The Corner Booth (14 page)

CHAPTER 23

Stephanous sat outside the small white home in the heart of Vermont. Normally he disliked this part of his job, but tonight, he realized, he wasn’t as fazed at what was going to go down. This was for Cassie and Victoria. Pulling the manila folder out of his attaché, he slowly undid the clasp. His fingers slid out the stack of papers tucked inside. Staring down at the pictures that had been taken of Julian Karwowski during the many days of surveillance, he felt the bile rise in his throat. Talk of the area was that he was someone parents warned their daughters about. No facts ever given, “just a feeling” they had about the fifty-year-old. Scanning the list of towns that Julian had lived in, and the amount of times that he had chosen to move, Stephanous could put two and two together. Vermonters were a tough lot to crack when it came to giving information, but for some reason, they had no problem dishing the dirt.

“A car is coming,” Phil stated from the front seat.

Both men watched as the truck slowly pulled into the driveway. Stephanous needed visual confirmation before anything would happen. He didn’t have to wait long, as the man in the photographs stepped out of the vehicle.

“The wife called earlier. She is going out to dinner and then dancing with her girlfriends, and told him that she wouldn’t be home early and for him to not wait up. Trouble in paradise from the sound of her voice.”

“Good. That will make our job easier.” Stephanous was grateful to have Phil available for the trip. The large imposing man filled in as a driver when needed, and the only one Stephanous trusted at times like these when more strong-arm tactics were called into play. The many scars that riddled the large man’s body, the disjointed nose that had been broken too many times to count, and the deep scars that ran throughout his face like a crazy roadmap was proof to anyone that he was not one to mess with. Ironically, the other side that Stephanous knew of Phil was that he was a gentle giant when it came to his wife and nine children, all of whom had Phil wrapped around their fingers. Stephanous was godfather to every one of them.

He flipped through the report and scanned the information; he wanted to ensure that he didn’t miss anything. Stephan knew he was stalling—he practically knew the report by heart—but he did not take killing someone lightly. They had to be absolutely sure that this was the one who had assaulted Cassie.

Placing the papers back in the folder, he just as carefully and methodically closed the clasp, before he slipped on his leather gloves. Phil did the same. “Okay, my friend, here is the deal. This son of a bitch is a hunter and has maybe three rifles max. All of which are locked in the gun cabinet, but they are loaded. He is a routine-driven man. He lets the dogs out, unwraps his dinner that was premade for him, watches TV while drinking a six-pack. He does not let the dogs back in until he gets ready for bed, which is at nine. This happens every single night. Even on the weekend.”

Phil listened intently to the details provided. Everything was important and key to survival if something went wrong. He had already memorized the layout of the house and knew where everything was.

“I need more information from him to verify that he is the one we are looking for, but I am not concerned with getting the information we need.” Stephanous smiled as Phil chuckled quietly.

“Exactly. Now, I normally don’t tell you what is going on or the why, Phil, but I am tonight because you are a family man. If he is the one we are looking for, this asshole likes little girls. A friend of Mr. Carras was raped by him when she was fourteen.”

Phil’s head moved slowly as he turned to look directly at Stephanous in the backseat. The energy in the SUV changed dramatically. Phil’s eyes filled with hatred as he thought of his daughters at home.

Nodding at Phil, Stephanous knew he didn’t have to say anything more. “Let’s make sure this guy is the one, and if he is, do what we need to do and get back to Boston before I have wheat growing out of my ears.”

Hearing a dog bark, both men turned towards the small house to see Julian letting the black Labs out and then waited several more minutes as they tore off into the woods behind the home.

“Head to the back door. I will go through the front. Let’s meet in the kitchen.”

Both men casually exited the vehicle.

CHAPTER 24

The music was loud as it pulsed through the large dining room. The erotic movement of the belly dancers as they gyrated among the patrons was met with much delight of the diners. This was such a new experience for Cassie in every way possible; it was the first time she had dinner sitting on the floor on large cushions. She tried hard not to stare at the half-naked skin of the dancers when they arrived at their table. One dancer in particular seemed to take a liking to Sakis. Slowly she moved her hips back and forth, right at his eye level. Her long dangling belly ring moved in time to the music. Cassie cut her eyes to his face, expecting to find his rapt attention to the dancer, yet was surprised to find that he actually looked uncomfortable. The dancer tried even harder to get a positive reaction from him. Seconds later, Sakis raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers together. From off in the distance, Cassie watched as the owner, who she had met upon their arrival, tried to make his way quickly to their table.

