***
Pushing through the heavy shrubbery, Jackie raced towards the small dirt road where her rented car was hidden. Reaching the car, she panicked. Where did she have the car keys? She searched her pockets and was relieved to feel the key in her hand. But to get it in the lock was another story. Trying hard to control her trembling, she finally managed to unlock the door on the third try. She jumped inside and locked the door behind her. Breathing heavily, she leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes for a moment.
I need to pull myself together!
All she wanted right now was to drive away. She turned the key in the ignition and was relieved to hear the old engine roar to life. She heard someone calling out for her, but she wasn’t about to stop. She pressed her foot down on the gas pedal and drove off as fast as she could.
Speeding around a sharp curve, a man dashed out of the woods and into her path. She screamed and wrenched the wheel violently to the right. The car fishtailed and skidded off the road. It veered towards the edge of the cliff, fast, out of control.
Jackie shoved against the door with all her strength. It wouldn’t budge. Oh, God! This is really happening. She was going to die. There was nothing she could do to stop this dreadful nightmare. She clutched the steering wheel and gritted her teeth. The car rattled all over the place. She drew a sudden breath and her body went rigid. The car plunged over the edge and she screamed at the top of her lungs. The vast blue of the sea filled her vision. A sharp pain shot through her head. Time seemed to stop and everything went blank….
Chapter Two
Running through the woods, Michael heard a car engine starting somewhere nearby. He rushed towards it, calling out for Jackie. He saw a car speeding around a curve on the dirt road that led to the back of the property. The vehicle almost ran into the man dressed in black. The man jumped out of the way and disappeared on the other side of the road. The car swerved and went right off the cliff.
Michael raced towards the cliff, feeling his heart pounding fast in his chest. He peered over the edge and saw the car below. It was lodged against a tree trunk a little bit further down the slope and was now swaying over the abyss.
He started climbing down the rugged hillside, trying to reach the car before it was too late. He slipped and fell several times, scratching and bruising his hands and knees. But he didn’t stop, until he reached the car. He saw the girl leaning against the wheel. He couldn’t tell whether she was dead or alive. He opened the door, trying not to move the car too much and carefully pulled her outside into his arms. A few seconds later, the tree trunk gave way and the car dropped straight down. It crashed into the rocks and disappeared into the sea.
Trying to catch his breath, Michael sat on the ground, holding Jackie tightly in his arms. He looked down at her motionless, pale face. It was covered in blood.
Frantically, he searched her head and found a deep cut, right above her forehead. She must have hit it on the steering wheel. He raised her carefully and placed her on the ground. Then, he took off his shirt, wrapped it gently around her head and carefully picked her up in his arms again. Climbing up the hill wasn’t going to be easy, but he was determined to save the girl’s life.
Mobilizing his special forces training, he began the climb, carrying her motionless body over his shoulder. At the same time, he kept a wary eye on his surroundings. The other intruder of the mansion might still be around, and he had to be very careful. This was a deadly game and lives were at stake.
Reaching the top of the hill, he placed Jackie on the ground. He took out his gun and quickly scanned the area. No one seemed to be around.
Now, his attention was drawn back to the girl. Who was she really? And was she telling the truth about being a relative of Constantinos Demiris? He sighed, frustrated. He had come out here to get some answers and instead of that, things had gotten even more complicated. He reached down and examined her face in the dim moonlight. She was still alive, but she was bleeding pretty badly. He had to get her to a hospital soon.
It would have been easier and faster to leave her there and go get his car, but he couldn’t risk it. What if the other man came back?
He picked her up again and entered the woods, heading back for his car hidden behind the mansion. He moved swiftly and quietly, paying attention to every slight motion and sound. The suspicions and unanswered questions were devouring him. He had to find out who was responsible for all those deaths. This wasn’t just another mission. This was a personal quest for justice.
And what about the girl in his arms? Was she innocent or was she also involved in all these murders? His instinct told him she couldn’t be involved in the murders. But then again, why did she run away from him? She might not be a murderer, but her motives weren’t that innocent either. Otherwise, why come out here all alone in the middle of the night? One thing was for sure though—the girl had guts. He had to be very careful with her. She couldn’t be trusted.
Damn! He cursed silently. If only, she weren’t so hot. Just thinking of her lovely face with the beautiful honey-brown eyes and the sensuous lips trembling under his flashlight, made his blood run hot in his veins. Whoever she was, she was a knockout. But Michael knew better than to be affected by appearances…didn’t he?
***
Philip Manos, owner and managing director of Manos Enterprises, was perched in a soft leather armchair behind his huge mahogany desk, lost in his troubling thoughts. It was getting pretty late, but he had no intention of leaving his luxurious office in Piraeus—the harbor of Athens—before he had some news. The ringing of the church bells located in the steeple of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church startled him, and he anxiously checked the white-gold Rolex on his wrist.
He should have called by now. He let out a deep breath like the hissing of a snake and hit his fist on the desk, making the crystal ashtray bounce. He sprang to his feet and strode over to the huge windows from where he could see the harbor.
