Doukas by Demetra Georgiou
Chapter 7
“Ria, Mr. Prinos is running a little late,” Electra informs me with a smile.
Damn man, I could have spent some more time kissing Doukas goodbye. I look down at my watch, and thankfully I’m only four hours away from seeing him again.
“Oh, and your friend, Veta, is waiting for you. She’s just gone to the bathroom.”
“Excellent, Electra, thank you. How are things here? Anything I should know about?”
“Everything’s running smoothly, and we’re booked solid for later.”
Finally, some good news! “That’s great. When Mr. Prinos arrives, can you please show him to my office?”
I make a quick detour to the kitchen to say hi, and on my way to the office, I spot Veta coming out of the bathroom.
“Three times in as many days? I’m honored,” I exclaim and go to her.
Veta doesn’t seem to share my enthusiasm. In fact, she looks exhausted with dark circles under her eyes, as if she hasn’t been sleeping well.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, steering her towards my office.
“Everything,” she mumbles. Now I’m genuinely worried. I don’t think I’ve seen her this beat. We sit on the small sofa, and I wait patiently for her to collect her thoughts. “It’s Akis,” she offers, and I try to keep my composure.
Her stepbrother is bad news. Really bad news! I don’t like him much, but his only redeeming quality is that he cares about Veta. They lost their parents in a car accident a few years back when Veta was fifteen, and he took care of her.
“What about Akis?”
“He hasn’t been answering his phone for a few days, and I thought he was with some girl as usual. But when I dropped by today, I found him in the house beaten. I got scared, Ria. I thought I would lose him,” she admits as a sob racks her body.
That’s the first time I’ve seen her crying, and I hug her, doing my best to comfort her.
“How is he now?”
“He’s better. Thankfully Thrasos called a doctor, and we have him on bed rest.”
“Who did that to him, Veta?”
“He’s in deep shit, Ria. Do you know the Lords?”
A chill runs through me only at their mention. These are the most dangerous people in the country with connections everywhere. Some say they control the whole city. What is most strange is that no one knows why they’re called this or how many Lords there are. The rumors say that it’s a family, but most believe there’s one big boss with many goons.
“Of course I know the Lords, Veta. Don’t tell me Akis is involved with them.”
“Oh, Ria, it’s impossible. Not only is he involved, but he was stupid enough to steal from them.”
“What the hell!” I exclaim. Akis cannot be that stupid. “Do you need any help?” Mentally, I’m trying to recall how much I have on my savings account. She’s my friend, and I’m willing to help her, even if it means putting up with Akis.
She shakes her head. “No, Thrasos has taken care of everything. But I need to warn you because you might be in danger.”
“Me? How?”
“The guy who beat him up asked about you and your taverna. Your routine, your earnings, and much more. Akis believes he’s set his eyes on your place.”
I snort. “He has to get in line,” I say, fully aware that Veta doesn’t know about Fanaris and my latest run-ins with the underworld.
“I’m serious, Ria. Akis told me about that guy. Doukas Tremes is a ruthless man. First, he kills and then asks questions.”
“Doukas?”
“Yes, Doukas Tremes. He’s one of the Lords.”
I don’t believe in secrets, Ria.
That’s what he told me when we were on our date. For a guy who doesn’t believe in secrets, he kept one important piece of information to himself. Veta’s mouth is moving, but I can’t seem to focus.
“Why, all of a sudden? What does he want of me?”
At least Fanaris had the decency to approach me a few days after my father’s funeral. What’s changed now?
“I don’t know, sweetie. My guess would be that it’s got to do with money laundering. After all, they need profitable businesses,” Veta offers as if she were an expert on the matter.
But she’s got a point, and Doukas never hid the fact that his business was money.
What I didn’t realize, though, was that he was referring to my money as well.
The hours pass quickly. Luckily, there are many people still in the taverna, and it’s somewhat comforting. What an irony! I would never imagine myself finding solace in something like this.
After my meeting with Mr. Prinos, in which I haven’t the slightest idea what we talked about, I barricaded myself in my office, assessing the situation. But midnight approaches, and I feel on edge.
For what seems like the millionth time, I glance at my watch, the clock on the wall, and my laptop, and they all read a quarter to midnight. Perhaps I should bolt, go to the airport, and take a one-way ticket to a sunnier climate.
There is a knock on my open door, and I look up to find Doukas standing there, holding a dozen or so red roses. Without waiting for an invite, he strides to me and comes by my side. He goes to kiss me, but I turn my head, and he kisses my cheek. His chuckle sounds so unnatural, even though I’m not sure what I was expecting.
Doukas puts the roses on my desk and squats by my side. “Red to compliment your onyx eyes.”
“Thank you,” I say, forcing a smile.
That would be the most romantic thing everyone ever told me if it wasn’t coming from him.
His nearness threatens to rid me of any semblance of self-respect and civility. I rise and move to the other side of the desk. When Doukas stands up, I look him straight in the eyes.
Moment of truth.
“When were you going to tell me?”
Doukas frowns as if he doesn’t have a clue. “Tell you what?”
“For starters that you’re part of organized crime.”
His expression betrays nothing. The only telltale sign that he’s somehow affected is that his features harden.
When it’s evident that he’s nowhere near ready to talk, I decide to get it over with.
“The way I see it, you stopped Fanaris’s men because you had your eyes set on my taverna. But you didn’t stop there, did you? You decided to get yourself something to play with on the side in case everything else failed.”
“That’s how you see it?” he asks in a monotone yet menacing voice.
Perhaps I should be afraid, knowing who he is, but I’m past that stage, closer to anger. “What else is there?”
“I fucking care about you, Ria. Have you thought about that?”
“And how exactly do you care about me? Did you ever stop to think that perhaps mixing with a killer was not in my plans? I’ve busted my ass to keep this place clean, and I don’t want anything to do with your illegal shit.”
Doukas laughs and shakes his head. “You’re the last person I expected to say something like that, Ria. Considering...”
“Considering what?”
“That you come from what you call illegal shit.”
“Are you fucking delusional?”
“Oh, I am delusional? What did your father do, Ria? What about your grandfather? You can’t just turn your back to all of this and suddenly believe yourself above us all.”
This man is out of his goddamn mind. “Neither my father nor my grandpa were criminals.”
“Your grandfather was the most famous hired gun in the country, and your father was hot in his footsteps. To my knowledge, they both stopped when your grandmother fell ill, and your mother left you.”
“You’re lying,” I scream, my lungs protesting at the force of my voice.
Doukas strides over to me and cups both of my elbows. “I don’t fucking lie. Otherwise, Fanaris wouldn’t have asked you. He would have simply killed you.”
I jerk away from his hold and take several steps back. “You’re lying,” I repeat in a whisper.
“I thought you knew.”
“My restaurant isn’t for sale.”
“I don’t give a single fuck about your restaurant.”
Yeah right. “I don’t believe you.” Doukas has always been too good to be true. “I want you to leave.”
For a long time, he sits there saying nothing, only breathing heavily. When he starts walking towards me, I move back, and for a moment, I’m transferred to my bedroom this afternoon when we did the exact same thing, naked.
“I’m going to leave for now, but know this,” he pauses, and I look him straight in the eyes, holding my breath. “I’ll never accept losing you, Ria. We’re far from being over.”