Dark Avenger Read online

  Three days later, full of confidence and with a list of their father’s regular calls, they had set off in the Miranda to deliver a load of piping and a water pump destined to make life easier for the villagers on a tiny island south of Naxos…

  The faint noise broke into her thoughts and she felt the slight tremor as the engine began throbbing. Good. Jimmy must have returned. Now she could tell that interfering stranger to go away and mind his own business.

  Her blue eyes stared back at her critically from the mirror. The years in the sun had bleached her naturally blonde hair to platinum. Usually, for practical reasons, she kept it short, but she hadn’t been near a hairdresser for months. Now she simply tied it back carelessly with a black ribbon. She never wore make-up, not even on the rare occasions when they found themselves calling at one of the larger islands during the tourist season. Her complexion and colouring were entirely due to her active outdoor way of life. No cosmetic had yet been made that could compete against sunshine and soft rain.

  Finally she slipped her feet into a pair of ropesoled sandals and made her way up on deck.

  Emerging into the daylight, she stood for a moment frozen in surprise, then she gasped in outrage. Not only had the stranger managed to start the engine, he’d also cast off the bow and stern lines and was now in the wheelhouse, and they were already a hundred yards away from the jetty and heading out to the open sea!

  Frantically she gazed around the deck and into the engine compartment but there was no sign of her brother. Furiously she called up to the wheelhouse, ‘Hey! You there! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Turn this boat round immediately.’

  The stranger ignored her for a few moments while he consulted the compass reading then he locked the wheel and casually descended to the deck to confront her.

  He still wasn’t wearing his damn shirt, she noted with discomfort, and she glared at him. ‘Turn this boat round. My brother isn’t here yet.’

  The green eyes were now roving over her body with an intense interest and the raising of a dark, quizzical eyebrow gave his lean features an even more devilish look. ‘Surely you can’t be the woman I was talking to a few minutes ago?’ he drawled. ‘She was shapeless and covered in oil. You can’t possibly be the Carrie Stevens I came to see. Are you?’

  She felt practically naked under his hard stare of undisguised lust and her mouth went dry. ‘L-look…’ she stammered ‘…you’ve no right to—’

  He went on as if he hadn’t heard her. ‘I hadn’t expected anyone quite so sexually attractive, Miss Stevens. But the fact that you are will make my mission a pleasure rather than mere duty.’

  She had no idea what he was talking about but by the sound of it she was in deep trouble. Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on her hips. ‘I’m going to report this act of piracy to the police. You’ll be in big trouble.’

  ‘No, you won’t, Miss Stevens.’ He suddenly showed a row of white teeth in a shark-like ironic smile. ‘“Miss Stevens” sounds far too formal. Since we’re going to have a very intimate relationship I think I’ll call you Carrie from now on. I am Nikos Spirakis.’ He paused and for a moment his jade eyes gleamed with cold amusement. ‘Does that name mean anything to you, Carrie?’

  She let her eyes smoulder at him in anger for a moment then she snapped, ‘No. Why should it? I’ve never…’ She paused as a sudden thought flashed into her head. Spirakis? No, it couldn’t be! And yet…There was something about him. He had that cold selfassurance that only wealth and power could bestow. She looked at him more closely then said hesitantly, ‘The…the only Spirakis I’ve heard of is the family who own half the ships and olive groves…’

  He raised a hand. ‘I know exactly what we own. You could say that we are one of the richest and most powerful families in Greece.’ There was no hint of a boast in his voice. He was merely stating a fact.

  She gulped. Everyone knew about the Spirakis family but if they talked about them it was mostly in whispers behind closed doors. The general consensus seemed to be that it would be safer to spit in the devil’s face than have a Spirakis as an enemy.

  Of course it had all been hearsay as far as she’d been concerned but now that she was actually face to face with one she was beginning to think that there was more than a grain of truth in the accusations.

  Quelling the feeling of panic that was rising in her breast, she mustered as much dignity as she could and said frostily, ‘I don’t care how rich or powerful you are, Mr Spirakis. You’ve still no right to be aboard this boat. If you don’t turn us round I’ll do it myself. My schedule means that I won’t be back here for at least a month. I can’t leave my brother stranded. At least I’ll have to find out if anything has happened to him.’

