Page 46 of The Forever One

Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling up at the docks with two SUVs behind us filled with our men. I may have taken assurances by instructing my men to place linear shaped charges on the steel bars of the warehouses in case we don’t make it out, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go in without back-up.

Yiannis greets us outside, his arms open wide as he makes his way to us. From the outside, it looks like we’re friends or family, but the tension between the two groups is palpable.

“Marco! It’s been a long time.” He offers a hand for me to shake, our eyes fixed on one another, with Aleko only two steps behind him. Physically, they look alike with their dark hair and eyes, although Aleko’s are more hazel than dark brown like Yiannis’s. Hell, we all share Mediterranean blood so, in a way, we could all be mistaken as family. But where Yiannis has an air of class about him—a nice suit and an expensive haircut—Aleko looks like he’s been hanging out with bikers and ignoring his barber.

“Yiannis.” I shift my gaze to his younger brother. “Aleko.” I don’t trust either of them but contrary to Yiannis, Aleko is missing the empathy gene and got a double dose of the narcissist one. He’s a fucking menace to the human race.

“Come, come. Let’s discuss business inside. I find the heat in this country to be unbearable. At home,” he looks over at me as though we’re about to bond over the fucking weather just because our two countries are a stone’s throw away. “Our houses are built to withstand the hot days. Here, it’s all about air conditioning.”

He’s not wrong, though.

As soon as we settle inside an open-plan office, Enzo stays standing at the main entrance while I take a seat on the loveseat, arms spanning the length of the back and legs crossed, ankle over knee.

“I don’t appreciate your men threatening my wife, Yiannis.” My voice is calm but deadly.

“We don’t appreciate you giving us an ultimatum.” My eyes fall on Aleko, who is against the wall, one leg bent with a foot pressed behind him, typing on his phone like we’re not having a crucial meeting that could end in a massacre. With his head bent, the longer strands of his hair fall to about his cheek bones, right where his prominent five o’clock shadow begins.

“Hmm, right. Well, I don’t take too kindly to your helping our enemies kidnap me and raping my fucking sister.” I can’t disguise the venom that seeps through my words, my hard stare boring a hole through Aleko’s skull.

“You have to know, we had nothing to do with that.” Yiannis frowns, shaking his head vehemently. When I look at his brother though, a small smile hitches at the corner of his mouth as he continues to tap out messages on his phone, his thumbs flying across the keyboard.

From the corner of my eye, I detect movement and I know Enzo saw it too, which means he’s about to rip the guy’s tongue out of his mouth.

I stand, intercepting my right-hand man with a palm to his heaving chest.

“I don’t. But here is what I do know. Ugo and Elizabeth Ambrosio kidnapped me and my man, here, flew us to Naples, tortured us, then when shit wasn’t going their way, Ugo raped my sister right in front of my eyes.” Yiannis doesn’t flinch, in fact it’s as if he’s looking right through me, like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. I’m not surprised, to be honest, I’ve been groomed my entire life to see this family as the enemy, the heartless monsters who had my grandfather slaughtered. However, right now, I need them because my hatred for Ugo surpasses my family feud.

When I look over to Aleko, I don’t see an ounce of emotion in his features.

“You know we do not condone this kind of behavior,” the older man assures me, but my jaw ticks knowing his younger brother has no such qualms.

“You, maybe, but Aleko surely doesn’t give a fuck. Do you?” I’m addressing him now, my fury unmistakable.

“You’re right, I don’t.” At Aleko’s words I have to steel my spine and push Enzo in the other direction to avoid an all-out war right here and now.

“Yiannis, keep your dog on a leash or I will fucking end him right here and now.” Okay, so maybe I’m not in complete control of my emotions.

“Fkale zilikourti.” Yiannis addresses his brother then turns to us. “Look, we can give you Elizabeth’s location but we don’t know where Ugo is. He’s not in one specific spot and, to be honest, we don’t really care. Our business with him is done.”

I remain standing, hands in my pockets like I have not a worry in my world, and nod like I’m considering his offer.

I’m not.

“We think we know where Elizabeth is. It’s Ugo we want.” Enzo grunts beside me like a fucking caveman, which is exactly what he’ll be when he gets his hands on that piece of shit.

The brothers have a short conversation in Greek while I watch their body language. Yiannis is firm, his stare unwavering and his mouth tight with displeasure. He doesn’t like being in a position of defense. It’s not a comfortable spot to be in. Aleko looks bored with his heavy lids and slouched posture.

The fucker shrugs like this whole fucking situation is an inconvenience to him but when he raises his dark browns to meet my grays, all I see is pure evil with his narrowed eyes and sardonic grin. I can’t wait to kill this fucker.

“We’ll find Ugo and give you his location. Elizabeth, too.” He pauses, but I don’t answer, knowing damn well there’s going to be an ask that follows. “We hear the port in Naples has been taken over by the loyalists to the Volpe family. That’s you, correct?”

He’s got my attention now and I don’t fucking like where he’s going with this.

“Yes.” I don’t bother correcting him because I don’t want to offer any information he may not have… like my wife’s true identity.

“We need safe passage of merchandise through Naples so we can fan out from there to the rest of the continent.”

I don’t think it would be too difficult to arrange this but, deep down, I don’t want to. I don’t want to ask for a favor this early in the game and I sure as fuck do not want to give these assholes free access to my home country.

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