The Renegade Billionaire
The Renegade Billionaire
Rebecca Winters
One night to change their lives… A runaway child is missing, and as it’s on his Greek island, rebel billionaire Stavros Konstantinos finds himself caught up in the search, alongside pretty tour guide Andrea Linford... Their heroic rescue mission over, they begin to explore the spark between them. Andrea always thought love happened to other people—but after two bliss-filled days with Stavros she knows her feelings run deep. Is Andrea brave enough to throw off her past and step into the future—with Stavros by her side?
“What if I want you to stay?” His husky tone played havoc with her senses.
She took a fortifying breath. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I can’t afford to stay.” I’m far too attracted to you.
How could she feel this strongly about him when it hadn’t been that long ago Ferrante had died? She didn’t want to know the pain of loving someone again, and was shocked at the strength of her feelings for him already. A prominent man like Stavros Konstantinos could have his pick of any woman, but he could never be serious about her. It wasn’t worth risking her heart to stay around any longer—especially when she’d be leaving the country with her father in the not too distant future.
The Renegade Billionaire
Rebecca Winters
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
REBECCA WINTERS lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.
Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website at: cleanromances.com (http://cleanromances.com).
To my wonderful children, who put up with me while I write books of the heart. They know I love them, but they also know my mind is often somewhere deep into a love story of my own concoction.
Contents
Cover (#u1b397750-64d0-546d-9779-ee86cd08fd8e)
Introduction (#u2ea97bc9-1c26-5c22-b116-cd188a81e2e6)
Title Page (#u019f07d3-cfb5-53c2-9474-61d06f7cbc27)
About the Author (#u15e02d61-f199-590b-84fb-31c0c9b48386)
Dedication (#ubec8f2c6-4733-5434-a09f-2cc5dc447a53)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u24e72b93-916c-53d2-8afb-699f50d266f4)
AFTER WASHING THE sweat from his body, Stavros Konstantinos wrapped a towel around his hips and walked out on his terrace. The view of the blue Aegean from his private villa atop pine-covered Mount Ypsarion always renewed him.
Because of another of many such impasses, today’s board meeting in Thessaloniki on the Greek mainland had ended early for him. His proposal for a new product to be manufactured and marketed by the Konstantinos Marble Corporation had met with total defeat.
At that point a blackness had swept through him. The sickness that had been coming on for the past year had finally caught up to him. Depression was a feeling he’d never known before, but he couldn’t label it as anything else.
Knowing that his family members who made up the majority of the board still lived and operated as if it were 1950, he hadn’t expected any other result. With the exception of his elder brother, Leon, everyone else down to the last cousin was against any new innovations and refused to hear him out. They were afraid of change.
That was fine with him. In his free time he’d had a new plant built on his own land. Now that the family had refused to listen to him and wanted no part of it, he and his two partners, Theo and Zander, would be starting production on Monday.
Since he’d gotten nowhere with the members of the board, he’d told them he was resigning from his position as managing director of the corporation immediately. As of now, all ties were severed, including his position on the board. He suggested they should start looking for a replacement ASAP.
Just saying those words helped to drive some of the blackness away. He’d been in a cage, but no longer.
While every member sat there in utter shock at his announcement, he excused himself from the meeting in Thessaloniki and took the helicopter back to his villa on Thassos Island. En route, he checked his phone messages and discovered another text message waiting for him from Tina Nasso, the woman he’d stopped seeing three months ago.
Since he’d never responded to any of her messages, why would she text him again? Was she so desperate?
This separation from u can’t go on, Stavros. You’ve been so cruel. I haven’t seen u or even heard your voice in three months! You haven’t texted me back once. I have to talk to you! This is important. Tina.
This text meant she was still pressing for him to change his mind. His black brows came together. Christina Nasso, the woman his parents had expected him to marry, didn’t know how to let something go that could never have worked out. With no intention of answering this text either, he deleted it.
Parental pressure had driven him to spend some time with her, but there was no attraction on his part. He had the gut feeling her parents were still pressuring her because they’d wanted an alliance between both families. Just as his parents had planned on him marrying her, it was no secret the prominent Nasso shipping family from Kavala wanted Stavros for their son-in-law. Both family businesses were closely connected.
But when she’d wanted a deeper intimacy with him, he couldn’t pretend feelings he didn’t have. Though he hadn’t wanted to hurt her, he’d had to tell her the truth. He wasn’t in love with her and they both needed to be free.
Stavros had told his parents the same thing after they’d demanded an explanation. His great mistake was humoring them from the beginning. Never again. They could wait, but a marriage with Tina wouldn’t happen.
Today he’d felt the consequences of his actions. His refusal to go on seeing her had caused a serious rift, one he’d felt at the board meeting when his father had influenced his uncles and cousins to close ranks against his new business venture instead of embracing it.
As for Tina, his hope was that one day she’d meet someone her family would approve of. She was an attractive woman with much to offer a man who wanted to marry her. But Stavros wasn’t that man. One day, Tina would realize it and move on. Like salt that had lost its savor, every relationship he’d had with a woman had been missing the essential ingredient for happiness.
The only thing that brought him any pleasure right now was spending every bit of time on his new business. Stavros’s company wouldn’t be in competition with his family’s, but there would be fireworks when they found out he’d gone ahead with production. One of theirs was doing something on his own and they couldn’t tolerate it. But it shouldn’t be a surprise to them. He rarely bowed to the dictates of his autocratic father or his great-uncles.
For his mother’s sake, he’d tried where Tina was concerned. But once she’d learned that her younger son wasn’t enamored of the Nasso girl, he’d found disfavor in her eyes too. He took a deep breath. Today had turned out to be a day like no other. From here on out, his life was going to go in directions no one would be happy about except him.
So be it!
On his way to the kitchen to quench his thirst, his cell phone rang. If it was Tina calling because he hadn’t answered her text, she would find out exactly how he felt when she realized he intended to go on ignoring any and all phone calls or texts from her.
But when he looked at the caller ID, he saw it was the manager of quarry three on Thassos Island phoning on his private line. He clicked on. “What’s up, Gus?”
“Kyrie Konstantinos?” Kyrie being the Greek version of Mr. “A situation with one of the student-teacher groups from PanHellenic Tours has arisen. A teenager is missing. Now the police are involved.”
This was all Stavros needed to hear, especially since he’d been the only one on the board in favor of allowing tour groups to visit the quarry. The program had been working well since March with no incidents, until today...
Stavros gripped the phone tighter. “Have the police started a search?”
When he heard the particulars, he grimaced. A helicopter would have an almost impossible struggle to see any movement beneath the dense green canopy of the forest.
“What do you advise, Kyrie?”
“I’ll be there ASAP.”
He returned to the bedroom and dressed quickly before he dashed out the door to his car.
It had been his hope the quarry experience would broaden the students’ education and spread the word about job opportunities.
Forty percent of the marble in Greece came from an almost inexhaustible supply in the Thassos region, much of it being shipped to China, Asia and Europe. Because of this abundant natural resource, more jobs were available, which would improve the Grecian economy, a major aim of his.
With that argument, his grandfather, who’d recently passed away, had been persuaded that the free publicity generated by various tour groups from foreign climes might be a good idea. At that point the rest of the board offered their reluctant acceptance on the condition that it would be for a trial basis only. One problem with the tours and they’d be given no more access.
This particular quarry—one of many owned by the family throughout northern Greece—was on the other side of the summit, just ten minutes away. He knew the police lieutenant well and would ask his cooperation in keeping the press at bay for as long as possible.
The crisis needed to be averted before the media got hold of it. Once they turned it into an international circus, the island would be crawling with unwanted spectators. Though the staff at the quarry wasn’t responsible for what had happened, the public wouldn’t see it that way. Publicity of this kind was never good.
To his mind, the teacher was ultimately responsible for this type of situation and could be facing charges. Six high school groups of six on the bus with their individual teachers? How hard was it to keep track of half a dozen students?
Gus had said the teen’s teacher was a younger, nice-looking American woman. Maybe too young to handle a bunch of teens? Stavros pressed on the gas as he rounded a curve in the road. He was in a mood.
Once the family found out about this crisis, they’d put a stop to the tour groups. Since he’d announced his resignation from the corporation and the board, he would no longer have a say. But for the time being he felt the responsibility heavily. Someone’s teenage son was missing in a foreign land and needed to be found.
* * *
Panagia was Andrea Linford’s favorite village on the Greek island of Thassos. After flying from Thessaloniki to the nearby airport of Keramoti on the mainland, she’d come the rest of the way on the ferry to Thassos, the capital city many referred to as Limenas. From the water, the island looked like a floating forest because of the pines and olive groves covering it.
She’d rented a car and driven to Panagia, ten kilometers away. Named after the Virgin Mary, it was built on the side of the mountain. From the wooden terraces of the villas with their painted ceilings and schist roofs, one had a fantastic view of the bay and the sea beyond, where other emerald-green mountains rose to fill the eye. The sight of clear, ice-cold water bubbling up from the natural springs to run down alongside the narrow streets delighted her.
Andrea had spent time in its church of the Virgin Mary, which had been built in l831. She loved its impressive baronial style, constructed by stones from the ruins of ancient temples. The exterior and cupola were a pale blue and white, absolutely exquisite.
She’d been in a lot of churches around the world, but the interior of this particular church was like a fabulous treasure. It contained a banneret dating from the time of the Crusades. She felt there was a spiritual essence she hadn’t found in other churches. If she were ever to get married, this would be the spot she would choose, but of course that was a fantasy, just like the village spread out before her.
Today she didn’t have time to linger.
For the past year and a half, Andrea had worked for PanHellenic Tours, in their main office located in Thessaloniki. They were one of the biggest tour operators in Greece. Having obtained her humanities degree from the university there, she had been hired to do translations and help develop tour itineraries by researching everything thoroughly.
Andrea was the person who’d first suggested the company include a tour of the quarry she found fascinating. Her boss, Sakis, was so taken with her idea, he’d made it part of their latest itineraries for this year. But word had gotten back to him that there’d been an incident involving an American student visiting the marble quarry on Thassos. The boy had gone missing and the police had been called in.
Because Andrea was fluent in English and Greek, and because she’d been the one to make the initial arrangements with the quarry manager, Sakis had sent her to do the troubleshooting, then report back her findings.
Before leaving the office in the cotton skirt and blouse she’d worn to work, she downloaded the student’s file, including a picture, and itinerary on her phone.
Knowing the way to the quarry, which was famous for its pure white marble, she left the charming island village shaded by huge oak and walnut trees—a village that maintained some of the old traditions and ways of life. She followed the road up the mountain.
Thassos was truly an emerald island, almost round in shape. Some of the locals called it a giant lump of marble. She smiled as she wound around until she came to the quarry.
Many of the stone mines scattered all over the island were open pits. A tourist who didn’t know better would think they’d come across an enormous, surreal graveyard of huge, pure white marble slabs and blocks surrounded by dark green pines. They glistened in the hot late-afternoon August sun.
She made her way to the quarry office of the Konstantinos Corporation, a world leader in the production of marble from their many quarries in northern Greece. Thanks to large investments in technology, the company processed marble and granite for internal and international markets.
At the east end of the quarry, she saw the tour bus and half a dozen police cars parked by the employees’ cars. The officers were obviously vetting the group of students and teachers standing outside it.
She parked her car on the end of the row and got out. Georgios, the seasoned Greek tour guide, was a harmless flirt who always made her smile when he came to the head office, but today he looked grim, with good reason.
No sooner had she gotten out of the rental car to talk to him than the police lieutenant approached her. “Sorry, but no visitors are allowed here today.”
“I’ve come from PanHellenic Tours,” Andrea said in Greek. She introduced herself as a representative of the tour company and showed him her credentials. Normally she wore the blue jacket with the PanHellenic insignia, but it was too hot out.
“My mistake.”
“No problem. Our office received word that one of the American students, a seventeen-year-old named Darren Lewis, disappeared during the tour of the quarry and hasn’t been found. I’m here to help if I can. Any news yet?”
The mustached lieutenant frowned. “A helicopter has been making a sweep of the mountains. Some of the officers are out searching the area for him, but so far there’s been no word.”
“How long has he been missing?”
“Almost three hours. All the quarry employees have been accounted for. None could shed any light and were told to keep this quiet. We’re about finished getting statements from the students and teachers. Then they’re free to go on to their next stop in Thassos.”
Three hours... It had taken her too long to get here. By now the dark blond boy could be hiding anywhere in these mountains. Thankfully, with the eighty-degree temperature, it wouldn’t get too cold tonight, if he wasn’t found by dark.
“Before they leave, I need to talk to the tour guide.”
“Of course.”
“Excuse me.”
She hurried over to Georgios, the short, wiry Greek who knew this business backward and forward. “This is a ghastly thing to happen. How are you holding up?”
He shook his head. “I’ve been with the company for fifteen years and never lost anyone before. After the tour had finished, the quarry manager said the group could look around. You know the routine. I told them to be back at the bus in a half hour. Darren told his teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, that he needed to visit the restroom before heading for the bus.”
