Spellbound in His Arms (2 page)

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….

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 with 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.