Dark Avenger Page 11

  ‘I see…’ She bit her lip again. ‘Just what do you mean by being generous with me? I mean, at the risk of making you blow your top again I’ll tell you right here and now what you can do with any offer of money you might be thinking of making. If and when I do have your child I’ll bring it up without any help from you.’

  He gave her a long, hard, penetrating look which she returned unflinchingly. ‘I should have remembered your stubborn streak of independence,’ he murmured.

  ‘You’re right,’ she retorted. ‘I am independent. But apart from that I’ve no intention of letting you whitewash your conscience by accepting your money.’

  His face was an unreadable mask and she wondered what was really at the back of his mind. Was it possible that he was starting to feel…? No. That would still be too much to hope for. She decided to push him a little further. ‘You’ve just said that it isn’t right that the innocent should suffer because of the sins of someone else. Well, what about me?’

  He frowned. ‘You won’t suffer. When your time comes you’ll get the best possible medical attention. You’ll want for nothing.’

  ‘And where will I be when all this is happening?’ she challenged. ‘In the loving bosom of your family?’

  He shook his head. ‘You know that’s impossible.’

  ‘Yes.’ She felt that lump come back to her throat. ‘I just wanted to hear you say it.’

  ‘You can have a private ward in the best—‘

  She cut him short. ‘No, thanks, Nikos.’

  Anger and puzzlement darkened his features. ‘Why not?’

  Her voice was a mixture of sorrow and resentment as she gave her answer to that. ‘If you have to ask then you’ll never understand.’

  She knew the risk she was running. Obviously he was having some kind of change of heart and finding it heavy going. If she kept rejecting these tentative offers of friendship he might decide just to climb back into his tank.

  ‘If you really want to be generous with me then there is one thing you can do,’ she offered quietly.

  He nodded gravely. ‘Just tell me.’

  She took a deep breath. He’d probably turn her down flat but she had at least to try for Jimmy’s sake. ‘Let my brother go. Turn him free.’ She saw his eyes narrow and she went on quickly, ‘You don’t need him as a hostage any more, Nikos. That was why you took him in the first place, wasn’t it? Just to make sure that I’d…I’d co-operate with you. Well, I have…’

  She saw the cold refusal on his face even before he managed to open his mouth and she got her argument in first. ‘Look, I’m willing to stay with you until…until your own doctor examines me. That’s what you want, isn’t it?’

  His frown of indecision told her that he was thinking about it and she scented a small victory. ‘Jimmy has friends in Piraeus,’ she went on persuasively. ‘He can stay with them for a few weeks.’

  ‘You’ll entertain no notion of escaping?’

  ‘I’ve already told you that I’ll stay,’ she reminded him stiffly. ‘You’ll just have to take my word for it.’

  His green eyes contemplated her briefly then he nodded. ‘Very well. I agree.’

  As the great weight was suddenly lifted from her shoulders she felt as if her feet were leaving the ground and her breath came out in a long sigh of relief.

  ‘And the other matter?’ he asked quietly. ‘Do you still refuse to accept my help with the child?’

  Watch it, Carrie, she thought. Don’t blow it now. She’d already wrung one concession from him and it would be silly to jeapordise it now. If she went out of her way to antagonise him he might just change his mind about Jimmy. ‘I…I’ll think about it,’ she prevaricated. ‘When the time comes I may well be needing some kind of help.’

  It was enough to keep him satisfied for the moment and he went back to the phone and asked the operator to try the number again. She poured herself another cup of coffee and watched him.

  Still unable to get any reply from the estate, he replaced the phone and stared out of the window with a dark, brooding expression.

  Prudently she kept her mouth shut. She knew to her cost what happened when his train of thought was interrupted by ‘small talk’. Yesterday morning on the Miranda she’d tried it and had received a very cold shoulder. Was that when he’d begun thinking about the future of their child? she wondered.

  He came to a sudden decision and turned. ‘Finish your coffee. We’re leaving. It should be little more than a seven-hour trip to the mainland from here. We can be at the estate by this evening if we leave right away.’

