Page 14 of The Enforcer

Christos

“Elias. Either you have someone locate the fucker who lured us into that meeting or I’m sending you back to New York to handle his death myself. Do you understand?”

Elias nodded. “Yes, boss. I will. We’re close.”

“That’s what you said yesterday.”

“He’s acting cagey.”

I chuckled. The man had been with me for years, his level of skill honed by his father who had been in the Greek military, yet he had a soft spot for certain people. This time, that soft spot had almost gotten me killed. “Find out who paid him to betray us. There’s always a trail.”

“Yes, sir.”

Exhaustion came in waves. I’d slept for most of the flight back, taking a few hours to myself before heading to my parents’ house. Yes, they were worried about me and used my injury as a preface for hosting a dinner party.

At least I was able to grin as I walked in through the front door. Hearing voices, I headed toward the family room. Gatherings always started there and ended in the kitchen because of my mother’s fabulous cooking.

The moment I walked into the room, my mother noticed me first. Her squeal had been the same since I’d been a kid. Whether coming from experiences of happiness or grief, her shrill voice had become a signature.

“My son. You look so thin!” My mother wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me just like she’d done when I’d been a little boy. “Oh, I was so worried about you.”

My entire family was looking on, lounging with drinks in their hands as they watched the interaction with amusement.

Especially my older brother, Dimitrios. He appeared far too comfortable for his own good, one leg tossed over the arm of the chair, his lovely wife, Willow holding their year-old baby in herarms where she sat between his feet. Just the way my brother was casually stroking his wife’s hair brought a pang of jealousy.

And remembrances of the stunning doctor who’d saved my life. Little had she known at a risk to her own.

“I’m fine, Mama. Stop worrying.” I pulled away gently, kissing her on the forehead, smirking as my father approached. He was a gregarious man, almost always laughing. But not when it came to his family being hurt.

“I’m making all your favorite foods. We will have a feast!” my mother exclaimed as she backed away, clasping her hands together.

“I’ll be happy to help,” Kara, my other brother Havros’ fiancée said as she jumped to her feet. “Mind the babes in arms and why don’t you tell them the news,” she directed Havros, her cute nose pinched as she ordered him to look after their child.

The two men were lucky they’d found the right women to stand by their sides, both girls powerful in their own right because they’d managed to wrap my brothers around their little fingers. I’d faced the truth about myself a long time before. I wasn’t that kind of man. I had my reasons for staying very single, although the incident was something rarely mentioned after all this time.

After the two women had left the room, my father closed the distance. We were standing within hearing range of my brothers, the children too young to understand what we were talking about.

“What news?” I asked, giving Havros an evil grin.

He appeared slightly uncomfortable. “We’re finally getting married.”

“About damn time,” Dimitrios huffed.

Willow clapped her hands. “Finally. When? Where? I can help.”

Havros groaned. “Hopefully, at the estate in Corfu. If you don’t mind, Dad.” The home on the island was the family’s retreat, the massive location directly on the beach holding both amazing and tragic memories.

Our father was beaming. Even his chest was puffing up. The man did adore a party. “I would be honored to host. When are we talking about? Your mother will need to plan.”

Suddenly, Havros appeared sheepish. “We’re talking about three weeks from now.”

“What?” Everyone in the room asked the question at the same time.

My brother shrugged. “We were going to mention it before we learned Christos had been shot.”

“Oh, blame me,” I chortled.

“I do love to blame you for as much as possible.”

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