Could she?
After a few hours with no Stephanie, Ries started to get anxious and he began to pace the living room. When Chris suggested going out to look for her, Ries snapped at him. When Chris suggested finding new girls who might want to keep him company, Ries almost fired him.
Ries didn’t want other women. He wanted Stephanie. He missed having her around, even though he’d admittedly treated her horribly the last few days. It was the only way he’d known to keep her safe: he could only say ‘no’ to her if he distanced himself from the strange power she had over him.
Why couldn’t she see that?
“Ries, are you sure you don’t want me to send someone out to look for her?” Chris asked once more.
Ries shook his head, “She didn’t want to be here any longer.”
He headed for his bedroom, his heart breaking for the loss of the easy camaraderie he and Stephanie had shared. He wanted her back in his life. The thought of returning to his solitary existence, only broken by brief bouts of overindulging in meaningless hookups, was too much to bear.
He tried settling down to sleep, but images of Stephanie lying wounded or worse in some alley plagued him. He finally gave up and began pacing the length of his bedroom. When that wasn’t enough, he headed for the living area, hoping beyond hope to hear her arriving on the elevator.
He wandered through the apartment, amazed at how cold and empty it felt without her here. He was shocked at how much joy and light she’d brought to his life.
He found himself sitting on the bed in the room she’d been sleeping in, surrounded by the things she’d left behind, and feeling hopeless. With Stephanie by his side, he’d felt confident and capable. He’d felt like his own man for the first time, with a sense of purpose and someone beside himself who was depending on him.
It had been a head rush that he’d not acknowledged until it had been taken away from him. Stephanie had brought purpose to his life. Without her, he was nothing more than Damon’s little screw-up brother who couldn’t be trusted with the simplest tasks.
How can I be trusted to nail this assassin? I should just call Damon and tell him he wins and let him take over. That’s what he wants, and I’ve just proven I’m incapable of holding things together. Again.
He paced until his eyes were blurry. Then he settled down on the couch, staring out the window at the dark town, wondering where Stephanie was and hoping and praying that she was okay.
How could I have let her go? I should have tied her to the bed before letting her rush into danger. But now…I’ve lost her.
I can’t believe I’ve lost her.
*****
Stephanie felt the elevator stop at the ground floor and she finished slipping her shorts on and buttoning them up. She hadn’t been able to find her thong, but she couldn’t be worried about underwear right now. She tossed the sheet to the floor of the elevator as the doors opened up and she stepped out, bending over to slip her shoes on.
“Miss Stephanie, you’re not supposed to be down here,” the guard on duty told her.
“Ries knows,” she told him, wrapping her arms around her middle to try and hold in the hurt that was tearing her apart. She’d known leaving him was going to be hard, but she’d not even left the building and felt like she had a gaping hole where her heart was supposed to be.
“I’ll need to call this in,” the guard told her, positioning himself between her and the door.
Stephanie held her breath, not sure if Ries would really let her go, or have his henchmen bring her back upstairs. If he did, she wasn’t sure how she would keep from falling completely apart.
A few moments later, the guard moved aside and quietly opened the door for her. “Please be careful, Miss Stephanie,” he eyed her warily. “It’s dangerous out there.”
She nodded. Then she walked out of the building, and out of Ries’ life.
She didn’t have a destination in mind. She just started walking, up one street and down another. She headed toward the beach at one point, but tears and sand were a bad combination, so she only looked at the beautiful view from a hillside.
She continued to walk, crying so hard at times she was forced to stop and just hold herself until the wave of grief passed and she could continue. She ended up outside the bar where she’d first met Ries, a fresh wave of sorrow filling her as she watched the lights go out and everyone leave for the night.
She hated the idea of having to go back to work as a waitress in a place like that. Flirting with rich men the likes of Ries for a living was totally abhorrent to her, but what other line of work was there for her to do here? She was a useless waitress whose skills and knowledge had no value to anyone. Even Ries had dropped her aside the moment there was something real on the line.
The thought of having to pander to rich men who only saw her as an object again made her feel sick to her stomach. Ries had shown her that men like him couldn’t be trusted, no matter how different they seemed.
He’d made her believe he truly cared for her, and that their feelings were shared and real. But it had been nothing more than a lie, designed to gain her compliance, her acceptance of his control.
She sat down on a small planter and pulled her knees to her chest as she cried for what she’d lost.
Even though she no longer believed it had been real, the idea that what she and Ries had appeared to have truly existed, and that she’d now lost, was heartbreaking. She wanted that dream, but Ries had shown her that her dreams didn’t matter.
For a brief moment, she’d thought that what she and Ries had would last and not just be an illusion. She wanted it to be real. She wanted them to be permanent.
She wasn’t going to get what she wanted. She never had.
It was the story of Stephanie’s life. The things she most yearned for always seemed to be taken away from her, or she discovered they never truly existed to begin with. Either way, she was always left wanting something she couldn’t have because it didn’t exist.
Just like now. Her heart wanted the closeness she’d felt when being held in Ries’ arms, but that wasn’t a reality. She might as well get used to the idea of being alone.
