Chapter 21

Stavros

Another sleepless night.

Granted, a part of the reason why had been the intense rounds of passion I’d required. I’d ravaged Jenna several additional times, tying her to the bed, taking her on the chair. I’d even dared slip her out to the balcony. Plus, we’d consumed two full bottles of wine and she’d fed me strawberries.

One. By. One.

By the time she’d fallen asleep curled up next to me, dawn had only been an hour away, the scheduled meeting with the brothers two hours after that.

So here I was, riding shotgun beside Christos as he headed for what some would call a sleazy diner where we’d proctored many a business deal over the years. And I was forced to wear sunglasses, something my Capo had noticed.

Even though I was still wincing from the bright morning sun, I could tell he was staring at me, chuckling under his breath. Hissing, I turned on the radio, finding a heavy metal station. It was something my captive had told me she enjoyed. Hell, I wasn’t certain when I’d listened to music for longer than a few seconds, other than being at the club.

“I take it was a very late night.” Christos’ words were clipped.

I lifted my middle finger, which seemed to be one of my standard answers as of late. “Just drive.”

“You’re in a cranky mood this morning. Did your guest happen to bite off your dick instead of sucking it? Maybe she needs some additional training.” He pulled up to a traffic light, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

I was used to his rude level of teasing me and I’d tolerated it over the years. Family did that. Whatever came over me at that point was out of character even for me. I grabbed his wrist, almost snapping it in two.

“What the fuck?” he yelled. He was more shocked than if I’d shot him between the eyes.

“Don’t you ever disparage my woman again. Do you fucking hear me?” I ripped off my sunglasses so he could see clearly just how infuriated I was.

“Jesus, cuz. I’m…” Panting, it was obvious how much agony he was in by the instant beads of sweat. The way I’d grabbed him was a priceless and very useful tip my grandfather had taught his three grandsons, although my sisters had insisted they be taught the legacy technique as well.

There was no better way to disable an enemy, to bring them to their knees. God. What was I doing? I was going to break my own cousin’s arm?

“You’re what?”

The light turned green and within seconds, horns were blaring from vehicles behind us. They were just damn lucky I had somewhere to be, or I’d pull out my weapon and shoot the motherfuckers.

I had to ask myself why I was in such a piss poor mood.

The answer was easy. Because I didn’t like feeling out of control or as if some ass-wipe had gotten the better of me and my family. Maybe we’d fallen into a state of feeling as if our lives were golden, as if no one could touch us.

I couldn’t get a handle on whether the attacks had been because I’d killed two of Viktor’s soldiers, because I’d fallen into the same trap Whitie and Frankie had drifted into, or maybe this was all about the infamous Death Squad. Or hell, why not throw in the various cartels who’d attempted over the years to take over our ports, preventing us from providing shipments of weapons overseas. The list of enemies was getting longer.

And more dangerous.

While all of it was true, I had a feeling my level of anger this morning was because I cared for the girl. Too much. A little over three days and I had feelings for her when I’d promised myself years ago that I’d never fall into that trap again. It was blasphemous.

And the greatest weakness of all.

I was still angry about my own brother questioning whether she could be involved in steering me down a path.

Unless the jerk I’d killed had led me to that particular spot at a time already determined and my reputation of not wanting innocent people to die had become an easy part of a shit game. I was furious with myself for caring about her and had taken another hour in front of the computer this very morning, checking the same credentials I had before on her entire life. I’d written notes. I’d make contact with one of the people in another country I trusted, someone who could do a very deep dive into every aspect of her life, and those of her parents and sister.

God. What the fuck was wrong with me? No one was that good of an actress.

My mind drifted to the single time my father had been duped and it had been by a woman. He’d been a twenty-one-year-old kid still living in Greece, loving the life he’d been allowed because of our grandfather’s standings.

The girl had been the love of his life, their attraction instant. But after a whirlwind romance, he’d realized almost too late when the entire family had come close to being slaughtered that she was a femme fatale hired by the Irish mob.

I couldn’t allow that thought to leave my mind either. Madden Byrne was a descendant of the very regime that had almost crushed my family.

It was far too telling in my mind, but I still didn’t want to believe in the possibility.

I hated myself for doubting her, but it was a necessary evil of my world.

My family’s world.

Christos didn’t budge, didn’t try to remove his hand. Vehicles were whizzing by us, making certain we knew exactly how pissed off they were with our stalled position. Like I gave a fuck.

“I’m sorry… boss. Never again.”