  His mouth gave a sardonic quirk. ‘You have my personal assurance that your brother is perfectly safe and unharmed.’ He paused for a moment then added softly, ‘For the time being at least. His ultimate welfare is entirely in your hands.’

  The colour drained from her face. ‘What is that supposed to mean? Where is he?’

  ‘Working in one of our olive groves under the strict supervision of my uncle and cousins. At least it’ll give him time to contemplate the error of his ways.’

  Her eyes widened and she felt a chilling knot of fear in her stomach. ‘I…I don’t know what this is all about, Mr Spirakis, but I warn you that if anything happens to Jimmy I…I’ll—’

  He dismissed her threat with a snort and his green eyes provoked and taunted her. ‘You’re very fond of your brother, I imagine.’

  ‘Dammit!’ she flared up at him. ‘What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I’m fond of him. He’s all the family I’ve got.’

  His voice turned raw with cold condemnation. ‘So you simply turn a blind eye to his promiscuous way of life because he’s your brother?’

  Her mouth dropped open in astonishment then she laughed uncertainly. ‘Jimmy? Promiscuous? You’re mad.’

  ‘Perhaps you don’t know him as well as you think you do,’ he growled. ‘He is an attractive youth with an easy charm. Most girls would find him irresistible. Do you expect me to believe that he hasn’t exploited those assets to his advantage?’

  ‘Jimmy isn’t like that,’ she said in heated defence. ‘I’m not saying that he doesn’t go out with girls whenever he has the chance but he would never cause any of them any…any harm.’

  He mocked her with a derisive smile. ‘Come, now. A nineteen-year-old boy isn’t likely to boast of his conquests to his older sister, is he?’

  That knot of fear was growing larger. She already had some idea what all this was leading up to but she prayed fervently that she was wrong.

  For a moment he watched the conflicting emotions on her face then he nodded with quiet satisfaction as if he’d proved a point. Still mocking her, he said, ‘It may be some comfort to you to know that your brother thinks very highly of you. He seems to worship you. At least that’s the impression he gave my uncle, who had a very long and informative talk with him.’

  ‘We’ve always been close,’ she said stiffly.

  ‘Good. If it had been otherwise I’d be wasting my time here.’ The green eyes began stripping her again with obvious anticipation. ‘Now let’s talk about you for a change, shall we? Tell me about your boyfriends…your lovers. Does promiscuity run in your family?’

  Her cheeks flamed and she clenched her fists. ‘You can go to hell.’

  He eyed her in cold silence then shrugged. ‘If I go to hell then so does your brother. As I said before, his fate is entirely in your hands.’

  The unmistakable note of menace in his voice sent another shiver down her back and she gulped. ‘I…I’ve only ever had one boyfriend. It was years and years ago.’

  He raised an eyebrow in frank disbelief. ‘Do you take me for a fool, Miss Stevens?’

  Her cheeks burned again and she gritted her teeth. ‘Look, I don’t give a damn whether you believe it or not. Running this ship has kept me busy. I’ve no time for
emotional entanglements of that sort.’

  ‘No time?’ he mused. ‘Or is it a case of no inclination?’ The green eyes challenged her then he said softly, ‘Now is as good a time as any to find out.’

  She tried to jump back but he was too quick for her and she found herself suddenly imprisoned in his arms. Her cry of protest died in a gasp as he crushed her to his chest.

  Grinning down at her, he murmured in approval, ‘Such a soft, yielding body. Now we’ll see if your lips are as yielding,’ One of his hands came up to grab her hair and she found herself staring up in fear into the fathomless depths of his sea-green eyes.

  She closed her own eyes quickly as his mouth descended on hers and the shock kept her rigid and tight-lipped. Undeterred by her initial refusal to respond, his tongue began teasing and probing and finally forced an entry into the warm, dark sweetness of her mouth. Oh, God, she thought. When was the last time she’d been kissed like this? When had she ever been kissed like this? This was provocation beyond endurance and she could feel her limbs losing their strength.

