to herself. Nikos had forbidden her from working as a volunteer at the local hospital, and she was
sure he would not allow her to visit a notoriously rough area of the city to work with
disadvantaged youths.
It was that word ‘allow’ that infuriated her, she brooded as the taxi crept along at snail’s pace.
She understood his concerns for the baby, but she was an adult who could make her own
decisions. After her phone call to Father Thomaso she had been determined to visit the youth
centre and meet some of the young people he was trying to support. But she knew that Stavros
would immediately report back to Nikos, and so she had asked him to take her to the museum,
knowing that he could be persuaded to wait in the car for her rather than be dragged around the
exhibit rooms.
Once Stavros had left her, she had slipped out of a side door and hailed a taxi to take her across
town. The hours she had spent with Father Thomaso had convinced her that she had finally
found something worthwhile to do with her empty days while Nikos was at work. But she knew
she could not continue to deceive Nikos. On the journey back across town she wondered how she
could convince him that she would come to no harm working at the youth centre—but when the
taxi finally drew up outside the museum her heart sank at the sight of him standing, grim-faced,
with Stavros.
Okay, she shouldn’t have gone behind his back, she owned when she stepped out of the taxi.
She owed him an apology and an explanation, but she hadn’t broken any laws, and there was no
reason why he should be looking at her with such icy fury that her blood ran cold.
‘Stavros is in no way to blame,’ she said quietly when she reached him. ‘I sent him away, but I
can explain.’
‘Can you?’ Nikos ground out, struggling to control the anger that had surged through him when
he had seen her in the taxi and realised she had deliberately tricked her bodyguard. When Stavros
had phoned him and explained that Kitty had disappeared from the museum, he had broken off
his board meeting and raced across town, breaking every speed limit. Thoughts of kidnap had
filled him with dread, but now a new fear churned in his gut. Where had she been? And why had
she needed to go off in secret? He glanced round at Stavros and the security staff from the
museum who had searched for her, and caught hold of Kitty’s arm in a bruising grip that made
her wince. ‘We can’t talk here,’ he bit out tersely as he marched her over to his car and yanked
open the door. ‘Get in.’
Kitty knew better than to argue. His fury was palpable, and she quickly slid into her seat and
stared straight ahead when he walked round the car and got in next to her. His silence during the
journey back to the apartment shredded her nerves, and when she preceded him down the hall
she was tempted to make a run for it and lock herself in her bathroom. She walked into the living
room with him close behind her, and he immediately crossed to the bar, poured whisky into a
glass and gulped it down. His tension was so fierce that even from a few feet away Kitty could
feel it, and she felt a frisson of real fear when he strode towards her.
‘Where have you been all day, Kitty?’ His hand shot out and gripped her chin, holding her so
tight that she was sure he would crush her jaw.
‘Nikos…you’re hurting me.’ Tears filled her eyes, and she swayed, feeling sick. She suddenly
remembered that she had missed lunch. She had been busy talking to one of the boys at the youth#p#分页标题#e#
club who had run away from home after his abusive stepfather had beaten him. Time had passed
as she had sat with Yanni and tried to comfort him, but now her blood sugars were low and she
was afraid she was going to faint. ‘Let go of me and I’ll tell you,’ she pleaded. ‘For pity’s sake,
Nikos! You’re scaring me, and this level of tension can’t be good for the baby.’
‘You mean there is still a baby?’ he growled savagely. He flung her from him, and she
stumbled, but he stood staring at her, his eyes so dark and bitter that she shook her head in
bewilderment.
‘Of course there’s still a baby. Why wouldn’t there be?’ she faltered.
‘You tell me, Kitty. This morning you told me how much you hate being pregnant, and then
later you gave Stavros the slip and went off without telling anyone where you were going. But
maybe you didn’t want anyone to know,’ he snarled. ‘Maybe you went to a private clinic and
dealt with the problem of your pregnancy.’
Either she was crazy, or he was. ‘What clinic?’ she demanded desperately. ‘There isn’t a