Hidden Truths (Truths and Lies Duet Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  “Talia, darling,” my father croons. “Your father and I go way back.” His jaw clenches and darkness shrouds his expression before he smiles it away. “And we’ve come to an agreement.”

  “What sort of agreement?” Talia breathes. Her hand trembles when she reaches for her water again.

  “You are to marry my son,” Father states with a devious glint in his eyes.

  Her head turns sharply to regard Aris, who’s frowning in confusion. Meanwhile, I’m about to explode with fucking rage. If only it were that easy, Talia.

  “My eldest,” Father corrects, searing his hard eyes into mine, daring me to argue.

  Even as the volcano within me spills with fury, I don’t speak a word against my father. Never. Not in front of weak, worthless pieces of shit like Niles Nikolaides.

  Talia’s head jerks my way so fast, I’m worried she’ll give herself whiplash. Her blue eyes glow with accusation—as though I knew this all along. I meet her glare with one of my own. A glare filled with contempt for the Nikolaides name. She withers beneath my fierce stare.

  “An arranged marriage,” I state in a bored way. “Lovely. Can someone pass me the pepper before my eggs get cold?”

  Phoenix grabs the pepper shaker and slams it on the table in front of me, making everyone’s glasses slosh. “What the hell are you thinking, Dad?” he demands in a furious tone. “Talia? You negotiated Talia?”

  My father’s smile is victorious.

  I want to ram my fist right into his face.

  How dare he do this to me without warning?

  “I fucked up,” Niles admits. “I thought I could pay them back in time.”

  Father picks up his fork and begins stabbing at the eggs on his plate, clearly overjoyed at my emotionless response to the bomb he just dropped in my lap.

  “Four point six million,” Aris states, unusual anger tightening his voice. “Is that what your daughter is worth to you? A few million euros?”

  “She’s worth everything to me.” Niles shoots his daughter a pleading look. She won’t look at him. She won’t speak. She’s taken to wringing her hands in her lap, her bottom lip slightly wobbling.

  “I have a life,” she utters so softly, I almost think it’s meant just for me. “I can’t just leave to marry some stranger because my father is a bad businessman.”

  “You have to,” Niles says, hanging his head in shame. “They’ll kill me if you don’t.”

  Once again, she glowers at me. As though all of this is my fault. It pisses me off.

  “You’d kill my father if I don’t marry you?” she hisses, anger making her face turn red again.

  “I’ll kill your father if he doesn’t pay,” I bite out in a cold tone. “And since he put a four-point-six-million-dollar price tag around your pretty neck, it looks like I’m getting my payment in full.”

  She stands abruptly from the table. Furious tears well in her blue eyes, reminding me of the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. “Fuck you all,” she snaps. “I’m not marrying anyone. I’m going home.”

  As soon as she rushes from the table, Phoenix bolts after her. I give a slight nod to Basil and Adrian. They follow after them. My fiancée isn’t going anywhere. The sooner she realizes this, the better.

  “Really, Dad?” Aris mutters, the muscle in his neck flexing. “A girl as payment? That’s a new low.”

  Father’s nostrils flare at his blatant disrespect. I flick my chin up at Aris, silently telling him to leave before he fucks things up. With a grumble, he loudly scrapes his chair back and storms off.

  “Please don’t hurt her,” Niles pleads. “Promise me.”

  I have to refrain from rolling my eyes. Since when do worms negotiate with sharks? Fucking never.

  “I’ll promise nothing of the sort,” I tell him sharply. “Say your goodbyes to her. I want you and your son off Crete and heading back to Thessaloniki by noon.”

  “Kostas,” he croaks. “Please.”

  Ignoring his pleas, I grab the small bottle of jam and begin smearing some all over my toast with a knife that would go to better use cutting this motherfucker’s throat.

  “Kostas,” he says once more.

  “Noon, Niles. I suggest you not waste another moment with your sunshine. Your world is about to get really fucking dark.”

