“No worries. Is everything okay?” she asked, hoping he would share whatever was bothering him.
“Yes, but I need to go to Athens to sign some paperwork. We’ll need to head there when we leave here.”
“Athens?” Kassi shrugged, “Okay.”
“I need to make a few more phone calls and then we need to head out. Are you okay getting our things packed up?”
“Of course. Go make your calls and I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.” Kassi watched him walk off, seeming just a bit preoccupied, but she tried not to take it personally. Instead, she made sure all of their personal items were packed up and then carried the bags into the front room. Piotr immediately came and took them from her.
“I’ll put these in the trunk.”
“Okay. I’m going to miss this place.”
Piotr smiled at her over the lid of the trunk. “We were only here for a few days.”
“Yeah, but what a good few days they were,” she told him with a bright smile.
“We’ll come back sometime.”
Kassi nodded and slid into the vehicle, the supple leather surrounding her body like a warm caress. She loved this car and settled back for the drive. Piotr was an excellent driver and she found herself drifting in and out of sleep, not having gotten much the last few nights.
They arrived in Athens and Piotr drove through the city without needing any directions.
“You seem to know your way around the city,” Kassi murmured as he navigated the heavy traffic.
“I grew up here,” Piotr told her with a smile.
“Really? I never knew that.” She added that to the list of things she knew about Piotr, a list that was unfortunately fairly small.
He made his way to the most exclusive and expensive part of the city. An area she was personally familiar with as her parents had owned an estate here when she was very young.
When he pulled up to a gated estate, swiped a card and the gates swung open, Kassi knew there was much more to Piotr than shed ever thought. “Where are we?”
“My parents’ estate.” He parked in front of the elaborate arches and then hopped out and came around to hand her out of the vehicle. “Come on inside. I’m afraid there is no staff at the moment. I wasn’t planning to come back here.”
Ever? Kassi found her mind finishing his statement. She followed him inside, falling in love with the décor and the simple white on white furnishings. “This place is gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you think so. Look, I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour, possibly two. Will you be okay here for a bit?” Piotr asked her.
Kassi nodded and smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll take you to dinner when I get back. I’m afraid there isn’t any food in the house.”
“How long has it been sitting vacant? I don’t see any dust.”
“No one has lived here in months but I have a cleaning service come in once a month to keep things up.”
Kassi nodded, and then smiled. “Go take care of your business. I’ll just wander around a bit. There’s much to see.”
Piotr smiled. “There’s an art gallery on the third floor. My mother loved fine art and had quite a collection.”
“And you’ve left it here to sit?” Kassi asked in a shocked voice.
“I planned to return at some point and I really couldn’t see packing everything up until I decided what I wanted to keep. Anyway, I really need to go. Are you sure you’ll be okay here?”
“I’ll be fine. Go.” Kassi waved him off, offering him a kiss before he walked out the front doors and shut them behind him.
Chapter 15
She listened as his car pulled away from the house and then she decided to amuse herself by taking a complete tour of the house. Given its size, that should take at least an hour and by then, Piotr would be back. With a plan in mind, she headed for the back of the house and started her exploration there.
She wandered the first floor, ran her hands over the elegant baby grand piano in the sitting room, and spent a few minutes admiring the gardens and then headed to the second floor. It seemed to only contain bedrooms so she headed for the third floor, curious to see the art collection he’d mentioned.
She found it and was amazed to see what looked like an original Monet, a Renoir, and even an original Degas hung on the walls, surrounded by lesser known artists and family portraits. Kassi had always loved art, but she knew Gemma would absolutely fall in love with this collection. She was the former art restoration expert for the United States National Museum and Kassi was sure she would have words with Piotr over leaving them here in what amounted to an abandoned estate.
Finished with her exploration of the third floor, she headed back down to the second, glancing at her watch as she went. She found several bedrooms and almost immediately located the one Piotr had used. She found pictures of him when he was younger doing various sports and she smiled at how cute he’d been as a young teenager.
She headed for the next room, seeing that it was more of an office and library rather than a bedroom. She sat down behind the ornate desk, absentmindedly opening up the drawers, not really looking for anything, just passing the time. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the elaborate wooden box contained in the very bottom drawer. It was hand-carved and had a small key lock on the front.
Kassi pulled it out and set it on the top of the desk, not surprised when she found it locked up tight. Her curiosity took over and she found herself going through the center drawer of the desk, looking for the key. Her search proved fruitful and she smiled as she placed the small brass key in the lock and it gave way.
She carefully lifted the lid, seeing the pictures lying on the top of the papers contained inside and smiling. There was a picture of Piotr with a man and a woman she assumed were his parents. He was very young in the picture, probably only five or six and he was smiling without a care in the world. She set it aside and looked at the next picture. This time Piotr was being held by the man she assumed was his father, but another man was in this picture. A man who looked a lot like Piotr’s father but seemed a bit older.
