“What is this?” Cassia gasped.
She lifted a photograph and then showed it to him. It showed the body of a boy, someone who could not be more than twenty, and there was a bullet hole in his forehead.
Nikos pursed his lips and grabbed the photograph from her.
“We believe it’s one of the waiters from Hector’s staff who found out what the shipment contained. He was killed because of the knowledge he bore.”
Cassia’s stomach rolled and nausea overwhelmed her. She covered her mouth and tried to breathe deeply to avoid being sick. At the same time, a heavy feeling of dread settled over her shoulders and her tears turned into huge sobs.
She picked up one photograph of Hector where his face was clear. She gripped it tightly and raised her other hand to trace along the edges of his handsome features.
Uncaring about who was listening, she cried her heart out.
“Cassia...shh...” Nikos gathered her in his arms.
He kissed her temple as he tried to comfort her.
“Now, I hope you understand why I have to protect you. Hector fucked up somehow and now the entire cartel is after him. They would use you to get to him.”
Cassia sobbed harder when she realized the truth in his words. This was why Hector sounded so frantic when he last spoke to her. This was why he wanted her to take a vacation and told her she wasn’t safe.
“I won’t grant you the divorce either. I can’t have you go to someone like him. The life you believe you’ll be having with him is all an illusion. He can’t give you something normal. The drug cartel would always come first. There’s no escaping them.”
Cassia gasped in outrage and pushed Nikos back.
“How dare you speak like that?! You know nothing, Nikos! Hector is a good man! I know that his desperation for his business caused him to do this! But his intentions were pure! He did this because his business was all he had! Desperation drives even the best men to sin and to do what they don’t want to! You should know, right?”
Nikos sucked in a breath after hearing her question.
“You were forced to marry someone you believe is equivalent to a spoiled heiress and a monster when Demakis International was about to be snatched away from your family!”
Nikos opened his mouth to argue but Cassia kept on speaking.
“What makes you any different? Please stop making accusations and stop pointing fingers! You are just like him!” Cassia snapped.
Her words chilled him to his very core. He could not accept that she was comparing him to Hector.
But he also couldn’t help the tightening in his chest as he realized what she told him was true.
Later that Day
La Guardia Airport
New York City
“Before we board the plane, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“There’s one on the plane. You can just go there,” Nikos replied dryly as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading. They were seated in the VIP lounge of the airport while they waited for his private jet to be ready.
“No. I have to go now.”
In truth, she needed to escape his presence so that she could call Hector and ask him about what she just learned.
Nikos sighed, “Very well then.”
He nodded to two of Cassia’s guards and asked them to escort her to the nearest comfort room. The guards thoroughly checked the stalls before they let Cassia inside. After she was done with her business, she began looking for pay phones.
But there were none.
She poked her head outside of the door and called one of her guards.
“Can I borrow your phone?” she whispered.
“Ma’am, I do not think that is wise,” the guard told her firmly.
“I have just been attacked and my store has been ruined. I need to call my assistant toleave instructions about the shop and about what happened earlier. In a few minutes, I’ll be flying to Greece and I’ll be leaving the poor guy alone to handle everything that happened.”
“I advise that you discuss this with your husband.”
“Haven’t you noticed that he’s a busy man? Besides, I have a few instructions for my assistant regarding private matters that he need not bother himself about. I promise I will just be quick.”
Reluctantly, the guard handed her his phone.
“Please be quick, ma’am. I think the jet is almost ready.”
Cassia nodded to her guard and then closed the door and went to the farthest part of the bathroom where she was sure they wouldn’t overhear any conversation.
She quickly dialed Hector’s number. He told her last time that he’d change his number but she prayed that it was still the one he used.
His phone rang but he didn’t pick up. She decided that she would just leave him a message and waited for his voicemail.
“Hector... It’s me Cassia. Something happened and I—“
“Cassia?!I told you not to call. It isn’t safe!” he cried frantically.
