Dark Avenger Page 10

  ‘That’s better,’ he said in approval. ‘Now, shall we settle down and watch some TV before we go to bed or would you rather go out to a nightclub?’

  She eyed him bitterly. ‘If your sister is anything like you are then God knows what Jimmy saw in her.’

  ‘Her looks and figure, I should imagine. Like all the Spirakis women Helen is extremely beautiful.’

  ‘Yes…’ she muttered darkly. ‘And I’ll bet they all know their place, don’t they? They must be a miserable bunch of poor downtrodden wretches if all the Spirakis men are like you. I don’t know what you’ve got in your veins. It isn’t blood—more like cold acid.’

  He laughed harshly at her observation and refilled her glass. ‘I happen to be more liberal-minded than my brothers and cousins. It’s only thanks to my intervention that your brother is still alive. They were all for taking direct and drastic action but I managed to persuade them that this way was more fitting.’ He refilled his own glass and raised it mockingly. ‘Here’s to your brother’s continued good health.’

  Her eyes searched his face and she asked quietly, ‘Don’t you feel the least twinge of guilt about the way you’re treating me? I’m a woman just like the sister you care so much about.’

  For the briefest of moments there was something in his eyes—something tense and pained—then it was gone and the hard, uncompromising glint was back. ‘I have no option. I’m the eldest son and the other members of the family expect me to avenge this insult to their honour. It’s my duty.’

  ‘Your duty?’ She shot him a look of contempt. ‘That’s probably what the Roman emperors said when they threw the Christians to the lions.’

  ‘Yes,’ he agreed drily. ‘They probably did.’

  She drained her glass and handed it back. ‘Fill it up.’

  ‘That’s two glasses you’ve drunk within two minutes,’ he warned.

  ‘Fill the damn thing up or I’ll do it myself,’ she said tiredly.

  He obliged then she pushed her way past him and took the drink out on to the balcony. In the quiet street below she could see couples strolling arm in arm, hear the hum of conversation and the sound of light laughter in the night air. Just ordinary people out enjoying their lives. She wondered if they knew how lucky they were.

  Nikos’s description of his bloodthirsty relatives had just added to her worries. Jimmy was a free spirit like herself and he wouldn’t be taking any form of incarceration without causing as much trouble as he could. Suppose they became impatient and decided that their way was better after all? She shuddered at the thought. First thing in the morning she was going to demand to speak to her brother over the phone.

  Meanwhile she was going to have to concede defeat and let Genghis Khan do his worst to her. Finishing her third glass of wine, she went back inside.

  Ignoring him, she made straight for the bottle and refilled her glass right to the brim. ‘I want to talk to Jimmy first thing in the morning,’ she said over her shoulder.

  ‘Why?’ he drawled. ‘Are you thinking of castigating him for all the trouble he’s caused?’

  ‘I want to make sure that he’s still in one piece, that’s why.’

  ‘You have my word for that.’

  She whirled on him. ‘I want to hear it from his own lips, damn you. Are you so bloody-minded and uncaring that you won’t even let me talk to my own brother?’

  He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘All right. Calm down. I’ll arrange it.’

  She glowered at him. ‘You’d better.’

  He watched her drain her glass and fill it again. ‘Are you trying to get yourself drunk? You’re going the right way about it. That wine is strong.’

  The room seemed to sway a little and she hiccuped. ‘The stronger the better.’ She pointed to the bed. ‘Before I get in there with you I’m going to get revoltingly, disgustingly drunk. Then just at the peak of your…your performance I’m going to be sick all over you.’ She raised the glass to her lips again then paused and focused her eyes on him. ‘With any luck it’ll put you off sex for the rest of your life.’

  ‘Put that glass down,’ he said with quiet menace. ‘Not only are you making a fool of yourself but you’re going to wake up with one gigantic hangover.’

  She affected a look of horror. ‘A hangover! Oh, my goodness! I mustn’t get a hangover, must I? That would be awful!’ She paused and hiccuped again before glaring at him. ‘You cretin! It doesn’t matter if I wake up with a little stranger inside me sharing my life-support system, I suppose. Do you think I’m worried about having a hangover?’ Defiantly she raised her glass and swallowed the contents.

