The Dark-Hunters (394 page)

He released her at the same time the smile faded from his lips. His gaze slid past her.

She turned her head to find Arik standing there. He was silent and cool as he regarded his brother. So cool, in fact, she was about to get frostbite. There was definitely no love lost between them. They looked like two opposing soldiers sizing each other up before battle.

“Arik,” Solin drawled in a velvet baritone. “
Long
time no see.”

Arik inclined his head to Solin. “Yes, indeed. I hope you’ve been well.”

Solin laughed. “It depends on whom you ask.
Well
has a variety of meanings. But I’m fit enough to cause problems. That really is all one can expect in life, no?”

“It’s all I expect out of your life anyway.”

Solin tsked at him. “And yet here you are, asking for my help. Call me crazy, but one would expect a little less belligerency.”

“Would they?”

Solin seemed to take his brother’s challenge in stride as he turned to Geary. “So tell me, lovely lady, where on earth did you happen to find my wayward brother?”

She glanced at Arik over her shoulder to see him watching her before she answered. “Floating in the sea, but he won’t tell me how it is he came to be there.”

“Knowing Arik, I’m sure he angered someone who threw him in, hoping he’d drown.”

“Actually they threw me in hoping I’d land on someone else and drown
them.
Unfortunately, you swam away too fast.”

Geary had to stifle a laugh at Arik’s unexpected comeback. He had a very dry sense of humor.

“Well, score one for you.” Solin returned his sunglasses to his face. “I have the permits waiting, but as a favor to Stefan we should not keep him late in the office or he might change his mind.”

Geary practically leapt forward. “Most definitely not.”

As they headed for the dock, Thia came running up behind them … still in her bikini. The top of which barely held the woman’s assets in. “May I join you?”

Solin gave her a speculative once-over that Geary was sure took in her cousin’s mussed appearance that somehow managed to seen both seductive and naive.

“I think you should stay here, Thia.”

Folding her arms over her chest, which only emphasized the size of said chest, Thia pouted. But it did nothing to change Geary’s mind. If anything, it only cemented her decision more. The last thing any of them needed was for Thia to hook up with a billionaire playboy.

Before Geary could wrangle the men to the car, Solin approached Thia with that deadly swagger. He gave her a proper bow before taking her hand and placing a light kiss on it. “Don’t fret, love. We’ll be back.”

Thia preened under his attention. At least until Arik cleared his throat. “Isn’t she a bit young for you?”

Solin answered with a deep, evil laugh. His gaze went to Geary for an instant before he released Thia and headed for his car.

“What was that?” Geary asked Arik as they followed along after him.

“His idea of a joke. I’m afraid my brother is a bit of a head case most days. You’ll have to forgive him. I’m told he has the intellect of a ten-year-old.”

Solin snorted. “And still you aspire to my level. Wow, Arik. Does this mean you function on the intellect of an infant?”

Instead of being angry, Arik merely stared at his brother. “Perhaps. After all, infants and I do have at least one thing in common.”

“And that is?”

Arik’s gaze dropped to her breasts. “I think you can figure it out. Then again, maybe not. You are, after all, only functioning on the level of a ten-year-old.”

Geary had never been aroused, amused, and highly offended all at the same time before. It was a strange combination. “Could we please change this topic?”

Solin paused at the car as his chauffeur opened the door for him. “Yes, let’s.”

They allowed her to enter first. Arik followed her in and then Solin. He sat across from them, and even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she could tell his gaze was fastened on her.

When he spoke there was no mistaking the note of humor in his tone. “So you seek Atlantis. What an odd quest for such a beautiful lady.”

Unlike Thia, Geary wasn’t buying into his act. “You charm me, sir. I’m hardly beautiful.”

“Not true. All women are beautiful and a woman such as you … I’m willing to bet there are some men who are willing to barter their souls just to be close to you.”

She laughed out loud. “You should sell snake oil. I’m told it’s highly profitable.”

“Yes, but I’ve already made my fortune in other things.”

“Such as?”

“Viagra,” Arik said drily. “My brother learned to take a personal problem and profit by it.”

