fifteen minutes,” he whispered, “but because of the tourists in town for the fair, the traffic is heavy at all hours now. It could take longer.”
“Ms. Hamilton won’t be staying at the hotel, Leon. Drive us straight to the villa.”
Alex caught the surprised glance Leon flashed his uncle over his shoulder. But she understood. Dimitrios felt too ill to put up with any detours tonight.
She leaned closer to his nephew. Mouthing the words, she said, “As soon as we get him home, I’ll take a taxi to the hotel.”
He nodded.
With that understood, she moved next to the door so she could rest her head against the glass.
It was hard to believe she was in Greece.
She should be thrilled, exhilarated. It was a lovely warm night. They were driving through one of the oldest cities in Europe. Some sites dated back to 2300 B.C. She was passing over ground of saints and scholars.
There was so much history to absorb. But after the shock she’d lived through, she was too enervated to do anything more than close her eyes.
Only one thing mattered. Dimitrios was alive and seemingly in one piece. His injuries could have been so much worse. She still hadn’t recovered from seeing his big body hurtled to the floor of the plane, lifeless.
If Alex needed proof of what he meant to her, that experience would stand out for all time as the defining moment.
At one point she’d seen Leon pull out his cell phone and make several calls. Therefore it didn’t surprise her that the guard at the gate of the estate let them through without Leon having to brake.
A sizable group of people were assembled in the courtyard by the time they wound around the tree-lined drive to the front of the ochre-toned villa. Large and square-shaped in design, it looked fairly impregnable and quite unlike what Alex had imagined.
That was probably because she was used to seeing travel brochures with pictures of the white, cube-style villas nestled close together on the Greek Islands.
Two women rushed forward. One old, with a face that looked a trifle wizened from being in the sun too long. The other fortyish and attractive, with big brown eyes that reminded Alex of Leon.
“Dimitrios!” they both cried at once as his nephew got out of the car and opened the back door for him. A spate of Greek Alex couldn’t understand poured out of both women. One of the male staff members somebody called Kristofor worked with Leon to help his uncle from the car.
The rest of the staff stood by with anxious expressions. It was evident that everyone held Kyrie Pandakis in great affection and were upset to see him incapacitated in any way.
Alex knew just how they felt.
Relieved he was home in the comfort of his family, she climbed out of the front seat to get her things from the trunk. To her surprise she caught the full brunt of headlights from a taxi that had pulled up behind the car. It had gotten here quickly.
More conversation in Greek ensued. This time it was Dimitrios’s voice overriding everyone else’s. A subdued, confused-looking Leon walked to the taxi. Alex saw him pull some money from his wallet and pay the driver, who backed around and took off.
“Everyone speak English, please,” Dimitrios declared. For a man who was barely hanging on, his voice sounded amazingly strong and authoritative.
“My secretary, Ms. Hamilton, will be our houseguest for a while. Serilda? If you will be kind enough to prepare the guest room down the hall from mine for her. Nicholas? Please bring her things from the back of the car.”
The staff seemed to take everything as a matter of course, but Alex didn’t dare make a scene right then. Not in front of the woman who had to be Leon’s mother, Ananke. She stared at Alex like she was a visitor from another planet.
When they entered the palatial villa, it felt like Alex had just stepped into another time period. The flavor of old Byzantium called out to her. Under other circumstances she would love to explore every inch of it, learn the story behind every exquisite artifact.
But Alex could hear her mother’s warning. Go to Greece, do your job, don’t go near his family, then come straight home.
The front door clicked shut behind her. She had no choice but to follow Dimitrios who, with help, managed to make it down two hallways to his own suite of rooms.
Though the lump on his head was hidden, Alex could see that some of his black hair was still matted with blood, a potent reminder of an experience that could have taken his life.
At the thought, she felt sickness sweep over her. Her steps slowed until the moment of sudden weakness passed.
Leon’s mother stayed right with him, talking in Greek to her son even though Dimitrios had requested otherwise.
“Ms. Hamilton?” he called over his shoulder without looking at her. “When you’ve freshened up, please come to my bedroom. There’s some business we have to discuss.”
“I’ll come now if you’d like.” The sooner he said what he had to say, the sooner she’d be able to phone for another taxi and slip away. Thanks to Yanni, she could do that much for herself in Greek without anyone’s help.
“I’d like,” she heard him mutter.
His suite came as a complete surprise. It was modern and unquestionably masculine down to the tan and black striped bedspread. Alex sank down on one of two chairs arranged around a coffee table while Leon and Kristofor helped Dimitrios stretch out on top of the bed.
His eyes were closed. He looked wan and exhausted. There was blood on his rumpled shirt, which was part-way unbuttoned, revealing a dusting of black hair on his chest. Alex closed her eyes to shut out the sight before her.
She’d never loved him more. All she wanted to do was crawl onto the king-size bed and take care of him. Hold him like she’d done on the plane. Her arms ached from the loss.
While she’d steadied his head, she’d been able to study the tiny lines that radiated from around his eyes, the set of his jaw, the sensuality of his male mouth she yearned to cover with her own.
“Serilda has called for the doctor. Until he has examined you, you’re not to discuss business or anything else.”
“Mother’s right, Uncle. Let me help you get ready for bed.”
“As you can both see, I’m fine, just dizzy. It will pass. I appreciate your concern, but right now Ms. Hamilton and I have matters to discuss that won’t wait.”
“I’m sure she’s exhausted, too,” Ananke persisted.
Sensing Dimitrios’s impatience simmering beneath the surface Alex said, “Actually I slept seven hours on the plane and feel very well rested. I promise I won’t work your brother-in-law too long.”
“Leon? Will you bring Ms. Hamilton’s briefcase to her?”
His nephew nodded before hurrying out of the room.
Alex watched the other woman’s
