Page 105 of The Enforcer

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

CHAPTER 27

Christos

I’m falling hard for you. Letting you go will destroy me.

Those were the words I’d said to her. They were also the ones I’d thought about most of the night. I’d been unable to sleep, pacing the floor of my office, checking on her every two hours. I wasn’t certain if I thought she would attempt another escape, or I simply needed to be close to her.

Her thoughts of providing assistance also weighed heavily on my mind. She had a good point in that she’d more easily be able to have a conversation with her father. While he wouldn’t admit to anything, being placed on notice could put a few of the pieces together. I’d recommended she take risks, but this one was highly suspect as well as dangerous.

I’d spent more than an hour in front of the bank of screens that allowed me to see almost every square inch of the exterior of my home. Even as morning had dawned and I’d attempted to suck down a cup of coffee, my mind had been elsewhere.

Spending time with Davit today could provide answers. Or the information could condemn our family. However, speaking with him was necessary. At least Havros would be in attendance. So would several soldiers.

If Davit believed we would fall into his trap so easily, he would soon learn just how wrong he could be.

With Dimitrios close to being fully recovered, at least according to him, he had plans to have a phone discussion with Don Coppola since they had a friendly rapport. What I didn’t like was the uncertainty of when the other shoe would drop.

An expression I learned from Willow. Americans had an interesting way of speaking. I laughed softly. I’d told myself when I did finally settle down, I’d find a nice Greek girl. Here I was following in my brothers’ footsteps.

Fuck.

Maybe I should just send her back home. No, she had a target on her back. Of that I was certain.

“You’ve been a million miles away,” Havros stated. We were sitting in the back of the Escalade V with Elias driving, Jonas in the passenger seat. There was to be no mistaking our level of importance and power, which was why we’d taken the larger SUV, the special edition designed with the family in mind complete with bulletproof glass and reinforced steel panels. With weapons stored under the seats, we could protect ourselves against almost every situation.

But the Armenian was slick even if the agreed upon meeting location was in the public eye.

“She offered her assistance with her father.” I glanced out the window at the streets of Athens, the day as beautiful as the one for the wedding. I immediately tensed as a half dozen images tore through my mind of the damn day. While the shitstorm had already been returned to normal with almost no sign of another attack, I doubted my parents would return to the vacation home for months, if ever.

“Valencia?”

“Yeah.”

“Whew. Do you believe her?”

I turned my head toward him. “Yes. The question is why should I place her in danger?”

“Because if her father has anything to do with what happened or knows something, she may be the only person alive who can convince him to confess. From what I’ve read about the man, he is highly intelligent and respected. What did Pops always tell us?”

“Yeah, I know. Information is the greatest weapon. I get it, but I don’t want her hurt and she’s cocky. Do you believe she scaled the wall at my house in an attempt to escape? She skipped by the security system and almost made it.”

He laughed. “She reminds me of Kara. She wouldn’t take no for an answer when she decided I needed her help. Remember?”

“How did we get involved with formidable woman?”

“I take that to mean you’re considering keeping her.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “She’s reminded me about thirty times she’s not my possession and she certainly isn’t a pet.”

“You really do like her.”

“That’s the thing. I adore her, but I also like her. Her spunk. Her intelligence. The way she handles a difficult situation with a kind and caring manner. Yeah, I like this woman more than I thought possible.”

“Then let her help you. What I witnessed during the crisis isn’t something you can fake. She’s falling in love with you and if I know my brother, you feel the same. Whatever happens, whatever decisions are made about how we handle issues in New York and the assassination attempts won’t change the way you feel. If you’re anything like me, the strife will only strengthen your need to have someone to ground you.”

“Like Kara and Willow.”

---