  I’m waiting inside my office that overlooks the bay when Father decides to grace me with his presence. He walks in, his features impassive. It’s a much different look than from earlier where he was almost gleeful. Rather than sitting across from me, he walks over to the open door to the veranda.

  “You know everything I do is for a reason, agóri mou.” My boy. Not anymore. I’ve long grown into a man—a business partner. Someone worthy of being told about a plan before it’s enacted, not after. To say I feel betrayed is an understatement.

  “Of course, Patéras.”

  He turns to regard me, a wistful smile on his face. If he wants to play a game of calling me his boy like he did when I was six or seven, then I will take to calling him Father in the same way I would at that age.

  “She is beautiful,” he mutters. “At least you have that.”

  “At least.”

  He lets out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t do this to anger you, Kostas.”

  No, this was all about his beef with Niles.

  “Then what was it about?” I demand, my voice cracking, a clear indicator of how pissed I am.

  “Niles owes me in ways you’ll never understand,” he practically growls. “Giving up his daughter to my son is—”

  “Much more difficult than just killing him,” I grit out. “Why not kill him and be done with it? Why drag his family into it?”

  Father shrugs and steps out onto the veranda, silently indicating he wants me to continue the conversation out there. With a frustrated sigh, I rise from my leather desk chair and stalk after him. He leans over the railing, staring out onto the sparkly bay that’s dotted with sailboats.

  “It’s too easy,” he tells me with a shrug. “Niles deserves to pay in every way he can.”

  “But why?”

  Rather than answering, he remains seemingly lost in thought. I’m growing bored of this nostalgic power games shit he seems to be playing.

  “Do I really need to marry her?” I ask in an exasperated tone. “For how long? When will this be over and I can go back to the way things were?”

  Father turns my way, his features dark with hate. “I don’t mean for you to think of this as a punishment, Kostas. She’ll be a wife in name only. Keep whores on the side if you wish.”

  My lip curls up at his words. He says that as though he truly believes that. If I’ve learned anything from my father, it’s that loyalty is everything. His marriage to my mother is solid and unbreakable, bordering on obsession. If Ezio Demetriou can keep his dick in one woman for nearly four decades, then so can I.

  “Until when?” I ask, ignoring his words.

  “As long as it takes to satisfy me.”

  Selfish fucking bastard.

  I’m used to him treating everyone, even Aris, this way, but not me. It’s a brutal blow that I’m at a loss for how to get over.

  “Don’t look at me as though I’ve killed your puppy,” Father snaps. “She’s one woman. A beautiful woman you’ll no doubt enjoy every second with once you break her in. Hell, give me some grandkids for all I care. But I need this transaction to take place. I want to destroy Niles.”

  “Why?” I bark out. “Why do you hate that weasel bastard so much? I get it, he’s fucking weak. But why? You’ve always been straight with me.”

  Father shakes his head. “Every man has secrets he holds onto. My hate for Niles is one of those. Just trust in my judgment. Do what you have to do when it comes to Talia, but make sure you dangle her in Niles’s face whenever you can. Don’t let her charm her way off this island. You’ll marry her, and I’ll continue to torment her father in every way I see fit. Are we clear?”

  “Absolutely,” I growl, fisting my han
ds, barely keeping my anger in check. “Perhaps you should go home, Father. I have important matters to deal with.”

  “You’ll understand one day, Kostas.”

  Unlikely.

  “Of course, Father.”

  He sighs and exits the veranda, slamming the office door closed on his way out. I look up and watch a plane jet across the bright, cloudless sky. After a few moments, I make my way back inside and place a call to a Greek jeweler. My beloved fiancée will need an engagement ring.

  Jesus Christ, I could kill my father over this shit.

  A sinister part of me, though, takes silent pleasure in the fact I’ll soon own the gorgeous, innocent blond. She may be a Nikolaides, but soon she’ll be a Demetriou. I have a feral need to chase this woman much like Pluto did with Proserpina, so I may pin her down, shove her pretty dress up her thighs, and sink my cock into her warm depths. I love when life imitates art.