  The warmth of his bare chest and the steady beating of his heart transmitted itself through her thin cotton T-shirt and she cursed herself for not having bothered to put on a bra. Surely he could feel her nipples hardening against his body and that would only inflame him further. The hands she raised in a half-hearted attempt to push him away betrayed her and slid under his arms to clasp his back and the touch of his smooth skin sent an aching tremor through her thighs.

  As his tongue continued to explore her mouth she responded, slowly at first, then as desire swelled and swept aside reason her own tongue began replying in erotic abandon. Now every nerve-end in her body began to tingle as she felt his hand slide under her T-shirt and a low moan came from her throat as he caressed her breast. His touch was fire—a scorching heat that would brand her forever.

  His knee began forcing itself between her thighs and she fought desperately to cling to the last shreds of her sanity. This had to stop. Here and now. Shocked and ashamed at the demon he’d unleashed inside her, she brought her hands round and pushed hard against his chest. Frantically she tore her mouth from his and gasped, ‘Stop it! Let…let me go, damn you.’

  Denied the pleasures of her mouth, his lips found her neck and began to trace a path of incandescent sensuality from her ear to the tender hollow of her throat. As she teetered on the brink of complete and utter surrender, wanting him, needing him to relieve this intolerable aching desire, only one tiny spark of reason shone feebly in the dark maelstrom of her mind and she raised her hands to force his face away.

  With a grunt he released her and she staggered back on her heels, her chest heaving.

  He touched his cheek and examined the tiny spot of blood on his finger then his lips stretched in a feral grin as he surveyed her with approval. ‘So the fair English rose has a thorn. She’s willing to fight to defend her honour. You’ve no idea how much that pleases me, Carrie.’

  The scratch had been unintentional but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Instead, she muttered darkly, ‘If you ever touch me again I won’t use a thorn. I’ll use something heavy and likely to be lethal.’

  He dismissed her threat with a cold, derisory smile. ‘Don’t worry, Miss Stevens. I’ve no intention of forcing myself on you again. If it were merely your body I was after you’d be pinned helplessly to the deck right now and I’ve no doubt that you’d be writhing in ecstasy.’

  Her breathing was returning to normal and her mind was beginning to function rationally once more. Lowering her eyes, she realised that her threat had been ridiculous. She could see that now. Her puny strength was no match for that of a man of his build and power and if he’d really intended taking her against her will a mere scratch on the cheek wouldn’t have stopped him. There was also the sickening realisation that he was capable of inflaming her passion to such a height. Now she felt nothing but self-disgust at her own weakness and easy arousal. Perhaps, buried deep beneath all that armour of self-discipline and moral rectitude, she really was a promiscuous little harlot at heart.

  Eyeing him with resentful suspicion, she said accusingly, ‘You appear to think that you’ve some sort of hold over me because of my brother. What did he ever do to harm you?’

  ‘Not to me, Carrie,’ he said in a voice that was suddenly harsh with bitterness and anger. ‘To my sister—Helen, as you would call her in English.’

  A cold hand clamped itself over her heart and she bit her lip. It was clear to her now. She knew the importance of family honour to men such as him. The idea of a practically penniless deckhand, and a foreigner at that, presuming to cast an eye on his sister must have been the ultimate insult.

  ‘Look,’ she said quietly, ‘Jimmy listens to me. I…I’ll warn him to keep away from your precious sister in future. Anyway I’m sure he meant no harm.’

  The cold green eyes studied her in nerve-racking silence once more then he said bitterly, ‘Helen is a beautiful girl. Eighteen years old. She was betrothed to the son of a friend. They were to be married in six months’ time but thanks to your brother that wedding can no longer take place.’

  ‘Oh, come on now,’ she protested. ‘Just because Jimmy went out with your sister there’s no need to—’

  His voice cut into her like a whip. ‘He did more than just “go out” with her. He dishonoured her. She is pregnant and your brother is the father.’

