The Enigmatic Greek (6 page)

Eleanor frowned, perplexed. ‘But I don’t need to be kept safe now the kidnapper’s locked up.’

‘The man who hired him is still out there.’ His mouth tightened.

‘Look, Mr Drakos …’

He raised a mocking eyebrow. ‘It’s a bit late for formality!’

She shrugged. ‘Alexei, then.’

‘Alex.’

‘I have a much simpler solution to the problem—Alex.’

‘Which is?’

‘I forget the holiday and catch the first possible flight home.’

Alex gave her an unsettling smile. ‘But if you do that you’ll go without your reward. My mother told me—in great detail—what you want, and persuaded me to agree. So to achieve your ambition, Eleanor Markham, you must stay on for a while.’

Her heart leapt. He really meant to give her an interview? She moved back at the sound of people approaching the other apartments. ‘You’d better come in.’

‘Thank you.’ Alex stepped inside, an eyebrow raised as she closed the door. ‘Why the change of heart?’

‘The possibility of an interview was worth the risk,’ she said bluntly.

‘You’re not at risk from me, Eleanor.’

‘Good to know.’ She waved him to the couch. ‘Do sit down.’

‘No time for that. I want you to come with me right now. I’ll sort Takis out.’

‘Certainly not.
If
I decide to come, I’ll do that myself.’ Eleanor gave him an assessing look as she considered the pros and cons of a stay on Kyrkiros. ‘You would really give me an interview?’

‘With certain subjects off-limits, yes.’ He smiled cynically. ‘Your editor would be pleased.’

‘Ecstatic,’ she agreed, resigned. ‘But I still can’t see why I have to stay on Kyrkiros to do it. Why would anyone bother about me now your mother’s gone home?’

‘You were seen on the island, sharing my table in company with her. You are therefore perceived as important to me.’ Alex’s eyes hardened. ‘From a ransom angle the attempt on my mother failed, so you’re the next best thing.’ He thrust a hand through his hair. ‘Besides, I have a gut feeling that you’re in danger. Laugh if you want, but I’ve been subject to feelings like this at times all my life. I’ve learned the hard way not to ignore them.’

‘Premonitions, you mean?’

‘Not exactly. The nearest explanation I can give is the electricity in the air before a storm breaks. And, though the weather’s set fair, I’m feeling it on the back of my neck right now. So for God’s sake pack your bags and let’s get out of here.’

The promise of an interview decided Eleanor. She saved her work on the laptop, stuffed her notebook and camera into her tote bag and went up the ladder at top speed to pack the rest of her belongings.

‘I must take the key to Takis,’ she told Alex as she handed the bags down to him.

‘The ferry to Crete is about to leave. Tell him you’ve
changed your mind and you’re catching it. I moored my boat well out of sight of the
taverna
this morning when I brought my mother over, so with luck we can get away unseen.’

The enormity of what she was doing suddenly struck Eleanor full force. ‘I must be mad! My phone is broken, and I’m taking off with a virtual stranger without telling anyone where I’m going. I could disappear off the face of the earth with no one the wiser.’

Alex gritted his teeth. ‘I can tell you write for a living! Plan B, then. I’ll get Takis over here so that you can tell him where you’re going and I’ll swear him to silence to keep you safe. I’ll speak slowly so you understand me. Deal?’

She nodded reluctantly. ‘Deal.’

‘Good. Lock the door behind me and stay inside until I come back.’

Eleanor waited, her belongings at her feet, not sure whether she was setting out on an adventure or making the worst mistake of her life. But it was worth the risk to get the interview. And hopefully Alex would see that she got to Crete to catch her plane home afterwards. Any other journalist would be jumping for joy, and professionally she was. But on a personal level she had serious reservations about spending time with a hostile man who was only suffering her company to ensure her safety—and even then only because his mother had used emotional blackmail to get him to agree.

Alex returned quickly with Takis and ushered the
taverna
owner into the room. ‘Right then, Eleanor. Muster your best Greek and explain to him yourself.’

Eleanor felt awkward as she told Takis she was leaving with
kyrie
Drakos to stay on his island. But when Alex explained the kidnap threat to him, slowly and clearly so she could understand, the man’s kindly face darkened and he swore that they could trust him to say nothing. He advised
them to go down to the boat via the little-used path beyond Eleanor’s apartment, and thus avoid passing any curious eyes at the
taverna
s along the harbour.

