I framed her face with my hands, saying, "In a little while, love. I'm going to get some ice and settle in for a minute. But then I'll join you."
She leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to my lips, and I fought every urge I had to pull her in closer, to take her mind off her sadness by making her feel good again. But I managed to watch her pull away and slowly dip her perfect body into the steaming water, then I turned around and walked out.
I found my brother exactly where he'd said he would be, and to say he looked worried would have been a massive understatement. He looked nervous and uncomfortable.
"I will never, not ever, do this for you again. So you better make sure you get this right the first time, Preston. I know you'd go to the ends of the earth for Lena, and I'll do anything I can to help you, but this," he said, slamming a sealed manila envelope into my chest, "is outside my comfort zone."
I grabbed the envelope and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"You don't know how much I appreciate this. It's all there?"
"Everything you asked for is in that envelope. This cannot come back to me, brother. You have to find a way to end this."
"Trust me," I said, looking my older brother directly in the eye. "I've thought this through and this is the only way we all get what we want, and everyone gets what they deserve."
"You better be right," he said firmly, his face a mixture of concern and apprehension. Then he clasped my shoulder and brought me into a hug, forceful and startling. "Keep her safe. And keep yourself safe too, Pres. I need you both to be okay when this is all done." After a few hearty claps on the back I pulled away, trying not to let my surprise at his worry show on my face. I was trying to be stoic, to show him I had everything under control.
"We'll be fine."
In response, Parker reached out his hand, and I shook it.
"Call me if you need anything." He paused, my hand still clasped in his. "I mean it."
"I know, Parker. I will."
With that, he turned and walked toward the exit of the hotel, head bowed.
I let out a harsh sigh. It was official. We were on our own. We were on our own and about to attempt something insanely dangerous and very illegal. But as I'd told Parker when I asked for his help, I didn't see any other way out.
The only thing I could see, the only thing my mind would let me focus on, was Lena. I needed to keep her safe. Needed to ensure that, come what may, she was through the storm and safely on the other side of the destruction. Out of harm's way. In my arms. So, the very next day we would depart on, without a doubt, the most important trip of our lives.
The next morning, after a short flight to Toronto, we found ourselves on a much longer flight taking us to Athens, Greece.
"You know what sucks?" Lena asked, her head leaning against my shoulder as her hand lay in my lap, fingers laced through mine.
"What's that?"
"The entire time we were married I begged Derrek to take me to Europe. Greece was one of the top places I wanted to see. But we never went. And now that I get to go, now that I get to see the beautiful country I've always wanted to visit, I won't even be able to enjoy it." She pressed her cheek closer to me and I gripped her hand a little more tightly. "And more than likely, after we leave, I won't ever want to go back."
My heart pounded, jaw clenched, thinking about Derrek still taking things from her. Still managing to impact her and her happiness. Even after setting her up, leaving her with nothing, demanding everything from her, he was still able to reach her, still able to affect her. I tried to regulate my breaths, tried to calm down, but she must have felt me tense because her free hand came up to gently cup my cheek.
"It's okay, Preston. I don't need Greece." She pulled back, her hand still on my face and her eyes looking into mine. "I don't want anything from him anymore. You give more to me than he ever did." She leaned in and pressed her mouth against mine, then pulled away and rested her head against my shoulder again.
She hadn't asked many questions about Derrek and Jessica; never inquired as to what they'd been up to in the last three months. I wouldn't tell her the truth. Wouldn't tell her that it looked like they'd been on a dream vacation, traveling the world. I couldn't figure out whether he was stupid and actually taking his little family on a trip around the world, or if he was running, trying to stay one step ahead of anyone who might have been looking for him. Once I'd found his trail it hadn't been hard to track him.
I knew he wasn't a criminal mastermind, but he wasn't completely dense. He had to know people were out to get him, had to know if he stayed in one place long enough he'd have company.
Three days ago, when I'd found him in Athens, I knew, based on his record, he'd be there for at least a week, perhaps two at the most, so we had a good chance of finding him. So that's where we'd headed.
The flight was long, but it was also nice to have seventeen hours of uninterrupted time with Lena. Time where, even if she was asleep against my arm, there wasn't any outside influence. We watched a movie, did a crossword puzzle together, read books. It was almost as if we weren't on our way to find her ex-husband who'd ruined her life. Almost.
When we touched down in Athens it was just dusk, although my body had no idea what time it was or which way was up. Everything about my system was disrupted. Lena, on the other hand, was exhausted. She resembled a zombie going through customs, and could hardly keep her eyes open to take in whatever sights of Athens we could see in the darkness.
When we arrived at our hotel, I checked us in and helped Lena to our room, steering her directly to the bed where she promptly climbed in and fell asleep almost immediately. I hadn't mentioned to her our hotel was the same hotel in which I thought Derrek was staying. I didn't think she needed that information. I thought, instead, she needed a night of uninterrupted sleep during which she wasn't worried about the other people staying there.
When I was sure she was fast asleep, I quietly made my way out of the room and headed downstairs to the bar. When I spotted him sitting on a stool, tumbler in hand, alone, I couldn't decide if I was surprised I'd been right, or worried for the exact same reason. He was here, in front of me, and now I had a real decision to make. Did I approach, and possibly alter the course of all of our lives, or try to find some alternate solution I hadn't come up with yet? I'd spent every waking moment since Edgar called me trying to find another way for Lena and me to get past this problem, but I could see no other way.
I took in a deep breath and pushed forward, never having taken steps which felt heavier or more weighted than those few steps to the bar. My hands rested on the cold wood and I caught the eye of the bartender just a few feet away.
"Scotch. Neat."
The bartender nodded just as I saw Derrek's head turn toward me. Then I watched with anticipation as his eyes widened in shock, mouth gaping open, then closing, quite like a fish. I watched as the bartender placed a tumbler in front of me and poured the amber liquid two fingers deep. He slid it toward me and walked away as I brought the glass to my lips, my eyes never leaving Derrek's.
"How did you find me?"
"Derrek, I'm a private investigator. It's my job to find information people are purposefully trying to bury." He blinked but didn't respond, although I could practically see the wheels spinning in his head. "You did a decent job covering your tracks, but not good enough." I put the glass down and sat on the stool next to him.
"I'm not going to lie-I'm pretty impressed you found me."
"I've known where you were for weeks now. I wasn't going to do much with the information unless Lena wanted me to, but other people forced my hand in this case."
"You're here with Lena?" His eyes darted around the room, looking for her.
"Don't be a fucking idiot. You won't be seeing her until I say so and only if she wants to see you." I turned toward him, my eyes narrowing, my pulse pounding in my neck. "Let's get one thing straight. The moment you hired me to seduce her was the moment you lost her. Forever. She's mine now and you don't get to look at her. You don't get to speak to her. You don't even get to breathe the same air as her."
"Why are you here, then?" he rasped at me.
"Edgar sent me."
I watched as the blood drained from his face and little beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and right above his lips. He looked ill and a not-so-small part of me enjoyed watching the fear physically affect him.
"Edgar not only wants his money, he also wants you dead."
Derrek's eyes widened and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He turned back to the bar and drained his drink, then lifted his glass at the bartender, signaling he wanted another.