  The colour drained from her face and she stared at him in shocked disbelief. Finally she whispered, ‘That…that can’t be true. Jimmy wouldn’t be so stupid…I mean…you couldn’t be mistaken about this, could you?’ As soon as she’d said it she knew that it was the kind of question only a fool would ask and she flinched at his withering reply.

  ‘Don’t take me for a fool. Did you think I’d come here unless I was absolutely certain of the facts?’

  Feeling sick to the stomach, she bit her lip in frustration. How could Jimmy have been so bloody stupid? The damned idiot. It would have been bad enough had it been any other girl but he’d had to go and get himself involved with one of the Spirakis clan! Well, perhaps he hadn’t known who she was and the girl had neglected to tell him. But he should have had more respect for a girl no matter who she was. She felt nothing but shame that her own brother could do such a thing.

  She looked hesitantly at the mask of anger directed at her and was on the point of asking him if he was quite sure that his sister hadn’t led Jimmy on then she thought better of it. He’d probably throttle her on the spot.

  Adopting an air of quiet resignation, she said, ‘This is as distressing to me as it is to you. I really do feel sorry for your sister. There’s absolutely no excuse for what Jimmy did. He’s old enough to know better. But I really don’t see what I can do about it.’

  ‘You at least agree that he should be punished?’

  ‘What do you mean—punished?’ she asked warily. She’d heard some pretty graphic descriptions of the way these proud and arrogant Greeks repaid insults to their family honour. And if the family was rich and powerful enough the guardians of the law had a habit of looking the other way.

  ‘An eye for an eye, Miss Stevens,’ he said with a grim smile, ‘a tooth for a tooth. I’m sure you’re familiar with the biblical reference?’

  For a moment she couldn’t fathom what he was talking about then a seed of suspicion exploded and bloomed sickeningly in her mind.

  Seeing the effect his threat had on her, he nodded with ironic amusement. ‘Yes, Miss Stevens. It’s only common justice, after all. What your brother did to my sister I can easily do to his.’ He paused, then, as if to make sure that she was in no doubt as to the fate he planned for her, he showed his teeth in another smile of grim anticipation. ‘I’m going to make you pregnant, Miss Stevens. Gloriously and abundantly pregnant.’

  For a moment her breath was taken away by the sheer callousness of the man then she glared at him with a mixture of scorn and downright anger. ‘So you lied. You do intend to rape me after
all. Just like the brute you really are.’ She gave him a withering snort of contempt. ‘You may be rich and you may think of yourself as a man of honour but as far as I’m concerned any man who’d contemplate such a thing is worth less than the scum in the gutters of Piraeus.’

  It was a deliberate and calculated insult made with an outward show of bravado but the cold smile remained to taunt her.

  ‘You’ve got it all wrong, my dear Carrie. I’m not going to rape you. On the contrary. You’re the one who is going to make the running. You’re going to plead with me to make love to you. You’re going to beg me on your hands and knees.’

  Uncertainty flickered in her eyes and she attempted a laugh of derision. ‘You must be stark raving mad. Hell would have to freeze over before I’d do that.’

  ‘You have a month,’ he told her calmly. ‘This trip will last a month and by the end of it you’d better be pregnant. Or else.. .’

  ‘Or else what?’ she demanded with a sneer.

  His green eyes bored into her and he spoke every word slowly and carefully so that she was left in no doubt whatsoever. ‘In that case your brother will be returned to you. But my cousins will make sure that he has neither the desire nor the ability to father any more children.’

  He smiled contentedly at her look of horror then he rubbed his hands together briskly. ‘Now why don’t you go below and make us some coffee while I look after the boat? We’ve got a very interesting and exhausting month ahead of us, I should say.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  CARRIE stood on the makeshift wooden jetty and watched as Nikos expertly used the derrick to lift the last of the cargo from the hold and swing it ashore.

  John Chambers, the man in charge of the archaeological team, checked the items against his list. ‘Everything seems to be there, Carrie. You just made it on time. We were getting worried. We’re down to our last gallon of paraffin and tin of beans.’ He took an envelope from the pocket of his bush shirt. ‘This is a list of the supplies we’ll be needing by the end of September. Just the usual stuff.’