“That’s when he gave her the slip?”
“So it seems.”
“She must be as devastated as you are.”
He nodded. “We did a head count when everyone got on the bus, but he was missing. One of the students who had sat by him remembered he was wearing his backpack while they toured the quarry.”
“In this heat you wouldn’t want to be hampered by a backpack without good reason. It sounds like he might have had a plan before he ever arrived here,” she theorized.
“That’s what the police think too. I’m inclined to agree with them. The group knows to leave their belongings on the bus during an excursion, but it wasn’t a hard, fast rule. After this experience, I’m going to insist on it. That is, if I don’t get fired.”
Andrea shook her head. “Sakis knows this isn’t anyone’s fault but Darren’s,” she assured him. But she knew how the public would react. Anyone and everyone would be blamed. “According to the file, he isn’t on any medications, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of his taking recreational drugs. What’s he been like?”
“Throughout the tour, his behavior didn’t stand out one way or the other. His teacher says he’s an honor student, somewhat on the quiet side.” He scratched his head. “His parents have to be notified.”
“I’ll report back to Sakis and he’ll take care of it if he hasn’t already. Right now you’ve got a group of hungry, thirsty students and teachers who need attention. Go ahead and get them on board. I’ll catch up with you later and help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, Andrea.”
She turned away just as a black Mercedes sedan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and drove right up, blocking her path. A tall, dark-haired male with a powerful build alighted from the front seat with an aura of authority that couldn’t be denied. The man, maybe in his early thirties, was so ruggedly Greek and gorgeous, her mind went blank for a minute.
Before she averted her eyes to keep from staring at him, her gaze took in the lime polo shirt and light khaki gabardine pants. His clothes only emphasized his hard-muscled body. He wore a gold watch, but no wedding band and looked as expensively turned out as the gleaming black car he drove. Andrea had no idea such a man existed. Where had he come from?
“Kyrie Konstantinos!”
The lieutenant’s exclamation, plus his show of deference, answered her question. This stranger with black hair swept back from a visible widow’s peak had to be one of the men whose family owned and ran the internationally renowned corporation.
He shook the lieutenant’s hand. “After the plant manager told me the news, I got here as soon as I could. Tell me what happened.” The two men discussed the situation and talked about keeping this incident from the press while the search was ongoing.
Between impossibly black lashes, his dark gray gaze swerved to Andrea. For a heart-stopping moment, she was subjected to a thorough, faintly accusing male scrutiny of her face and body that made her go hot and cold at the same time. To have such a visceral reaction to a man she’d never met stunned her.
He broke off talking to the lieutenant and moved toward her. Switching to English, he said, “I take it you’re the American teacher who was in charge of the runaway teen? How was it possible he disappeared on your watch?”
He’d fired the question with only a trace of accent. That didn’t surprise her given his affluent background and education. What did surprise her was the fact that he’d correctly assumed she was American. Something about her had given her away. Furthermore, it seemed he’d decided that she was the teacher in question, the one whom he’d already tried, judged and convicted as the guilty party without knowing all the facts.
Andrea expected the lieutenant to step in at this point and explain, but his attention had been diverted by one of the officers. It was up to her to clarify the situation before he made any more erroneous assumptions.
“I believe introductions are in order first,” she answered in Greek. “My name is Andrea Linford. I’m a representative of PanHellenic Tours in Thessaloniki. My boss sent me out to be of help to the tour guide, Georgios Debakis, and offer any assistance before I return to the office with my report.”
She held out her hand, which he was forced to shake. His firm grip tightened a little before he released her, but she felt the imprint of his hand travel through her whole body and stay there. There it went again. That shocking sensation from just being in his presence. To fill the disturbing silence since he hadn’t spoken yet, she said, “Which Konstantinos are you in the hierarchy? Leon, Stavros, Alexios or Charis?”
More silence ensued before he muttered, “Stavros.” She’d studied the facts of the company on the way here and remembered that Stavros was managing director of the Konstantinos Corporation. “You’ve done your homework, Kyria Linford.”
“Despinis,” she corrected him. She wasn’t married.
“My apology for misreading the situation.”
His apology had been difficult for him to verbalize, but she would cut him some slack. “You were half-right. For all my sins, I am American. But I’m not poor Mrs. Shapiro, who no doubt you assumed didn’t have the maturity to handle a group of teenage students away from their parents. If I’m wrong in that assumption, then my apology.”
His intelligent eyes flickered with some unnamed emotion. “You weren’t wrong,” he admitted in his deep voice.
“Thank you for your honesty. I think we can both agree this is an ugly situation all the way around and no one is at his or her best. My boss is beside himself. He has to make the call to the teen’s family and explain that their son is missing. Hopefully they’ll supply him with a reason why he might have run off midtour.”
“Let’s hope he’s found within the hour.”
She nodded her blond head. “We all want that. Unfortunately, his disappearance happened on your company property and will put the Konstantinos name in the spotlight, bringing you adverse publicity. As for poor Mrs. Shapiro and Georgios, they’ll be in agony until Darren’s found.”
He raked a bronzed hand through his gleaming black hair. “I asked the lieutenant to keep this quiet for as long as possible.”
“I heard you. Let’s hope one of the officers doesn’t leak it for a while. That boy has got to be found!”
Her voice shook because she was remembering the long ten-day wait before her fiancé’s dead body had been spotted on the mountain ledge, dashing her dreams for their marriage. The thought of Darren’s parents having to wait that long for any news made her shudder, a reaction Kyrie Konstantinos observed while he studied her.
She tore her eyes from his in time to see the tour bus drive out of the parking area to the road. Her heart was heavy for the teacher and Georgios, who had to keep doing their jobs while they were dying inside. Andrea felt anxious over the situation too. Where was Darren?
“With only a three-and-a-half-hour head start, he can’t get too far.” The incredibly handsome Greek read her mind aloud.
Andrea folded her arms to her waist. “Did you know he has his backpack with him? I wonder if he’d been planning his escape long before today in order to survive while he was on the run.”
“If so, he picked the right spot. It’s true these mountains will give him cover and the forest is dense, but I’ve lived here all my life and know every inch of ground. If the search and rescue teams don’t find him, I will.”
Stavros Konstantinos instilled such confidence in her, Andrea had no doubts he could do anything. She was alarmed by her thoughts about him—considering he was a stranger, she shouldn’t have been thinking about him at all. “You’ll need his description and a picture. I can email the information in his file to your phone right now.”
He pulled out his cell and gave her his number. Within a minute, he’d received it. She watched him study the dark blond boy’s passport photo. “He’s nice looking with that Marine cut. It says he’s five-eleven with brown eyes. He’ll be easy enough to recognize.”
“Unless he was carrying a disguise in his pack. Maybe turn himself into a woman?”
He flicked her another searching glance that sent a curl of physical awareness through her. “That would definitely throw anyone looking for him off the scent. I’ll pass your idea on to the lieutenant in case he hadn’t thought of it. You never know.
“Perhaps you noticed Darren’s birth date on the passport. He turned eighteen yesterday, which makes him an adult.”
“I didn’t catch that.” This man’s mind was a steel trap.
“What else do I need to know about him?”
She sucked in her breath. “My boss found out Darren comes from a well-to-do Connecticut family, so he probably has enough money on him to last for a while. Maybe he planned this before leaving the States, possibly with someone else who’s waiting for him at another destination.”
“Anything’s possible.”
“My guess is he’ll try to leave the island by boat rather than ferry. I’ve been studying my map of Thassos. There are dozens of harbors. How hard would it be for him to pay a fisherman to take him somewhere else and escape under the radar, so to speak?”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “It sounds like you’ve had experience with this kind of thing before.”
“Some,” she admitted. But not while she’d been working for the tour company.
“If he tries to get away in a boat, the harbor police will be onto him. In the meantime, I’ll head back to my house to change and go after him. As I recall, your tour brochure mentioned the Dragon Cave near Panagia.”
“Yes. They would have toured it this morning.”
“Then he might have decided to go there to hide for the night.”
“You’re right.” She hadn’t thought of that. “You’d make an excellent detective if you hadn’t been born a Konstantinos.” The comment had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her?
After a pause his lips twitched. “There’s a thought.” His amused tone played havoc with her breathing.
Andrea had visited the Dragon Cave months ago. It contained amazing stalactites and stalagmites. She’d seen the stalactite shaped like a dragon. “The literature says the cave hasn’t been fully explored.” Fear clutched her heart to think Darren might be foolish enough to penetrate a danger zone.
“I’ll check there first. There’s no time to waste.”
“Kyrie Konstantinos—” She thought he was about to walk away and wanted to stop him. He eyed her with such a penetrating gray gaze, she felt he could see right through her. This important man was ready to drop everything to look for a boy he didn’t know. With the police already doing a search, he didn’t have to do it and no one would expect it of him.
On top of his overwhelming male attributes, there was a goodness in him she could feel. The combination startled Andrea. She felt drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain and would have to analyze later. “I’d like to go with you and help.”
He looked stunned. “Why would you want to get involved?”
“Because in a sense this is my fault. I’m the one who asked the quarry manager if we could bring our tours here. These quarries have been worked for a thousand years, yet many tourists still aren’t aware of their existence. I find them fascinating and convinced my boss to agree to the idea of a tour here in the first place.”
His head reared back in surprise. “Your idea?”
“Yes. I can only imagine how much you wish your quarry manager had said no to me. I realize everything is a risk, but you could have no idea how responsible I feel now that this has happened on your company’s property. And to be honest, there’s another reason...”
She felt his gaze travel over her. “What would that be?”
“Eighteen months ago I lost my fiancé. He was a mountain-climbing guide who’d gone up on Mont Blanc with some other climbers. They were caught in a terrible storm. When it was discovered he was missing, I was told I couldn’t assist in the search because it would be too dangerous.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Immediately, his eyes softened with compassion. She could feel it.
“I had to wait ten agonizing days until they found his body on a ledge. When I think of this boy’s parents hearing the news that their son is missing, I can’t stand by and do nothing.” Her eyes smarted with unshed tears. “Even if I’m not able to do any good, I want to help in the search for him.”
She heard him inhale sharply. “You can add me to that list of people who feel responsible because I’m the person Gus appealed to for permission to allow tours here.”
A small cry escaped her lips. “I knew he would have to go through channels. What a surprise to find out it was you.” Incredible.
“I’d say today has brought several surprises. But I don’t regret giving permission, not even under these circumstances.”
She took an unsteady breath. “Neither do I. Hundreds of students and teachers have benefited from what they’ve learned here.”
“That’s been my hope too.”
His words warmed her. She sensed he was a man she could trust. It was her own unexpected attraction to him she didn’t trust. “Whatever the outcome, please don’t worry that you’ll be liable. The tour company will take full responsibility.”
In the silence that followed, she took it to mean he was thinking about a possible lawsuit from the boy’s family once their attorney found out the Konstantinos family’s worth was in the millions. She wouldn’t blame this man for having no use for today’s litigious society. It was also apparent he wasn’t keen on her help.
Disappointed that she couldn’t be of help, she started to walk around his car to get to hers.
“Despinis Linford?”
Andrea whirled around.
“You’re welcome to come with me. But we could be out all night.”
All night alone with him? Her heart thudded for no good reason—except that wasn’t true. She knew exactly why it was thudding. She wanted to be with him. “I don’t care about that. If we can find Darren, that’s all I ask.”
“Then we’ll have to go back to my house for a few provisions.”
“Thank you. I’ll follow you.”
She got back in the rental car. En route, she called her boss and told him what was going on. Then she phoned Georgios and explained that she was going to help in the search for Darren and would keep in close touch. He thanked her in a shaken voice before they hung up.
The fact that Darren was now eighteen meant he was no longer a minor. Maybe his parents had given him this tour for a birthday present. To Andrea, his disappearance was more troubling than ever. As an adult, he could do what he wanted.
Andrea didn’t think she could handle it if anything happened to him before he was reunited with his parents. It hadn’t been that long since Ferrante’s death. Being hired by PanHellenic Tours had saved her life and she was doing better these days. But Darren’s disappearance triggered remembered pain from that terrible ten days when she’d waited for word.
CHAPTER TWO (#u24e72b93-916c-53d2-8afb-699f50d266f4)
THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR, Stavros watched the rental car following him to the house. Andrea Linford had come as a complete surprise in so many ways; he was still in mild shock. Her Greek was amazing, but there was a lot more to her than her linguistic ability.
When he’d first laid eyes on her, he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. To his chagrin, the first words to come out of his mouth had been accusatory. But she’d turned the tables on him with that very maturity he’d thought had been lacking. Over the course of a few minutes, he’d found himself utterly overwhelmed by the unexpected strength of his feelings for her.
The fact that she wanted to help find a boy she’d never met revealed a depth of character that appealed to him. For her to confide her agonized feelings to Stavros over the death of her fiancé—to have felt so helpless while she’d waited for word of him—it had torn him up inside.
