Chapter 23

Stavros

“They’re fucking dead. Two men murdered. Christos battered to fuck and the woman I’m fucking falling in love with knocked unconscious, her entire body covered in bumps, bruises, and blood. For the love of fuck, her clothes were on fire. And you want me to go to Santorini like we’re on some fucking holiday?”

I hadn’t just raised my voice. I was yelling almost at the top of my lungs. I was sick with anger and worry, the rage I felt enough that I continued to see spots of blood in my eyes. My ears were also ringing from the effects of the horrific blast.

“Calm down,” Phoenix insisted.

“Fuck you, I’m not calming down. How the hell did someone manage to put a goddamn bomb under the SUV? I thought we had the world’s best security,” I asked, noticing just how quiet the room had gotten. It was filled with soldiers, both my brothers and their Capos here as well. I continued pacing the floor, now several hours after the horrific incident.

The fire department had arrived within minutes, but the SUV had been completely destroyed, the amount of explosive material used also significantly damaging the second SUV and another car parked close.

It had been more than just a shitshow for a little while, the police swarming the area and blocking it off. I had a feeling we’d still be at the precinct had our family not been particularly generous to the police department. While the paramedics had given their okay to allow Jenna to come home with me, it had been a fight with Christos and he hadn’t wanted to remain at the hospital.

Goddamn it. This shit was a nightmare.

“I want the people responsible found! Immediately.” Jesus Christ. I needed a drink.

“You need to calm the fuck down. Hunting the bastard down is not going to happen right away, but the family cannot have you as a target any longer. Or Christos for that matter.”

I knew what Phoenix was getting ready to say. I took long strides toward the bar, yanking my personal bottle of fucking cheap ass bourbon into my hand. I was ready to drink from the bottle, but I hadn’t turned into that much of a heathen. Yet. But I was pretty goddamn certain it would happen the moment I found the fucker who tried to blow up my woman.

My goddamn woman. Seeing her catch on fire had nearly gutted me. Just like the other times she’d nearly lost her life. Because of me. Because of my family’s brutal regime.

I poured a hefty glass, taking gasping breaths. My blood pressure had skyrocketed, the entire event more of a blur than anything.

Although I would never forget the sound of her moans as she rolled over. Or the sight of blood from the dozen scrapes covering her arms and legs.

I’d remember when I dug my knife into the eyes of the perpetrator.

“Make certain the premises of every estate, every building are secure. Check for any signs of tampering and bombs. If you see anything suspicious, make a phone call. I don’t give a shit if you need to purchase sniffing dogs. Do it. Now!”

Phoenix’s order was complied with instantly, men piling out of the den. I tossed back a significant portion of the liquid before preparing to toss it against the wall. My brother stopped me, the hard look one I’d seen only a few times before.

When everyone else was out of the room, Nico approached as well.

“You can’t do that to yourself, Stav,” Nico said. “It’s not going to help find the perpetrator. Who knew where you were going today?”

“The four men who work for me. Two of them dead.”

When they didn’t say anything, I glared from one to the other. “Don’t go there. Christos is our cousin and he’s fucking lucky to be alive because Jenna had a premonition. Atlas’ mother is on her deathbed, but he chose to stay with me until the last minute. He might be dead too if he hadn’t left.”

“I’m not suggesting Christos is involved. You know that, brother. However, if one of the other three had nothing to do with the attack then that means you were followed,” Phoenix said in his calm voice, which had never worked on me. Not that it was used often.

“Yeah. Someone’s been watching. Jenna saw someone at Elena’s winery and out shopping. I think she saw someone when we were out today.”

“For whatever reason, either you or Jenna are targets. You need to take my advice and leave town now.”

I dropped my head for a few seconds until we all heard noise. When I glanced toward the door, every muscle tensing, the sight of Christos hobbling into the room was enough to spark my rage all over again.

“You should be in the hospital. What the fuck are you doing not resting?”

He continued forward, lucky he could walk at all. He’d been trapped by part of the SUV. Someone had told me I’d lifted it from his legs but it was definitely not in my memory banks.

“Because you all needed to know. I was checking on all possible parties involved. Viktor Marku is dead. So is Rocky Salvatore. They were gunned down just a couple hours ago. Some of their men too. It was all done assassination style.”

I stood up straight, spinning around in his direction. “And the person responsible?”

“Sean Donnelly has already laid claim to the kills.”

Huffing, I looked from one brother to the other. The Irishman from the New York mob had made his play. Maybe I’d found myself in more than one turf war.

“You’re fucking going to Greece as a starting point, Stavros, so you can find out more about Madden and his band of merry men. We’re going to take out part of New York, with the Brotherhood’s help.”

Phoenix was just as angry as I was. Now I was beginning to believe that forming the subsidiary of the Brotherhood was a good idea.

Perhaps after I returned from my hunting trip in Ireland, I would explore the option further.