The picture was grainy, and details were hard to see, but she wondered if this was another family member. She truly didn’t know that much about Piotr and suddenly wanted that void filled. She wanted to know about his childhood, what his favorite things were and what he’d dreamed about as a child. She wanted to know him.
She set that picture aside, intending to ask him about it when he returned and then looked at the other things filling the box. There were a few other pictures, and then several newspaper articles. She spread them open and frowned when she saw an obituary for a man who would have been Piotr’s uncle. The man had died many years earlier and had been buried in the family crypt at a local cemetery.
The next few articles were nothing short of confusing. They were all about the rise of the local Greek mafia and were all dated after the other man’s death. She was reading an article that was questioning the sudden appearance of a mafia man who simply called himself Andronicus, when an angry sound at the doorway brought her head up.
Piotr stood there, his face angry and his eyes blazing fire in her direction. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Kassi set the newspaper article down on the desk and swallowed. “I explored the house and ended up in here. I wasn’t trying to snoop…”
“And yet, you did.”
“I didn’t start out that way. I was just kind of killing time…Curiosity got the best of me when I found this box. I found these pictures of you…”
“This room is off limits. I don’t want you in here,” Piotr told her with a trace of coldness in his voice.
“Piotr, I didn’t mean to pry. Why are you so upset?”
“Who said I was upset? I invited you here and I would appreciate it if you didn’t go snooping through papers and such.”
“I wasn’t trying to snoop. I saw the pictures on your bedroom walls and was curious if th
ere were more. I don’t know anything about you and that’s all I was trying …”
“Kassi…I understand you are always curious, but if I wanted you to know about my childhood I would have told you about it myself.”
Kassi’s anger spiked and she pushed to her feet. “And that’s the problem we have. You never talk about yourself or your past. You use your security duties to snoop and spy on everyone else, but the minute anyone wants to know about you, you get furious.”
Piotr shook his head and stepped away from the doorway. “I will not fight with you about this. Wait for me downstairs. We’ll go get dinner…”
Kassi shook her head, angry tears stinging her eyes. “You know, I find I’m not in the mood to have dinner right now.” She picked up the picture of a young Piotr with the two men and showed it to him. “Who is this?”
Piotr took the picture from her hands and tossed it back down on the desk. “I don’t want to discuss this.”
“Just answer the question. Is that your dad?”
Piotr gave her a cold look. “Yes. Now, can we please get out of this room!”
“What? You don’t like this room? Was it your father’s office, is that it? I’m sorry if being in here brings back bad memories…”
“Not bad memories. I just don’t want you in here.” Piotr took her elbow and tried to direct her around the desk, but she wasn’t even close to being ready to comply.
She pulled away and pointed at the picture again. “Who is the other man?”
“My uncle,” Piotr finally bit out.
“Your uncle?” She dug through the papers until she found the obituary, “He died?”
“Yes. Kassi…”
“Your father must have been very sad. Why would he keep these newspaper articles about the Greek mafia in the same box with these pictures and your uncle’s obituary?”
Suddenly, she thought she might have uncovered something. “Was your uncle killed by the mafia? Is that why being in here makes you so uncomfortable?”
“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m not nervous. I’m annoyed. In fact, I’m beginning to get angry. The things in this room are no business of yours and this conversation is finished.”
This time, Piotr didn’t give her a chance to break his hold. He spun her away from him and grabbed her elbows, walking her steadily towards the doorway. Once in the hallway, he stepped back and slammed the door in her face, locking himself in the room he’d just ejected her from.
Kassi hit the door with her palm. “Piotr! Why won’t you just talk to me?”
When he didn’t respond, she felt her anger give way to a feeling of despondency. No matter how well she and Piotr got along in bed, there was still the rest of their lives they couldn’t seem to find a way to things mesh. Piotr had just shoved her from his life and his past and Kassi knew no relationship could ever survive that way.
*****
Piotr looked at the newspaper articles and photographs his father had found so important that he’d locked them up in his desk, and he sank down in the leather chair and buried his head in his hands. He’d not come into this room since before his parents’ death, not wanting anything to do with their lifestyle. He’d known by the feeling in the pit of his stomach that something had not been right with his father for quite some time. He’d never dreamed the secret that was being kept locked away was of this magnitude.
He looked at the pictures and read the newspaper articles, his fate weighing down upon him like a big piece of lead. He’d signed some paperwork at the lawyer’s office that was going to change his life going forward, and not in any way Piotr was looking favorably upon.
And there was Kassi. Piotr knew without even going to find her that he’d probably ruined things between them by his reaction to finding her going through his father’s things. He hadn’t meant to overreact, but seeing her here in this room, holding pieces of his past he wished he could make disappear, and knowing the real threat they posed not only to him, but to her…his self-control had snapped and he now needed to beg her forgiveness and try to find a way to fix things between them.
Chapter 16
The next morning…
Kassi emerged from the small bedroom behind the kitchens where she’d spent the night and went in search of Piotr. After being pushed out of the upstairs office, she’d thought about leaving, but without a vehicle and being so far away from the Moustakas estate, she could not.