The shocks kept coming. Since she’d been the one to plan an itinerary that included a tour of the quarry, she must be a person who thought outside the box. He found that intriguing.
As for her physical attributes, those long legs and the way she moved her shapely body had branded her an American. She was a natural, honey-blonde beauty with deep, sky-blue eyes who needed no makeup to be attractive.
No wonder Gus hadn’t been able to turn her down when she’d approached him on behalf of PanHellenic Tours. She’d probably had that same effect on her boss, who couldn’t help but hire her.
Hell. She’d had that effect on him or he wouldn’t have agreed to let her come along to search for the boy. Talk about a day like no other!
When he reached the house, he pulled around the back next to his Jeep. She parked on the other side of him. He tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help glancing sideways when she got out of her car. In an odd way, her sensible walking shoes only drew more attention to those beautiful legs of hers.
“Come in the house and freshen up in the guest bathroom while I gather a few items. I’ll pack some food and drinks so we can eat along the way.”
“Let me help.”
Once inside the rear entrance, he showed her where to go before he loaded up a food hamper in the kitchen. With that done, he walked through the house to the bedroom to change into jeans and a crew-neck shirt.
After checking with the police lieutenant, who had no good news to report yet, Stavros pulled on his hiking boots, then drew some parkas and sweaters from his closet. On the way back to the kitchen, he stopped in the storage room for his large flashlight and extra batteries. A smaller flashlight was in the Jeep.
His soft top was loaded with everything else they might need: blankets, a small tent, a bedroll, a couple of fold-up camp chairs and extra petrol. He was always prepared in these mountains. Whether they found Darren tonight or not, they’d be comfortable.
Stavros had never taken a woman camping with him. It was going to be a novel experience. He realized he was looking forward to being with her. When he’d walked out of the board meeting for the last time earlier in the day, little had he dreamed that by nightfall he’d be searching for a runaway teen with this lovely woman.
When Andrea saw him coming, she relieved him of the coats and sweaters so he could carry everything else. They left the house and hurried out to the Jeep. By the time they were packed up and ready to go, twilight had fallen over the lush landscape.
He started down the road toward another one that would lead to the Dragon Cave. “Did you talk to your boss?”
“Yes. He’s already informed Darren’s parents. They’ll be on the next plane to Thessaloniki.”
“Could they shed any light concerning their son?”
“No. He’s a scholar who’ll be attending Yale in the fall. They’re baffled and in agony.
“Sakis told me not to come back to work without the boy. That’s how anxious he is.”
“We’ll find him.”
“Since this is your backyard, I believe you.”
Her faith in him was humbling. “How about digging in that hamper for a couple of sandwiches. My housekeeper makes them up for me.”
“Sure.”
She turned around on her knees and reached in the hamper behind his seat. Her movement sent a faint flowery scent wafting past his nostrils, igniting his senses, which had been in a deep sleep for longer than he cared to remember. After handing him one and taking one for herself, she pulled out two ice-cold bottles of water.
They rode for a few more minutes before she asked, “How high up are we?”
“About four thousand feet.”
“That’s high for an island. Have you climbed to the top of Mount Ypsarion?”
“Many times.” He darted her a glance. “Have you ever climbed a mountain?”
“Yes. Mount Kilimanjaro.”
At her unexpected answer, Stavros let out a whistle. “That’s over nineteen thousand feet high.”
“I found that out when I needed to stay on the oxygen above fourteen thousand feet. My dad took me up while he was working in Tanzania.”
Fascinated, he said, “Does he still work there?”
“No. From there he was sent to French Guiana for two years, then India for three. Later he spent two years in Paraguay and another two in Venezuela. From there he was sent to the Brusson area of northwestern Italy for three years. Then he came to northern Greece. We live in Thessaloniki, where I got my degree in history and archaeology from Aristotle University.”
Stavros marveled. “What does your father do?”
“He works for W.B. Smythe, an American engineering company in Denver, Colorado, where I was born. Gold practically built the state. His company designs and fabricates modular plants and equipment for the extraction of gold and silver. As of this year, they’ve established a global presence in twenty-four countries. From the time I was born, I’ve lived with my father wherever he was sent.” He’d be going to Indonesia next.
“How many languages do you speak?”
She let out a sigh. “Besides the obvious, I’m fluent in Italian and French, and speak some Hindi, Afrikaans, Swahili, Spanish and Guarani. It’s no great thing. You have to learn a country’s language while you’re there if you hope to survive. Lucky for Darren, a lot of your countrymen speak English.”
“Amen.” He cleared his throat. “What about your mother?”
“She died giving birth to me.”
He smothered a moan. No mother...
“Dad and I have been nomads, traveling the globe. He was the one who taught me about the white marble quarries here.”
The feminine fountain of knowledge sitting next to him was blowing him away. Everything about her had already gotten under his skin. “What exactly did he tell you?”
“Besides the fact that the quartz crystalline structure resembles freshly fallen snow and is only quarried on this island?”
“Besides that.”
“He passed on a piece of trivia I found interesting. The visual effects team working on the American films of the Twilight saga used very fine pure white Thassos marble dust, which they added to the face paint. That’s why there’s this incredible sparkling effect when sunlight touches the vampires’ skin! Trust my dad to know details like that. He’s the smartest man I ever met.”
Stavros filed the information away. “Have you told him that lately?”
“All the time.”
“Lucky man.” Since Stavros’s father already believed he was the smartest man living, Stavros had never paid him such a compliment.
“I’m the lucky one to have a father like him.”
“You know what I think?”
She flicked him a curious glance.
“Despinis Linford is the smartest woman I ever met.”
“Hardly.” Another troubled sigh passed her lips. “Please. Call me Andrea.”
“Then I insist you call me Stavros.”
“The sign of the cross. A holy name.”
“My parents regret giving it to me. I’m afraid I’m the apololos provato of their brood.”
She turned her head to look at him. “You? The black sheep of the Konstantinos family? Why would you say such a thing?”
“Maybe because I choose to do things other than live up to my father’s dreams for me.”
“It sounds like you have dreams of your own and think for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that. You ought to wear it as a badge of courage rather than a curse.”
A curse. That was exactly what it had been like, but she made it sound like something to be proud of. A different way to look at himself? How did she manage to do that without even being aware of her power? The thought was daunting because he realized he could really care about her. That was a complication he didn’t need right now.
“You’re fortunate to have a father who approves of you.”
“You mean yours really doesn’t?”
“Afraid not.” His voice grated. “Your incredulity tells me how different our fathers are. In my whole life, we’ve rarely seen eye to eye on anything. Unless it’s his way, it isn’t right.”
“But you’re obviously successful!”
“Not in his eyes.”
“That’s horrible.” Her voice shook. “How painful for you.”
“I’m used to it.”
“Even so, I can hear the hurt in your voice deep down.” Her keen perception astounded him. She studied him for a minute. “For what it’s worth, I approve of you.”
“Why?”
“When we first met, you were ready to give me a full interrogation at the quarry. But after I introduced myself, you listened, and in your unique way, you apologized and let me look for Darren with you. I find that admirable and think I like you much better now.”
Andrea Linford, where did you come from?
Little did she know he already liked her to the point he was ready to carry her off to an unknown location where they could get to know each other for as long as they wanted, undisturbed by anything or one. It shocked him that he would entertain such a thought when he’d only just met her.
They’d neared the trail that led to the cave. It was getting too dark for tourists to be out. Stavros had been watching for anyone walking along the winding stone road bordered by heavy underbrush.
He pulled to a stop. “We’ll have to go on foot from here. Grab one of the parkas. I know it’ll drown you, but it will also keep you warm. The temperature inside the cave is always cooler, especially at night. Darren might not be here. If he isn’t, then let’s whisper once we get inside while we wait and turn off the flashlights. In case he does show up, we don’t want our voices and lights to scare him off before we approach him.”
“Understood.”
Andrea understood about a lot more things than he could have imagined.
They both got out and put on a coat. She reached for two bottles of water she could carry in the pockets of her parka.
He handed her the smaller flashlight, making sure it worked, then turned on the big one. After throwing a blanket over his shoulder, he locked the Jeep. Before he knew it, she’d gone down the path ahead of him. Because of the overgrowth of mountain foliage, it grew so narrow in spots that they had to proceed single file. So far, they hadn’t seen anyone.
Soon, they came to the large mouth of the cave. It looked like a dark hole. He moved past her, flashing his light around the interior for any sign of the teen. They went deeper, until the shaft of light lit up the dragon-like stalactite. Though it was always dark in the cave, the night gave it added menace.
If Darren intended to hide in here, Stavros doubted he’d go much farther for fear of getting lost. He turned to Andrea and put his lips close to her ear. Again, he was assailed by the delicious scent of her. Maybe it was the shampoo from her wavy dark blond hair, which fell loose to her neck. “Let’s sit here awhile and see if he comes.”
* * *
Andrea nodded and edged away in order to counteract the feel of his warm breath against her skin. He hadn’t touched her, but he didn’t have to for her to be intensely aware of him. After he spread out the blanket, she sat down cross-legged. In the next moment he’d taken the same position facing her.
The last thing she saw before they turned off their lights was the bone structure of his striking eastern Macedonian features. He was fiercely male, all of him.
Just thinking about all of him made her swallow hard. She felt the cool darkness enshroud them. If she was nervous and disturbed, it wasn’t because they were in a cave that was black as pitch. Something had happened to her from the moment Stavros Konstantinos had alighted from his car looking like a Greek statue come to life. It was so strange because she hadn’t been interested in any man since Ferrante.
“Do you know what a rare creature you are?” His whisper came out of the darkness.
Her body trembled in reaction. “Why do you say that?” she whispered back.
“Because your behavior is so perfect, you’ve forced me to break the silence in order to tell you so.”
Andrea couldn’t help but smile. “I learned early in life that most men don’t like chatter. Of course, my father isn’t like most men. I loved him and always wanted to go with him wherever he was sent.”
“Is he waiting for you in Thessaloniki?”
“No. He stays in a village near the Skouries mine for three weeks at a time. Then he comes to our furnished apartment in the city to see me for a week. While I’m at the office, he cooks up a storm for us. I take time off when he arrives so we can explore the sites together.”
“Your father never married again?”
“I once asked him that question because he’s had his share of girlfriends. He told me that because he has to move around the globe every so often, he decided it would be too difficult to be married. Plus, he said, I was the only child he wanted.”
“I can understand that. Both his reasons make perfect sense. Would you have liked a stepmother?”
No one had ever asked her that question. “I don’t know, since I never grew up with my own mother. To be honest, I didn’t care for some of his girlfriends and they didn’t care for me, so I’m glad he didn’t marry one of them.”
She could hear a change in his breathing. “How old are you, Andrea?”
“Twenty-six. And you?” she fired back, growing more curious to know everything about him.
“Thirty-two. Tell me about the man you were going to marry.”
He’d changed the subject fast.
“Ferrante was Italian-Swiss from Ticino. He came from a large family with five brothers and sisters of whom he was the eldest. I’ve never met anyone so happy and friendly. Some people have a sunny spirit. He was one of them.”
In the silence that followed, a warm hand reached out and found one of hers to squeeze. “I’m sorry you lost him.”
His sincerity reached the deepest part inside her, but Andrea wished he hadn’t touched her. Still, she didn’t pull away because she didn’t want to offend him when he was trying to give her comfort.
“I’m much better these days. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”
He removed the hand that had spread warmth through her body. “Like your father, I’ve had my share.”
“But so far you’ve stopped short of marriage.”
“Yes.”
“That yes sounded emphatic,” she observed. “With a last name like yours, I guess you can’t be too careful.”
“Your perceptiveness must be a gift you were born with.”
“I think it’s the influence of my rather cynical father.”
“So he does have one flaw...” His response sounded almost playful. “I was beginning to worry.”
“Why?”
“A perfect father is hard to live up to.”
“Are we talking about mine?”
She was waiting for his answer when she heard a faint noise. Andrea supposed it could be a rodent running around, but she hoped it was Darren and jumped to her feet. In the process, her body collided with Stavros, who was also standing, and he wrapped her in his strong arms.
“Don’t make a sound.” This time his lips brushed her cheek while he whispered. Instantly rivulets of desire coursed through her bloodstream.
While she stood there locked against his well-honed frame, there was more noise, a little louder than before. Whatever made the sound was getting closer to them. Stavros must have been holding his flashlight because he turned it on in time to see a ferret scurry away.
Andrea relaxed against him, but Stavros still held on to her. No longer whispering, he said, “It’s past eleven o’clock. If Darren had planned to come here tonight, he would have arrived by now, don’t you think?”
She eased out of his arms and turned on her flashlight so he couldn’t tell how much his nearness had turned her body to mush.
“I do.” Until she got herself under control, Andrea wasn’t capable of saying anything else.
