by Angel Sefer
Eric stood at the dark closet, smiling satisfied. It was so smart of me, he thought, to get Roussos on my side.
Roussos hated Philip Manos as much as Eric did. And now Eric had an even greater reason to hate Philip. Roussos had given Eric Michael’s birth certificate which he had stolen from the mansion, after he had left the attorney’s office empty handed.
This document infuriated Eric, and he realized one more time his father was nothing but a ruthless bastard, who didn’t hesitate to destroy other people’s lives for his own gain. And not only that, but he took pleasure out of doing it, as well.
***
Michael sat at the kitchen table with his notes and a hot cup of coffee in front of him. Now that Jackie was safely sleeping upstairs, he could concentrate on the evidence he had so far.
Tony and he had been watching Manos for quite some time now and were sure he was involved in all kind of illegal stuff. But they needed proof—solid evidence—to put him behind bars once and for all. Philip Manos was a very rich and powerful man with high profile social connections and no one had been able to touch him so far.
The night of the shipwreck that had killed Constantinos and his father came back to his mind and Michael clenched his fists, trying to control the rising flames of anger threatening to engulf him. Somehow, deep down inside, he knew that Manos had something to do with that too.
He had to put a stop to this man. There had been too many deaths and for what? Nothing more than a piece of property! He was sure everything had to do with the mansion and the eight-hundred acres surrounding it. Andreas Demiris was probably driven off the cliff, and the sailboat was most likely blown up.
Michael hadn’t been able to rest ever since. A horrible nightmare would torture him night after night. He was on the deck of a sailboat in the middle of the storm and was reaching for his father, as huge waves snatched him away.
And then Alexandra Demiris, so young and so beautiful, was killed, before she even had a chance to live. And Maria, Jackie’s cousin, who had been just as young as Alexandra.
Enough! Michael hit his fist on the table. I’ll get you Manos, he promised to himself. I’ll make sure you pay for all the people you’ve hurt! I’ll make sure you pay for what you did to my mother.
***
Jackie woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible headache. The few hours she managed to sleep were filled with nightmares and she could feel her heart thudding in her chest. In her dream, she kept hearing the man’s voice—“Don’t you dare to make a sound or else…”—deadly threatening, but at the same time, somewhat familiar.
A few minutes later, she was walking into the kitchen to find Michael asleep with his head on the kitchen table. An empty cup of coffee and some notes were spread out in front of him.
She tiptoed closer and took a look at the papers. A shiver raced up her spine, as she saw a list of names, including Maria’s and Alexandra’s. Jackie was sure the rest of the people on the list were also dead—killed by whomever or whatever was after the heirs of the Demiris’ fortune.
Thinking of Alexandra, Jackie was now even more convinced there was something fishy about the girl’s accident.
The day she had spent in Athens before coming to Corfu, she had visited the offices of a newspaper and had gathered all the information she could find on the Demiris family. Oddly enough, there was no information about Michael, but after all, he wasn’t a relative.
But he was the sole heir, she thought bitterly and looked at the back of his head, lying on the table.
She felt the urge to reach over and caress his hair but pulled herself together immediately. He’s not to be trusted, she told herself one more time. He lied about being stranded out here, when he knew that there was another way out. But she’d lied about that too, she reminded herself.
She remembered the attorney’s murder and realized that Michael had lied about his cell phone as well. His phone had to be working in order to get this information.
She was standing there going over everything in her mind, when she realized Michael had opened his eyes and was watching her.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured and moved a few feet away.
“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I need to work anyway.”
“You need to get some sleep,” she said and walked across the room to pour herself a cup of coffee.
“What were you thinking about right now?” he asked and came to stand right behind her, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Jackie could feel his gaze burning into her back and throughout her entire body and took a deep breath trying to calm down, before she could turn around to face him. But it was a lost battle. As soon as she turned and raised her eyes to face him, she felt overwhelmed by the intensity and desire in his gaze.
“Whether you could be trusted or not,” she replied, trying to ignore the sparks flying between them.
“I’m not the enemy,” he whispered and placed his hands on her arms, pulling her closer, sending waves of passion through her entire body.
As his gaze moved to her mouth, Jackie bit her lower lip and tried to take a step away, but her legs wouldn’t respond. Her body had turned to jelly and all she could do was stand there and stare at him. She felt lost and closing her eyes, she leaned against his muscular body. She felt his arms go around her waist, and she raised hers around his neck, pulling him even closer.
They stood still for a couple of moments, feeling the tension building between them.
Suddenly, Michael pulled away and turned his back to her.
Jackie was taken off guard and she just stood there, feeling lost and puzzled. Her thighs were trembling and her palms were damp and tingly.
“Why?”
“I need to concentrate on the case” he said, turning to face her, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. “Peoples’ lives are at stake and I need to think straight.”