  ‘Well, that’s the first bottle gone,’ he remarked drily. ‘Only one left. Shall I order a caseful?’

  ‘Yes,’ she slurred. ‘Why not? Let’s have a bloody party to celebrate while we’re at it.’ She looked at him hazily. ‘It’s not your birthday or anything, is it? No? Nor mine. Doesn’t matter. I’ll think of something. Now let’s see…I know! The very thing. We’ll call it a conception party!’ Pleased at her own brilliance, she was attempting to remove the cork from the second bottle when he snatched it from her.

  ‘You’ve had enough,’ he growled. ‘Now get undressed.’

  The room began swaying again and he grabbed her shoulders. Staring up mockingly into his green eyes, she scolded him, ‘Wassa matter? Getting impatient, are we?’

  ‘Angry would be a better description,’ he said heavily. ‘Now get undressed or I’ll do it for you.’

  ‘Oh, no, you won’t!’ Somehow she managed to push him away without falling over. ‘I’m prefekly cipa…capib…I can do it myself, thank you very much.’ She found the top button of her blouse and was about to undo it when she stopped and raised indignant eyebrows at him. ‘You’re not just going to stand there watching me, are you? Can’t you at least turn your back? I’m not going to run away.’

  For a tense moment he looked as if he was ready to bite her head off then he gave a sigh of exasperation and turned away.

  ‘That’s much better,’ she mumbled. ‘I know it’s an effort for a man like you but you can be a gennelman if you try.’

  It took her longer than usual but she finally managed to unbutton her blouse. The skirt was no problem but she couldn’t reach the clip on her bra. If only the damned floor would stay still for a moment. Finally she gave up the unequal struggle and tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Excuse me.’

  He turned and she blinked up at him apologetically. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t seem to be able to reach the clip on my bra. Do you think you could.. .?’

  His arms reached round her in a loose embrace and his fingers deftly undid the hook and eye. Her bra fluttered to the floor as she shrugged her shoulders and she said with stiff formality, ‘Thank you. You may let me go now.’

  He looked down at the rich, inviting flesh then growled deep in his throat, ‘I don’t think that would be a good idea. You look ready to pass out.’ Before she knew what was happening he’d swept her off her feet and laid her gently on the bed.

  For a moment she lay quietly staring up at him and for some strange reason she felt a hard lump in her throat and her lip began to tremble. Then in a small vulnerable voice she said, ‘I wouldn’t care. If only I thought that you cared about me just a little I wouldn’t mind. Honestly, Nikos, I wouldn’t.’

  Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and waited…

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE morning banged a dustbin lid on her head and told her to wake up. Carrie opened her eyes a fraction then screwed them shut again and moaned. She tried again a moment later and this time managed to keep them open as she blinked at the ceiling.

  Last night! Oh, my God! She felt like crawling under the sheet again and hiding. Painfully she eased herself up to a sitting position and looked around the hotel room. There was no sign of Nikos but she could hear the water running in the bathroom.

  Her temples were throbbing and her tongue felt like an old sock. She’d never felt as bad as this in her life. Did h
eavy drinkers feel like this every morning? They had to be mad. But surely she hadn’t drunk that much? She tried to reconstruct the events of the previous night. There’d been lots of arguing…yes…she’d told Nikos exactly what she thought of him…then what? He’d undressed her? Or had she undressed herself? She wasn’t sure about that bit but she remembered him picking her up and laying her on the bed…

  ‘Good morning, Carrie.’

  He’d just come out of the bathroom, freshly shaved, showered and dressed, and he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. He examined her critically. ‘How do you feel?’

  She unstuck her tongue and said thickly, ‘Fine. Just fine.’

  ‘Well, you don’t look fine to me,’ he remarked drily. ‘You look like the only survivor of a gruesome train wreck.’

  ‘You certainly know how to boost a person’s selfconfidence, don’t you?’ she remarked sourly.

