Spellbound in His Arms (17 page)

She heard loud noises and angry voices and next thing
she knew, her aunt Martha and Aphrodite walked in—or actually were shoved into
the room—followed by Stephanos and…
Stephanos
!

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she slid onto the floor.

***

Michael clutched the machine gun
resting on his lap.

The monotonous sound of the propeller
and the humming of the helicopter’s engine were the only sounds ripping the
silence inside the cabin.

All six police officers, including
Michael, were sitting motionless. They kept their eyes on the dark horizon
where sky and water blended together, while the pilot and co-pilot concentrated
in maneuvering the helicopter with no lights on.

“A speedboat is approaching the
yacht,” The voice of the Coast Guard officer crackled over the radio.

Two Coast Guard vessels had
approached the yacht with no lights on, keeping a safe distance to remain
undetected.

“We’ll be there shortly,” Stavros Doxiadis—the
Chief of the Corfu Police Department sitting next to Michael—responded briskly.
“Don’t make a move until we get there!”

If only we make it in time.
Michael knew what Eric and his gangsters were capable of.

Feeling the stiffness in his body, he
flexed his muscles anxious to get there. He felt like a trapped animal and
could hardly wait to get his hands around Eric’s throat. He just hoped Jackie
wasn’t caught in the crossfire, when all hell broke loose.

***

Jackie came around and tried to open her eyes, but her
eyelids felt so heavy. She felt someone leaning over her and a cold wet cloth
on her forehead.

What happened?
She tried
to raise her head which was pounding.

“Relax, sweetie,” she heard Martha’s soft voice and felt
her hand caressing her cheek.

“Martha,” Jackie whispered and went back to sleep.

When she came around again, she was lying on a big bed
in the middle of a room, and Martha and Aphrodite were sitting beside her on
each side of the bed.

“Don’t,” Martha said softly, as Jackie tried to get up.
“Take it easy” she continued. “You’re still very weak.”

“Are you all right?” Jackie asked them concerned. Their
faces were distorted from fear and anxiety.

“We’re okay,” her aunt reassured her and Aphrodite
nodded in agreement. “We were worried about you and all that you’ve been
through.”

“But what’s going on?” Jackie asked confused. “Where is
Stephanos? And why is he involved with Eric?” She realized that right before
she passed out, she seemed to have seen two of them.

She looked at her aunt confused and Martha squeezed her
hand. “It’s Nikos,” Martha said in a whispering voice.

“Nikos?” Jackie asked. “Who on earth is Nikos?”

“Nikos is Stephanos’ twin brother,” Martha explained and
breathed out a deep sigh.

“More like the evil twin” Aphrodite added and turned a
scared look at the door.

“Stephanos has a twin?” Jackie asked astonished. She’d
lived with them for years and never heard anything about that before.

“Stephanos never talks about him” Martha explained.
“He’s the black sheep of the family—selfish, brutal, violent, and above all
obsessed with money and power. But their father, Alexandros
Demiris—Constantinos’ and Emilia’s brother—found out soon enough the kind of
person he was and threw him out of his family. We haven’t heard from him since,
until now.

“But how did you guys get here?” Jackie asked.

“When you didn’t call in and we couldn’t reach you on
your cell phone, we got worried and got on the first plane to Athens. At the Athens’ airport, a man approached us and showed us a photo of you. You were lying
unconscious and tied up in something that looked like a cave. He told us to
follow him quietly, if we ever wanted to see you alive again. Next thing we
knew, we were in a helicopter and then a speedboat which brought us here.

“So that’s why he took me to that cave and then let me
go just like that”

“What do you mean?” her aunt asked confused.

“Well, there’s so much to tell you,” Jackie said. “But,
we’ll have plenty of time to talk later. For now, we have to concentrate on
getting out of here.”

“That isn’t going to be easy,” her aunt admitted. “We’re
on a yacht in the middle of nowhere with all these gangsters around us.”

“But where is Stephanos?” Jackie asked suddenly.

“I’m not sure,” Martha confessed. “They took him away
right from the first moment we stepped foot inside the cabin, and we haven’t
seen him since. I’m very worried.” Her voice broke to uncontrollable sobs.

***

Eric came in to find all three of them hugging and
trying to comfort each other.

He stood at the door with a sarcastic smile on his face.
“Now, that’s a fine family reunion,” he said and let out a loud laugh, which
however didn’t touch his cold and vicious eyes.

His gaze rested on Aphrodite, and grabbing her by the
arm, he pulled her to her feet and towards the door.

“Wait!” Both Jackie and Martha yelled at him at the same
time, jumping up from the bed. “Where are you taking her?”

“What’s the matter, baby?” he asked Jackie
sarcastically, totally ignoring Martha. “Are you jealous?”

Jackie looked at Aphrodite’s pale face and tried to
control her temper and her voice. “Why don’t we go somewhere to talk about it?”
she continued more calm this time. “Just the two of us” she added.