“Since the lieutenant hasn’t phoned me with news yet, that means Darren’s still out there, but I doubt he’ll do any more hiking before first light.” He scooped up the blanket and folded it. “Since he’s not here, it’s possible he took the trail leading away from the quarry that eventually goes down the mountain. There are firebreaks that crisscross it. We’ll take one, then another. Hopefully we’ll locate him.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” Together they left and made their way back to the Jeep. The slightly warmer air outside the dank cave felt good, but she kept the parka on. Once they’d climbed inside, he started it up and they took off at a clip. He turned on his brights to help them in their search. Andrea drank some of her water, thankful he knew where to drive.
“Are you hungry, Stavros?”
“Another gyro sounds good.”
She turned around and got another one out of the hamper and handed it to him. He’d also packed some plums, so she took one for herself and settled back to eat. “Seeing Thassos Island in the dazzling light of day isn’t anything like driving through this forest at night.”
“Not so benign, is it?”
A shiver passed through her. “No. Wherever our runaway is, he couldn’t be feeling as comfortable about his plan right now. My boss checked with the American consulate. Darren has never been issued a passport before. Since this is his first trip to Europe, it’s amazing he’d be willing to run away from the tour in a place so foreign to him. He has to be desperate.”
“Or adventurous and headstrong,” Stavros suggested, “and too spoiled to realize how hard this has to be on his parents or anyone who cares about him.”
She had a hunch he was talking about his younger self. “We have to find him before the press turns his disappearance into an international incident.”
“You took the words out of my mouth.” His voice sounded an octave lower and resonated to the marrow of her bones.
At the first crossroads they came to, he braked and turned right. “While I drive slowly, shine the big flashlight into the trees. We’ll take turns calling out his name. If he’s hurt and needs help, he might show himself.”
“That’s a good idea, but if he wants to stay hidden—”
“Then the sound of our voices will make him nervous that people are looking for him,” Stavros supplied. “Hopefully he’ll try to run and in the process give himself away.”
For the next half hour, he drove them over one rough firebreak, then another. “There doesn’t seem to be any sign of him, Stavros. Do you think it’s possible he hid himself in one of the employees’ vehicles while no one was paying attention? Maybe the back of a truck or the trunk of a car?”
Andrea noted the grim expression marring his arresting features. “Those are the first places I assumed the police had looked before I got there. But if they weren’t thorough enough...” His voice drifted off.
“Do all the workers live nearby?”
“Their homes are in or around Panagia. If that’s what Darren did, then he could lose himself among the tourists in the morning.”
Andrea nodded. “With enough money, he could buy a bike or steal one. Once in Thassos, he could take the ferry to the mainland.”
For the second time that night, Stavros clasped the hand nearest him. “Who should have been the detective now?” Heat passed through her system in waves before he let it go. “I’ll find us a place to camp on the outskirts of Panagia.”
The gorgeous man at the wheel had no idea that the thought of spending the rest of the night with him sent her pulse ripping off the charts.
“We can try to get some sleep for what’s left of the rest of this night. In the morning, we’ll make early rounds of the bike shops.”
“We might actually bump into him.”
“Or her,” he added. “If he’s wearing a disguise.” He hadn’t forgotten what she’d said. “If not there, maybe at the ferry landing.”
“I want to believe that.” She was worried sick about Darren of course. Stavros couldn’t help but hear the tremor in her voice.
“That makes two of us.”
Before too long, he found them a secluded spot. “Do you mind if we don’t set up the tent?” His question prompted her to lift her gaze to him, noticing the shadow on his firm jaw. If anything, he was more attractive when he needed a shave.
“No. It’s a beautiful night. I’ve slept out with my father like this hundreds of times. A tent is too confining and we could miss spotting Darren if he were to come this way.”
“You’re too good to be true. I think I must be dreaming.”
“You’ll know this is for real if I scream out loud because another ferret the size of the one in the cave creeps onto me.”
With a low resonant chuckle he unraveled the bedroll for her to sleep in and made himself a bed on a couple of blankets. They both ate and drank from the contents of the hamper. Then she snuggled into the bedroll and turned on her side toward him.
“Stavros? Thank you for letting me search for Darren with you. I appreciate everything you’ve done, not only for me, but for him. You’re a remarkable man.” He was a lot more than that. She needed to turn off her feelings for him. They were spinning out of control.
“Don’t give me any credit,” he said. “I have just as much at stake here as you. And how long it’s taking to find him is convincing me he’s more clever than I realized.” His hand went to his watch. “I’m setting my alarm so we’ll have time to grab some breakfast at one of the cafés first thing in the morning.” Andrea watched him pull out his phone. “I’m going to leave a message for the lieutenant about our plans for tomorrow. Then it’s lights out.”
She turned off her flashlight while she listened. In a minute, he shut the big light off and stretched out on his back with only one blanket pulled over him. He put his hands behind his dark head. “You’re a very trusting woman to be out in the forest with me.”
“I know the important things,” she came back readily. “I did my research and learned that the Konstantinos Corporation enjoys an excellent reputation far and wide for the quality of their products and their fair dealings. The fact that you cared enough to look for Darren on your own time when you didn’t have to says a lot about your character.”
His compassion and understanding of her loss had really been the things that told her he could be trusted. But she refrained from sharing that with him.
“I’d rather talk about your character, Andrea. No one would expect you to have joined in the search. I’m touched that you would tell me about your harrowing experience waiting to hear news of your fiancé.”
She stirred restlessly. “I couldn’t just stand by this time. You’d be surprised how many searches I’ve gone on in the past.”
“What do you mean?”
“Living in some of the third-world areas meant helping out in a crisis at a moment’s notice. In some ways, it was easier to find someone’s lost son or daughter from a remote village than to track down a teen like Darren who wants to be lost in a country as modern and sophisticated as Greece. With money he could be anywhere doing anything. His poor parents must be frantic.”
Stavros turned on his side. “Has this happened before on one of the tours?”
“There’ve been a few serious health issues, but no one ever left in the middle of a tour before. Georgios has been with PanHellenic fifteen years and said he’s never had someone disappear on him.”
“It’s a bizarre situation, one we can’t solve tonight.”
“You’re right. Good night, Stavros.” She rolled onto her side away from him.
“Kalinychta, despinis.”
His silky voice permeated her body, as if it had found a home. The sensation shocked her before oblivion took over.
* * *
The alarm awakened Stavros at six thirty. He hadn’t wanted the night to end and was surprised he’d slept. Probably knowing he’d be with her first thing in the morning was the reason he’d fallen off fast. For the first time since he could remember, a woman had come into his life who excited him in inexplicable ways.
Andrea was still asleep, her shiny blond hair splayed around her. He could still feel her wrapped in his arms in the cave. Between that memory and the intensity of those blue eyes fastened on him last night, it was all he could do not to move closer and draw her into his body. But until the boy was found, he needed to focus on matters that could have an adverse impact on everyone involved.
He packed up and started putting everything in the Jeep. When he went back for the hamper, he discovered Andrea had awakened and was rolling up the bedroll.
“Good morning, Stavros.” Her smile filled his body with warmth. “How long have you been up?”
“A few minutes.”
“Don’t tell me if I snore. Some things are better not to know.”
She looked so beautiful with her hair in attractive disarray it took all his self-control not to kiss her voluptuous mouth. “You were quiet as a mouse.”
“So were you. I think.” Despite the seriousness of their situation, she didn’t take herself seriously, a trait that appealed to him. They both chuckled.
He took the bedroll from her and put it in the back of the Jeep. She joined him a few minutes later. He noticed she’d brushed her hair and put on a frosted pink lipstick he’d love to taste before he started on her.
Stavros was thunderstruck by his strong physical attraction to her. But right now he needed to concentrate. “Let’s go find Darren.”
Once they got in the Jeep, he drove back out to the road that led into Panagia. He stopped in front of a cafeteria, where they went in for rolls and coffee. The proprietress recognized him and hurried over to their table.
He questioned her about Darren and showed her his picture from the cell phone. She said she hadn’t seen the American teenager in her café, but she’d call the police if he came in.
For the next half hour, they made the rounds of the bike shops. No one had seen the missing teen. When they went back to the Jeep, Andrea turned to him. “I think we should drive to Thassos and watch for him at the marina. He may have stolen someone’s bike in order to get there.”
“Or maybe he hitched a ride with some local.”
“Let’s check out all the bars and tavernas at the docks. He could be hanging out near the ferry landing stage.”
“The police will be searching everywhere, but we’ll add our eyes.”
For the next two hours, they covered the waterfront, but didn’t see anyone who resembled Darren. “Stavros? Let’s go on board the ferry that’s loading and take a look inside the vehicles. I know the police will have already done that, but maybe they missed something. What do you think?”
He saw the pleading in her eyes. It tugged at him. Neither of them wanted to give up the search, even if the police had already looked here.
“You’re reading my mind again.”
This was the first ferry of the day leaving for Keramoti. If Darren wanted to get off the island as fast as possible, this would be the one to take.
After parking the Jeep, he paid the fee and they walked on board, following the line of passengers. Since it was a Saturday of full-on summer, crowds of tourists slowed the lines down. He saw two police officers working the line.
Those people with cars had parked them end to end along the sides of the open air hold.
While everyone else went up on the deck to watch their departure, Stavros and Andrea inspected the interiors of each vehicle. All were empty. There were several small trucks. They eyed each other before he looked in the back of the first one. It was filled with lawn mower equipment.
Andrea moved forward to look inside the back of the next truck parked farther down. Stavros knew she’d found something when she came running toward him. “Quick,” she whispered. “There’s a tarp covering something. I thought I saw movement and I don’t dare lift it off without you.”
He grasped her upper arms. Their mouths were only centimeters apart. It was a miracle he restrained himself from kissing her senseless. “You stay here.”
Her breathing sounded shallow. “I won’t let you do this alone.”
Stavros inhaled sharply. “Then stay behind me.” After letting her go with reluctance, he walked to the pickup truck in question and took a look for himself. In the next instant, he climbed over the tailgate. Reaching down, he removed the tarp. Sure enough, a body dressed in jeans and tennis shoes was wedged between several packing boxes. A pair of brown eyes stared up at him in shock. His head was resting on his backpack.
“Darren Lewis.” Stavros spoke in English, standing over him. “Stay where you are.” He pulled out his cell phone and called the police lieutenant.
After a moment the other man answered. “Kyrie Konstantinos? I wish I had better news for you.”
“Our worries are over. We’ve found the missing teenager on board the ferry in Thassos town. He’s hiding in the back of a white pickup truck.”
“My men said they searched every car.”
“This teen has been elusive. Contact the ferry captain and tell him not to leave shore yet. Despinis Linford and I will detain the Lewis boy until you arrive.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Stavros helped Andrea up over the tailgate. She thanked him and sat down on one of the packing boxes. By this time, the teen was sitting up, but he didn’t try to get away.
“Darren? I’m Andrea Linford from PanHellenic Tours. This is Mr. Konstantinos, the managing director of the Konstantinos Marble Corporation.” Not anymore. “We’ve been looking for you since you disappeared yesterday.”
He averted his eyes.
“Your tour director, Georgios, and your teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, have been frantic. Your parents were notified of your disappearance and are on their way here.”
The boy went a sickly ashen color. “My mom and dad are coming?”
She nodded. “That’s right. The police will take you to them in Thessaloniki.”
“I’m eighteen and don’t have to see them if I don’t want to.”
So that was what this was about. “Nevertheless, they want to see you,” Stavros stated. “Whatever is wrong, nothing can be resolved by running away.”
“I hate my father. I never want to see him again.”
The pain in his declaration wasn’t lost on Stavros or Andrea. “Then you have the legal right to be on your own,” he said. “But you’re in a foreign country and have broken the law by stowing away in a truck that isn’t yours. You have some explaining to do to the police and they’ll insist on speaking to you and your parents.”
Darren was fighting tears. “I don’t want to talk to them.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice while you’re still on Greek soil.”
Andrea got on the phone to her boss to tell him the good news. Before long, everyone, including the tour bus group, would know that the crisis had been averted. But the boy’s nightmare was just beginning. From past experience, Stavros knew what it was like to be at loggerheads with his own father and had some compassion for Darren, whatever the problem.
“If you’re hungry or thirsty, I’ll get you something,” Andrea volunteered after hanging up. She had a sweetness in her that wasn’t lost on Stavros.
“I don’t want anything.”
“You must have had a bad night. Tell us how you got away from the quarry, Darren.”
“I hid underneath someone’s truck. When the police walked off, I got inside the back.” Andrea and Stavros exchanged glances. “After it stopped at a village, I jumped out and walked down here during the night. While the cars were lined up to board the ferry, I got underneath another truck.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/rebecca-winters/the-renegade-billionaire/) на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Rebecca Winters
One night to change their lives… A runaway child is missing, and as it’s on his Greek island, rebel billionaire Stavros Konstantinos finds himself caught up in the search, alongside pretty tour guide Andrea Linford... Their heroic rescue mission over, they begin to explore the spark between them. Andrea always thought love happened to other people—but after two bliss-filled days with Stavros she knows her feelings run deep. Is Andrea brave enough to throw off her past and step into the future—with Stavros by her side?