That had to be better than this devastating pain she was feeling right now.
Chapter 20
The next morning…
Ries heard his computer ding and blinked his eyes, realizing the crick in his neck was because he’d fallen asleep at his desk in the wee hours of the morning.
He’d been afraid to go to sleep, in case Stephanie had decided to come back home, and he’d spent hours poring over the information his men had gathered about Angelo, hoping to find some way of ending this situation and winning Stephanie back at the same time.
He yawned and reached toward the ceiling, tipping his head back as his neck popped and dreading the video call, he was sure was coming from Damon. With reluctance, he opened up the computer and moved the mouse of the correct icon.
When Carlos’s face appeared on the screen as the sender, all traces of sleepiness faded away. Carlos had been his driver for the last several months and also doubled as a security guard. Ries glanced at the clock and a frown marred his forehead. Why was Carlos sending him video voicemails when he should be on duty in the lobby of the apartment building?
He clicked play and felt his heart stop. The screen opened up to show Stephanie bound and gagged, lying on a bare mattress with a bare light bulb dangling above head. The walls behind her belonged to a warehouse, and she looked terrified as she gazed into the screen.
As he watched, a masked man – the mask did nothing to hide Carlos’ body language - stepped to the screen and issued his demands.
“As you can see, I have something very important to you. I realize you must be puzzled as to why I’m doing this, and I don’t mind telling you. Money and power. You treated me like a chauffeur. Angelo promised a promotion to managing my own security team in the near future.”
“As for the shootout, I organized that. I couldn�
�t let Angelo have all of the fun. I, of course, made sure that I was stationed conveniently out of the way, and honestly, when you took that bullet, I thought I might have secured my position in Angelo’s team. Then Stephanie came running to your rescue and I knew I was going to have to work harder to take you down.
“See, Angelo pays much better than you. To be truthful, you should have died quite a while ago, but Chris and Stephanie kept interfering.”
Carlos paused and glanced behind him at the bound woman on the mattress.
“See, I’ve been trying to poison you. It’s such a painful way to die, but I enjoy watching people suffer, so it’s my method of choice. Stephanie kept intercepting your drinks and replacing them. It seems she doesn’t like you imbibing too frequently. You probably haven’t even noticed, but she switches your alcohol out for water whenever she can get away with it.”
Ries paused and realized that what Carlos was saying was true. There was a reason he’d felt more clear-minded around Stephanie. More present.
“Then Chris prevented you from drinking some of the liquor I intended for you. Everyone wants to take care of you. God knows why. But they couldn’t win in the end.
“Angelo is tired of waiting for you to die so I had to up the ante. Her life for yours.”
Ries watched Stephanie begin to struggle at Carlos’ words. When Carlos turned around and slapped her hard across the face, cursing at her in Greek, Ries could almost feel the man’s throat between his hands.
I’m going to make him pay for every mark he’s left on her body. Every tear she’s shed in terror.
Every minute he’s abused her, he’s going to pay.
“So, now we get to the good part. What do I want?” Carlos teased him. He moved closer to the video camera and lowered his voice, “I want you to come to the warehouse. Alone. I’ll know if you bring anyone with you. I know you well, Ries. She will pay for your defiance.”
Carlos paused and then pulled his ski mask off, staring directly into the camera. “Just in case you think to tell Chris about our little chat, don’t. I’m monitoring the security comms and I’ll know. You screw up and she dies. Slowly. Your choice. You have one hour.”
The video screen went dark and Ries closed his eyes, desperation threatening to take away the cold calm he needed to get through the next hour. There was no way he was going to let Stephanie die while he lived. He couldn’t imagine a world without her in it.
He would follow Angelo’s directions and hope that the man kept his word.
Otherwise, he and Stephanie were both going to die.
He closed his computer and looked at his watch, realizing the address Carlos had given him for the warehouse was on the other side of the docks, almost a twenty-minute drive from his present location. He left his office, pausing when Chris called his name.
“Hey, Ries. Are you planning on going out today?”
Ries shook his head, “No, I’m going to wait here in case Stephanie comes back.”
“Want me to send the guys out to look for her?”
Ries sighed, seeing an opportunity to get away from the apartment without being seen. “I don’t know what good it will do, but…yes, send them out. Was there something else you wanted?”
Chris nodded, “If you’re not going anywhere, I was wondering if you’d mind if I took an hour to run into town?”
Ries raised a brow, trying not to show how happy Chris’s request made him. “I don’t see why not. I’ll lock the elevator out so no one can come up until you get back.”
“That’ll work. I’ll send the guys out to comb the town.” Chris smiled. “They’ll find her, don’t worry.”
“I won’t,” Ries nodded, feeling the pressure of the moving clock.
As Chris got on the elevator, Ries raced for his bedroom. He opened the safe stored in the top of the closet and withdrew the pistol he kept there. During the shootout he’d used a gun Chris had given him, and while Chris knew he could shoot, Ries wasn’t sure if the head of his security knew he had his own, personal weapon.