The Manos Enterprises Tower was one of the most beautiful buildings in Piraeus—a gem of architecture. It dominated the skyline with its shining white marble pillars and arches. The “M” emblem engraved on a huge 24-carat gold disk, was placed between the thirty-sixth and the thirty-eighth floors of the forty-story building. Manos’ office was located on the top floor of the building, and along with a huge conference room and the reception area where his secretary’s desk was, occupied the entire floor.
The impeccably dressed, middle-aged man stood at the window, feeling his feet sinking in the thick, cream color carpet and let his gaze roam over the magnificent view of the harbor at night. Lights and colors coming from the buildings and the beautiful cruise ships resting on the calm waters was something that always made him feel good. But it wasn’t the beauty of this sight that he admired. It was the way it made him feel—like he was at the top of the world. And actually, he was. He was filthy rich and one of the most powerful men in the country and around the globe. He chuckled, thinking of his accomplishments and the power he had acquired over the years. Not bad for the son of a low-life drunk who had lost his family estate, along with his self-esteem to gambling.
There was a soft knock on the door, bringing him back from his trip down memory lane. “Come in.” His voice was firm and eager and his body tense, as he turned to face the door.
His secretary—a heavyset woman with short blond hair—appeared at the door, looking timid.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, feeling nothing but hostility for the woman who had been his mistress for years. But that was a long time ago, when she was young and beautiful and had that hard-to-resist body. Now, she had grown older, gained a lot of weight, and was nothing but a burden to him. Still, he kept her around, not being able to trust anyone else with the darker aspects of his business.
The woman hesitated for a moment before she stepped inside the office. Silently, she handed him a fax.
Manos grabbed the paper, avoiding touching her hand, and as he read it, his face turned red wi
th rage.
“Call Roussos!” he barked at her, with fire in his dark, almost black eyes. “I need him to come here, right now!” he accentuated his command, by knocking his fist fiercely on the top of his desk.
His secretary turned and hastily left the room, closing the door behind her.
Manos began pacing up and down his office, clenching his fists. This is not good. This is not good at all. He hadn’t anticipated this new obstacle. But Manos was a very determined man and he hadn’t come such a long way to give up now. Eric had screwed up and something needed to be done quickly.
Roussos is the right man for this job. He knows exactly what to do.
Half an hour later, Roussos, a tall bulky man dressed in black, walked into Manos’ office.
“Where have you been?” Manos thundered out.
“Calm down. I came as soon as I got the message. What is the problem?”
Manos handed him the fax.
Roussos read carefully. "Encountered some problems—unexpected visitors on the premises. Had to leave without accomplishing the mission. J.”
“What’s this all about?” Roussos watched Manos very carefully.
“It means that my dear son screwed up!” Manos burst out, not being able to control his temper any longer.
“Nothing new there,” Roussos pointed out.
Manos took a deep breath, giving Roussos a murderous look. “At least, he was smart enough not to use his cell phone” he added. “I’m sure we’re under surveillance!”
“Why don’t you calm down and tell me what you want me to do?” Roussos inquired in a steady voice, looking totally unaffected by Manos’ violent temper.
“I need those damn papers. That’s what I want you to do” Manos replied in a lower, but just as firm, voice. He picked up a black folder from the top of his desk and threw it towards Roussos, who caught it in middle air “Find them!”
“What’s this?” Roussos inquired holding up the folder.
“Everything you need to know is in that folder.” Manos walked back to his desk, sank into his armchair, and let out a deep breath. “Find them!” he repeated and gave Roussos a meaningful look.
“At any cost?” Roussos asked carefully, knowing that his boss knew exactly what he meant by this.
“At any cost!” Manos confirmed.
***
The secretary, who was eavesdropping right outside the door, felt a shiver run up her spine. She rushed back to her desk. For one more time, Elizabeth Kristalis wished she had the courage to leave this job. She hated Manos and was scared to death of him and his associates, especially this one coming out of his office now.
She could still remember the shock she felt when she read in the newspapers about a girl who had drowned. The accident happened only two days after she had heard Manos mention the girl’s name to Roussos. The girl was found dead…drowned…a fine swimming athlete, who had won a lot of competitions. Elizabeth couldn’t believe that nobody suspected anything. The newspapers called it an accident. And what about the police? Didn’t they realize that there was something wrong with her death? She just couldn’t believe that somebody hadn’t looked into this any further.
She kept her eyes lowered, pretending to be reading the papers she had in front of her on her desk, trying to avoid any eye contact with Roussos as he was leaving Manos’ office. Every time she would accidentally look at this man, she had this feeling of staring at the cold eyes of a snake and her blood would run icy cold in her veins.
After he had closed the door behind him, she sensed him hesitating for a moment outside Manos’ office. It took all the strength she could manage not to look up and see what he was up to…whether he was staring at her or not. Anxiously, she cursed beneath her breath the thick carpet that prevented her from hearing his footsteps. She just kept her head down, waiting for him to leave.