I tossed back the rest of my drink, slamming the heavy crystal down on the bar’s surface. “Time to get busy.”

“What are you doing?” Nico asked.

“Packing. It would seem I’m going on a trip after all,” I answered.

Rage remained, tormenting my mind and my heart. I glanced out the window of the private jet, eager to go hunting. At least Uncle Dimitrios had a head start on tracking down Madden. He was already like a dog to a bone, which could indeed prove helpful. However, I was itching to spill some blood, volumes of it. Thank God, we were only a few miles out from the small airport in Santorini.

Greece.

“It’s beautiful,” Jenna said as she glanced out the window as the plane was ready to touch down.

“Yes, it is. How are you doing? How are you feeling?”

“Achy. Stop worrying about me. I’m just fine. Nothing a long hot bath can’t cure.”

“I was certain I’d lost you. I can’t fucking stand it.”

She turned her head away from the window, her eyes darting back and forth across mine. “I felt the same about you.” As she fingered the bracelet I’d given her, I thought once again about how close we’d both come to meeting our makers. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost her. “But I’m pretty tough. I keep telling you that.”

“What made you think something was wrong?”

“I don’t know. Just a feeling I had. I kept thinking we were being followed. No, I didn’t see anyone. I’m so sorry about your two men.”

The plane hit with a thump and she gripped the armrest, a hint of fear in her eyes. I thought about Phoenix’s piece of advice to follow my gut. While it was telling me that she had nothing to do with any of this, the fact her landlord had been killed did mean she was at minimum a real victim. Right now wasn’t the time to let her know about Rocky or grill her with additional questions.

Including about her family.

I hadn’t wanted to face any possibilities, but she’d even told me she was Irish. I had no clue what I’d do if she had any kind of involvement.

“Don’t worry, my beloved. I will take care of you.”

“My beloved,” she repeated. “You do care about me, don’t you?”

“Very much so.”

“Something happened to you before, a heartache of some kind.”

As the plane was rolled to a stop, I took a deep breath. “It was a long time ago. It no longer matters.”

“Yes, I think it does. My mother told me when I thought that I was in love with the first boy who’d kissed me, which of course the asshole turned out to be a cheating toad, that I’d know the right one by the way my heart fluttered. As if I was going to have a heart attack.” She laughed although I could tell by doing so it brought another ache or two. “Imagine how romantic I thought that was as a sixteen-year-old girl.”

“I think your mother was brilliant, just like you are.”

“Ha. You’re just buttering me up.”

“Maybe. Tell me. What is your heart doing right now?”

The smile on her face could light up an entire country. “For me to know and you to find out.”

“Proséxte na deleázete éna thirío.”

“And what did you just say to me?”

“For me to know and you to find out.” When she popped me in the stomach, I winced for fun first until the look on her face shifted into full blown concern. I had to laugh. “I said be careful tempting a beast.”

“You are a beast, but I do plan on tempting you.” As the door to the plane was opened, the sound of stairs being moved closer, I glanced out the window again at the number of cars pulling through the gated entrance. Phoenix had obviously made certain the family here in Santorini knew exactly what was going on.

“And I look forward to it over copious amounts of Greek wine,” I told her.

“I’d enjoy that. By the way. Where are we staying, some quaint hotel?”

“A much better location. My parents’ house, which has a perfect view of the crystalline sea.”

She shrugged as if uncertain how to act or what to say.

As I unfastened my seatbelt, I realized that I’d never felt so close to anyone as I had to her. While the woman I’d lost had seemed special, I’d been little more than a kid who hadn’t known any better. I’d allowed my emotions and my dick to do the thinking when in truth, I hadn’t seen how toxic our relationship had been.

But seeing the way she’d been when I’d given her the bracelet, the way she continued fondling the charms was a reminder that since the moment I’d saved her life, my goddamn heart had been fluttering.

I rubbed my jaw as she unfastened her seatbelt. Love wasn’t necessarily a many splendored thing in my world, but it was a driving force to protect someone I cared about.

It had been years since I’d been here. Long enough that I wasn’t certain I’d be remembered. My parents were on an extended cruise for the next month, which had allowed my brothers and me to feel confident in their safety. They’d left behind several of their soldiers and the man holding down the fort, my uncle, often using Santorini as a spot for family gatherings and celebrations. My father and uncle had been born in Santorini, living there until they both were eighteen.

I hadn’t seen my uncle in years, so when we stepped off the jet, I wasn’t certain what I would find. The man was five years older than my father, a gruff guy but the kind that had a heart of gold. My father had once told me that I was exactly like Dimitrios, although I’d never paid that much attention as a kid. The two of them had suffered after the murder of their youngest brother, taking the horrible tragedy hard. Maybe that was one reason the family had remained so close.

While I hadn’t initially wanted Christos to join us given his injury, I was glad both he and Atlas had made the trip. Plus, Christos wouldn’t have listened to me, determined to be on the hunt right by my side. Atlas would be my point person with the others, his limited ability to speak Greek just enough to be able to converse with my uncle’s soldiers. That would allow Christos to spend some time with his family.