  She looked at him hesitantly. Going into the heart of enemy territory was not a prospect that pleased her.

  ‘You’d like to see your brother before I release him and send him on his way, wouldn’t you?’ he asked drily. ‘This is your chance. In any case I have to find out why there is no answer to my call. A few heads will roll when I get to the bottom of this. All our enterprises are run from the estate and success depends on instant communication.’

  The Miranda slipped out of the harbour half an hour later. Nikos took the wheel while she inspected the provisions which had arrived a few minutes before they’d left. After she’d stowed them in the galley she came back up on deck and stripped to the waist. It was strange how she’d never have dreamt of doing this in front of her own brother yet in full view of Nikos she didn’t feel the slightest bit embarrassed. She sat on the deck with her back to the wheelhouse and basked in the sun. Half an hour would be long enough to maintain her light golden tan then she’d don her T-shirt. The Aegean during August was no place to take chances with sunburn…or anything worse.

  Now that the problem of her brother’s safety was out of the way she had time to weigh up her own situation. There was no use dwelling on the rights and wrongs of it, because in approximately nine months’ time she was going to have a baby, so the sooner she started making plans the better.

  The first thing to do was to stop feeling sorry for herself. It wasn’t the end of the world. She wouldn’t be the first woman in history to find herself in this position. She’d manage somehow. Women were more resilient and adaptable than men.

  Of one thing she was certain. She’d raise the child with all the tender loving care she was capable of. At the end of the day her baby would be the most innocent of them all. Anyway, she’d have to find a permanent home somewhere, and perhaps a job. Handling a boat wasn’t the only thing she could do. She still had her business studies diploma to fall back on. There were plenty of shipping agencies in Piraeus. She might get lucky there.

  She wasn’t so sure about her brother, though. She’d have to make it perfectly clear that she held him in no way responsible. He’d been stupid and thoughtless, but then most men usually were, weren’t they? Show them a big bust and a pair of pretty legs and they went ga-ga. But Jimmy wouldn’t see it that way. Every time he saw the child it would be a reminder of his folly and he’d be driven half mad with shame and remorse. The best thing all round would be for Jimmy to find a new partner to help him run the Miranda. That way they could go their separate ways.

  In a strange twist of logic she even found herself feeling a little sorry for Nikos. He was going to be the father of a child which he was destined never to see. That was a fact that he apparently hadn’t considered up till now and it was probably the reason for his belated offer of help. If she kept refusing him then she was virtually denying him the right ever to see his offspring.

  Did she really want to do that? she asked herself. She hated what he was doing to her life but she couldn’t really bring herself to hate him as a person. He wasn’t an evil man. Their respective cultures were a world apart but if she was to be truly honest with herself she’d have to admit that she’d been a willing partner in her own seduction. If she’d met him in any other circumstances she’d probably still have fallen for his raw masculine sex appeal and she’d still have been left to pay the price. In that respect there wasn’t much to choose between her and her
brother.

  When her half-hour was up she put on her T-shirt and went below. In the galley she made a plateful of tomato and cucumber sandwiches then took a jugful of ice-cold orange juice from the fridge and carried the tray to the wheelhouse.

  ‘Help yourself,’ she said. ‘I’ll take a spell at the wheel.’

  Handing control over to her, he poured himself some orange juice then warned her, ‘Keep your eye on those yachts ahead. They’re tacking into the wind so they’re liable to cut across your bows when you least expect it.’

  She sighed and rolled her eyes upwards. He laughed at her expression then conceded, ‘Sorry. I forgot that you were an old sea dog.’

  There was a slight swell which the Miranda was riding easily and the breeze was mercifully cooling. Nikos was chewing at a sandwich but he stopped abruptly when she asked him about his sister.

  ‘Helen? What about her?’

  She shrugged. ‘I’m just wondering what she’s like. After all, she and I are in much the same position, aren’t we? I suppose we’ve got that much in common.’