When she walked into the front room several hours later, her red-rimmed eyes were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses. She wouldn’t give Piotr the satisfaction of knowing he’d hurt her. Not again. She saw him talking on his phone and walked purposefully past him.
“Kassi?” he called after her.
“I want to go home. To the estate. I’ll wait in the car.” She left the house and got into the passenger seat, holding her bag on her lap in a defensive move.
Piotr joined her a few minutes later and insisted on stowing her bag in the trunk. “Kassi, you can’t keep it up here. There’s not enough room and it’s not safe.”
Kassi finally released her hold on the bag and buckled her seatbelt, pushing herself up against the door to put as much distance between them as possible. She kept her face turned away from him, even when he got into the driver’s seat and stared at her for a long time. She refused to turn around.
He finally started up the vehicle and headed them back to Thessaloniki. They’d been travelling for almost an hour before Piotr tried to break the silence.
“Kassi, I’m sorry I overreacted yesterday.”
Kassi didn’t give any indication that she’d heard him. His apologies didn’t even break through the depressing thoughts consuming her mind. She felt so out of sorts and lost. She just wanted to crawl beneath the covers of her bed and disappear for a while.
“Kassi, are you even listening to me? I’m trying to tell you how sorry I am. There are so many things I need to tell you, but I can’t. I’m asking you to trust me. To forgive me.”
Kassi barely hear his words, just the fact that he couldn’t tell her things. This wasn’t a surprise to her and she remained quiet, tears silently spilling down her face, but hidden by the glasses and her position against the door.
They arrived back at the estate and even before the vehicle came to a complete stop, Kassi had her door open, her seatbelt off, and was running for the house. She burst through the door, startling Leo and Alexi who were standing in the foyer.
“Kassi! We didn’t realize you were back.” Leo took a step towards her but then stopped when she backed up a step.
“Kassi! Come back here!” Piotr burst through the doorway and scrambled to a stop. “Will you stop ignoring me and talk to me.”
Kassi ignored him and addressed Leo and Alexi, barely containing a new wave of tears. “I’m sorry but I can’t do this any longer.” She lost the battle with her tears and a wave of dizziness had her reaching for the banister to steady her wobbly legs.
“Kassi,” Piotr moved towards her, but she spun away from him, colliding with the stair banister and almost falling over. Alexi put a stabilizing hand on her arm.
“I don’t want to see him again.” She looked at Leo, imploring him with her eyes, “Please? Find someone else to play bodyguard. I can’t…I just can’t do this again.”
She held Leo’s gaze until he nodded and then she took a quivering breath and shook Alexi’s arm off. She started up the stairs, attempting to keep her back straight and her head held high, but the edges of her vision started to blur. She felt light-headed and she knew she needed to stop and ask for help, but something made her take another step forward. Her foot never met the staircase.
She heard all three men call her name as her vision finally went black and she felt her legs give out beneath her. She should probably care that she’d worried Leo and Alexi, but the promise of blessed oblivion and a brief respite from her hurting heart were too much to ignore. She didn’t feel her body hit the stairs or the anguished cries of the men as t
hey rushed to her aid. She didn’t feel anything. Finally.
*****
“Skata!” Piotr shoved Alexi aside and rushed to catch Kassi before she could cause serious injury to herself. He’d seen her wobble and had known that she was at her breaking point and he’d never felt so guilty in his life. He’d pushed her to this by keeping secrets and failing to talk to her.
He swept her into his arms, sitting down on a step and glaring at both Leo and Alexi who tried to take her from them. “Step back.”
Leo glared at him and got right in his face. “That is my cousin you are holding and it seems that this situation is mostly your fault, so you will excuse me if I don’t listen to you right now.”
Leo reached out and lifted Kassi from his arms and then strode up the stairs. “Call the doctor,” Leo called out.
“I’ll…,” Piotr began to follow.
“Not you. Alexi. As for you, wait for us in my office.”
“I’m not going to do anything until I know Kassi’s going to be alright,” Piotr told him.
“We’ll give you a report. Now, if you know what’s good for you, and you actually do care what happens to her, wait for me in my office and give her some space. It’s obviously what she wants and needs,” Leo told him in a no-nonsense voice.
Piotr wanted to protest, loudly, but instead he remembered the hurt look on her face when he’d shoved her from his father’s office the day before. He had done this to her and he owed it to her to steer clear at least until he was in a position to explain himself. With a terse nod, he turned and went back down the steps.
He’d wait for Leo and Alexi, and then he was going to put an end to this fiasco. This was his life his uncle was playing games with and it was hurting Kassi. Enough was enough. Whether she ever forgave him or not, he was going to do whatever it took to end this situation. He’d explain things to Leo and Alexi and ask for their help. Since his uncle had seen fit to involve them, Piotr was sure they would give whatever help they could. Whether or not they would ever allow him to be close to Kassi again once they knew the truth was yet to be seen.
Her Greek Bodyguard (The Greek Brothers Book 3) Page 8