“What if I want you to stay?” His husky tone played havoc with her senses.
She took a fortifying breath. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I can’t afford to stay.” I’m far too attracted to you.
How could she feel this strongly about him when it hadn’t been that long ago Ferrante had died? She didn’t want to know the pain of loving someone again, and was shocked at the strength of her feelings for him already. A prominent man like Stavros Konstantinos could have his pick of any woman, but he could never be serious about her. It wasn’t worth risking her heart to stay around any longer—especially when she’d be leaving the country with her father in the not too distant future.
The Renegade Billionaire
Rebecca Winters
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
REBECCA WINTERS lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.
Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website at: cleanromances.com (http://cleanromances.com).
To my wonderful children, who put up with me while I write books of the heart. They know I love them, but they also know my mind is often somewhere deep into a love story of my own concoction.
Contents
Cover (#u1b397750-64d0-546d-9779-ee86cd08fd8e)
Introduction (#u2ea97bc9-1c26-5c22-b116-cd188a81e2e6)
Title Page (#u019f07d3-cfb5-53c2-9474-61d06f7cbc27)
About the Author (#u15e02d61-f199-590b-84fb-31c0c9b48386)
Dedication (#ubec8f2c6-4733-5434-a09f-2cc5dc447a53)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u24e72b93-916c-53d2-8afb-699f50d266f4)
AFTER WASHING THE sweat from his body, Stavros Konstantinos wrapped a towel around his hips and walked out on his terrace. The view of the blue Aegean from his private villa atop pine-covered Mount Ypsarion always renewed him.
Because of another of many such impasses, today’s board meeting in Thessaloniki on the Greek mainland had ended early for him. His proposal for a new product to be manufactured and marketed by the Konstantinos Marble Corporation had met with total defeat.
At that point a blackness had swept through him. The sickness that had been coming on for the past year had finally caught up to him. Depression was a feeling he’d never known before, but he couldn’t label it as anything else.
Knowing that his family members who made up the majority of the board still lived and operated as if it were 1950, he hadn’t expected any other result. With the exception of his elder brother, Leon, everyone else down to the last cousin was against any new innovations and refused to hear him out. They were afraid of change.
That was fine with him. In his free time he’d had a new plant built on his own land. Now that the family had refused to listen to him and wanted no part of it, he and his two partners, Theo and Zander, would be starting production on Monday.
Since he’d gotten nowhere with the members of the board, he’d told them he was resigning from his position as managing director of the corporation immediately. As of now, all ties were severed, including his position on the board. He suggested they should start looking for a replacement ASAP.
Just saying those words helped to drive some of the blackness away. He’d been in a cage, but no longer.
While every member sat there in utter shock at his announcement, he excused himself from the meeting in Thessaloniki and took the helicopter back to his villa on Thassos Island. En route, he checked his phone messages and discovered another text message waiting for him from Tina Nasso, the woman he’d stopped seeing three months ago.
Since he’d never responded to any of her messages, why would she text him again? Was she so desperate?
This separation from u can’t go on, Stavros. You’ve been so cruel. I haven’t seen u or even heard your voice in three months! You haven’t texted me back once. I have to talk to you! This is important. Tina.
This text meant she was still pressing for him to change his mind. His black brows came together. Christina Nasso, the woman his parents had expected him to marry, didn’t know how to let something go that could never have worked out. With no intention of answering this text either, he deleted it.
Parental pressure had driven him to spend some time with her, but there was no attraction on his part. He had the gut feeling her parents were still pressuring her because they’d wanted an alliance between both families. Just as his parents had planned on him marrying her, it was no secret the prominent Nasso shipping family from Kavala wanted Stavros for their son-in-law. Both family businesses were closely connected.
But when she’d wanted a deeper intimacy with him, he couldn’t pretend feelings he didn’t have. Though he hadn’t wanted to hurt her, he’d had to tell her the truth. He wasn’t in love with her and they both needed to be free.
Stavros had told his parents the same thing after they’d demanded an explanation. His great mistake was humoring them from the beginning. Never again. They could wait, but a marriage with Tina wouldn’t happen.
Today he’d felt the consequences of his actions. His refusal to go on seeing her had caused a serious rift, one he’d felt at the board meeting when his father had influenced his uncles and cousins to close ranks against his new business venture instead of embracing it.
As for Tina, his hope was that one day she’d meet someone her family would approve of. She was an attractive woman with much to offer a man who wanted to marry her. But Stavros wasn’t that man. One day, Tina would realize it and move on. Like salt that had lost its savor, every relationship he’d had with a woman had been missing the essential ingredient for happiness.
The only thing that brought him any pleasure right now was spending every bit of time on his new business. Stavros’s company wouldn’t be in competition with his family’s, but there would be fireworks when they found out he’d gone ahead with production. One of theirs was doing something on his own and they couldn’t tolerate it. But it shouldn’t be a surprise to them. He rarely bowed to the dictates of his autocratic father or his great-uncles.
For his mother’s sake, he’d tried where Tina was concerned. But once she’d learned that her younger son wasn’t enamored of the Nasso girl, he’d found disfavor in her eyes too. He took a deep breath. Today had turned out to be a day like no other. From here on out, his life was going to go in directions no one would be happy about except him.
So be it!
On his way to the kitchen to quench his thirst, his cell phone rang. If it was Tina calling because he hadn’t answered her text, she would find out exactly how he felt when she realized he intended to go on ignoring any and all phone calls or texts from her.
But when he looked at the caller ID, he saw it was the manager of quarry three on Thassos Island phoning on his private line. He clicked on. “What’s up, Gus?”
“Kyrie Konstantinos?” Kyrie being the Greek version of Mr. “A situation with one of the student-teacher groups from PanHellenic Tours has arisen. A teenager is missing. Now the police are involved.”
This was all Stavros needed to hear, especially since he’d been the only one on the board in favor of allowing tour groups to visit the quarry. The program had been working well since March with no incidents, until today...
Stavros gripped the phone tighter. “Have the police started a search?”
When he heard the particulars, he grimaced. A helicopter would have an almost impossible struggle to see any movement beneath the dense green canopy of the forest.
“What do you advise, Kyrie?”
“I’ll be there ASAP.”
He returned to the bedroom and dressed quickly before he dashed out the door to his car.
It had been his hope the quarry experience would broaden the students’ education and spread the word about job opportunities.
Forty percent of the marble in Greece came from an almost inexhaustible supply in the Thassos region, much of it being shipped to China, Asia and Europe. Because of this abundant natural resource, more jobs were available, which would improve the Grecian economy, a major aim of his.
With that argument, his grandfather, who’d recently passed away, had been persuaded that the free publicity generated by various tour groups from foreign climes might be a good idea. At that point the rest of the board offered their reluctant acceptance on the condition that it would be for a trial basis only. One problem with the tours and they’d be given no more access.
This particular quarry—one of many owned by the family throughout northern Greece—was on the other side of the summit, just ten minutes away. He knew the police lieutenant well and would ask his cooperation in keeping the press at bay for as long as possible.
The crisis needed to be averted before the media got hold of it. Once they turned it into an international circus, the island would be crawling with unwanted spectators. Though the staff at the quarry wasn’t responsible for what had happened, the public wouldn’t see it that way. Publicity of this kind was never good.
To his mind, the teacher was ultimately responsible for this type of situation and could be facing charges. Six high school groups of six on the bus with their individual teachers? How hard was it to keep track of half a dozen students?
Gus had said the teen’s teacher was a younger, nice-looking American woman. Maybe too young to handle a bunch of teens? Stavros pressed on the gas as he rounded a curve in the road. He was in a mood.
Once the family found out about this crisis, they’d put a stop to the tour groups. Since he’d announced his resignation from the corporation and the board, he would no longer have a say. But for the time being he felt the responsibility heavily. Someone’s teenage son was missing in a foreign land and needed to be found.
* * *
Panagia was Andrea Linford’s favorite village on the Greek island of Thassos. After flying from Thessaloniki to the nearby airport of Keramoti on the mainland, she’d come the rest of the way on the ferry to Thassos, the capital city many referred to as Limenas. From the water, the island looked like a floating forest because of the pines and olive groves covering it.
She’d rented a car and driven to Panagia, ten kilometers away. Named after the Virgin Mary, it was built on the side of the mountain. From the wooden terraces of the villas with their painted ceilings and schist roofs, one had a fantastic view of the bay and the sea beyond, where other emerald-green mountains rose to fill the eye. The sight of clear, ice-cold water bubbling up from the natural springs to run down alongside the narrow streets delighted her.
Andrea had spent time in its church of the Virgin Mary, which had been built in l831. She loved its impressive baronial style, constructed by stones from the ruins of ancient temples. The exterior and cupola were a pale blue and white, absolutely exquisite.
She’d been in a lot of churches around the world, but the interior of this particular church was like a fabulous treasure. It contained a banneret dating from the time of the Crusades. She felt there was a spiritual essence she hadn’t found in other churches. If she were ever to get married, this would be the spot she would choose, but of course that was a fantasy, just like the village spread out before her.
Today she didn’t have time to linger.
For the past year and a half, Andrea had worked for PanHellenic Tours, in their main office located in Thessaloniki. They were one of the biggest tour operators in Greece. Having obtained her humanities degree from the university there, she had been hired to do translations and help develop tour itineraries by researching everything thoroughly.
Andrea was the person who’d first suggested the company include a tour of the quarry she found fascinating. Her boss, Sakis, was so taken with her idea, he’d made it part of their latest itineraries for this year. But word had gotten back to him that there’d been an incident involving an American student visiting the marble quarry on Thassos. The boy had gone missing and the police had been called in.
Because Andrea was fluent in English and Greek, and because she’d been the one to make the initial arrangements with the quarry manager, Sakis had sent her to do the troubleshooting, then report back her findings.
Before leaving the office in the cotton skirt and blouse she’d worn to work, she downloaded the student’s file, including a picture, and itinerary on her phone.
Knowing the way to the quarry, which was famous for its pure white marble, she left the charming island village shaded by huge oak and walnut trees—a village that maintained some of the old traditions and ways of life. She followed the road up the mountain.
Thassos was truly an emerald island, almost round in shape. Some of the locals called it a giant lump of marble. She smiled as she wound around until she came to the quarry.
Many of the stone mines scattered all over the island were open pits. A tourist who didn’t know better would think they’d come across an enormous, surreal graveyard of huge, pure white marble slabs and blocks surrounded by dark green pines. They glistened in the hot late-afternoon August sun.
She made her way to the quarry office of the Konstantinos Corporation, a world leader in the production of marble from their many quarries in northern Greece. Thanks to large investments in technology, the company processed marble and granite for internal and international markets.
At the east end of the quarry, she saw the tour bus and half a dozen police cars parked by the employees’ cars. The officers were obviously vetting the group of students and teachers standing outside it.
She parked her car on the end of the row and got out. Georgios, the seasoned Greek tour guide, was a harmless flirt who always made her smile when he came to the head office, but today he looked grim, with good reason.
No sooner had she gotten out of the rental car to talk to him than the police lieutenant approached her. “Sorry, but no visitors are allowed here today.”
“I’ve come from PanHellenic Tours,” Andrea said in Greek. She introduced herself as a representative of the tour company and showed him her credentials. Normally she wore the blue jacket with the PanHellenic insignia, but it was too hot out.
“My mistake.”
“No problem. Our office received word that one of the American students, a seventeen-year-old named Darren Lewis, disappeared during the tour of the quarry and hasn’t been found. I’m here to help if I can. Any news yet?”
The mustached lieutenant frowned. “A helicopter has been making a sweep of the mountains. Some of the officers are out searching the area for him, but so far there’s been no word.”
“How long has he been missing?”
“Almost three hours. All the quarry employees have been accounted for. None could shed any light and were told to keep this quiet. We’re about finished getting statements from the students and teachers. Then they’re free to go on to their next stop in Thassos.”
Three hours... It had taken her too long to get here. By now the dark blond boy could be hiding anywhere in these mountains. Thankfully, with the eighty-degree temperature, it wouldn’t get too cold tonight, if he wasn’t found by dark.
“Before they leave, I need to talk to the tour guide.”
“Of course.”
“Excuse me.”
She hurried over to Georgios, the short, wiry Greek who knew this business backward and forward. “This is a ghastly thing to happen. How are you holding up?”
He shook his head. “I’ve been with the company for fifteen years and never lost anyone before. After the tour had finished, the quarry manager said the group could look around. You know the routine. I told them to be back at the bus in a half hour. Darren told his teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, that he needed to visit the restroom before heading for the bus.”
“That’s when he gave her the slip?”
“So it seems.”
“She must be as devastated as you are.”
He nodded. “We did a head count when everyone got on the bus, but he was missing. One of the students who had sat by him remembered he was wearing his backpack while they toured the quarry.”
