Chapter Nineteen

Frankie went out onto the balcony and looked out over the misty garden behind Nik’s house. October had arrived and there was an autumnal chill in the air; the leaves of the vine that twisted over the pergola next to the pool had turned shades of deep golden and russet, and the structure was fringed with hanging bunches of ripe white grapes. She stretched and peeked over her shoulder back into the bedroom. Nik was still asleep, and her heart filled with love as she looked at him, sprawled peacefully across the bed, sheets tangling around his powerful body. A month ago, she had thought this would never be possible ever again.

She pulled her robe tighter around her; she was getting cold out here. She’d go downstairs and make them some coffee in a moment. She had a lot to do today. She had to clean out the dogs’ runs at the shelter, and then go over to the villa this afternoon to meet the decorators and choose paint colors for the interior. That was going to be interesting since she only had a smattering of Greek. But Nik had business to attend to in Paragolis that would keep him there until the evening, so she would be handling it on her own. No wonder he was sleeping the sleep of the dead—his empire had been demanding a lot of his time this past week or so, and she hadn’t seen that much of him.

She stepped back into the room and shut the French windows. The sound had Nik stirring from his slumber. “Kalimera, ormorfo,” he said groggily, raising himself up on one arm and rubbing his face with his other hand, blinking in the pale sunlight.

She went over to kiss him. When she bent down, he laced his fingers in her hair and gently eased her on top of him.

“You are so beautiful in the mornings,” he murmured, his fingers tracing the line of her cheekbone. He raised himself and his lips fused with hers, his hands moving to push her robe from her shoulders and reveal her naked body. Breaking their passionate kiss, she pulled back from him. Shifting back the sheet that covered him, she straddled him. His attention instantly altered in on her breasts, and he caressed and teased her nipples into hard points until she leaned forward to allow his mouth to carry on suckling them.

His hands went to her ribcage, and he lifted and pushed her onto her back. Then he rolled over and shimmied down her body until his head was between her legs. He pushed her thighs open wider so that her sex was open to him and began laving her with his tongue, coaxing the heat and wetness of her until she writhed and moaned. “Oh, God, Nik.”

Just when she thought she was on the verge of coming, he drew away from her and moved to lie beside her. “Ride me,” he whispered. She moved her languid limbs to straddle him once more, and he held himself while she lowered herself onto his hardness. The moment of penetration made her gasp with pleasure as he filled her and started moving, his hands going to her hips. He helped her match his rhythm and she went with him as it accelerated, her muscles milking and squeezing him, greedy for the length and swollen girth of him inside her, and the beckoning intensity of her orgasm as it began to build. It arrived quickly, and as she splintered joyfully into a million pieces, she heard him cry out and felt the hot rush of his climax pouring into her.

She steadied herself on his heaving chest and caught his hooded gaze as he slowed his breathing. “I love you,” she murmured.

Frankie gathered up the paint charts to take home with her. She and the decorators had got along great. One had some English, and with a mixture of that, a lot of sign language, and pointing at the charts, she’d picked out the colors she wanted for the walls, which would complement the cypress wood floors that were going to be laid the following week, before the painting began. She looked around her. It was all beginning to come together. The electrics had been fixed and the plastering done, and she would choose the bathroom and shower fittings next, then the kitchen units and appliances. Perhaps she could persuade Nik to join her in that, though he still seemed very caught up in his own affairs and happy for her to do whatever she wanted with the interior.

Her phone beeped. It was him, sending her a text message: Managed to get away early. At Artemis TZ. Come and have drinks with me there.

She smiled and a warmth filled her. She hadn’t expected to see him tonight, and it would be good to relax with him for an hour or two. She checked the time: five-thirty PM. She’d better ring Ali first to let her know she’d be late back for supper, or maybe not at all.

She drove along the coastal road, then down the hill into Trapazakia in her newly hired little car, the headlights switched on because evening was drawing in, and with the air circulation blowing out warm air because the temperature was dropping. The island was battening down for the approaching winter; the tourists had gone home, and many of the bars and tavernas closed during the low season, their staff heading to Athens or other places on the mainland to take temporary jobs. Nik chose to keep his establishments open all year round, and they served as hubs for the remaining locals. He was smart, Frankie pondered; he knew how to build a loyal clientele. Perhaps he could talk to Sally, who was getting more and more despondent about the new supermarket that would open its doors in January and who needed some good advice. She would ask him this evening about it.