His words were strangled, his face completely white. One false move and he’d need surgery. Only then did I snap out of my ridiculous frame of mind. My soldier wasn’t to blame. He’d been my most trusted friend, for fuck’s sake. I opened my fingers, pulling my arm away.

He issued a ragged, very deep breath before rubbing his wrist.

“I didn’t mean to disrespect you or Ms. Kilborne. It will never happen again.”

I rubbed my eyes, shaking my head several times before slapping on the dark shades. “No, Christos. It’s my fault.”

“Did something happen?”

He managed to pull out into traffic, cursing when he narrowly avoided getting us into a collision.

“No, but I don’t like where this shit is headed. Do you remember the asshole who blew up half our family a lifetime ago?”

“Yeah, the Byrne clan out of Ireland. What does that have to do with the shit we’re dealing with?”

“Maybe everything.”

His eyes opened wide. “I was just a damn kid, but I remember the blood and the screams, the funerals that never seemed to end. I lost my best friend to that attack.”

“I know. Both Phoenix and I are trying to determine if the information provided is the truth.”

“If you and the family are involved, I will be there at the end.”

“Don’t worry, cousin. Of course you’ll be there. But we’re not solving the riddle today. I’m going to spend some additional time with Jenna after this meeting, hoping her guard will fall.”

“Wait a minute. You think she has something to do with what happened?”

“I don’t know what to think but I need to start ruling out issues and enemies.”

“You think she planned an attack on herself?”

“How did she end up in the same coffee shop right across from the hotel?”

“I don’t know, Stavros. That seems farfetched ‘cause I’ve seen her with you,” he said, more exasperated than before. “What I do know is that I was there when you killed that dude. No one could fake the kind of terror in her eyes. She was petrified.”

“Maybe that means she didn’t think she’d be considered a loose end.”

“You may want to kill me after I say this, but that’s bullshit. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time like you said. If she’d been part of some scheme, then why weren’t you killed? Why didn’t the fucker, whoever that is, send more than one man?”

“I don’t know, for God’s sake. I don’t have all the answers.”

He continued cursing in Greek as he pulled into the small parking lot of the diner. “You might not like my advice but I’m going to tell you anyway at the risk of broken bones. Don’t jump to conclusions. Go out with her. See the sights in Philly. Have lunch. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, even if she tries to hide it. There is no denying that instant chemistry. You know, the one where your heart is thudding in your chest, your pulse skyrocketing, your blood pressure threatening to give you a stroke. Where everything tastes better, feels softer, and music is more powerful. And God knows liquor is even more amazing.”

I slowly turned my head, noticing his eyes were glassy. Now I had to laugh after I’d almost disabled the man. “When did you have that happen?”

“When you had your head stuck up your ass.” He cut the engine and was out of the SUV before I could object or break his face. He buttoned his jacket, scanning the area before giving me a nod as usual.

It was at that moment I actually found myself hating my life and all the safety protocols that had been put into place years before. He was right. There was no denying the electricity we shared or the passion that couldn’t be faked by anyone. Yet the nagging remained and until we got to the bottom of what the hell was going on, that wasn’t going to change.

I climbed out, noticing both Nico and Phoenix were already here. This was what we liked to call a think tank meeting. There was nothing better than discussing business over some fried eggs and a Bloody Mary.

Only on this morning, I wasn’t hungry, preferring to get back to Jenna. She was well protected but that didn’t mean shit couldn’t happen.

We walked inside, immediately heading to our regular table that was positioned way in the back. The six top was one of two they had given their size, and it was perfect for the group of rugged men.

As we slipped onto two chairs, I noticed Bloody Marys had been ordered all around. “Where’s your man, Phoenix?”

His Capo was usually with him, another guy my brother had trusted for a long time.

“He’s running down some possible leads on Madden,” Phoenix answered, glancing from Christos back to me. “What’s going on?”

Christos was still obviously uncomfortable, rubbing his wrist and looking out the plate-glass window.

“I’m just in a shitty mood. Where are we at? Let’s get this meeting underway. What about your buddy, Nico? Did Ben give you any quality information on the Death Squad?”

Phoenix and Nico glanced at each other, my younger brother clearing his throat.

“As I already mentioned before, Ben’s no fool and is not going to give me anything regarding what he and his team are working on, at least not officially. However, the moment I mentioned the organization, he couldn’t hide his shock.”

“O-kay,” Phoenix grumbled. “So the Brotherhood isn’t far off the mark. Did he provide anything of use?”

“He denied it at first after recovering from the shock of my question then told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from trying to hunt them down. When I asked why, all he did was point me toward an article from Germany.”

“And?” I asked.