“Hector...listen. Something happened. My store was attacked. There were men who came there with the intent of kidnapping me—“
“What?! Are you okay? What happened? Where are you?”
“Calm down, Hector. I’m fine. Just a little bit shaken. I was shot in the arm but it’s only a flesh wound and I already had it tended by doctors. I was just in my shop while packing my things to go on that vacation as you ordered. Before I knew it, the glass shattered and there were men barging inside my store.”
Hector cursed under his breath.
“Cassia...I don’t know what to say. This is all my fault.”
“Hector...I know this is not the time to talk about this...but Nikos told me several things. And I just have to know.”
“What did he say?” Hector’s tone was icy.
She never heard him use that tone before.
“He said that you are part of the Greek drug cartel.”
There was silence from his end for a long time. Finally, he sighed.
“It’s true Cassia. But I don’t want to be with them anymore. I wanted to end it all so I could be free. I did it for you! For us! I talked to them about it and they agreed on one condition. There was a last shipment. It was bigger than anything else. I think it was worth close to a billion dollars,” he confessed.
“What happened?” she asked hesitantly.
Each word from him broke hear heart. But she needed to know the entire truth.
“I failed that shipment. Something happened. I don’t know what. Maybe someone heard about it and stole everything. Maybe someone fucked up from my team. It’s lost and no matter what I do, I can’t retrieve it...I failed them Cassia...” his voice broke on a sob.
“Hector... it’s going to be all right. I promise you.”
“It’s not! That mistake is going to cost me my life! This is why I am hiding! This is why I want you to hide! We’ll never be safe. What happened to you is my fault.”
“Stop it, Hector. It’s not,” she reprimanded.
In fact, it was her fault. If she did not press him so much about wanting more of his time, then he wouldn’t have begged to be released from the drug cartel.
Hector took a few seconds to calm himself down.
“Where are you now?”
“That’s what I was calling you about. Nikos swept in on the scene and decided he’d whisk me away to Greece for my safety. I told him no but the man is immovable on this.”
“What?!” Hector’s tone suddenly changed, “Where in Greece would he be taking you to?” This time his voice sounded menacing.
“He just mentioned something about a private island. That’s all I know.”
“Cassia. I’m afraid about this. I don’t want you with him. I know we can’t be together because of all the danger...call me selfish, but I still want you with me. I can’t let you be with him. ”
“Don’t worry, Hector. It will be all right. You have nothing to worry about with me and Nikos.”
“Promise me you won’t return to him. Promise me this,” Hector begged.
“I promise.”
“You know I love you, right?”
“I know.”
Thirty Minutes Later
Nikos’ private jet.
La Guardia Airport, New York City
Nikos held her hand as they climbed up the steep ladder. They entered his private jet and Cassia’s jaw dropped. Drool would’ve fallen from her mouth had she not closed it quickly.
Everything here was truly lavish and extravagant!
It was like those that she saw in movies, only this one was bigger and better. There were only a few seats and they looked like a more expensive version of a La-Z-Boy. On the far side of the wall, there stood a large, flat screen TV. It was a large plane but the interior looked like the living room of a grand mansion.
Cassia went straight to the chairs but Nikos tugged her hand.
“Let me tour you to the bedroom first. We’ll stay there after we take off so you can rest.”
Before she could react to his words, he opened a door and gently guided her inside. Her eyes widened when she saw the large bed there. On the left side was another door.
“If you need to use the bathroom, go first. I want a shower before we take off,” Nikos told her.
She nodded and entered the bathroom. At first, Cassia fumbled around because it was really hard to pull down her pants because one of her hands was placed in a sling. But after much wiggling and awkward tugging, she was able to relieve herself.
Once she exited, she saw that Nikos had a fresh change of clothes in his hands. He instructed her to go outside and strap herself in one of the seats for they would be taking off soon. She did as he asked and found herself dozing off as she waited for them to leave. A few minutes later, Nikos also strapped himself in beside her after having a few words with the pilot.