Pros & Cons (21 page)

To illustrate his sympathy, he pulls an international newspaper out of his drawer and places it reverently on his desk. Staring up at me is a picture of my best friend and the love of his life. My stomach jerks, like someone stuck a dagger through it. I hear Jason choke back a sob.

Naturally, Stavros notes our reactions.

“I understand they were engaged to be married.”

 I remain silent as I scan the page. Their obituaries read more like rap sheets, detailing their most famous heists.

“Ethan, I had nothing to do with this,” he says. “I hired all of you to complete an assignment for me. That’s the extent of my involvement.”

“Funny, I thought you hired the six of us. I don’t recall seeing Maria or the curator in the building that night.”

“Maria became apprehensive and chose to abort the operation.”

“Sure she did.”

He smiles tightly.

Asshole.

“You’ve never trusted me, Ethan. Always so eager to doubt my motives.”

“With good reason.”

“Coop, however, wasn’t nearly as suspicious of me.” He smiles and runs his finger along the obituary page. I force myself to take long, cleansing breaths. I want nothing more than to break that finger.

“Coop hated you.”

“Did he now?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. After all, if he truly hated me, why would he work for me?”

My head jerks up to find his piercing eyes smiling into mine.

“You’re a liar!” I leap out of my chair, and the guards draw their weapons. I feel Gabe’s hand on my shoulder.

Stavros waves off his guards. “His outburst is forgiven. He has, after all, just learned some troubling information.”

The two men lower their weapons and step back.

“Wasn’t it Coop who encouraged you to take the assignment?”

I say nothing. He takes my silence as confirmation.

“I needed the best, and everyone knows you and Jenna are the best. I knew I’d never be able to convince you. Both of you have always been far too suspicious of my motives. But I considered the possibility that Coop
could
sway you. I offered an obscene amount of money for an effortless job.”

“A job that got my sister killed,” Jason says with a growl.

“Sadly, yes.” Stavros sighs. “Coop trusted me. And they were both in love and eager to move on. This last job would provide the financial security they felt they needed.”

“So you used them to get to me.”

“I don’t look at it quite that way. I like to think of it as my wedding gift to the two of them. I promised a handsome advanced payment if Coop could convince the two of you to help me. He saw no harm in the assignment, and he was impatient to marry his fiancée, so he agreed.”

“So you got Coop to trust you. Big deal. That doesn’t explain the explosion.”

“And as I’ve said, I know nothing about the explosion.”

My head spins. There’s no way Coop would have kept something like this from me. Granted, neither Jenna nor I had been eager to work for Stavros, but we hadn’t really fought the idea, either. We’d both been too distracted by whatever the hell was happening between the two of us to really give the job much thought, and we’d let our love for Coop and Abby overshadow our rational thinking. Because of that, both of them are dead.

“I find it interesting that Marcello and Maria came out of this unscathed,” Gabe says. “What a different conversation we’d be having if it had been
their
bodies found in the rubble.”

“They are both sorry for your loss, as well,” Stavros replies. “You know, Ethan, now that you and Jenna are without partners, perhaps this is a good time for you to consider my proposition.”

“What proposition?”

“You know I’ve always been eager to offer you a home here in Athens. Why not move here? Expand your horizons. Work for me.”

“I would flip burgers before working for you.”

Gabe chuckles quietly.

“What a shame. Perhaps Jenna would be more amenable to the idea.”

I jump out of my chair and reach right across the desk, wrapping my hand around his throat.

“If you come within a hundred miles of her I will blow your brains out.”

The echoes of clicking revolvers can be heard throughout the room, but Stavros doesn’t seem concerned.

“These are my two most trusted guards because of their combat experience. Surely we don’t wish for more bloodshed.”

I loosen my hold around his neck. If anything happened to Gabe or Jason because of my temper, I’d never forgive myself.

“You will stay away from her. Is that clear?”

Stavros smiles.

I have an Achilles heel, and he knows he just found it.

“You love her.”

“Stay away from her.”

“Of course, of course,” he says, nodding. “But I would need something from you in return.”

“What do you want?”

His evil smile stretches across his face.

“I want you, Ethan.”

“Would you like more juice, Miss York? Perhaps pancakes instead of the omelet?”

Caitlin is very good at her job. She’s unfailingly polite and—if the aroma of breakfast is any indication—an excellent cook. I wouldn’t know, of course, since I’m too pissed to eat.

“No, thank you.”

My watchdog—a towering and muscular specimen of a beast named Sebastian—is on his third plate of pancakes. Caitlin smiles at him as he devours his food, and from the look on his face, Sebastian’s attracted to more than just her culinary skills. They both seem like nice people, so I’m trying very hard not to take my bad mood out on them. That doesn’t keep me from asking him questions, though.

