Page 87 of The Enforcer

Havros snorted. “You’ve very observant. I hadn’t noticed.”

“You had other things on your mind. We need to find the goddamn photographer. I need to have a discussion with him.”

When I shook the envelope in my anger, a slip of paper fell to the floor.

Havros grabbed it before I had a chance. His laugh was dark. “Be careful what you wish for. All good things come to men who perform evil.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” I snatched the piece of paper from his hand, eyeing the words that held no real meaning.

Other than a threat.

They were written in bold ink, block lettering that if run under a fingerprint scan would likely not detect a single goddamn thing. For over a year we’d been embroiled in riddles, games being played to try to destroy our family. Maybe I hadn’t taken it seriously before.

Now, I did.

“Fuck this. Fuck the asshole responsible. This means war,” I snarked.

“Easy, brother. As the note states. Be careful what you wish for.”

CHAPTER 23

Christos

“You’ll be safe here.”

Valencia had said almost nothing after leaving the hospital. Her face had remained pensive during the drive, staring out the passenger window as I’d taken the curves way too sharply. Anger continued to boil my blood. It was a trait I had little control over. Now, inside my house, she stood staring out the window of the family room. I could easily tell she wasn’t looking at anything specifically. She was staring off into space.

“Is there anywhere safe in your world?” she asked. Her tone was soft, guarded.

I walked closer, trying my best to keep my distance. She wasn’t in the mood for coddling and given my reservations and doubts, I was finding it difficult to dispense comforting words. “What did you take from spending time with my family?”

The question caught her off guard and she finally tilted her head in my direction. “That you’re very close. That you love each othertremendously and would do anything in your power to keep the others safe.”

“That includes you.”

“I don’t need protecting, Christos. I simply want to return to my life. I don’t belong here and there’s nothing you can say or any words of encouragement to change my mind. I’m not going to say I made a mistake attending the wedding, but I’m also not going to say it altered my earlier decision.”

As soon as I touched her arm, she flinched. “You’re afraid of me.”

“Of what you can do? Absolutely. I heard enough of your phone calls to know you’re already hunting the person responsible.”

I fisted my hand just as I’d done in the hospital. “What would you have me do?”

“Call the police. Let them handle it.”

Laughing, I forced her to face me, her body stiffening as soon as I did. “The police aren’t going to do anything.”

“Because they’re afraid or because you own them?”

Why lie to her? “A little of both.”

“At least you were honest with me.”

“I haven’t lied to you and I won’t.”

“Then what are you going to do to the people you believe responsible?”

Her eyes were so damn imploring. She was a true believer in good versus evil when I’d learned there were two sides to every human being. Sadly, greed and entitlement had taken over,leaving common sense and decency in the dust. “They will pay the consequences.”

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