He made sure the safety was on and then tucked it into the back of his waistband. He grabbed two extra cartridges, slipped them into his pockets, and made his way back toward the elevator. He’d closed his bedroom door and turned the television on, hoping that would put the housekeeper off if she came looking for him.
It felt strange to be going out on his own. Into danger, without his security team. But it was the only way. For Stephanie.
Ries glanced out the window by the elevator, happy when the last vehicle pulled out of the parking lot. His own private limo and small sports car were the only vehicles left.
He palmed the keys to the Porsche on his way onto the elevator and then got off on the first floor. He took the stairs down to the ground floor and slipped out the side door before the doorman was any wiser.
Ries headed for the warehouse district, arriving a block away from his destination with fifteen minutes to spare. He hated leaving his favorite car in such a crime-ridden area, but Stephanie’s life hung in the balance – and it seemed silly to worry about a car when he might not walk out of here with his life.
He knew he probably wouldn’t survive the next few minutes. But if Stephanie could find a way to get away from Carlos and go for help, his sacrifice would be worth it.
He hoped that Stephanie would use her smarts to save herself and not get any more heroic notions. She was an intelligent woman, but she had a tendency to put others before herself, even to the point of jeopardizing her own health and safety.
He hoped she would understand that he didn’t want that – not this time. That he came here because he’d rather die than see her come to harm. He hoped she’d respect his wishes as he had respected hers.
He made his way toward the warehouse, keeping as close to the buildings as possible in the hopes of avoiding whatever surveillance Carlos might have installed. He glanced at his watch and realized he only had three minutes to get inside before his time was up.
He reached the warehouse’s wide double door, door and then paused when he heard voices coming from inside.
Voices. Male voices. Carlos wasn’t alone.
Ries steeled himself, straightened his spine, and pulled his gun, removing the safety. He crept through the door and made his way down the center aisle of the building, hearing the voices directly in front of him.
When the voices went quiet, Ries froze. He didn’t want to make a sound and lose the element of surprise.
“Looks like lover boy isn’t going to come to the rescue after all,” Carlos told someone. “Wish I could say I was surprised. But I am a little disappointed. This will make my payday harder to get.”
“Go to hell,” Stephanie told him. Then she cried out as the sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the warehouse.
Ries’ finger itched to pull the trigger, but he needed to make sure Stephanie was safe first. He moved forward, holding his gun at the ready. Then he took a deep breath and stepped into the light.
“Carlos, move away from her,” Ries called out.
Carlos looked at Ries and then the gun before bursting into laughter. “Nice try, but that’s not going to work unless you want your girlfriend to die right now. Angelo, come out and meet Ries Kafatos, youngest heir to the Kafatos Empire.”
Ries met Stephanie’s eyes, seeing the tears spilling over them and the fear. “It’s okay, Stephanie,” he said softly. “I’m here now.”
“As am I,” Angelo stepped forward, grabbing Stephanie around the throat and pulling her up to her knees while pressing the barrel of his gun against her temple. “Thank you for joining us.”
Ries had lost.
“Why don’t you put down the gun, so I don’t have to shoot her?” Angelo suggested. “Head shots are so messy.”
Ries kept his eyes on Angelo’s hand and the gun at Stephanie’s temple. He knew that once he complied with Angelo’s demand, his chance for either he or Stephanie making it out of the warehouse alive would be go
ne.
And yet, if he didn’t, Angelo would shoot her. Right in front of him. Something in the assassin’s voice told Ries he didn’t make idle threats.
Angelo watched him. Ries had so many thoughts running through his head, he didn’t even know which ones were important.
Up to this point, his life had been worthless. Aside from his brothers, one of which might be actually relieved, there weren’t that many people who would even notice if Ries died.
The chances that he would somehow get out of this alive were almost zero and he wished there was another way. Another chance to apologize to Stephanie and make sure she knew how much he cared for her.
He stared at her, silently willing her to see that he was doing this for her. That she needed to be ready to run and hide, if need be. That she needed to forget about him.
That she needed to do whatever it took for her to get to safety.
*****
Stephanie had spent the last several hours looking for a way to escape. Carlos must have hit her over the head more than once, because one minute she’d been crying over leaving Ries, and the next she’d awakened, terrified, alone, and freezing in the warehouse.
She’d panicked at first when she realized her hands were tied and she was gagged. But at least she had her vision. That meant she could find weak spots in her captors’ prison.
She’d immediately recognized Carlos and all of her inner misgivings where the young man was concerned came rushing forward. She’d heard what he’d told Ries about trying to poison him, and she was glad she’d intercepted his efforts.
When Carlos had told her the time was almost up, Stephanie had been terrified that he was going to execute her. He and Angelo had been talking amongst themselves and she wished she’d only had to contend with one man instead of two.
But she was also working on her bonds.
She knew from experience that patience did amazing things when panic would be worse than useless. So, she played up her panic, faking dramatics as much as she could, while she slowly slipped her wrists out of their duct tape bindings.
Protected By Him (The Greek Brothers Book 4) Page 12