She parked up and then made her way along the harbor to the bar. The outside chairs and tables of the summer were no more. She briefly glanced out to sea; it was choppy and deep grey in color, and Lekopolos was just a dark looming shape on the thickly misted horizon. She shivered; yup, winter was just around the corner.

The bar was low-lit and quiet. She looked around for Nik. She froze momentarily when she spotted him deep in conversation with Elsa. The Swede, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt that clung to her voluptuous upper body, while revealing deep cleavage, looked intense as she spoke. As she leaned in close to hear Nik’s reply, her breasts strained against her top and brushed the counter. She put a hand up to flick back her long, white-blonde hair over her shoulder before taking it to her neck to fiddle with the silver chain around it. Then her fingers trailed down towards her cleavage. Something territorial reared up in Frankie, and she tried to push it down. But the way Elsa touched Nik on the arm had the defensive feeling fighting its way back up. He didn’t pull away. Frankie steeled herself and strode over to them. “Hi!”

She felt a little more reassured when Nik turned and his face lit up in a warm smile. “Pethi mou, you made it! How is the villa?”

“Shortly to be decorated in tasteful shades of cream and pale lemon.” She looked to Elsa. “How are you? Enjoying the job?”

“Yes, it is good.” Elsa’s blue eyes glinted like glaciers, and then they darted back to Nik. “I have a great boss.” She rested her fingertips for a few seconds longer on his forearm before removing them. “Would you like a drink, Frankie?”

“Yes, white wine, please. Chardonnay?”

Elsa nodded abruptly and set about retrieving a bottle from a fridge behind the bar, while Nik placed a palm on the small of Frankie’s back. “Let us go and sit in the corner. I have some news.”

“Oh?” Frankie looked up at him inquiringly as he propelled her along towards a table in a candlelit alcove.

As they settled down onto the comfy seats, Elsa brought over a tray. She placed a large glass of Chardonnay on the tabletop in front of Frankie without making eye contact. Then she turned to Nik as if Frankie wasn’t there and served him a Metaxa.

“Thanks, Elsa,” Nik said. “You will keep me posted about your situation while I’m away?”

Elsa flicked her hair again. Frankie heard her say, “Yes, of course.” The girl lingered for a moment. She swiveled her head slightly to shoot Frankie a sly glance, then returned her attention to Nik. “I hope it all works out for you in Italy. See you soon.” With that, she swept off with her empty tray, her rear like a perfect pear encased in skin-tight denim.

Frankie inhaled as her head spun and she leaned forward. “Italy?” she echoed, surveying Nik, her brows drawn together.

He grimaced. “That is why I suggested you come here for a drink, pet hi mou. I wanted to tell you in person before I leave tomorrow morning. I expect to be away for a few days.” He reached for his glass of brandy, raised it, and took a gulp. “The police chief in Paragolis called me this morning. A young man in his early twenties has been found wandering the streets in Rome in a confused state. He claims he was abducted in Greece by Romanies when he was a child.”

Frankie was temporarily winded by a blow of shock. “Oh, my goodness, Nik,” she managed after long seconds. “Marco…?”

Nik’s expression became heavy. “Maybe. This person is around the right age and has a few words of Greek, though mainly he speaks Romanian.” He took another swig of Metaxa. “Apparently, he says the gypsies kept him captive for years, but he finally escaped while they were traveling through Italy this last summer.”

Frankie rubbed the stem of her wineglass thoughtfully. “That’s awful. You hear and read of such things… It’s hard to believe a child, a human being, could be treated like that…”

Nik steepled his fingers in front of him. “Child trafficking is happening all over Europe, and it’s increasing and getting harder to combat with all the migrants on the move. But, for now, my focus is establishing whether this young guy actually is Marco. I am keeping an open mind, but I want to be there to assist with the enquiries and hasten the results. The police here are sending over Marco’s DNA records to see if there is a match.”

“I see.” Frankie reached across the table to take one of his hands in hers. “Would you like me to go with you?” she offered, wanting to help.

He shook his head. “Sergei is flying into Rome from Athens to join me. As you know, he spent time traveling with the gypsies as a kid and has some Romanian. He could be useful.” He looked into her eyes and tangled his fingers with hers. “I just need you here to come back to, whatever the outcome.”

She squeezed his fingers. “I’ll be here,” she replied softly. “I hope you get the outcome you want.”

“You will be okay working alone on the Villa Lemoni while I am in Rome?” he asked. “I can ask Dimitri to be available to you to talk with the contractors.”

“I’ll be fine. We’ve already arranged for the floor to be laid next week, and I’ve got the decorators under control.” She gave a rueful smile. “I was hoping to have you join me in choosing the kitchen and bathroom fixtures, though. I can wait until you’re back.”