“In this heat you wouldn’t want to be hampered by a backpack without good reason. It sounds like he might have had a plan before he ever arrived here,” she theorized.
“That’s what the police think too. I’m inclined to agree with them. The group knows to leave their belongings on the bus during an excursion, but it wasn’t a hard, fast rule. After this experience, I’m going to insist on it. That is, if I don’t get fired.”
Andrea shook her head. “Sakis knows this isn’t anyone’s fault but Darren’s,” she assured him. But she knew how the public would react. Anyone and everyone would be blamed. “According to the file, he isn’t on any medications, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of his taking recreational drugs. What’s he been like?”
“Throughout the tour, his behavior didn’t stand out one way or the other. His teacher says he’s an honor student, somewhat on the quiet side.” He scratched his head. “His parents have to be notified.”
“I’ll report back to Sakis and he’ll take care of it if he hasn’t already. Right now you’ve got a group of hungry, thirsty students and teachers who need attention. Go ahead and get them on board. I’ll catch up with you later and help you any way I can.”
“Thanks, Andrea.”
She turned away just as a black Mercedes sedan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and drove right up, blocking her path. A tall, dark-haired male with a powerful build alighted from the front seat with an aura of authority that couldn’t be denied. The man, maybe in his early thirties, was so ruggedly Greek and gorgeous, her mind went blank for a minute.
Before she averted her eyes to keep from staring at him, her gaze took in the lime polo shirt and light khaki gabardine pants. His clothes only emphasized his hard-muscled body. He wore a gold watch, but no wedding band and looked as expensively turned out as the gleaming black car he drove. Andrea had no idea such a man existed. Where had he come from?
“Kyrie Konstantinos!”
The lieutenant’s exclamation, plus his show of deference, answered her question. This stranger with black hair swept back from a visible widow’s peak had to be one of the men whose family owned and ran the internationally renowned corporation.
He shook the lieutenant’s hand. “After the plant manager told me the news, I got here as soon as I could. Tell me what happened.” The two men discussed the situation and talked about keeping this incident from the press while the search was ongoing.
Between impossibly black lashes, his dark gray gaze swerved to Andrea. For a heart-stopping moment, she was subjected to a thorough, faintly accusing male scrutiny of her face and body that made her go hot and cold at the same time. To have such a visceral reaction to a man she’d never met stunned her.
He broke off talking to the lieutenant and moved toward her. Switching to English, he said, “I take it you’re the American teacher who was in charge of the runaway teen? How was it possible he disappeared on your watch?”
He’d fired the question with only a trace of accent. That didn’t surprise her given his affluent background and education. What did surprise her was the fact that he’d correctly assumed she was American. Something about her had given her away. Furthermore, it seemed he’d decided that she was the teacher in question, the one whom he’d already tried, judged and convicted as the guilty party without knowing all the facts.
Andrea expected the lieutenant to step in at this point and explain, but his attention had been diverted by one of the officers. It was up to her to clarify the situation before he made any more erroneous assumptions.
“I believe introductions are in order first,” she answered in Greek. “My name is Andrea Linford. I’m a representative of PanHellenic Tours in Thessaloniki. My boss sent me out to be of help to the tour guide, Georgios Debakis, and offer any assistance before I return to the office with my report.”
She held out her hand, which he was forced to shake. His firm grip tightened a little before he released her, but she felt the imprint of his hand travel through her whole body and stay there. There it went again. That shocking sensation from just being in his presence. To fill the disturbing silence since he hadn’t spoken yet, she said, “Which Konstantinos are you in the hierarchy? Leon, Stavros, Alexios or Charis?”
More silence ensued before he muttered, “Stavros.” She’d studied the facts of the company on the way here and remembered that Stavros was managing director of the Konstantinos Corporation. “You’ve done your homework, Kyria Linford.”
“Despinis,” she corrected him. She wasn’t married.
“My apology for misreading the situation.”
His apology had been difficult for him to verbalize, but she would cut him some slack. “You were half-right. For all my sins, I am American. But I’m not poor Mrs. Shapiro, who no doubt you assumed didn’t have the maturity to handle a group of teenage students away from their parents. If I’m wrong in that assumption, then my apology.”
His intelligent eyes flickered with some unnamed emotion. “You weren’t wrong,” he admitted in his deep voice.
“Thank you for your honesty. I think we can both agree this is an ugly situation all the way around and no one is at his or her best. My boss is beside himself. He has to make the call to the teen’s family and explain that their son is missing. Hopefully they’ll supply him with a reason why he might have run off midtour.”
“Let’s hope he’s found within the hour.”
She nodded her blond head. “We all want that. Unfortunately, his disappearance happened on your company property and will put the Konstantinos name in the spotlight, bringing you adverse publicity. As for poor Mrs. Shapiro and Georgios, they’ll be in agony until Darren’s found.”
He raked a bronzed hand through his gleaming black hair. “I asked the lieutenant to keep this quiet for as long as possible.”
“I heard you. Let’s hope one of the officers doesn’t leak it for a while. That boy has got to be found!”
Her voice shook because she was remembering the long ten-day wait before her fiancé’s dead body had been spotted on the mountain ledge, dashing her dreams for their marriage. The thought of Darren’s parents having to wait that long for any news made her shudder, a reaction Kyrie Konstantinos observed while he studied her.
She tore her eyes from his in time to see the tour bus drive out of the parking area to the road. Her heart was heavy for the teacher and Georgios, who had to keep doing their jobs while they were dying inside. Andrea felt anxious over the situation too. Where was Darren?
“With only a three-and-a-half-hour head start, he can’t get too far.” The incredibly handsome Greek read her mind aloud.
Andrea folded her arms to her waist. “Did you know he has his backpack with him? I wonder if he’d been planning his escape long before today in order to survive while he was on the run.”
“If so, he picked the right spot. It’s true these mountains will give him cover and the forest is dense, but I’ve lived here all my life and know every inch of ground. If the search and rescue teams don’t find him, I will.”
Stavros Konstantinos instilled such confidence in her, Andrea had no doubts he could do anything. She was alarmed by her thoughts about him—considering he was a stranger, she shouldn’t have been thinking about him at all. “You’ll need his description and a picture. I can email the information in his file to your phone right now.”
He pulled out his cell and gave her his number. Within a minute, he’d received it. She watched him study the dark blond boy’s passport photo. “He’s nice looking with that Marine cut. It says he’s five-eleven with brown eyes. He’ll be easy enough to recognize.”
“Unless he was carrying a disguise in his pack. Maybe turn himself into a woman?”
He flicked her another searching glance that sent a curl of physical awareness through her. “That would definitely throw anyone looking for him off the scent. I’ll pass your idea on to the lieutenant in case he hadn’t thought of it. You never know.
“Perhaps you noticed Darren’s birth date on the passport. He turned eighteen yesterday, which makes him an adult.”
“I didn’t catch that.” This man’s mind was a steel trap.
“What else do I need to know about him?”
She sucked in her breath. “My boss found out Darren comes from a well-to-do Connecticut family, so he probably has enough money on him to last for a while. Maybe he planned this before leaving the States, possibly with someone else who’s waiting for him at another destination.”
“Anything’s possible.”
“My guess is he’ll try to leave the island by boat rather than ferry. I’ve been studying my map of Thassos. There are dozens of harbors. How hard would it be for him to pay a fisherman to take him somewhere else and escape under the radar, so to speak?”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “It sounds like you’ve had experience with this kind of thing before.”
“Some,” she admitted. But not while she’d been working for the tour company.
“If he tries to get away in a boat, the harbor police will be onto him. In the meantime, I’ll head back to my house to change and go after him. As I recall, your tour brochure mentioned the Dragon Cave near Panagia.”
“Yes. They would have toured it this morning.”
“Then he might have decided to go there to hide for the night.”
“You’re right.” She hadn’t thought of that. “You’d make an excellent detective if you hadn’t been born a Konstantinos.” The comment had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her?
After a pause his lips twitched. “There’s a thought.” His amused tone played havoc with her breathing.
Andrea had visited the Dragon Cave months ago. It contained amazing stalactites and stalagmites. She’d seen the stalactite shaped like a dragon. “The literature says the cave hasn’t been fully explored.” Fear clutched her heart to think Darren might be foolish enough to penetrate a danger zone.
“I’ll check there first. There’s no time to waste.”
“Kyrie Konstantinos—” She thought he was about to walk away and wanted to stop him. He eyed her with such a penetrating gray gaze, she felt he could see right through her. This important man was ready to drop everything to look for a boy he didn’t know. With the police already doing a search, he didn’t have to do it and no one would expect it of him.
On top of his overwhelming male attributes, there was a goodness in him she could feel. The combination startled Andrea. She felt drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain and would have to analyze later. “I’d like to go with you and help.”
He looked stunned. “Why would you want to get involved?”
“Because in a sense this is my fault. I’m the one who asked the quarry manager if we could bring our tours here. These quarries have been worked for a thousand years, yet many tourists still aren’t aware of their existence. I find them fascinating and convinced my boss to agree to the idea of a tour here in the first place.”
His head reared back in surprise. “Your idea?”
“Yes. I can only imagine how much you wish your quarry manager had said no to me. I realize everything is a risk, but you could have no idea how responsible I feel now that this has happened on your company’s property. And to be honest, there’s another reason...”
She felt his gaze travel over her. “What would that be?”
“Eighteen months ago I lost my fiancé. He was a mountain-climbing guide who’d gone up on Mont Blanc with some other climbers. They were caught in a terrible storm. When it was discovered he was missing, I was told I couldn’t assist in the search because it would be too dangerous.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Immediately, his eyes softened with compassion. She could feel it.
“I had to wait ten agonizing days until they found his body on a ledge. When I think of this boy’s parents hearing the news that their son is missing, I can’t stand by and do nothing.” Her eyes smarted with unshed tears. “Even if I’m not able to do any good, I want to help in the search for him.”
She heard him inhale sharply. “You can add me to that list of people who feel responsible because I’m the person Gus appealed to for permission to allow tours here.”
A small cry escaped her lips. “I knew he would have to go through channels. What a surprise to find out it was you.” Incredible.
“I’d say today has brought several surprises. But I don’t regret giving permission, not even under these circumstances.”
She took an unsteady breath. “Neither do I. Hundreds of students and teachers have benefited from what they’ve learned here.”
“That’s been my hope too.”
His words warmed her. She sensed he was a man she could trust. It was her own unexpected attraction to him she didn’t trust. “Whatever the outcome, please don’t worry that you’ll be liable. The tour company will take full responsibility.”
In the silence that followed, she took it to mean he was thinking about a possible lawsuit from the boy’s family once their attorney found out the Konstantinos family’s worth was in the millions. She wouldn’t blame this man for having no use for today’s litigious society. It was also apparent he wasn’t keen on her help.
Disappointed that she couldn’t be of help, she started to walk around his car to get to hers.
“Despinis Linford?”
Andrea whirled around.
“You’re welcome to come with me. But we could be out all night.”
All night alone with him? Her heart thudded for no good reason—except that wasn’t true. She knew exactly why it was thudding. She wanted to be with him. “I don’t care about that. If we can find Darren, that’s all I ask.”
“Then we’ll have to go back to my house for a few provisions.”
“Thank you. I’ll follow you.”
She got back in the rental car. En route, she called her boss and told him what was going on. Then she phoned Georgios and explained that she was going to help in the search for Darren and would keep in close touch. He thanked her in a shaken voice before they hung up.
The fact that Darren was now eighteen meant he was no longer a minor. Maybe his parents had given him this tour for a birthday present. To Andrea, his disappearance was more troubling than ever. As an adult, he could do what he wanted.
Andrea didn’t think she could handle it if anything happened to him before he was reunited with his parents. It hadn’t been that long since Ferrante’s death. Being hired by PanHellenic Tours had saved her life and she was doing better these days. But Darren’s disappearance triggered remembered pain from that terrible ten days when she’d waited for word.
CHAPTER TWO (#u24e72b93-916c-53d2-8afb-699f50d266f4)
THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR, Stavros watched the rental car following him to the house. Andrea Linford had come as a complete surprise in so many ways; he was still in mild shock. Her Greek was amazing, but there was a lot more to her than her linguistic ability.
When he’d first laid eyes on her, he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. To his chagrin, the first words to come out of his mouth had been accusatory. But she’d turned the tables on him with that very maturity he’d thought had been lacking. Over the course of a few minutes, he’d found himself utterly overwhelmed by the unexpected strength of his feelings for her.
The fact that she wanted to help find a boy she’d never met revealed a depth of character that appealed to him. For her to confide her agonized feelings to Stavros over the death of her fiancé—to have felt so helpless while she’d waited for word of him—it had torn him up inside.
The shocks kept coming. Since she’d been the one to plan an itinerary that included a tour of the quarry, she must be a person who thought outside the box. He found that intriguing.
