Page 29 of Beneath Scarred Vows
I consider mentioning her preference for tea over coffee in the morning, or other small details I've somehow collected without meaning to.
"No. Just the blankets."
Derek nods and slips away. As I head toward my office, I notice my mind is elsewhere—on Theo's urgent message, on the Bonventi deal I'm working on, and, annoyingly, on Katerina.
The door to my office comes into view, and I push thoughts of Katerina away. Business now.
I walk through the door and find Theo pacing near the windows, phone to his ear. Dimitri sprawls in one of the leather chairs, feet up on my table, toying with a cigar lighter. Both look up when I enter.
"Finally," Theo says, ending his call. "We've been waiting for over an hour."
"My meeting ran late," I say, walking to my desk and taking a seat. "So, what's this news that couldn't wait?"
Theo and Dimitri exchange a look—never a good sign. When my brothers agree on something, it usually means trouble.
"We found something," Theo says, his voice dropping. He pulls out his phone, taps the screen a few times, and slides it across the desk to me.
I look down at the image. It's a surveillance photo of our father standing beside a man I don't recognize, both of them shaking hands outside what appears to be a warehouse. The timestamp shows it was taken two days before my father was killed.
"Do we know who he is?" I ask, tapping the unknown man's face.
Theo shakes his head. "No. We're still working on it. But what we do know is—" he leans forward, pointing to the image, "that warehouse belongs to the Zervas family."
The name hits like ice water in my veins. I keep my expression neutral, but my mind accelerates.
"And?" I press.
"We believe they've been making calculated moves on our territory in Greece," Theo continues. "Moves that went unnoticed until they took over our port after father's death."
Dimitri leans forward. "There's more. My contact in Kalamata says this man—" he points toward the phone, "—matches the description of someone seen shortly after Dad's murder."
I set the phone down carefully. "Someone seen where, exactly?"
"Leaving the area they found Dad. Minutes before our men found his body."
The room falls silent, and I think over everything. I can't be reckless. Can't let emotions override the chess game we're constantly playing—Dad taught me that.
"It's not enough," I say finally.
"What?" Theo's voice sharpens. "Ares, this is the first solid lead we've had in weeks."
"I said it's not enough." I rise from my chair. "I need undeniable proof before I start a war with the Zervas family. Shit, half the families in Greece will get involved somehow if we attack—and not all of them on our side."
"But they killed our father," Dimitri hisses.
"Probably," I concede. "But 'probably' doesn't justify what will happen if we move against them without certainty. Come on, we can't be too reactive."
"Jesus, Ares," Theo steps forward, "we can't let anyone get away with what happened."
"We won't. I promise you, brother. We'll send every motherfucker involved in Dad's death to Hades, but we won't do it looking like we're not calculated or in control."
"Okay, so what do you think we should do with what we've got?" Theo asks, raising his tone. "Because clearly, you don't think the same as us."
I stare at him for a moment, thinking. Anyone besides my brother and they'd be missing a finger right about now.
"Dimitri," I say, decision made. "Start talking to our local guys in Greece. I don't want the word of one guy thinking he saw whoever's in the picture—I want ten, twenty men all saying they know for sure. Fly out if necessary. I want to know what the word on the street is among other families, too. Who saw what, who knows what."
Dimitri nods. "I'll be in Kalamata within thirty-six hours."