Until the shit hit the fan. Whenever that might be.

While he was Greek through and through, he’d learned English if for no other reason than my father had insisted on it when he’d moved to the States. I honestly had to wonder if Dimitrios had been concerned about losing his son to the Byrne family. In turn, at least some of the soldiers had learned the language as well, including another cousin, Christos’ brother Leander.

The flight had been long and arduous, almost twenty-four hours passing from the time we’d gotten to the airport to touching down, even with owning a private jet. I hadn’t slept the entire time, but my lovely enchantress had dozed on and off.

Now, as she walked out onto the steps beside me, she gasped not from pain this time but from the joy of seeing the Aegean Sea.

“It’s exactly like the pictures I’ve seen. Oh, my God. Blue roofs. Look at all the buildings on the side of the mountain.”

“That’s not a real mountain, baby. Just a tight hill like almost every other building on Santorini.”

“Crape myrtles and flowers everywhere. This is gorgeous.”

With it being almost June, the weather was as close to perfect as possible, the light breeze allowing for the scent of the ocean and music coming from somewhere to float in our direction.

While she was reveling in the beauty even from the small airport, I’d noticed my uncle had brought a proverbial army with him. There had to be thirty men standing behind Dimitrios and Leander.

“Who are those people?” she asked, laughing when Christos moved from behind her, giving me a quick look as he grinned and hobbled down the stairs.

“My uncle Dimitrios, another cousin, Leander. Christos’ family.”

“That’s right. He’s your cousin. You do have a big family.”

“We lost a portion of it two decades ago, an enemy that used my second uncle.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, enchanted one. And we do like to keep the business all in the family. It helps with the trust factor. Come on. Allow me to introduce you to everyone.” I kept my arm around her as we headed down the stairs. Would Dimitrios recognize her? I prayed to God he didn’t.

Dimitrios threw out his arms. “Stavros. Too long.”

“Uncle. You never change.” We gave each other a bear hug as Leander and Christos playfully punched each other, my Capo finally wincing.

“Eh,” my uncle said as he raked his hand through his thick crop of nearly white hair. “At least I have my hair, eh? And who is this beautiful creature?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. There was no recognition in the man’s eyes whatsoever. The first test of her innocence had been passed.

“Jenna Kilborne, someone very special to me.”

She obviously didn’t understand Greek culture yet, offering her hand for a traditional American shake. As anticipated, my uncle was having none of it, taking her into his arms like she was his long-lost daughter. “Welcome to the family.”

“A little presumptuous, Dimitrios,” I said, laughing from seeing her face.

“I don’t know. Our cousin Phoenix said you were hot after her. Now, I can see why.” Leander pulled me into a hug as well. As the oldest son, he was preparing to take my uncle’s place within a couple of years.

She was befuddled, which was totally unlike her. When my uncle finally noticed the scratches on her face, he cursed in our native language. “The bastards who did this will be hunted like cats.”

“Dogs, Uncle. Dogs.”

He laughed in his booming voice. “Ah, yes. Come. We go celebrate tonight. Tomorrow we work.”

“Agreed. You feel the men are needed?”

“No one fucks with my family. Besides, there is word Madden Byrne is on the move. I cannot wait to hunt him down.”

“Likely since his American family killed the Albanian king in New York.”

“Yes, the chatter reached here as well. It would seem the Irish want to clean house. However, they will need to get through us. Madden is crazy if he believes he will be allowed to take down another portion of my family.” The pain was still raw in my uncle’s mind. Dimitrios led the way toward the parking lot of the private strip, several vehicles lined up for the short drive to my father’s house. I had no doubt Jenna would love the view out the bedroom windows.

“Well, we’ll need to set up a plan of action. It would seem they are attempting to take over a good portion of the Eastern part of the US.”

“Then I guess we need to stop them. Our way. It’s past time we do so. Business is concluded. Your father’s house is prepared for your arrival.”

“Thank you for setting everything up.” I gave him a nod of respect. The years had been good to him.

“Your father wanted to make certain his son was well taken care of. Perhaps we’ll be planning a wedding while you are here.”

“Uh, no,” Jenna finally piped in.

“What do they say in your country? Never say never or you will be made a fool.” He laughed again and I sensed she was finally relaxing. She’d said maybe a full paragraph on the plane, although she’d listened to everything I’d discussed with Christos and the other men I’d brought with us.

“Not quite, Uncle. Be careful of this one. She is very feisty.”

“Exactly what you need,” Leander said as he grinned at Jenna.

She took ahold of my arm as we were led to one of the larger vehicles.

“Your family is very interesting,” she said quietly.

For once it felt good to laugh. Maybe that was relief.

Even if the anger remained furrowing inside like a wolf ready to spring from his lair.