As for her physical attributes, those long legs and the way she moved her shapely body had branded her an American. She was a natural, honey-blonde beauty with deep, sky-blue eyes who needed no makeup to be attractive.
No wonder Gus hadn’t been able to turn her down when she’d approached him on behalf of PanHellenic Tours. She’d probably had that same effect on her boss, who couldn’t help but hire her.
Hell. She’d had that effect on him or he wouldn’t have agreed to let her come along to search for the boy. Talk about a day like no other!
When he reached the house, he pulled around the back next to his Jeep. She parked on the other side of him. He tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help glancing sideways when she got out of her car. In an odd way, her sensible walking shoes only drew more attention to those beautiful legs of hers.
“Come in the house and freshen up in the guest bathroom while I gather a few items. I’ll pack some food and drinks so we can eat along the way.”
“Let me help.”
Once inside the rear entrance, he showed her where to go before he loaded up a food hamper in the kitchen. With that done, he walked through the house to the bedroom to change into jeans and a crew-neck shirt.
After checking with the police lieutenant, who had no good news to report yet, Stavros pulled on his hiking boots, then drew some parkas and sweaters from his closet. On the way back to the kitchen, he stopped in the storage room for his large flashlight and extra batteries. A smaller flashlight was in the Jeep.
His soft top was loaded with everything else they might need: blankets, a small tent, a bedroll, a couple of fold-up camp chairs and extra petrol. He was always prepared in these mountains. Whether they found Darren tonight or not, they’d be comfortable.
Stavros had never taken a woman camping with him. It was going to be a novel experience. He realized he was looking forward to being with her. When he’d walked out of the board meeting for the last time earlier in the day, little had he dreamed that by nightfall he’d be searching for a runaway teen with this lovely woman.
When Andrea saw him coming, she relieved him of the coats and sweaters so he could carry everything else. They left the house and hurried out to the Jeep. By the time they were packed up and ready to go, twilight had fallen over the lush landscape.
He started down the road toward another one that would lead to the Dragon Cave. “Did you talk to your boss?”
“Yes. He’s already informed Darren’s parents. They’ll be on the next plane to Thessaloniki.”
“Could they shed any light concerning their son?”
“No. He’s a scholar who’ll be attending Yale in the fall. They’re baffled and in agony.
“Sakis told me not to come back to work without the boy. That’s how anxious he is.”
“We’ll find him.”
“Since this is your backyard, I believe you.”
Her faith in him was humbling. “How about digging in that hamper for a couple of sandwiches. My housekeeper makes them up for me.”
“Sure.”
She turned around on her knees and reached in the hamper behind his seat. Her movement sent a faint flowery scent wafting past his nostrils, igniting his senses, which had been in a deep sleep for longer than he cared to remember. After handing him one and taking one for herself, she pulled out two ice-cold bottles of water.
They rode for a few more minutes before she asked, “How high up are we?”
“About four thousand feet.”
“That’s high for an island. Have you climbed to the top of Mount Ypsarion?”
“Many times.” He darted her a glance. “Have you ever climbed a mountain?”
“Yes. Mount Kilimanjaro.”
At her unexpected answer, Stavros let out a whistle. “That’s over nineteen thousand feet high.”
“I found that out when I needed to stay on the oxygen above fourteen thousand feet. My dad took me up while he was working in Tanzania.”
Fascinated, he said, “Does he still work there?”
“No. From there he was sent to French Guiana for two years, then India for three. Later he spent two years in Paraguay and another two in Venezuela. From there he was sent to the Brusson area of northwestern Italy for three years. Then he came to northern Greece. We live in Thessaloniki, where I got my degree in history and archaeology from Aristotle University.”
Stavros marveled. “What does your father do?”
“He works for W.B. Smythe, an American engineering company in Denver, Colorado, where I was born. Gold practically built the state. His company designs and fabricates modular plants and equipment for the extraction of gold and silver. As of this year, they’ve established a global presence in twenty-four countries. From the time I was born, I’ve lived with my father wherever he was sent.” He’d be going to Indonesia next.
“How many languages do you speak?”
She let out a sigh. “Besides the obvious, I’m fluent in Italian and French, and speak some Hindi, Afrikaans, Swahili, Spanish and Guarani. It’s no great thing. You have to learn a country’s language while you’re there if you hope to survive. Lucky for Darren, a lot of your countrymen speak English.”
“Amen.” He cleared his throat. “What about your mother?”
“She died giving birth to me.”
He smothered a moan. No mother...
“Dad and I have been nomads, traveling the globe. He was the one who taught me about the white marble quarries here.”
The feminine fountain of knowledge sitting next to him was blowing him away. Everything about her had already gotten under his skin. “What exactly did he tell you?”
“Besides the fact that the quartz crystalline structure resembles freshly fallen snow and is only quarried on this island?”
“Besides that.”
“He passed on a piece of trivia I found interesting. The visual effects team working on the American films of the Twilight saga used very fine pure white Thassos marble dust, which they added to the face paint. That’s why there’s this incredible sparkling effect when sunlight touches the vampires’ skin! Trust my dad to know details like that. He’s the smartest man I ever met.”
Stavros filed the information away. “Have you told him that lately?”
“All the time.”
“Lucky man.” Since Stavros’s father already believed he was the smartest man living, Stavros had never paid him such a compliment.
“I’m the lucky one to have a father like him.”
“You know what I think?”
She flicked him a curious glance.
“Despinis Linford is the smartest woman I ever met.”
“Hardly.” Another troubled sigh passed her lips. “Please. Call me Andrea.”
“Then I insist you call me Stavros.”
“The sign of the cross. A holy name.”
“My parents regret giving it to me. I’m afraid I’m the apololos provato of their brood.”
She turned her head to look at him. “You? The black sheep of the Konstantinos family? Why would you say such a thing?”
“Maybe because I choose to do things other than live up to my father’s dreams for me.”
“It sounds like you have dreams of your own and think for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that. You ought to wear it as a badge of courage rather than a curse.”
A curse. That was exactly what it had been like, but she made it sound like something to be proud of. A different way to look at himself? How did she manage to do that without even being aware of her power? The thought was daunting because he realized he could really care about her. That was a complication he didn’t need right now.
“You’re fortunate to have a father who approves of you.”
“You mean yours really doesn’t?”
“Afraid not.” His voice grated. “Your incredulity tells me how different our fathers are. In my whole life, we’ve rarely seen eye to eye on anything. Unless it’s his way, it isn’t right.”
“But you’re obviously successful!”
“Not in his eyes.”
“That’s horrible.” Her voice shook. “How painful for you.”
“I’m used to it.”
“Even so, I can hear the hurt in your voice deep down.” Her keen perception astounded him. She studied him for a minute. “For what it’s worth, I approve of you.”
“Why?”
“When we first met, you were ready to give me a full interrogation at the quarry. But after I introduced myself, you listened, and in your unique way, you apologized and let me look for Darren with you. I find that admirable and think I like you much better now.”
Andrea Linford, where did you come from?
Little did she know he already liked her to the point he was ready to carry her off to an unknown location where they could get to know each other for as long as they wanted, undisturbed by anything or one. It shocked him that he would entertain such a thought when he’d only just met her.
They’d neared the trail that led to the cave. It was getting too dark for tourists to be out. Stavros had been watching for anyone walking along the winding stone road bordered by heavy underbrush.
He pulled to a stop. “We’ll have to go on foot from here. Grab one of the parkas. I know it’ll drown you, but it will also keep you warm. The temperature inside the cave is always cooler, especially at night. Darren might not be here. If he isn’t, then let’s whisper once we get inside while we wait and turn off the flashlights. In case he does show up, we don’t want our voices and lights to scare him off before we approach him.”
“Understood.”
Andrea understood about a lot more things than he could have imagined.
They both got out and put on a coat. She reached for two bottles of water she could carry in the pockets of her parka.
He handed her the smaller flashlight, making sure it worked, then turned on the big one. After throwing a blanket over his shoulder, he locked the Jeep. Before he knew it, she’d gone down the path ahead of him. Because of the overgrowth of mountain foliage, it grew so narrow in spots that they had to proceed single file. So far, they hadn’t seen anyone.
Soon, they came to the large mouth of the cave. It looked like a dark hole. He moved past her, flashing his light around the interior for any sign of the teen. They went deeper, until the shaft of light lit up the dragon-like stalactite. Though it was always dark in the cave, the night gave it added menace.
If Darren intended to hide in here, Stavros doubted he’d go much farther for fear of getting lost. He turned to Andrea and put his lips close to her ear. Again, he was assailed by the delicious scent of her. Maybe it was the shampoo from her wavy dark blond hair, which fell loose to her neck. “Let’s sit here awhile and see if he comes.”
* * *
Andrea nodded and edged away in order to counteract the feel of his warm breath against her skin. He hadn’t touched her, but he didn’t have to for her to be intensely aware of him. After he spread out the blanket, she sat down cross-legged. In the next moment he’d taken the same position facing her.
The last thing she saw before they turned off their lights was the bone structure of his striking eastern Macedonian features. He was fiercely male, all of him.
Just thinking about all of him made her swallow hard. She felt the cool darkness enshroud them. If she was nervous and disturbed, it wasn’t because they were in a cave that was black as pitch. Something had happened to her from the moment Stavros Konstantinos had alighted from his car looking like a Greek statue come to life. It was so strange because she hadn’t been interested in any man since Ferrante.
“Do you know what a rare creature you are?” His whisper came out of the darkness.
Her body trembled in reaction. “Why do you say that?” she whispered back.
“Because your behavior is so perfect, you’ve forced me to break the silence in order to tell you so.”
Andrea couldn’t help but smile. “I learned early in life that most men don’t like chatter. Of course, my father isn’t like most men. I loved him and always wanted to go with him wherever he was sent.”
“Is he waiting for you in Thessaloniki?”
“No. He stays in a village near the Skouries mine for three weeks at a time. Then he comes to our furnished apartment in the city to see me for a week. While I’m at the office, he cooks up a storm for us. I take time off when he arrives so we can explore the sites together.”
“Your father never married again?”
“I once asked him that question because he’s had his share of girlfriends. He told me that because he has to move around the globe every so often, he decided it would be too difficult to be married. Plus, he said, I was the only child he wanted.”
“I can understand that. Both his reasons make perfect sense. Would you have liked a stepmother?”
No one had ever asked her that question. “I don’t know, since I never grew up with my own mother. To be honest, I didn’t care for some of his girlfriends and they didn’t care for me, so I’m glad he didn’t marry one of them.”
She could hear a change in his breathing. “How old are you, Andrea?”
“Twenty-six. And you?” she fired back, growing more curious to know everything about him.
“Thirty-two. Tell me about the man you were going to marry.”
He’d changed the subject fast.
“Ferrante was Italian-Swiss from Ticino. He came from a large family with five brothers and sisters of whom he was the eldest. I’ve never met anyone so happy and friendly. Some people have a sunny spirit. He was one of them.”
In the silence that followed, a warm hand reached out and found one of hers to squeeze. “I’m sorry you lost him.”
His sincerity reached the deepest part inside her, but Andrea wished he hadn’t touched her. Still, she didn’t pull away because she didn’t want to offend him when he was trying to give her comfort.
“I’m much better these days. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”
He removed the hand that had spread warmth through her body. “Like your father, I’ve had my share.”
“But so far you’ve stopped short of marriage.”
“Yes.”
“That yes sounded emphatic,” she observed. “With a last name like yours, I guess you can’t be too careful.”
“Your perceptiveness must be a gift you were born with.”
“I think it’s the influence of my rather cynical father.”
“So he does have one flaw...” His response sounded almost playful. “I was beginning to worry.”
“Why?”
“A perfect father is hard to live up to.”
“Are we talking about mine?”
She was waiting for his answer when she heard a faint noise. Andrea supposed it could be a rodent running around, but she hoped it was Darren and jumped to her feet. In the process, her body collided with Stavros, who was also standing, and he wrapped her in his strong arms.
“Don’t make a sound.” This time his lips brushed her cheek while he whispered. Instantly rivulets of desire coursed through her bloodstream.
While she stood there locked against his well-honed frame, there was more noise, a little louder than before. Whatever made the sound was getting closer to them. Stavros must have been holding his flashlight because he turned it on in time to see a ferret scurry away.
Andrea relaxed against him, but Stavros still held on to her. No longer whispering, he said, “It’s past eleven o’clock. If Darren had planned to come here tonight, he would have arrived by now, don’t you think?”
She eased out of his arms and turned on her flashlight so he couldn’t tell how much his nearness had turned her body to mush.
“I do.” Until she got herself under control, Andrea wasn’t capable of saying anything else.
“Since the lieutenant hasn’t phoned me with news yet, that means Darren’s still out there, but I doubt he’ll do any more hiking before first light.” He scooped up the blanket and folded it. “Since he’s not here, it’s possible he took the trail leading away from the quarry that eventually goes down the mountain. There are firebreaks that crisscross it. We’ll take one, then another. Hopefully we’ll locate him.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” Together they left and made their way back to the Jeep. The slightly warmer air outside the dank cave felt good, but she kept the parka on. Once they’d climbed inside, he started it up and they took off at a clip. He turned on his brights to help them in their search. Andrea drank some of her water, thankful he knew where to drive.