  Nikos finished chewing then swallowed and said, ‘You may get the chance to meet her. Curiosity might make her want to meet the sister of the man who abused her.’

  She flinched at his choice of words then responded sarcastically, ‘You mean she’s still living there?’

  ‘Of course. Why shouldn’t she?’

  ‘Well, the way you were talking about her I thought she’d been packed off in disgrace to live with some old aunt in the mountains. I’m sure she’s grateful not to be completely ostracised from her loving, caring family.’

  Ignoring the sarcasm, Nikos took another bite of his sandwich. ‘She’ll be leaving for America any day now. It’s more convenient to let her remain in the house. Naturally she’s confined to her own suite with her personal maid. Not as a punishment, you understand. More to save her embarrassment in front of other members of the family.’

  ‘She’s been sent to Coventry, in other words?’

  He frowned. ‘Sent to Coventry?’

  ‘Sorry. It’s an English expression. It means that she’s not the flavour of the month at your household.’

  Again he looked puzzled. ‘Flavour of the month?’

  She sighed. ‘Forget it. Anyway, you still haven’t told me what she’s like as a person. I mean, I realise that she must be very beautiful but she must have other qualities besides.’ She paused then goaded him into answering by adding casually, ‘If you don’t want to talk about her that’s all right by me. I’ll understand. After the shame she’s brought on you all…’ She stopped and hoped she hadn’t gone too far.

  She could sense him stiffening then he drawled, ‘She’s a bit like yourself, Carrie. Resourceful and courageous but with too much salt on her tongue for her own good.’

  She stared straight ahead, afraid to let him see the hurt and confusion in her eyes. A lot of good it did being courageous and resourceful when you ended up like this, she thought. ‘Is she also an idealist…a romantic dreamer like me?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘Yes. And like you she’s sensible enough to know that in the end it’s best to bow to the inevitable.’ He paused for a moment then went on darkly, ‘And you’re right about her bringing shame to our family. She is as much to blame as your brother for allowing it to happen. She now realises the error of her ways and is—‘

  Carrie couldn’t take it any more and she wished she’d never got on to the subject in the first place. Turning to him sharply, she said, ‘All right, Nikos! I don’t want to hear any more. I’m depressed enough as it is.’

  ‘Then we’ll have to try our best to lift that depression,’ he mocked softly. ‘There’s a secluded villa on the estate. We’ll spend the night together there and this time there’ll be no wine to dull the senses.’ He leaned over and his lips brushed warmly against her ear. ‘Just keep thinking about that for the next few hours, Carrie. Imagine the pleasure we’re going to give one another.’

  She eyed him resentfully as he left the wheelhouse then she bit her lip. Pleasure was the last thing on her mind right now. Top of the list was still her brother and what she was going to say to him when they met.

  He was going to demand to know everything that Nikos had done to her. Well, she could lie and talk her way out of that just to put his mind at rest but how was she going to explain about her promise to stay with Nikos? If she told Jimmy the truth he’d go berserk. That would have to wait until later when they were both safely out of the clutches of the Spirakis family. In the meantime she’d have to try and think up some plausible story explaining why she couldn’t leave with him.

  From a mile offshore she could see the full extent of the estate. The harbour they were heading for was large enough to accommodate a fair-sized fleet of ships. Through the binoculars she counted at least twenty, ranging from a magnificent luxury cruiser to large yachts and smaller power boats. Fronting the harbour were various sheds and workshops and beyond them, on the gently rising ground, the main house itself fronted by immaculate lawns and flowerbeds. Behind the house, stretching as far as the foothills in the distance, were vast acres of olive groves and fruit orchards.

  The Miranda, looking like a bag lady at a debutantes’ ball, nosed her way through the harbour towards the jetty. Nikos guided her safely to a berth and from the deck she threw a stern line up to the jetty where it was grabbed by a worker and tied to a bollard. As she was doing the same to the bow line a white limousine screeched to a halt and two men leapt out, one demanding to know in a loud voice just who the hell she was and who had given her permission to tie up on private property.