“Sir?”

Sakis spoke in Greek to the owner, who immediately nodded and jerked his head to indicate she was to step away. But the dancer didn’t seem to get the hint; instead, she leaned forward and gave Sakis a full view of her burgeoning breast. Sakis’s face darkened even more. For a moment, Cassie felt bad for the dancer. Moments later, the girl was shooed away. Angrily, she flipped her hair as she made her way to another table Cassie hoped was more receptive to her advances.

Shifting closer to him, Cassie leaned in to whisper in his ear. He lowered his head to lean in to hear her words. She felt at that one moment that he was all hers and her heart soared in her chest.

“Do you not like the dancing?”

“I love this style of dancing. This is my culture—which is why I wanted you to experience it—but I am with the most beautiful woman in the world. I do not need one such as her throwing herself at me. You can appreciate something such as this art, Cassandra, without having it thrust in your face.”

Grinning, Cassie linked eyes with Sakis. “You really think I am beautiful?”

He winked at her; he leaned in even more, until his lips brushed against her ear. “Did I not do a good enough job earlier showing you how beautiful you are to me, Cassandra?”

Lowering her head so that her hair covered the bright redness of her face, she thought back to earlier, as he spent several hours helping her to lose her mind with the level of passion and sex she had never experienced in her life. Just from the thought of the many things he did, she could feel herself warm, and begin to throb between her legs. Squeezing her thighs tight, she tried to stop the sensation.

Sakis laughed. “There is only one thing that will make that stop.” His hand slid under the low table; his fingers moved her skirt and stroked her thigh, slowly inching his way closer and closer to her sex.

Gripping his hand tightly, she stopped the movement. “Sakis, what are you doing?” she hissed.

“Remove your hand, Cassandra,” Sakis ordered. As if by magic, the lights in the room dimmed and another group of dancers entered the center area. This time the music tempo was slow as the dancers moved around the room. All eyes were on the women and the gyrating hips. Cassandra could only focus on the heat of his fingers as they worked their way up under her skirt. Even though she was expecting the touch, Cassie still jumped as he finally made contact through the thin material of her underwear.

“Relax. No one is even noticing what I am doing to you right now, agapi,” Sakis crooned in her ear. “I wonder if I can make you come right here.”

“Please don’t, Sakis.” Cassie croaked out the words, her throat dry.

Nuzzling her neck, he nipped behind her ear as he pushed against the fabric so that he could touch her. The gasp of shock from Cassandra was muffled by Sakis’s mouth as he placed it roughly over hers to stifle the sound. For several moments, he drank deeply from her as he pressed his thumb hard against her throbbing nub. As hard as she tried to fight it, Cassie knew it was a losing battle, and she moaned into his mouth to stop the obvious shuddering. Sakis pulled away just enough to watch her face, enjoying the feel of her tightening. She was amazing.

Moments later, it was over. Cassandra had no idea what was going on around them, only that bowls of water were being brought to each table, and she tried to ignore the wink from her lover as he washed his hands in the water provided and nodded for her to do the same with her bowl. She glanced surreptitiously around the room, but no one seemed to have even realized what had just happened at the table next to them was anything more than a passionate kiss. Cassie exhaled in relief.

Platters of food were placed on the long, low table. Cassie’s eyes widened at the abundance.

“We can’t possibly be expected to eat all of this?” She gasped in horror.

Sakis laughed at her expression. “I have seen you put away quite a bit before. No worries. Greeks like to take their time, enjoying the atmosphere, entertainment, and good company. Eat what you want, and enjoy the moment. That is all I ask.”

She took a portion from each platter to sample every item at least once. Sakis nodded his head in approval.

“I like that you are willing to try new things.”

As she popped a piece of lamb in her mouth, she smiled. “That’s why I am with you.”