“It’s true,” Solin agreed with a heavy sigh. “It pained me to see a man as young as Arik stricken with impotency. Therefore I had to do something to help the poor soul. But alas, there’s nothing to be done for it. He’s as flaccid as a wet noodle.”

Geary had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Arik didn’t miss a beat on his comeback. “How creative of you to project your problem onto me. But then, they say that celibacy is enough to make a man lose all reason. Guess you’re living proof, huh?”

“Are you two going to battle like this for the rest of the trip?” Geary asked. “Perhaps I should sit up front with the driver and give you two enough space to beat the crap out of each other and settle this like grown adolescents.”

Solin gave her a half-amused grin. “No need for that. I think we can manage a bit of a truce … for your benefit anyway.”

“Hmm … makes me wonder why you’re being so kind to Arik and me when it’s obvious you two aren’t exactly friendly.”

Solin shrugged. “We’re Greek. Family is family no matter what, and we always take care of our own. Right, Arik?”

“Yes … in more ways than one.”

At that point, Geary gave up. There was something very odd about both men. Maybe she was crazy for even being here with them.

A tremor of fear went through her at that thought. Was she crazy? She’d jumped into the car so fast …

Oh God.

She really didn’t know anything about these guys. She’d been so excited she hadn’t even paused to be her usual suspicious self.

“Are you all right?” Solin asked.

“Fine,” she said, trying to calm herself. But it was hard as her imagination took off with images of them raping and murdering her.

Solin removed his sunglasses. “You’re looking a bit pale. You’re not thinking that we’ve kidnapped you so that we can have our way with you, are you, Doctor?”

“No,” she said, hating the slight tremor in her voice. Her only consolation was that Brian knew Solin and the crew had seen his car. And all of them knew they were heading to the permits’ office. “Why would I ever think such a thing? I mean, I’ve known you both, what? All of fifteen minutes. Maybe Arik makes it a habit of diving into the sea to catch unsuspecting women so he can lure them into your limo.”

Solin passed an amused look to Arik. “Is that how you work, Brother?”

“No. Unlike some people I know, I don’t like to frighten women. I find it tiresome.” Arik turned in the seat to give her a sincere look. “I’m not here to rape you, Megeara. I told you you were safe, and you are.”

She didn’t know why, but she believed him. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a really bad week for me. Everything has literally turned against me and I’ve had one disappointment too many.”

Solin arched a brow.

Arik glanced at his brother as he heard Solin’s voice in his head.
“Disappointed her, have you? And you call yourself an Erotikos Skotos.”

He narrowed his eyes.
“Not me, Solin. She’s been harassed by your officials who won’t allow her to excavate.”

“Um-hmmm … funny, whenever I’m preoccupied with a human, she’s too busy trying to get back to me in her dreams to bother with such innocuous quests.”

“Megeara is different.”

By Solin’s face Arik could tell his brother found that hard to believe.
“So tell me, how do you find the human world? Have you ever been here before?”

“No.”

Solin arched a surprised brow.
“Are you overwhelmed by it?”

“Hardly. But I find parts of it confusing. It’s very different from being in dreams.”

Solin grinned.
“You’ve no idea.”

Megeara turned to Arik. “So why is Atlantis so important to you? I mean, if you could get permits this easily, why haven’t you?”

Arik hated having to lie to her, but if he didn’t give her some plausible answers, as skittish as she was, she’d flee and never let him near her again. “I didn’t know where to dig for it. All of my research turned up nothing. It wasn’t until I was speaking with Spiro the other day and he mentioned you that I had a clue.”

“Spiro?”

“Gavrilopoulos. He turned you down two weeks ago.” And luckily she’d mentioned the event and the man’s name to Arik in her dreams. “I’ve been looking for you ever since to ask you about your findings. He said you were most emphatic about the site you wanted to excavate.”

She sat back in the seat with a peeved expression. “So you know the little weasel.”

“Weasel?” Solin asked curiously.

“Hmm … he laughed so hard over my request I thought he was going to choke and die from it.”

Arik tried to placate her. “He can be a little callous.”

“Callous, nothing. He was downright rude.”

“Well,” Solin drawled, “your luck is about to change.”

Geary wanted to believe that. She could use a bit of good luck in her life. And if not good, then at least mediocre.