“And it was all about a weapons company that literally imploded. Or I should say, all their facilities burned to the ground, the executives locked inside, their families found slaughtered. And get this, every dime from their bank accounts to the tune of millions disappeared.”

“What the fuck?” Christos asked.

“That means the fuckers are that powerful. I take it that this company challenged them somehow? That also might mean the stash of weapons they were counting on was destroyed.”

Phoenix smiled. “Very good point.”

Nico snorted. “Well, there’s no mention of it in the article but there’s no other reason Ben would mention it than to help me realize the threats were real.”

“Great,” I huffed. “Madden Byrne.”

“Is that the evil son of the fucker who killed part of our family?” Christos asked, barely able to keep his voice down.

Phoenix glanced in my direction, lifting a single eyebrow before nodding. “Yep. And a woman was used to get to our dead uncle. That got me to thinking.”

Now he had me thinking. What was he getting at? The shit I’d dealt with in my past? “The femme fatale who lured him and his two sons into a building. Yeah, I remember. But what does this have to do with Madden?”

“He could be using his father’s old tactics. If it worked once, it could work again. Maybe it has to do with Jenna. Kilborne is an Irish name.”

The sudden tension was more difficult for me. “Don’t you dare go down that road. I will kill you with my bare hands, brother or not.”

“Be a smart guy about this, bro,” he countered. “Things don’t just happen. Coincidences don’t just occur out of the blue.”

Goddamn this bullshit.

“She’s not to blame,” I growled, pounding my fist on the table.

The waitress arrived at our table and I suddenly had the desire to leave, to return to the woman who sparked something so deep within me that I could barely think straight. What troubled me more than if she was deceiving me was that if I found that to be the truth, I’d need to be the one to end her life. It was the way of our family, the ugly side that no one talked about. I found it unfathomable there was even a remote possibility.

“Calm the fuck down, both of you,” Nico hissed. “We are a family and the last thing we need to do is tear out each other’s throats. Order food. Be humans. We talk.”

While I glared at Phoenix, I knew Nico was right. If we didn’t work together, whoever was responsible would have the kind of advantage that would destroy us completely.

I ordered as a perfunctory measure, not that I planned on eating anything. Even the drink left a bad taste in my mouth. When the girl had left to fill our orders, I shook my head, staring out the window.

“There are some reports of seeing Madden Byrne in the United States, but none of them are confirmed,” Phoenix stated, although I was certain he’d been talking before the server had left.

“He’s playing a game with us as suspected,” I said almost in passing.

“Likely,” Nico added. “But there are confirmed reports that at least a dozen of his men arrived in New York five days ago. Maybe they are scouting the area for a good place to land.”

“Let them come here and I’ll blow their brains out,” Christos said.

The timing wasn’t to be ignored. I slowly turned my head, taking a deep breath. After I fisted my hand around my drink, Christos leaned forward.

“I’m purchasing the building where Jenna has her clinic,” I said almost as an afterthought.

Phoenix coughed. “Why?”

“Because originally I was thinking about giving the woman her life back with some perks.”

“And now?” Nico asked.

“There’s an issue with the fucker who still currently owns the building, the landlord,” Christos added.

“Meaning?” Phoenix hissed, gritting his teeth.

“He doesn’t technically exist, at least not until recently and the building was purchased in the name of what appears to be a bogus company,” my cousin said as if hating the fact he had to provide the news.

I’d been too busy trying to break his fucking arm that I hadn’t asked what I’d demanded he find. “And the goddamn bogus company? Where did you trace it to?”

“That’s just it. Like a cell phone number someone wants to hide, the shit pings all over the world,” he added, acting sheepish.

“Which means a highly sophisticated organization is behind it. Any connection with this landlord to Viktor Marku?” Phoenix snarled.

“None that I could find,” Christos said. “But I’ve called in a couple favors. However, now, I’ll check to see if any of Madden’s goons are connected.”

I sat back, realizing I’d need to interrogate my lovely captive. Whether or not she was involved directly, it was entirely possible she’d been used as a pawn. Just like the rest of us.

“We need to have another discussion with Viktor. He could be a key in this game of charades no matter what the Brotherhood believes,” I recommended. “You should also have a long chat with Sean Donnelly.”

“Already in the works but the most important thing is to track down Madden. In my mind, there’s only one way of doing that,” Phoenix said, a smile crossing his face.

“And that is?” Nico asked although I could see where this was going and I didn’t like it.

