicating he’d implemented protections that far exceeded what was in place before my kidnapping.

Given that Solon orchestrated my abduction, I doubted anyone anticipated Xander or Theo sharing information about the security and protection upgrades implemented for our organization and property.

Xander and Theo had never trusted Solon. This sentiment was evident during my training with Devani two years ago. I expected their suspicions of the organization to lean more toward corruption than trustworthiness, especially now.

“Once we’re safe and sound back home,” Xander continued, “I recommend storming the compounds owned by the Stratos and Aetos families."

“Seriously?” I spun around sharply and glared.

“Yes. Fuck yes. End this shit, once and for all. It’s gone on way too long,” Xander replied, his eyes fiery with violent passion. “We have too much to lose to keep putting up with their threats and violence. Especially now.”

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