“No,” she said. “I didn’t mean, why you pulled away. I meant, why not come out and claim the inheritance?” she asked, searching his face for his reaction.
“That’s a long story,” he admitted, looking at her straight in the eyes.
“I think, I have a right to know,” she said. “My cousin Maria was killed because of that inheritance, and I’ve come a long way to try to protect my other cousin, Aphrodite.”
“I know,” he replied. “And believe me, I’m really sorry about Maria. But I had my reasons to withhold the information.”
“And you allowed all these murders to happen?” she asked confused.
“No!” he said and grabbed her by the arms, shaking her to face him. “I didn’t allow anything to happen!” he yelled, and the intensity of his gaze burned all the way to her soul. “At the time, I had no idea about all the murders. The local police said Andreas’ death was an accident, and about Constantinos and my father, all I had to go on were my suspicions and nothing else. It was after Alexandra died that I started to put things together. And until you came here, I had no idea about what had happened to Maria.”
Jackie wanted so much to believe him, but he had lied so many times before.
“But, why?” she insisted. “If you had no idea that someone was after the heirs of this property, why wait so long to claim it?”
Michael let go of her arms and walked back to the table to pick up his notes. “I had my reasons,” he repeated simply and left the room, leaving Jackie feeling lost.
***
Eric Manos lingered in the dark, waiting for his father to leave the building. He knew that it wouldn’t be long now. After a long day, his father would rush over to Catherine, the sexy singer who’d replaced Elizabeth after she got pregnant and fat.
Eric used to get mad at his father for all the pain and sorrow he’d caused his mother. But that was long time ago. Eric was no longer the hurt little boy who couldn’t get over the shock of having found his mother dead, soaking in a bathtub full of blood after she’d cut her wrists. Now he was grown up and he’d learned
to turn things to his advantage…and Catherine was just one more of those things.
He smiled, as he thought how easy it was to make the poor, untalented singer fall for him. He was young, had the good looks of his father, and a lot of money. It had been that simple. Of course, it was difficult at first to persuade her to be with his father as well. But, when Eric set his mind on something, he could do miracles. No matter that his father had a different opinion about him.
Now he had to make a quick phone call to Catherine before his father got there. He took out his cell phone and dialed the special number he’d gotten for her to ensure the line was secure. Dealing with a man like his father, he always had to be extremely cautious.
“Hi, darling,” her sweet, seductive voice answered the phone. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for your call.”
“Catherine,” Eric replied. “How’s my girl today?”
“Missing you terribly.”
“I know, but I can’t help it. I’ve been real busy,” he lied. The fact that he had other affairs on the side was none of her business.
“When am I going to see you?” she asked and the eagerness was evident in her voice.
She’s crazy about me. Eric smiled. “Soon,” he replied vaguely. “But for now, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything, darling.”
“I need you to find out what my father is up to with the Corfu deal and what’s going on with Roussos. He works for me now, but I don’t really trust him. Something is wrong.”
Silence stretched over the line.
“Catherine,” Eric said. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, darling,” she replied and her voice was vibrating with emotions.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s just that…”
“I know it’s hard,” he interrupted her, knowing that she was scared to death of his father, and avoided to talk to him about business no matter what. “But this is really important. Everything depends on you—I depend on you!” he pointed out, wanting to make her feel special.
Catherine kept silent and Eric heard the clinking of glasses through the phone. She’s pouring herself a drink, he realized.
“I wish I were there to have a drink with you,” he lied, trying to smooth things out.
“I wish you were…” she replied.
“I have to go now,” he said. “I’ll talk to you soon,” and he hung up the phone.
She’ll do it, he thought satisfied. She might be scared, but she’s stupid enough to do it.
***
Tony Mavrikis finished typing his report and pulled the last page off the typewriter. He laid it on his desk and leaned back in his chair. His entire body ached from the long hours he had been working. It was late and almost everybody had gone home. Most of the lights were out and the building was quiet.
He looked around and noticed only Paul Stamos, his boss, was still in his office at the end of the corridor, typing on his computer.
I need to get acquainted with computers, Tony thought. It would save me a lot of time, correcting errors and re-typing the same things.
Anna Kaloutsi was also there, going through some paperwork spread all over her desk.
Tony felt a bit edgy. It wasn’t every day that someone went up against Philip Manos. The man was a legend and no one could touch him. No one had ever tried, as far as Tony could remember. And now, Michael had decided to go after the man.
It was crazy, but Tony would stand by Michael’s side at any cost. After all, he owed him his life.
His thoughts went back to that cold winter night when they were still in the Special Forces and he shivered. He began to choke and jumped up, running to the window to get some fresh air.
He got a feeling of choking every time he remembered being handcuffed to a pole and feeling water rising in the dark room around him. And then, he heard a loud noise and Michael appeared out of nowhere, unlocking his handcuffs and helping him out of the sinking boat where he had been left to drown.