“I think we need a stronger presence in Greece. While Pops is there, he’s on vacation. We still have a hold, but it grows weaker the longer the family doesn’t make an appearance. If Madden wants to take our territory either there or in the United States, he will have a tremendous fight on his hands. Besides, Uncle Dimitrios has skin in the game and he has people scouting all of Europe for him. He won’t like hearing the Byrne name again.”

Suddenly, the table got quiet. “And just who do you think is the best choice to head to the old country?” I challenged.

He leaned over, still grinning. “You, dear brother. You are the second in command of our illustrious empire, the one who will be required to go to Greece most often. And for some reason, the target has been placed squarely on your back, not mine.”

It wasn’t news. Both my brother and father had wanted to rekindle the old ways once again. Given Phoenix had a family to consider, it would be up to me to lead the pack so to speak. I bristled, once again hating the family I’d been brought up in. “Bad timing, bro.”

“Excellent timing,” he countered. “It’s obvious you’re also concerned about Ms. Kilborne’s sudden appearance in your life. Get her away from the United States and onto your turf. That way if she’s a pawn, then someone will either try and eliminate her or bring her back into the fold. Or maybe Dimitrios will recognize her. Either way, it’s a damn good method of weeding out those we can’t trust.”

I often loathed Phoenix’s logic but this time he was right, although his continued suspicion of her would piss me off indefinitely. However, it would be safer to be in the old country, at least initially. What bothered me was it could appear as if I was running away from danger, which wasn’t good for our reputation.

“I’ll think about it,” I barked.

“It will be good for you to reconnect,” he added.

“I said I’ll think about it. I’m suddenly not hungry. Christos, we’re leaving.” I didn’t wait to hear any additional comments or what I knew to be orders. Yes, I respected Phoenix’s position. He’d proven himself to be an excellent leader, his instincts usually spot on, but I still couldn’t stomach the fucking situation and possibilities.

I was barely out the door when Phoenix was on my heel. He was quiet at first, just another thing to piss me off for the day.

“Just say it, Phoenix. Just fucking say it.”

“What do you think I’m going to say?”

“That I was an idiot. That I’ve placed this family and our entire operation in jeopardy because of a woman.”

He sighed as he took a step closer to the curb. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Stavros. I wasn’t going to say that to you.”

“Then fucking say whatever it is. I’m tired, I’m angry, and I hate being used by anyone.”

When he turned to face me, there was a look of concern in his eyes. “What you went through almost twenty years ago changed you. You went from being a happy kid with a lust for life to someone none of your family recognized. Sure, you hid your anger and hatred, and extreme guilt pretty damn well, but you’ve been a shell of a person for almost half your life. The second I walked into your office, the moment I saw your face when you talked about Jenna, I knew she’d changed something inside of you.”

“So the fuck what if she’s the enemy?”

“So the fuck what? Do you remember when I went after Whitney? I was certain she had something to do with the shit that went down at Elena’s winery. I wanted her to suffer with everything I had inside of me, because I was certain of her guilt. Because of that, I almost lost the chance to be happy for the first time in my life. I know what I suggested but now I’m telling you not to think the worst until you know for certain. In other words, trust your gut. If going to Greece helps not only with that but allowing you to heal, then it’s worth the risk and the time. Let’s face it, getting the hell out of the country for a little while will clear your head, which is what I need for you to do. I need you by my side but not when you continue to be a broken man. That’s all I was going to say to you. Because if you lose this chance at finding happiness, you’ll never allow even the thought to enter your mind again.”

Neither one of us spoke for a full minute.

“I need some time to think about it. But you need to handle that ridiculous attorney of ours. He’s quitting. For all I know he’s working with the assholes trying to destroy us.”

“Jeff called me right after he talked with you. Or I should say you threatened him. He’s not involved in any of this.”

“But what about the company his firm is working with?”

Phoenix sighed. “That might be a different story. Stop worrying so much. I do control our empire.”

“So you continue to tell me.”

“Because I’m your damn brother and I give a shit what happens to you.”

He finally patted me on the back, heading back to the diner.

“Thanks,” I said over my shoulder.

“That’s what brothers are for.”

At least I could almost breathe a sigh of relief.

Christos flanked my side, saying nothing at first. “Where to, boss? Back home?”

“Head to Giant. I need to pick up some flowers.”

“At a goddamn grocery store?”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” I said as I whipped out my sunglasses. “It’s early, which means there isn’t a flower shop open. Plus, open your eyes, my friend. Giant has everything you need for a romantic evening.”

“Maybe you need to get out more, boss. I think your choices are a little skewed.”

Now I could laugh, although I had a bad feeling the worst was yet to come.