“Did Ethan say when he’d be back?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“No, Miss York.”

Liar.

“Did Jason and Gabe go with him?”

Sebastian stops chewing and searches my face. I can see the internal battle in his dark eyes. He’s not sure if he’s allowed to answer that particular question. Unfortunately, Caitlin senses his need for an escape and reminds him to check with Miss Donovan about the changes to the cameras.

“Actually,
I’ll
check on Miss Donovan. Thanks for breakfast.”

Sebastian stares at his plate longingly before rising from his chair. I roll my eyes when he follows me up the stairs.

“I don’t need a shadow, Sebastian.”

“Just following orders, ma’am.”

“Exactly what were your orders?”

“To keep you safe.”

“And you think I’m in danger by walking upstairs?”

“I had additional orders.”

“Which were?”

“Not to let you out of my sight.”

“Unbelievable,” I mutter as I head to Cara’s room. I find her sitting at a desk, surrounded by eight small television screens. Each screen is focused on a particular area of the villa.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” I snap.

“Probably with yours. I’m guessing you’re pretty pissed.”

“Pretty pissed doesn’t quite cover it.”

“I bet I can guess where they are,” Cara says distractedly. She toys with one of the camera controls until she’s apparently satisfied. “What’s with the bodyguard?”

I look back to find Sebastian standing beside the door.

“I think he’s my new warden. His girlfriend in the kitchen is sweet, though. She keeps bribing me with pancakes.”

Sebastian turns red and tries to hide his grin.

“Something’s obviously changed. They left you behind for a reason.”

“I know. I knew it last night.”

“Was that before or after he made you scream his name?”

My face flushes. Of course the whole house heard us.

“After,” I mutter. “I don’t remember screaming.”

She laughs. I look back at Sebastian, who’s looking everywhere except at me.

How mortifying.

I clear my throat and nod at the screens. “So you seem pretty skilled at all this.”

She shrugs. “This is what I do.”

“Which is what, exactly?”

“I’m a network surveillance engineer. Telecommunications, mostly.”

“Impressive.”

“It pays the bills.”

We sit in silence and watch the cameras flicker from one viewpoint to another. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that Cara’s job is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

“Surveillance is . . . boring.”

She laughs. “It can be. But if it’s boring, then that means all is well. It means the equipment is working as it should and everything—and everyone—is safe. In this line of work, boring is good.”

“Miss Donovan,” Sebastian says, “Mr. Summers asked me to remind you about the changes he mentioned this morning.”

“Already taken care of.” Cara shoots a glance at me. “Like I said, something’s changed. We added six new cameras before dawn.”

Cara’s phone vibrates on the desk. She glances at the screen.

“They’re on their way back. Jason wants to know how pissed you are.”

“Tell him extremely. Type it in all caps, too.”

She smirks. “Done.”

My shadow and I head downstairs. It’s a little unnerving having Sebastian watch my every move, and the more I think about it, the madder I get. By the time the guys walk into the living room, I’m pacing the floor and ready to rage. Gabe and Jason take one look at my face and scatter like rats on a sinking ship while Ethan stands like a statue at the door.

“Don’t be pissed.”

“Don’t be pissed?” I repeat angrily. “Words cannot express how pissed I am. How dare you leave me behind like that! I am not some helpless female who needs her big, strong boyfriend or some macho bodyguard to watch her every move. I have dealt with assholes like Stavros my entire life, and I’ve managed just fine. I have one father. I do not need another one, and I certainly don’t need—”

“We need to pack, Jenna.”

This stops my tirade.

“Why?”

“Because we need to get out of Greece.”

My eyes narrow. “What did you do?”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Is Stavros still breathing?”

“For now.”

“Then why are we leaving?”

“Because I need to get you out of here.”

“No way. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to make all the decisions here. We’re partners, Ethan!”

He sighs and steps closer, wrapping his arms around me. “I don’t want to fight with you. Fighting with you is usually sexy as hell, but not this time. Not here.”

I try to pull away, but he’s stronger, and I finally stop resisting when he presses his forehead to mine.

“Don’t be mad at me, baby.”

“I am so mad at you. We’re supposed to be a team.”

“I know, and I promise I’ll explain everything if you will do me this one favor and please pack your bags and get on the plane.”

“That’s two favors.”

Suddenly, shouts can be heard from upstairs. I assume Cara’s been told we’re skipping town. I can’t blame her for being mad after installing all those new cameras.

“You boys have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I know.”

With an aggravated sigh, I head upstairs with my bodyguard hot on my heels.

We’re thirty thousand feet in the air when I finally get my answers. None of them make me happy.