  A monster wouldn’t be a true monster if he didn’t hungrily sink his teeth into the offering he’s been given by the lesser mortals. And, fuck, do I ever want to sink my teeth into her.

  Talia.

  Sweet Talia.

  You’ll learn to like it rough.

  Proserpina sure did.

  Talia

  This has got to be a goddamn dream…no, a nightmare. This can’t be real. There’s no way anything that was said during that bullshit breakfast can possibly hold any merit. We no longer live in the eighteenth century, for crying out loud! One cannot simply tell someone who she is to marry. We have rights!

  A manic laugh escapes my lips as I remember my conversation with Kostas last night. Oh, the irony, that not even twelve hours ago we were debating over The Rape of Proserpina, and now here we are in a similar situation. My father giving his consent for me to marry a man who is apparently hell-bent on kidnapping me and forcing me into some underworld! I might not know everything that goes on in my father’s business, but I’ve overheard enough over the years to know the men he does business with are part of some illegal crime organization. And my father is literally handing me over to them on a silver platter! As if I’m available for the taking. And to save his own ass. It’s one thing for him to get himself into trouble, but now he’s involving me in his mess.

  Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I consider calling Alex but stop myself. As much as I want to hear his voice and seek comfort in his words, how do I explain to him the ridiculousness of the situation I’ve found myself in? What would I even say? Hey, Alex! I have a slight problem. My father screwed over some crime boss and has handed me over as payment.

  Ugh! No, there’s only one person to call. I pull Mom’s name up on my contact list, but just as I’m about to hit call, there’s a knock on my door. Without even bothering to look, I swing the door open and find Dad and Phoenix standing on the other side. My father at least has the decency to look upset. Phoenix looks pissed, which tells me he didn’t know any of this was going down.

  “What do you want?” I hiss.

  “Can I please come in, sunshine?” Dad begs. He takes a step forward, without waiting for me to answer, and I block the entrance.

  “No, you can’t,” I tell him, clenching my fists at my sides. I am not a violent person, but right now, I’m desperately trying to keep from pummeling my father to the ground. And judging by the way Phoenix’s jaw is clenching, I bet he’d hold him down for me.

  “Please, I’m so sorry,” Dad says. “If you would just let me in, I will explain.”

  “What the hell is there to explain?” I seethe, my tone dropping low as venom drips from it. “You sold your own flesh and blood to pay off a debt!”

  Dad’s back goes straight. “Don’t you speak to me like that. I am sorry for what’s happened, but I’m still your father. You will speak to me with respect.”

  “Respect?” I yell, fury bubbling up inside of me like a volcano preparing to erupt. “Fuck you and your respect!”

  Before I see it coming, Dad raises his hand and slaps me across my cheek. My face whips to the side from the sheer force behind his slap. Instinctively, my hand comes up and rubs the sore spot.

  “Dad! What the hell!” Phoenix roars. He shoves our dad up against the wall and gets in his face. “You did this shit! You lied about how much you owed and how bad it was. You don’t get to demand respect, and you sure as fuck don’t get to lay a goddamn hand on her.” Phoenix cocks his fist back and punches Dad square in the jaw. Blood spurts from Dad’s lip, and he folds himself over in pain.

  “I’m sorry,” he cries. “I’m sorry!” He glances up at me and wipes the blood off his chin. “Please forgive me, sunshine. You are everything to me.”

  Everything?

  He thinks I’m everything?

  Apparently so since he sold me.

  Well, Dad, I hope it was worth it. I hope you can buy a new yacht or a bigger home or whatever it is you chose over your own daughter.

  “I am nothing to you,” I say, my tone flat, defeated. There’s no denying his betrayal runs deep. “And you are nothing to me.”

  I turn to Phoenix, not giving that man another glance. “Is there any way of me getting out of this?”

  Phoenix’s eyes gloss over, and I already know my answer. He bridges the gap between us and pulls me into his arms. “I’m going to do everything I can to try to figure this out. I promise you. I won’t stop until they let you come home.”