“Are you hungry, Stavros?”
“Another gyro sounds good.”
She turned around and got another one out of the hamper and handed it to him. He’d also packed some plums, so she took one for herself and settled back to eat. “Seeing Thassos Island in the dazzling light of day isn’t anything like driving through this forest at night.”
“Not so benign, is it?”
A shiver passed through her. “No. Wherever our runaway is, he couldn’t be feeling as comfortable about his plan right now. My boss checked with the American consulate. Darren has never been issued a passport before. Since this is his first trip to Europe, it’s amazing he’d be willing to run away from the tour in a place so foreign to him. He has to be desperate.”
“Or adventurous and headstrong,” Stavros suggested, “and too spoiled to realize how hard this has to be on his parents or anyone who cares about him.”
She had a hunch he was talking about his younger self. “We have to find him before the press turns his disappearance into an international incident.”
“You took the words out of my mouth.” His voice sounded an octave lower and resonated to the marrow of her bones.
At the first crossroads they came to, he braked and turned right. “While I drive slowly, shine the big flashlight into the trees. We’ll take turns calling out his name. If he’s hurt and needs help, he might show himself.”
“That’s a good idea, but if he wants to stay hidden—”
“Then the sound of our voices will make him nervous that people are looking for him,” Stavros supplied. “Hopefully he’ll try to run and in the process give himself away.”
For the next half hour, he drove them over one rough firebreak, then another. “There doesn’t seem to be any sign of him, Stavros. Do you think it’s possible he hid himself in one of the employees’ vehicles while no one was paying attention? Maybe the back of a truck or the trunk of a car?”
Andrea noted the grim expression marring his arresting features. “Those are the first places I assumed the police had looked before I got there. But if they weren’t thorough enough...” His voice drifted off.
“Do all the workers live nearby?”
“Their homes are in or around Panagia. If that’s what Darren did, then he could lose himself among the tourists in the morning.”
Andrea nodded. “With enough money, he could buy a bike or steal one. Once in Thassos, he could take the ferry to the mainland.”
For the second time that night, Stavros clasped the hand nearest him. “Who should have been the detective now?” Heat passed through her system in waves before he let it go. “I’ll find us a place to camp on the outskirts of Panagia.”
The gorgeous man at the wheel had no idea that the thought of spending the rest of the night with him sent her pulse ripping off the charts.
“We can try to get some sleep for what’s left of the rest of this night. In the morning, we’ll make early rounds of the bike shops.”
“We might actually bump into him.”
“Or her,” he added. “If he’s wearing a disguise.” He hadn’t forgotten what she’d said. “If not there, maybe at the ferry landing.”
“I want to believe that.” She was worried sick about Darren of course. Stavros couldn’t help but hear the tremor in her voice.
“That makes two of us.”
Before too long, he found them a secluded spot. “Do you mind if we don’t set up the tent?” His question prompted her to lift her gaze to him, noticing the shadow on his firm jaw. If anything, he was more attractive when he needed a shave.
“No. It’s a beautiful night. I’ve slept out with my father like this hundreds of times. A tent is too confining and we could miss spotting Darren if he were to come this way.”
“You’re too good to be true. I think I must be dreaming.”
“You’ll know this is for real if I scream out loud because another ferret the size of the one in the cave creeps onto me.”
With a low resonant chuckle he unraveled the bedroll for her to sleep in and made himself a bed on a couple of blankets. They both ate and drank from the contents of the hamper. Then she snuggled into the bedroll and turned on her side toward him.
“Stavros? Thank you for letting me search for Darren with you. I appreciate everything you’ve done, not only for me, but for him. You’re a remarkable man.” He was a lot more than that. She needed to turn off her feelings for him. They were spinning out of control.
“Don’t give me any credit,” he said. “I have just as much at stake here as you. And how long it’s taking to find him is convincing me he’s more clever than I realized.” His hand went to his watch. “I’m setting my alarm so we’ll have time to grab some breakfast at one of the cafés first thing in the morning.” Andrea watched him pull out his phone. “I’m going to leave a message for the lieutenant about our plans for tomorrow. Then it’s lights out.”
She turned off her flashlight while she listened. In a minute, he shut the big light off and stretched out on his back with only one blanket pulled over him. He put his hands behind his dark head. “You’re a very trusting woman to be out in the forest with me.”
“I know the important things,” she came back readily. “I did my research and learned that the Konstantinos Corporation enjoys an excellent reputation far and wide for the quality of their products and their fair dealings. The fact that you cared enough to look for Darren on your own time when you didn’t have to says a lot about your character.”
His compassion and understanding of her loss had really been the things that told her he could be trusted. But she refrained from sharing that with him.
“I’d rather talk about your character, Andrea. No one would expect you to have joined in the search. I’m touched that you would tell me about your harrowing experience waiting to hear news of your fiancé.”
She stirred restlessly. “I couldn’t just stand by this time. You’d be surprised how many searches I’ve gone on in the past.”
“What do you mean?”
“Living in some of the third-world areas meant helping out in a crisis at a moment’s notice. In some ways, it was easier to find someone’s lost son or daughter from a remote village than to track down a teen like Darren who wants to be lost in a country as modern and sophisticated as Greece. With money he could be anywhere doing anything. His poor parents must be frantic.”
Stavros turned on his side. “Has this happened before on one of the tours?”
“There’ve been a few serious health issues, but no one ever left in the middle of a tour before. Georgios has been with PanHellenic fifteen years and said he’s never had someone disappear on him.”
“It’s a bizarre situation, one we can’t solve tonight.”
“You’re right. Good night, Stavros.” She rolled onto her side away from him.
“Kalinychta, despinis.”
His silky voice permeated her body, as if it had found a home. The sensation shocked her before oblivion took over.
* * *
The alarm awakened Stavros at six thirty. He hadn’t wanted the night to end and was surprised he’d slept. Probably knowing he’d be with her first thing in the morning was the reason he’d fallen off fast. For the first time since he could remember, a woman had come into his life who excited him in inexplicable ways.
Andrea was still asleep, her shiny blond hair splayed around her. He could still feel her wrapped in his arms in the cave. Between that memory and the intensity of those blue eyes fastened on him last night, it was all he could do not to move closer and draw her into his body. But until the boy was found, he needed to focus on matters that could have an adverse impact on everyone involved.
He packed up and started putting everything in the Jeep. When he went back for the hamper, he discovered Andrea had awakened and was rolling up the bedroll.
“Good morning, Stavros.” Her smile filled his body with warmth. “How long have you been up?”
“A few minutes.”
“Don’t tell me if I snore. Some things are better not to know.”
She looked so beautiful with her hair in attractive disarray it took all his self-control not to kiss her voluptuous mouth. “You were quiet as a mouse.”
“So were you. I think.” Despite the seriousness of their situation, she didn’t take herself seriously, a trait that appealed to him. They both chuckled.
He took the bedroll from her and put it in the back of the Jeep. She joined him a few minutes later. He noticed she’d brushed her hair and put on a frosted pink lipstick he’d love to taste before he started on her.
Stavros was thunderstruck by his strong physical attraction to her. But right now he needed to concentrate. “Let’s go find Darren.”
Once they got in the Jeep, he drove back out to the road that led into Panagia. He stopped in front of a cafeteria, where they went in for rolls and coffee. The proprietress recognized him and hurried over to their table.
He questioned her about Darren and showed her his picture from the cell phone. She said she hadn’t seen the American teenager in her café, but she’d call the police if he came in.
For the next half hour, they made the rounds of the bike shops. No one had seen the missing teen. When they went back to the Jeep, Andrea turned to him. “I think we should drive to Thassos and watch for him at the marina. He may have stolen someone’s bike in order to get there.”
“Or maybe he hitched a ride with some local.”
“Let’s check out all the bars and tavernas at the docks. He could be hanging out near the ferry landing stage.”
“The police will be searching everywhere, but we’ll add our eyes.”
For the next two hours, they covered the waterfront, but didn’t see anyone who resembled Darren. “Stavros? Let’s go on board the ferry that’s loading and take a look inside the vehicles. I know the police will have already done that, but maybe they missed something. What do you think?”
He saw the pleading in her eyes. It tugged at him. Neither of them wanted to give up the search, even if the police had already looked here.
“You’re reading my mind again.”
This was the first ferry of the day leaving for Keramoti. If Darren wanted to get off the island as fast as possible, this would be the one to take.
After parking the Jeep, he paid the fee and they walked on board, following the line of passengers. Since it was a Saturday of full-on summer, crowds of tourists slowed the lines down. He saw two police officers working the line.
Those people with cars had parked them end to end along the sides of the open air hold.
While everyone else went up on the deck to watch their departure, Stavros and Andrea inspected the interiors of each vehicle. All were empty. There were several small trucks. They eyed each other before he looked in the back of the first one. It was filled with lawn mower equipment.
Andrea moved forward to look inside the back of the next truck parked farther down. Stavros knew she’d found something when she came running toward him. “Quick,” she whispered. “There’s a tarp covering something. I thought I saw movement and I don’t dare lift it off without you.”
He grasped her upper arms. Their mouths were only centimeters apart. It was a miracle he restrained himself from kissing her senseless. “You stay here.”
Her breathing sounded shallow. “I won’t let you do this alone.”
Stavros inhaled sharply. “Then stay behind me.” After letting her go with reluctance, he walked to the pickup truck in question and took a look for himself. In the next instant, he climbed over the tailgate. Reaching down, he removed the tarp. Sure enough, a body dressed in jeans and tennis shoes was wedged between several packing boxes. A pair of brown eyes stared up at him in shock. His head was resting on his backpack.
“Darren Lewis.” Stavros spoke in English, standing over him. “Stay where you are.” He pulled out his cell phone and called the police lieutenant.
After a moment the other man answered. “Kyrie Konstantinos? I wish I had better news for you.”
“Our worries are over. We’ve found the missing teenager on board the ferry in Thassos town. He’s hiding in the back of a white pickup truck.”
“My men said they searched every car.”
“This teen has been elusive. Contact the ferry captain and tell him not to leave shore yet. Despinis Linford and I will detain the Lewis boy until you arrive.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Stavros helped Andrea up over the tailgate. She thanked him and sat down on one of the packing boxes. By this time, the teen was sitting up, but he didn’t try to get away.
“Darren? I’m Andrea Linford from PanHellenic Tours. This is Mr. Konstantinos, the managing director of the Konstantinos Marble Corporation.” Not anymore. “We’ve been looking for you since you disappeared yesterday.”
He averted his eyes.
“Your tour director, Georgios, and your teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, have been frantic. Your parents were notified of your disappearance and are on their way here.”
The boy went a sickly ashen color. “My mom and dad are coming?”
She nodded. “That’s right. The police will take you to them in Thessaloniki.”
“I’m eighteen and don’t have to see them if I don’t want to.”
So that was what this was about. “Nevertheless, they want to see you,” Stavros stated. “Whatever is wrong, nothing can be resolved by running away.”
“I hate my father. I never want to see him again.”
The pain in his declaration wasn’t lost on Stavros or Andrea. “Then you have the legal right to be on your own,” he said. “But you’re in a foreign country and have broken the law by stowing away in a truck that isn’t yours. You have some explaining to do to the police and they’ll insist on speaking to you and your parents.”
Darren was fighting tears. “I don’t want to talk to them.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice while you’re still on Greek soil.”
Andrea got on the phone to her boss to tell him the good news. Before long, everyone, including the tour bus group, would know that the crisis had been averted. But the boy’s nightmare was just beginning. From past experience, Stavros knew what it was like to be at loggerheads with his own father and had some compassion for Darren, whatever the problem.
“If you’re hungry or thirsty, I’ll get you something,” Andrea volunteered after hanging up. She had a sweetness in her that wasn’t lost on Stavros.
“I don’t want anything.”
“You must have had a bad night. Tell us how you got away from the quarry, Darren.”
“I hid underneath someone’s truck. When the police walked off, I got inside the back.” Andrea and Stavros exchanged glances. “After it stopped at a village, I jumped out and walked down here during the night. While the cars were lined up to board the ferry, I got underneath another truck.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/rebecca-winters/the-renegade-billionaire/) на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Rebecca Winters
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
Отзывы: Пока нет Добавить отзыв
О книге: One night to change their lives… A runaway child is missing, and as it’s on his Greek island, rebel billionaire Stavros Konstantinos finds himself caught up in the search, alongside pretty tour guide Andrea Linford… Their heroic rescue mission over, they begin to explore the spark between them. Andrea always thought love happened to other people—but after two bliss-filled days with Stavros she knows her feelings run deep. Is Andrea brave enough to throw off her past and step into the future—with Stavros by her side?