It seemed like ages before she heard the bell of the elevator as the doors opened on their floor. Then she heard them closing but still it took her a couple of minutes before she looked up to verify she was all alone.
Her gaze turned towards Manos’ closed door and back to the papers on her desk, without really seeing them. Her mind ran wild. Can I do it? Do I have the courage to go through with this? And what if he finds out it was me? She quivered and swallowed hard. Her palms were damp from sweat. She had thought about talking to the police a million times over these past few years. Every time she would get all worked up and think she had enough of him, she would decide to go ahead and do it. But then, anxiety and fear would overcome her and she would back down and be left emotionally drained inside.
She couldn’t believe she had once fallen in love with this ruthless, cold-blooded man. But that was ages ago and she had been a different person back then. She was young and naive and dazzled by his good looks, as well as his wealth and power. It hadn’t been long though, before she found out what he was really about. And then it was too late to get away from him. She already knew too much about his business and was sure he would never let her go just like that. And of course, there was an even more important reason—her son. Stupid, young Elizabeth had gotten pregnant, and there wasn’t much she could do but stay close to her baby’s father and accept the help he offered, having no other person to turn to.
Elizabeth’s family was from Mani, one of the most old-fashioned towns in Greece, where tradition and family honor meant more than life and any kind of misunderstanding or insult would start a vendetta that would carry on from one generation to the next. A family and a society like this would never accept her bastard, and so Elizabeth was left alone and undefended, relying on the one man she had learned to fear and hate more than anything in the world.
And he helped her all right, but that was just another way of keeping her captive and using her for his own purposes. He never really cared for her, and he never cared for their son, George. The fact that George was autistic infuriated Manos. According to his theory, a perfect man like him should only have perfect children and especially sons, who would inherit and empower his empire. Elizabeth thought about his own cruel words, as he repeatedly pointed out to her that he was cursed with two sons—one from his wife Anastasia and one from her—who were both failures in their own way. Her son was handicapped, and Eric…well, Eric was greedy, lazy, and above all, useless. Manos had over and over again made it clear it was their mothers’ fault his sons were unworthy to carry on his name and his heritage.
Elizabeth hated him with all her heart for being so cruel to her adorable son just because he happened to be special in his own way. But he was cruel to everybody. He treated his son Eric like trash and he ruined the life of his wife Anastasia with his infidelities and his violent temper. Not being able to handle the physical and psychological abuse of her husband, as well as the shame and misery of her life, Anastasia had committed suicide at the age of thirty-five, when Eric was only ten years old.
This was going to be another long night Elizabeth realized and let out a deep breath, feeling desperate and helpless. Deep in her heart, she was sure about what she should do, but she was absolutely terrified, even by the thought.
She stood up and gathered the papers from the top of her desk and placed them in a folder. Then she took the folder to the back of the room where a state-of-the-art, in-wall safe was hidden behind a mahogany bookcase. Among the extensive collection of books, Elizabeth picked the correct one and tugged on its cover. Taking a step back, she watched the bookcase turn sideways, revealing the safe. The key to the safe hung from a gold chain on her neck along with a gold heart—a gift from Manos. She entered the combination on the touch screen monitor, which ironically was the date she met Manos for the first time—just another one of his ways to torture her. She placed the small key hanging from her chain in the lock and turned it. The door of the safe opened smoothly, revealing stacks of money and piles of folders. She placed the folder she was holding on top of the others and stood back for a moment looking at the contents of the safe. She knew there
was sufficient evidence in there to send Manos to prison for a life-time.
If only….
She turned to look at the phone. No, she couldn’t do it.
At least, not yet.
Chapter Three
Philip Manos watched Elizabeth through the hidden camera. He suspected she wanted to turn him in. But he knew she didn’t have the courage to go through with this.
A very peculiar and secretive man like him, one with so many enemies, had to be very careful. And so he had installed secret cameras throughout the building in order to monitor everything going on. Of course, he was the only one who knew about this. He didn’t trust anybody—not even his son, Eric.
He also had another secret safe in his office. Actually, it was a secret room with a solid steel door, which could only be opened by a combination and his fingerprint recognition. The steel door hid behind an enormous aquarium, with thick glass on all sides, except the back one, which was a mirror. Pushing a button hidden beneath the bottom left drawer of his mahogany desk, the heavy aquarium rotated on its steel axis, revealing the door to the safe.
In there, along with the cash and the bonds he had for emergency purposes, he kept the monitors connected to the hidden cameras, as well as the surveillance tapes from everything important going on in his company. He also taped the dealings taking place in his office, so he would be able to blackmail anybody he needed to at any given time.
His little black diary was also kept in there. Everybody he’d ever known or had dealings with was logged in that little diary, along with embarrassing or incriminating details of their personal lives. That little diary was a powerful weapon, which could destroy the lives of very important men—businessmen, politicians, country officials and an endless number of gentlemen of the underworld.
Manos was an artist in manipulating people’s lives and turning everything to his advantage. He had no conscience and no remorse. He cared about no one, but himself—a ruthless, cold-hearted bastard, as most of his employees and associates would call him…and he had all of them on tape.