“You had your chance,” he retorted. “And you blew it!
But that’s just fine. This one is a knockout as well and a lot younger too,” he
added and yanked Aphrodite towards the door.

The engine started suddenly with a roar and the yacht
lurched forward. A commotion on the stairs distracted Eric and he let go of
Aphrodite and walked outside into the passageway. Nikos and Alex appeared
dragging Stephanos with them. They pushed Eric aside and shoved Stephanos into
the room. Then they slammed the door closed and locked it from the outside.

All three women ran to Stephanos lying on the floor. His
hands were tied behind his back and his face was battered and bruised. It
seemed that Nikos had let all his fury out on him.

Jackie dropped to her knees beside him and began picking
at the knots binding his hands.

“I’m all right,” Stephanos tried to reassure them.

The yacht suddenly wheeled to the right and accelerated.
The three women clutched at each other as tumbled in a heap on the floor beside
Stephanos. They held on to each other, holding their breaths.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose upstairs with gunshots
and loud, angry voices.

All four of them looked at each other petrified.

***

Michael drew a deep breath, as a dim
light appeared on the horizon. They were getting closer. The helicopter moved
towards the light, flying low above the calm waters.

“We’re moving in” Stavros said, and
almost simultaneously, the two Coast Guard vessels started their engines and
took off, while their spotlights came on pinpointing the yacht.

The helicopter was almost over the
yacht, when the yacht’s engine started abruptly and making a sharp right turn,
it took off heading away from the Coast Guard toward the Italian coastline. At
the same time, massive gunfire started from the yacht against the Coast Guard
ships and the police helicopter.

The vessels chased the yacht,
refraining from responding to the gunfire. There was at least one hostage
aboard. The helicopter hovered over the yacht and the six police officers
prepared to slide down the ropes dropped from both sides of the chopper.

Michael grabbed a rope and started
inching down, legs wrapped around the rough material, one hand holding it and
the other clenched around his machine gun. The ropes swayed beneath the
helicopter, and the police officers—all ex-special forces—fought to keep their
balance and make it safely aboard the yacht, while dodging bullets flying all
around them.

In the meantime one of the Coast
Guard vessels had overtaken the yacht and suddenly swung across its bow,
forcing it to veer to starboard, where the other Coast Guard vessel approached
alongside. The yacht came to an abrupt stop, striking the hull of the Coast
Guard vessel next to it.
The Coast Guard officers
boarded the yacht, at the same time the police officers reached the deck.

Michael ducked, letting go of the
rope and took off towards the cabin. Jackie had to be somewhere downstairs. He
needed to get to her as soon as possible. He moved swiftly, concentrating on
the entrance of the cabin, while a man-to-man battle started on deck.

Reaching the cabin, he launched
inside, fell to the ground and rolled to his right. The inside was dark. He
waited motionless, his senses on high alert. Nothing….

Where is she? And where is Eric?
Michael was sure he hadn’t spotted Eric on deck.

He moved to the back of the main
cabin, to the stairs that lead somewhere below. Stavros appeared right behind
him.

“I’ve got your back” Stavros
whispered.

They descended the stairs and
followed a narrow corridor, when halfway down two heavy-built men appeared out
of nowhere and attacked them.
Special Forces training
Michael realized,
recognizing the technique of his opponent.

With a sudden move, his opponent—a
lot heavier than Michael—threw him on the floor and pinned him down.
Simultaneously screams broke out from somewhere at the end of the passageway.
Michael broke loose and kneed his opponent in the gut, overturning him. He
sprang to his feet and kicked him hard in the belly. While his opponent
crouched groaning, Michael took off towards the end of the corridor. His heart
thundered in his chest.

Launching inside a half open door, he
collided with another man. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Jackie and
two other women crouched in the back of the small cabin and a man lying on the
floor beside them. Furious, he quickly overtook his opponent and threw him on
the ground like an empty sack. Looking down at him to make sure he was
unconscious, Michael felt utter satisfaction when he recognized Eric.

Snapping cuffs on him, Michael
swiftly turned and reached for Jackie, as she let out a happy cry and fell into
his arms. He squeezed her against his body, thankful she was still alive.

“All you all right?” He pulled a
little back to search her face.

“Yes…yes,” she whispered. “I’m fine
now.” She rested her head on his chest, keeping her arms tightly wrapped around
his waist.

Michael breathed out relieved. He
grinned at the dumbfounded look on the faces of the other three people in the
cabin. Obviously, they weren’t used to seeing Jackie throw herself into a
policeman’s arms.

“Is everything okay?” Stavros asked,
appearing at the door.

“Yes,” Michael responded, not letting
go of Jackie. “What about them?” he asked motioning towards the corridor.

“They’re down,” Stavros confirmed and
scanned the room. He recoiled, seeing Stephanos on the floor. “What the hell?”

Michael looked at him inquiringly.

Stavros motioned to him to follow him
outside.