“I think you should go ahead. It will only delay the completion of the interior works.”

“All right,” she said a little reluctantly. “I can ask Ali to go with me. She’ll enjoy it.”

They sat for a while in silence, fingers still entwined. Frankie could see Nik was lost in his thoughts. Not surprising really. If this young man in Rome was Marco, it would be incredible, but also life-changing. Suddenly, her gaze was pulled over his shoulder towards Elsa. She was standing behind the bar, watching them intently. A visibly smug smile spread across the Swede’s face, making Frankie wonder what she was so pleased with herself about. It also reminded her that Nik had told Elsa about going to Italy before her. Hurt instantly began spreading inside her. She pulled her eyes away and back to Nik. She wanted to ask him why he’d told Elsa the news first. But caution warned her to bite her tongue. It wasn’t appropriate to make a fuss when he was possibly facing seeing the brother he’d lost twenty years ago, and who could have suffered great trauma; it wasn’t about her. But when she felt Elsa’s eyes boring into her again, she couldn’t stop the question that formed on her lips. “What was the situation with Elsa that you were concerned about?”

Nik looked up. “Oh, it is nothing serious. She has split up with her boyfriend. He has gone back to Stockholm. I am hoping she will not follow him. She is a good bar manager, and he is a weakling.”

“Right. Um, I thought you had hired her to be the waitress?”

“I have promoted Vasilis to move to Paragolis and manage Iris, after the previous manager there was headhunted by a club in Athens. Elsa has taken over Vasilis’s position here.”

This piece of information rattled Frankie more than a little. When had that happened? He had said nothing about it. “That’s why you’ve been so busy lately?” she said, trying not to sound too miffed.

He gave her fingers a squeeze and smiled. “Partly.” Even in the dim light, she could see fatigue tugging at his features and her hurt subsided slightly. She was right not to give him a hard time. He had a lot on his plate already, and now there was the possible reappearance of Marco to deal with. Though she was certain Elsa had designs on him, he was just doing what he had to in order to keep his businesses running smoothly.

“Brat!”

Nik rose from his chair and watched as Sergei strode across the foyer of the Villa Spalletti Trevelli, an elegant, opulent townhouse hotel in the center of Rome. “Adelfós,” he greeted in return. “Shall we go straight to the restaurant?”

Sergei patted his older brother on the shoulder. “Definitely, brat. I need food. It has been a long day.”

The two men left the hotel. It was a mild evening for the time of year, and the streets were noisy and bustling with people and traffic. As much as Nik loved this historic city, he was glad he would be returning to Kathos the day after tomorrow. “So, we have drawn another blank,” he said wearily as they weaved around tourists viewing the Trevi Fountain. “The DNA wasn’t a match, and we spent nearly two weeks waiting to find that out.”

“The process has been long and frustrating,” Sergei agreed. “But it is good that the guy has been positively identified and is to be reunited with his Greek family. I am also grateful to the polizia for agreeing to let me talk to Thanos, or Mihal as the gypsies called him, for a short while this afternoon.”

Nik nodded. “I, too, am pleased for Thanos and his family. It is something of a miracle for all of them.” He dodged a student with a giant backpack. “What did he have to say?”

“Maybe our trip has not entirely been in vain. As you know, Thanos is aged twenty-four, and he says he was four when he was snatched. That would mean he was taken in the same year as Marco. The thing is, brat, he told me that shortly after he was abducted, he remembers seeing another Greek child of about two years old traveling with another party of Romanies. He recalls the little boy crying and saying over and over, ‘Arcadius’.”

Nik stopped in his tracks, shock rocketing through him. “Arcadius? Marco’s teddy bear!”

Sergei stopped beside him. “Exactly. Marco’s beloved bear. Thanos has no idea what happened to the child, as the Romani group he was with moved on. We should not get our hopes up, brat, but I would say this is the most significant piece of information we have had in twenty years!”

Nik inhaled. “It certainly is.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw and stared intently at his brother. “Do the police here or in Greece have any ideas what they can do with it?”

Sergei shook his head. “You know as well as I do that there are thousands of Romani traveling around southern Europe, and they are a closed community. But…” He paused. “Emilian and his group will be coming to Kathos before the end of the year to escape the snow further north, and I will spend time with them as usual. He has always said he knows nothing, and I believe him. But maybe, just maybe, I can get him to spread the word about the little boy who cried for his bear called Arcadius. And then we must hope and pray that something meaningful will come back…”