  I nod into his chest. “Thank you,” I whisper, my voice overcome with emotion.

  When he pulls back, he gives me a sad smile. “I love you. Be strong.”

  “Sunshine, please,” Dad begs again.

  “Take him away,” I tell Phoenix. “I never want to see him again.”

  Phoenix nods in understanding, then grabbing Niles by his arm, pulls him down the pathway and out of my life.

  Closing the door behind me, I press my back against the hard wood and take several deep breaths, needing to calm myself. My face falls into my hands, and my cheek throbs, reminding me I was just hit. I walk into the bathroom where the mirror is and check it out. My cheek is bright pink but doesn’t show any signs of bruising.

  With my heart thundering inside my chest like a war drum and my head pounding to the beat, I head back to the main room, needing to call the one person who’s always had my back. My mom.

  She answers on the first ring. “Cara mia! How are you? I’ve been waiting for your call.”

  The sound of her voice has me falling onto my bed in tears. “Mom,” I sob uncontrollably, all of the built up adrenaline hitting me hard. “I need your help. I need you to come get me.”

  By the time I finish telling her all that’s happened, and the little I know, she’s crying as well. “I’m going to call your grandfather. He’ll know what to do.”

  “Please hurry, Mom,” I beg.

  I hang up the phone and curl into a ball on the bed, hugging the soft pillows. I’m not sure how long I cry for, but when there’s a knock on the door, my head is pounding, and my eyes are burning from the little bit of mascara I put on that’s now running.

  Thinking it’s Phoenix coming back to check on me, I swing the door open, only to find it’s Aris, Kostas’s brother, the playful flirt I met at the bar last night. I shoot him a glare, and he flinches. Good!

  “What the hell do you want?”

  Aris raises his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t know.”

  “So, you’re telling me when we were talking, you had no idea who I was?” I tilt my head to the side and throw a hand on my hip. “You didn’t know I was my father’s daughter?”

  “At first, no, but once we started talking, I put two and two together…”

  I grab the edge of the door, about to slam it in his face, when he slides his foot in the doorway to prevent it from closing. His eyes land on my cheek, and he steps closer, widening the door.

  “Who did this to you?” His fingers come up to touch my face, but I take a step back. “Who did this to you?” he repeats.

  �
��My—Niles,” I say, refusing to ever refer to him as my dad again.

  Aris’s jaw ticks. “He’s lucky he already got on that plane.”

  “He may have physically hurt me, but what you guys are doing is even worse.”

  Aris flinches at my words, as though I’ve slapped him like my father slapped me. His eyes plead with me to understand. Understand what? That he’s not the same monster as they are? But when his gaze softens, I find my heart does too.

  “I didn’t know what my father and Kostas were planning,” he utters in a tone that begs for me to understand. “I swear. I only came by to see if you’re okay.”

  I assess his features in an attempt to get a read on him, and for some reason, I believe him. His brows are furrowed in worry, and his lips are pursed in a concerned frown. I think back to earlier, during breakfast. When Ezio announced I was to marry his son, I had assumed he meant Aris. When I looked over at him, he genuinely looked as confused and shocked as I did. And then when his father clarified it would be his eldest son I would be marrying, Aris looked almost…angry.

  “I’m not marrying your brother,” I state. “So, if you’re here to try to talk me into going along with this craziness, you can leave now.”

  “That’s not why I’m here. I told you…I came by to see if you’re okay. Why don’t we walk down to the bar and get a drink?”

  Figuring it’s probably better to have Aris as an ally than an enemy, I nod once. “Let me grab my phone.” I need to make sure I’m available when my mom calls back.

  After grabbing my phone, I take a quick detour back into the bathroom to clean up my face and hair, so I don’t look like a hot mess. Then I slip on my wedges and grab my purse. It’s probably best if I bring it everywhere with me in case I need to run at any moment. It’s all I came with, and it holds everything I have. A little bit of cash, my credit cards, my license, and my passport. My passport! Why didn’t I think about that before? It won’t be easy, but at least I know I have a backup plan.