There was no lighting on the path. It was both narrow and steep, but Alex kept up a punishing pace in silence on the way down to the harbour. When Eleanor, gasping for breath, was finally sitting amongst her belongings in the stern of a sleek boat, the engine noise was too loud to ask questions. She felt a surge of alarm when she found Alex was taking a much longer route than her trip the day before but eventually calmed down, embarrassed, when she realised he’d merely made a wide detour around the island to a mooring behind the Kastro. When a man appeared from the quayside buildings to secure the boat, Alex jumped up onto the dimly lit jetty and leaned down to take Eleanor’s luggage, before helping her out.

‘This is my private dock, and this is Theo Lazarides, who takes care of security here. Ms Markham will be staying here for a few days, Theo.’

‘Welcome back, Ms Markham,’ he said politely.

She smiled. ‘
Efcharisto, kyrie
Lazarides.’

Alex picked up the luggage and Eleanor took charge of her tote bag and laptop. ‘Let’s get inside.’ He looked at Theo. ‘Has everyone been warned?’

‘Yes,
kyrie.
’

With a brisk nod Alex shifted both bags to one hand, and took hold of Eleanor’s arm with the other. ‘Careful, it’s a rough surface along here and there are no lights. I keep it that way on purpose.’

‘To repel intruders?’

‘More or less, though until now we’ve never had any. The man you had the bad luck to run into last night is the first since I took the place over. But he was just someone’s
tool, so vigilance is now doubly necessary. Careful,’ he added as she stumbled.

Infected with Alex’s urgency, Eleanor felt safe only when they came in range of the lights from the Kastro and entered the old citadel from the back via a passageway with several more doors opening off it. Alex dumped the bags and locked the outer door behind them, then took her to Sofia in the kitchen.

The woman smiled warmly as she welcomed Eleanor back. ‘I will take you to your room.’

‘I’ll do that, Sofia,’ said Alex quickly, and added a lot more that Eleanor couldn’t understand.

‘What were you telling her?’ she demanded as they went up in the lift.

‘Merely that we would both need time for baths before we eat.’ Alex gave her a sardonic smile as the doors opened. ‘Was that imagination of yours at work again, cooking up something sinister?’

‘No.’ Eleanor shrugged. ‘I just get frustrated when I don’t understand what’s going on, so make allowances, please.’

‘I could give you lessons,’ he offered, surprising her.

‘I won’t be here long enough for that. But thank you,’ she added, and smiled politely as she went into the bedroom ahead of him. ‘In fact, thank you for a lot more than that. I’m very conscious that I’m keeping you from returning to Athens.’

Alex put her bags down on the chaise at the foot of the bed and turned to look at her very directly. ‘I can spare a few days. Stefan is already back there, and I can keep in contact with him and everyone else in the world I need to from my office right here in the
Kastro.’

‘You like to be in control,’ said Eleanor, making mental notes. ‘I did some research on you before I came.’

‘Of course you did,’ he said, lips tightening. ‘And what
did you learn, Eleanor? Colourful details about my private life?’

She looked at him very directly. ‘You know perfectly well there aren’t many.’

He looked sceptical. ‘You must have found the account of my private life by one Christina Mavros!’

‘Yes, but I dismissed that as sheer “woman scorned” invective. I also read about your parents’ divorce and that your mother was one of the most beautiful photographic models of her generation. But other than Miss Mavros’s nasty little piece I found very little, except that you were a boy genius who achieved success very young.’

‘Oh, I was clever enough,’ he said harshly. ‘But my first taste of British public school was hell—’ He broke off with a curse. ‘That’s strictly off the record. I’ll give you a formal interview tomorrow. In the meantime, have a rest or bath or whatever before dinner, which will be in an hour or so. I’ll knock when it arrives.’

‘Thank you.’ Eleanor’s eyes were thoughtful as she closed the door behind him. He need have no worries about her discretion. Having achieved the impossible dream of an interview with Alexei Drakos, there was no way she would risk having him set lawyers on her by writing anything he would object to seeing in print.