  ‘Well, you shouldn’t have drunk so much,’ he said unsympathetically. ‘I warned you about that wine but you wouldn’t listen,’

  He sat looking at her for a moment then she remembered to pull up the sheet and cover herself.

  He got to his feet. ‘I’ve already eaten. How about you? Shall I have something sent up? Bacon and eggs?’

  She swallowed and waited till her stomach had calmed down. He’d said that deliberately, the sadist. ‘No, thanks. Just strong, sweet coffee. Lots of it.’

  He went over to the phone and gave the order to Room Service then came back and sat beside her again. ‘Whenever you feel up to it I’ll put a call through to the estate.’

  She frowned at him. ‘Estate?’

  ‘You asked if you could speak to your brother this morning. Don’t you remember?’

  She nodded then winced at the pain. ‘Yes. I…I remember that.’

  Under the inquisitorial scrutiny of his green eyes she began to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

  ‘What else do you remember?’ he asked.

  ‘I’d rather not think about it right now, if you don’t mind,’ she muttered. Little flashes of memory were already tormenting her. She looked at the uncreased pillow on the other side of the bed and she looked at him in embarrassment. ‘Did we…I mean…did I…?’

  ‘No, we didn’t,’ he snapped with a hard edge of anger. ‘You were unconscious. I’m well aware of your opinion of me but I haven’t sunk to that level yet.’

  He continued to roast her under a glare of injured dignity then, satisfied that she looked suitably chastened, he said, ‘You fell asleep almost as soon as I put you to bed. I made sure that you were comfortable then I went out for a couple of hours. When I came back you were snoring like a drunken sailor.’ He made a gesture at the chair. ‘I spent a damned uncomfortable night on that.’

  She saw that her clothes were neatly folded on the dressing-table. ‘I…I suppose I should thank you.’

  ‘For what? Looking after you? Not taking advantage of your condition?’

  She bit her lip miserably. ‘You know what I mean. Don’t make it any more difficult for me. I feel bad enough already.’

  His expression softened a little. ‘Last night you called me a bloody-minded, uncaring cretin. Perhaps I just wanted the satisfaction of watching you eating your words this morning.’

  She looked towards the bathroom. ‘I’d like to go for a shower.’

  ‘A very good idea. Your coffee should be here by the time you’re finished.’ He rose and diplomatically went over to gaze out of the window as she crept out of bed, grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom.

  She revelled under a steaming-hot shower then turned the tap until it was icy cold. Gasping and taking in great gulps of air, she suffered it for a minute then turned the hot on again. Finishing with another icy shower, she stepped out and briskly towelled herself dry. In the toilet cabinet she found some throw-away toothbrushes in little plastic covers and tiny tubes of toothpaste. She scrubbed her teeth clean then rinsed her mouth. Finally she dressed herself then stepped, pink and glowing, into the bedroom.

  Nikos poured her a coffee and looked her up and down with approval. ‘Now you look much better. Headache gone?’

  She nodded and sipped the sweet coffee. ‘What time is it?’

  He glanced at his watch. ‘Almost nine. Why? Are you in a rush to get somewhere?’

  ‘Yes. The market for fresh vegetables. All the best stuff will be gone if I leave it too late.’

  He picked up the phone, asked for the manager then said briskly, ‘Spirakis here. I want you to send someone from the kitchen down to the market. They’ve to pick up supplies and take them to a boat in the harbour called the Miranda.’ He passed her the phone. ‘Give him a list of the supplies you need.’

  So that was how the rich and powerful did it, she told herself wryly. They didn’t stand around haggling in a market—they got someone from the kitchen to do it for them.

  As soon as she’d finished dictating her order he asked the hotel switchboard to put him through to a mainland number. She took another sip of her coffee and saw the impatient look on his face as he waited. He glanced at her and said, ‘I’m trying to get through to the estate. You’re getting the chance to talk to that brother of yours. No long speeches, please. Just make it as short as possible.’

  She laid her coffee down and got ready to grab the phone. She had no idea of what she was going to say apart from telling him not to worry but, knowing Jimmy, he’d be more worried about her than about himself. But just to hear each other’s voices would give them both a boost.