Needing to distract herself from that line of thought, she looked at Arik. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be interested in anthropology. Both he and Solin seemed too self-absorbed to think about the past or the future. They appeared more the “me, me, me, now, now, now” kind.

“So what got you so interested in Atlantis?” she asked Arik. “How did you know what my necklace was?”

His eyes gleamed with amusement. “Do you ever ask a single question?”

“Sorry. It’s the professor in me. One question invariably leads to another, and so as not to waste time, I generally ask both and then seek the answer. And speaking of, you still haven’t answered my last two.”

“Yes, Arik,” Solin said with a hint of laughter in his voice. “Why are you so fascinated by Atlantis?”

Arik cut a nasty glare at his brother that she couldn’t even begin to fathom. Why would that question upset him?

“I’m always intrigued by the unknown,” Arik said, glancing back at her. “They say Atlantis is a myth, but I know better. I believe in it.” He met Solin’s gaze. “In fact, I think the gods still walk among us, even here and now.”

Solin made a rude noise at Arik’s conjecture.

Geary frowned at him. After the way her father had been treated while being right, she wasn’t about to laugh at anyone else’s beliefs. It pained her to see Solin so cruel. “You still haven’t explained how you knew what my necklace was.”

“I know a man who wears a similar medallion. He was the one who first told me stories of Atlantis.”

Her jaw went slack at Arik’s revelation. Someone else had found one? “Really?”

He nodded.

She was intrigued by the possibility. “Is he Greek? How did you meet? Could
I
meet him? I’d love to know where he got his necklace.”

Arik shook his head. “Again with the multiple questions.”

“Time is fleeting and I need answers.”

He took pity on her. “Yes, he’s Greek, and I met him back when I was very young. Sadly, he no longer mentions Atlantis. I think there’s something about it that grieves him.”

“You have
no
idea,” Solin said with a laugh. “Acheron would kill you to hear you speak of him in such a manner.”

Arik kicked at his brother’s foot before he turned his attention back to Geary. “But enough about me. What changed your mind about finding it?”

“My father. I promised him when he died that I’d find it for him.”

“That was kind of you.”

Geary looked away as her emotions choked her. She only wished she’d been kinder to him when he’d been alive.

Solin let out a long breath as if her emotions upset him, too. “Well, let’s all get maudlin, shall we?” He reached up and pressed a button for the intercom to buzz his driver.

“Yes, sir?”

“George, stop on the way and get us some red-hot pokers to put out our eyes. Oh, and while you’re at it, I think we should see about adding salt for our wounds, too.”

“Quite good, sir,” the driver said in a dry tone. Then without missing a beat, he continued, “Is there any particular place you’d care for me to stop? I’ve heard the market is a good place for pokers. That is, if you’re agreeable to a short detour.”

Solin appeared to consider it. “What do you two think? Run-of-the-mill pokers, or a better quality? Oh hell, why not use rusty spoons? They’d hurt more.”

Geary shook her head. “You are a sick man.”

Solin arched a brow at her. “So are you telling me you’re going to pass on my offer?”

“Call me crazy, but yeah. I think I’ll pass.”

“Okay. Thanks, George. It appears we’ll go without the pokers after all.”

“Very good, sir. Should I still stop for that salt?”

Again Solin appeared to seriously consider it before he answered. “No, I think we’re fine for now.”

“Very good, sir.”

Geary let out a nervous laugh as she glanced back and forth between Solin and Arik. The two of them were so odd. And they had the most offbeat humor she’d ever encountered. “You two must have been a lot of fun growing up. I’ll bet your poor parents are still having nightmares.”

Solin burst out laughing. “Oh, you have
no
idea.”

“You know I feel like I’m on the outside of this inside joke you two keep passing around.”

“Ignore Solin,” Arik said quietly. “I told you he’s demented.”

“Yes, but I taught Arik well. Didn’t I, Brother?”

Geary didn’t miss the fleeting glimmer of rage in Arik’s eyes. It was subtle but unmistakable.

The car slowed down and turned a corner that Geary knew better than the street where her flat was. She’d walked this way so many times over the last five years that she could do it blindfolded.