“Mr. Carras? I am sorry to bother you, but I wanted to come over and introduce myself.” A heavily accented voice greeted Sakis unexpectedly. Cassie sensed movement behind her, realizing that Sakis’s bodyguard had not been alert to prevent the intruder. She frowned; Stephanous would never have allowed the man to get as close as he did. Sakis, realizing the same thing, slowly rose to his feet, not wanting the disadvantage of having to look up to the stranger. As he clasped the offered hand, Sakis gripped tightly, enjoying watching the other man wince.

“I apologize for being remiss. You are?”

The man’s face flushed. “Peter Falk—we conducted business several years ago that I believe was mutually satisfying to both of us. I was hoping to continue that relationship.”

“Certainly. You will understand that this is not the time or place. If you would kindly give your card to my friend here, I will certainly have my assistant set something up.” Sakis sat without waiting for a reply. Peter stood awkwardly; the bodyguard gestured to the side, so that he no longer blocked their view of the dancers.

“Fucking Americans,” Sakis muttered angrily.

“Excuse me?” Cassie’s eyebrows rose at his insult.

Sakis glanced at her absently, realizing that in his anger, he had forgotten she was next to him. “I am sorry, agapi mou. It is just that Americans believe that business can be conducted anywhere, at any time. There must be a time separate to enjoy family and loved ones, without the business aspect. If it is prearranged, great, but right now, I am enjoying your company.”

Cassie nodded at the bodyguard and whispered so not to be overheard. “He is in trouble, isn’t he?”

“You have no idea, Cassandra. Enough talk of business. Let us go back to enjoying our meal and each other!” Sakis ordered.

Glancing behind her, she noticed that the bodyguard was much more attentive. She felt bad for him, knowing instinctively he probably would be demoted or even fired for what just happened.

The rest of the evening flew by. Cassie couldn’t believe how much she ate and drank. Sakis was everything she could have asked for in an attentive date. The conversation was kept light and many times, she would catch him staring at her. Sometimes he was serious; sometimes he laughed at some small anecdote that she had told him.

She lost count how many times their conversation was interrupted by someone from another table who came over to shake his hand to say hello or to introduce themselves. This time the bodyguard ensured that Sakis wanted them to approach. None wanted to discuss business, just say hello. For Cassie, it was the only disconcerting part of the evening and a constant reminder that he was larger than even she could imagine. After Sakis caught her yawning uncontrollably, he laughed and said it was time to go home. She was tired after a long week of work, and was glad that they still had the weekend left to spend together.

Barely an hour later, they walked into his bedroom.

“I will be right back, Cassandra. Why don’t you take a shower and change into more comfortable attire,” Sakis ordered.

Cassie looked longingly at his large bed.
Maybe he would allow her to just fall asleep.
She didn’t think that she would be up for any more intimacy tonight. In the shower, she allowed the pulsating water to wash over her as she replayed the evening. The relationship was charging full speed ahead, and she felt she knew less of him now than when she first met him. She didn’t like the feeling.

As she climbed under the cool, silky sheets, her eyes felt heavy and even though she tried to keep them open until he returned, within moments she was sound asleep.

A short time later, Sakis entered his bedroom, holding a long, narrow box. He placed it on her nightstand so that it would be the first thing she saw when she awoke. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he slowly began to undress as he stared, fixated on her relaxed features. Cassandra was an unexpected blessing in his life, and in the few short weeks in knowing her, he could not imagine a day without having her near. Her questions about who he was threw him and even though he found it comical the way she had approached him, he realized that he expected her to accept his life without questions.

That was not Cassandra’s style. If she were Greek, she would never had dared overstep her bounds with him, yet, with her innocence and naiveté, she had no idea what she had done. Coming from her, he had not taken offense. With her, he met his match. For the first time, he wished for a brief moment that he was in a different line of work. Shaking his head, he tossed the thought aside. His life was what it was, crafted by himself.

Cassie shifted in her sleep, and he found himself drawn to stare at her again in wonder. Every week, he told himself to stop contact with her. Nothing good was going to come of their relationship. As he thought of his betrothed, he wondered what Cassie would say when she found out about Alejandra. He suspected that she would be angry, maybe even not talk to him, but he was confident he would eventually work his way back to her. He wondered whether he was falling or had fallen in love with her already. The thought was not displeasing to him. Quickly he finished changing, before he slid next to her and turned her gently so not to wake her but allowed him to hold her tightly to his chest.

Yes, he was definitely in love.