  After another interminable wait he growled into the mouthpiece at the operator, ‘Are you sure you’re dialling the right number?’ Finally he put the phone down in disgust. ‘There’s no answer.’

  She eyed him suspiciously, wondering if this was another one of his tricks to hurt and confuse her, then she decided that his look of mystified impatience was genuine enough.

  ‘Perhaps there’s no one in at the moment,’ she suggested.

  ‘There’s a staff of eight in the main house,’ he said irritably. ‘At least one of them should be on hand to answer the phone.’

  She picked up her coffee again, her downturned mouth registering her disappointment. ‘There may be a fault in the line,’ she said, offering another suggestion. ‘Or at the exchange. Try again in ten minutes’ time.’

  ‘I will,’ he said grimly. ‘But I’ve a feeling that something is wrong.’

  ‘Wrong?’ She went cold. The cup trembled in her hand and she put it down quickly. ‘What do you mean, wrong? Can it have anything to do with my brother?’ Her voice began to shake. ‘I…I warn you, Nikos. If any of your family have harmed him…’

  ‘Your brother is perfectly safe,’ he snapped.

  ‘How do you know?’ she demanded. ‘How can you possibly know? From what you’ve told me about those vindictive pigs you’re related to—’

  His eyes flashed at her dangerously then he growled. ‘No one would dare disobey my orders.’

  His words, in spite of their vehemence, did little to reassure her, and once again the injustice of the whole thing brought a lump of bitterness to her throat. ‘I suppose you’ve got him chained up in some cellar like an animal,’ she said in cold accusation. ‘That would be your idea of keeping him safe, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘Well, it would certainly fit comfortably into your perception of me as a callous brute,’ he said with biting sarcasm. ‘The fact is that he’s probably a lot more comfortable on the estate than he ever was on the Miranda. He has a room behind the servants’ quarters and he eats the same food as everyone else. He works in the olive groves from seven in the morning until midday. After that his time is his own.’

  She found that hard to believe. ‘If you allowed him to do as he likes he would have escaped long ago,’ she asserted.

  ‘He can do as he likes within reason,’ Nikos amended curtly. ‘He isn’t allowed to go near the main house and naturally he is guarded at all times,’

  ‘By some hairy thug
with a shotgun, I suppose?’ she sneered.

  His eyes grew hard again. ‘My cousin Theo would take great exception to that description. He is very fastidious about his appearance.’

  ‘To hell with your cousin Theo,’ she muttered.

  He shrugged. ‘He’ll probably end up there sooner or later like the rest of us. However, since we’ve got a few minutes to spare, there’s something else I’d like to discuss with you.’

  She sipped her coffee and eyed him suspiciously over the rim. ‘Discuss? That makes a change. Up until now you’ve never even bothered to—’

  ‘For God’s sake, woman!’ he bristled. ‘Can’t you sweeten that tongue of yours for five minutes? I stood enough of your insults last night. I’m trying to be reasonable with you but you’re not giving me a chance.’

  She almost wilted under his fierce glare and hastily put the cup down again. ‘All right. I…I’m listening.’

  His look of resentful impatience lingered on her a moment longer then he walked over to the window and gazed down into the street. ‘I’ve been giving some thought to the future of our child.’

  Her heart gave a tiny lurch. This was the first time he’d ever referred to the child as theirs. It wasn’t going to be hers or his. It was going to be theirs.

  ‘It isn’t right that the innocent should suffer for the sins of someone else,’ he declared quietly.

  She was in total agreement with that but to hear such a sentiment coming from him was the last thing she expected. Unable to think of a thing to say, she waited for him to show any other signs of a sudden conversion.

  He turned round slowly and scowled at her. ‘You made a threat last night about bringing up our child to hate me for deserting both of you. Do you remember that?’

  She swallowed uncomfortably. ‘V-vaguely. I don’t think I meant it.’

  ‘Well, I happen to think that you did,’ he said brusquely. ‘But that doesn’t intimidate me. If I decide to hs generous with you now it has nothing to do with that threat. I want you to understand that Carrie. No one threatens Nikos Spirakis.’