  Suddenly their expressions changed as Nikos stepped out of the wheelhouse and she saw them exchange uneasy glances.

  Nikos, wasting no time, climbed on to the jetty and confronted them angrily. ‘We wouldn’t have to be here at all if I’d been able to get an answer to my phone call this morning. I hope for both your sakes there’s a damned good explanation.’

  Again they looked at each other in embarrassment then the elder of the two, a burly man in his late fifties, drew Nikos aside and began talking in a low, urgent whisper.

  Carrie became aware of the other man staring down at her. He was about the same age as herself, smartly dressed in a dark suit, but his lips were too thick and his eyes almost colourless. For a moment she glared back at him defiantly then she turned her back on him and pretended to be busy inspecting the derrick. There was something about him that made her skin crawl. The sooner she saw Jimmy and got away from here the better, she decided.

  With a feeling of relief she saw Nikos return to the deck. Better the devil you knew than the one you didn’t, she told herself wryly. But the feeling of relief vanished as soon as she saw the look of fury on his face and she gulped, ‘Wh-what’s wrong, Nikos?’

  In a voice of barely controlled anger he said, ‘It seems that there’s a very good reason why no one was in the house to answer the phone this morning. Everyone was out searching for your brother.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘Jimmy? I…I don’t understand. Where is he?’

  ‘That’s what we’d all like to know. He’s disappeared.’

  ‘You mean he’s escaped?’ She felt like giving a small smile of triumph but thought better of it. He didn’t look as if he’d appreciate any snide remarks from her. She gave a shrug. ‘I don’t see why you’re so upset. You were going to let him go anyway, weren’t you? He’s just beaten you to it, that’s all.’ She could still feel those colourless eyes staring down at her and she said quietly, ‘Look, Nikos. I don’t like your friend up there, whoever he is. Since there’s no reason for us to be here any longer, why don’t we just start the engine and—?’

  ‘That man you’ve taken an irrational dislike to is my cousin Theo.’

  The name rang a bell and she smiled coldly. ‘He’s the one who was supposed to be guarding Jimmy, isn’t he? Seems he’s not very good at his job.’

  ‘During the night your brother pretended
to be ill and when Theo went to his assistance he was overpowered, tied up and gagged. He didn’t manage to free himself until seven o’clock this morning.’

  This time she couldn’t help herself. ‘Well, that’s Jimmy for you. He always was good at knots. Dad taught him well.’

  For a moment she thought she’d gone too far and that Nikos was going to strike her and she backed away.

  His green eyes flickered angrily then he took a deep breath. ‘You won’t find the next part so humorous, Carrie. Not content with merely making his escape, he has also abducted my sister.’

  Her mouth dropped open. ‘From this house? How did he manage that?’

  ‘Made his way to her room then tied her up and gagged her as he did to Theo, I imagine.’ He smiled at her grimly. ‘No doubt his idea is to use Helen as a hostage in exchange for you. We’ll find him, and when we do…’

  He left the threat unfinished and she closed her eyes in despair. In spite of everything she’d done her damn fool of a brother had just got himself into more trouble than ever.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CARRIE tried her best to ignore the looks she was getting but it wasn’t easy. There was an atmosphere of brooding hostility in the room that made her decidedly nervous. Nikos had spent a good ten minutes questioning and tonguelashing the staff and members of the family and you could see who they were blaming for their troubles. Her. It was all her fault. If they couldn’t take their wrath out on Jimmy she was the next best thing.

  Finally Nikos dismissed them all in disgust and as they shuffled out of the room he called one of them back.

  The girl was about nineteen, dark and slim, and could have been quite pretty except for the surly expression on her face. ‘Yes, Mr Spirakis?’

  Nikos spoke to her gravely. ‘Sofia, this is Carrie. She is the sister of the man who has abducted your mistress. In spite of that you will treat her with the same respect and consideration you gave to Helen. I’d intended to put her up in the villa but in the circumstances I think it would be more convenient if she was given a room in the main house.’