The ringing of the phone brought him back to reality. He rushed towards his desk, hoping the call was from Michael, but Anna had already answered the phone. Tony watched her as she listened for a couple of minutes.
“Where?” she asked in a level voice and wrote something down. No good news, he thought. But after all, what did he expect?
“Let’s go,” Anna said, standing up. “We have to go, captain,” she yelled over her shoulder to Paul, who had stopped typing and appeared at the entrance of his office. “Another murder.”
Tony didn’t waste anymore time. He grabbed his gun and rushed after Anna who was already at the elevator.
“What now?” he asked, as soon as the elevator doors closed behind them.
“A worker down at the docks found a body and called it in. A woman…”
“Blond, heavy built,” Tony went on and Anna looked at him inquiringly. “Elizabeth Kristalis, my witness…” he concluded and fell silent.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said and walked out of the elevator.
Tony followed her outside the building, feeling empty inside. He thought about the short, blond lady, he had met earlier and felt somewhat guilty for her death. He knew that being involved with Manos, she would probably end up dead sooner or later. But still, that didn’t make him feel any better.
This job is getting to me, he thought one more time. This feeling of emptiness inside was getting to be way too familiar.
He clenched his fists, unable to control his temper. Michael was right. Someone had to put a stop to this man.
They jumped inside the patrol car, and Anna started the engine, while Tony dialed Michael’s number.
He should be warned, he thought. Manos was onto them, and Michael was in grave danger.
Chapter Eight
Jackie sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and going over everything in her mind. It seemed this night would never end. She felt very tense. So much had happened in the last few days that she’d lost perspective. Everything had turned upside-down.
She walked over to the window and looked outside, trying to peer through the darkness. Is the maniac out there? she wondered. Is he watching me right now? She was so tired, not just physically, but emotionally…especially emotionally. She silently wished for the nightmare to end.
Who is behind all these deaths? She wondered once again. Who could be so ruthless to kill so many people for a piece of property? Then again, she knew better. She was aware that people would kill for a lot less than land, and here there was so much at stake. The Demiris property was worth a lot of money, being right on the beach of one of the most beautiful and popular Greek islands, not to mention the mansion itself and the treasure hiding in the secret room.
And why would Constantinos Demiris leave everything to Michael? Suspicions started haunting her again. After all, she did find Michael snooping around the mansion in the middle of the night. Or was it the other way around? He’d found her snooping. But she had a good reason for doing so. She had to be careful and discrete when peoples’ lives were at stake.
Maybe he had good reasons too.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she had to admit she was falling in love with him. She wanted nothing more than for him to be innocent and a victim of this whole ordeal just as Stephanos’ family was. How much she wanted to believe that was true. How much she needed to believe it was true. But she had to be realistic. The chances of Michael being the innocent victim were very slim. After all, a man like Michael—strong, smart, well-trained and powerful—would never allow himself to be put in a situation where someone else was pulling the strings. He would always want to be in control. He would always be the one pulling the strings.
She walked away from the window and out the kitchen door. She had to talk to him. She needed to get some things off her chest.
She looked towards the study. He had been in there for hours. He was probably
going over the contents of the folders, and there was nothing she could do about it. After all, he more likely already knew exactly what was in those folders. He had access to the house and access to the secret room long before she even got here.
“Michael,” she whispered and approached the door to the study, which was halfway open.
She walked in to find him sitting at the desk and placing folders into a leather briefcase. The folders from the secret room, she realized.
Michael glanced at her and got right back to what he was doing.
“What’s going on? What are you doing with those documents?”
“I’m taking them with us.”
“Taking them?” Jackie felt her temper rising. “What do you mean, taking them? This is robbery!”
Michael stopped for a second and looked up at her with a mocking smile on his face. “Robbery? You forgot that everything in this house belongs to me?”
“Nothing is final yet!”
“You still don’t trust me…” Michael clenched his fists and let out a deep breath. “You think I forged the will.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I know exactly what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours,” he said and closed the briefcase.
“I can’t let you do this.” Seeing the smile on his face caused red-hot fury to wash over her.
“And how exactly do you intend to stop me?” he asked, but the look in his eyes had none of the irony in his voice. Instead, his look was fiery and passionate and told her things she wished she could hear from his lips.
He stood up and walked around the desk, coming to stand right in front of her.
Her heart was pounding, as she raised her eyes to meet his gaze.
“Don’t…” she whispered, but her heart was reaching out for him. She needed to feel his arms wrapped around her body, his lips caressing hers.
She closed her eyes and felt suspended in space. When his lips touched hers, she was lost. His kiss was soft and sweet at first and then, it became more possessive and passionate. Jackie wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and pulled him even closer, feeling ready to collapse on the floor.