After a shower, Eleanor rolled her dress in a ball and stuffed it in one of her bags. Sophia’s careful laundering had done wonders but she would never wear it again. She shrugged. Alex might be accustomed to women in designer finery at his dinner table, but tonight he would have to put up with a guest in jeans and one of a dwindling supply of clean T-shirts. On the bright side, a touch of make-up and a spritz of perfume was a definite improvement on the drowned-rat look of the night before, especially if she left her hair down. No curls, but there was a lot of it—shiny
as chocolate sauce, according to one old flame—and her shoulder-skimming bob was still in good shape, courtesy of the haircut she had splashed out on before leaving home.

She sent a message to her parents via her laptop, but took a paperback out of her holdall instead of getting down to work. She climbed up on the pretty white bed to settle against the pillows, and sighed with pleasure at the thought of reading something that wasn’t research. And, after days of hopping on and off ferries to go in search of various accommodations she’d organised herself, it was rather good to feel all responsibility had now been taken out of her hands until she flew home.

When she heard the expected knock, Eleanor put a bookmark in her novel and got off the bed to thrust her feet into yellow canvas espadrilles in place of the shrunken navy flats. ‘Come in.’

Alex put his head round the door. ‘I thought we’d have a drink before the meal.’

‘Thank you.’

He smiled briefly as she joined him in the hall. ‘I see we both had the same idea about dressing down tonight.’

‘Not much choice for me. I packed only two dresses.’

‘You look just as good in jeans,’ he said casually, with a look which sent a jolt of unwelcome heat through her. ‘We have no one here to impress, so after all the drama yesterday the priority tonight is comfort. I hope you
are
comfortable with me, Eleanor?’

She sat down in a corner of the sofa, thinking it over. ‘I will be eventually.’

‘But not yet?’

‘I hardly know you,’ she pointed out. ‘We’re strangers, after all.’

‘Yet you were at ease with my mother right from the first.’

Eleanor smiled. ‘She’s a very special lady.’

‘True.’ His eyes softened. ‘I was the envy of my friends when she came to prize days and cricket matches. She bought a house in Berkshire within easy travelling distance of the school when I first started there, and my grandfather flew over to accompany her as often as he could so I wouldn’t feel out of it when other boys had fathers to cheer them on.’ He eyed her quizzically. ‘Your research didn’t turn up mention of Cyrus Kazan?’

‘No.’ Eleanor held her breath, astonished that she was hearing personal details of Alexei Drakos’ life.

‘What would you like to drink?’ he asked. ‘A cocktail or some of this wine?’

‘Wine, please,’ she said, willing him to go on about his family.

‘It comes from vineyards here on the island. Under my friend Dion Aristides’ expert guiding hand, most of it is exported these days—part of my ongoing development programme for Kyrkiros.’ Alex filled two glasses and sat down beside her.

‘After the festival yesterday orders will be flooding in,’ said Eleanor, tasting with pleasure. ‘It’s really excellent. But surely you would do even better if you opened the island to visitors more often?’

‘It depends on what you mean by better. At present supply keeps pace with demand. Expansion would mean a bigger workforce we’ve no room to house. As things stand, the export of wine, olives and various crafts made by the islanders keeps the population in steady income throughout the year to augment the living from fishing. The quality of life is good here.’

‘I’d love to explore your island,’ she said hopefully.

He shook his head. ‘In normal circumstances I would be
glad to show you, but after the drama of getting you here that would be counterproductive.’

‘But surely the islanders will know I’m here?’

‘Of course. But Theo has made sure no one talks to outsiders.’ Alex eyed her narrowly. ‘You don’t look happy.’

Eleanor smiled ruefully. ‘I hate to sound ungrateful, but after my travels I’d really looked forward to lazing around on a beach for a while before flying home.’

‘Tomorrow I’ll show you a place where you can sunbathe to your heart’s content in complete privacy.’ He got up as Sofia and Yannis arrived with a serving trolley, the former voluble with apologies she addressed to Alex at such speed Eleanor soon gave up trying to understand.

Alex held up a hand, laughing, and translated for Eleanor. ‘Sofia thought I was leaving today and apologises for serving such simple food tonight. Tomorrow she will do better.’

Eleanor sniffed at the appetising aromas coming from the trolley and assured Sofia that it all smelled delicious.

‘Eat well to recover strength,’ said the woman, slowly and deliberately this time so Eleanor could understand.