Michael released Jackie and stepped
outside the cabin to the corridor which was now well lit. He was surprised to
see Nikos on the floor. So he was the worthy opponent he had to fight earlier.
He was right to recognize the Special Forces moves. He’d never met Nikos
before, but he’d heard about Stephanos’ twin who had trained in the Special
Forces before he went away to work as a mercenary.

Next to Nikos, Alex lay on the floor
in pretty bad shape.

Michael looked at Stavros who
shrugged his shoulders. “I had a hard time with that one” Stavros said. “It
seems that most of Manos’ recruits are mercenaries.”

“Michael…” Jackie’s voice drew
Michael’s attention back to the entrance of the cabin. She was standing there,
holding on the Aphrodite, with Martha right behind them, supporting Stephanos’ efforts
to stand.

“Everything is all right,” Michael reassured her.
“You’re all safe now.”

She let her eyes wander along the manicured gardens and
the woods that stretched all the way down to the beach. She just couldn’t get
over the shimmering, golden and turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea, which could
be seen from the second floor of the mansion.

She looked down on her hand, admiring the white-gold
ring, with the breathtaking sapphire—her birthstone—in the middle of it and the
sparkling diamonds surrounding it and smiled, feeling her heart overflow with
joy and happiness.

How different things seemed now from that night she came
out here for the first time…the night she met Michael.

Her thoughts flew back to last month’s events and their
miraculous rescue from the yacht. Michael had explained to them that after
Jackie was taken, he immediately notified the authorities. The Coast Guard followed
the speedboat with Jackie and the three gangsters to the yacht, and they kept a
close watch until the police got there in the helicopter. Then they all
together moved in.

Eric Manos and Nikos Demiris, as well as all their
gangsters were arrested and taken back to Athens. They would stand trial—along
with Philip Manos—for the murders they had committed to eliminate all the heirs
to the Demiris fortune and keep it for themselves.

Nikos had partnered with Philip Manos long ago, each one
for his own reasons.

Nikos needed Philip Manos for his power and connections.
He wanted Manos to help him eliminate all the heirs and take what he believed
was rightfully his.

On the other hand, Manos needed Nikos to help him with
the dirty work, and, of course, to have someone to blame for the murders in
case something went wrong. Manos wanted to take his revenge on the Demiris
family, while at the same time, accomplish his ultimate plan—to take over all
valuable pieces of beachfront property he could get his hands on and monopolize
the tourism of the island.

When Philip Manos was arrested, Nikos had no choice than
to go along with Eric, but he wasn’t going to let Eric boss him around. They
were going to wrap things up and get rid of Stephanos, his family, and Jackie
as well, in order for Nikos to take over the Demiris fortune and give Eric back
the piece of property which previously belonged to the Manos family.

Along with the Demiris family murders and Manos’ arrest,
another case was resolved as well—the case of the Evergreens Resort. Manos’ corporation
had created another offshore company that had blackmailed the owners of the pieces
of property where the resort was now built and bought it from them for a
fraction of their actual value. There was also evidence that the attorney,
Nancy Felini, was involved in the illegal property deeds transfers. By wrapping
up this case and closing down Manos’ offshore company, the rightful owners
could claim back their land.

Jackie heard laughter coming from the garden below, and
her heart felt lighter. She stood up and walked over to the balustrade and
looked down at Stephanos, Martha, Aphrodite and Michael walking in the backyard
towards the small pond with the stone waterfall and the lilies.

All her family together.

She was so happy Stephanos, Martha and Aphrodite had
decided to stay and spend a few weeks with Michael and Jackie, while they
recovered from their ordeal and put the pieces of their lives back together.

Stephanos was still limping a little but no longer
depended on a cane. Martha and Aphrodite looked relaxed and content.

***

With all the loose ends resolved, Michael had accepted
his inheritance. He kept the estate on the island and one third of the Demiris
Corporation Shares, while he transferred the other two-thirds of the shares, as
well as the other house on the island, to Stephanos and Loula Demiris.

The family fortune was vast—more than anyone of them had
dreamed—and more than enough to share.

The Demiris Corporation, which owned properties, hotels,
restaurants and other businesses all around the world, was run by a very
efficient Board of Directors and was incredibly profitable.

The treasure of the secret room was also split in three
shares.

No matter how much Michael hated his biological father,
he couldn’t abandon his autistic half-brother, George Kristalis, who was left
alone after his mother was murdered. Michael set up a special trust fund for
him and arranged for proper housing, as well as educational and emotional
support. He had also instructed his attorneys to make sure George received his
rightful share from the Manos family fortune.

***

Jackie looked at her ring one more time and her thoughts
flew back to that special night on September eight—her birthday—when Michael
proposed to her on that same balcony over a candlelight dinner.

She was overwhelmed by her powerful emotions for him and
happy that all their differences had been resolved and trust had been
established between them.

For Jackie trust was just as important in a relationship
as chemistry. She had finally found the one and only man she had been dreaming
of and was looking forward to a life “spellbound in his arms.”

The End