Page 57 of Tainted Promise
She crushed our mouths together, her kiss tinged with a desperation that unsettled me. But when her tongue touched my lower lip, my brain emptied of all thoughts.
We made out like horny teenagers in between sipping our drinks. Vanna made no move to get off my lap, and I continued holding her in my arms, enjoying the feel of having her this close.
* * *
I traced a hand down my wife’s back, unable to lie next to her and not touch her. I lightly followed each line of her scars, my chest tight at the thought of anyone hurting her like this. The need to protect her, to make sure nobody could ever touch her again was overwhelming.
Vanna was asleep, her small body taking up more room than I thought possible. She was on her belly, her upper back and one leg exposed.
We’d been on the island for three days. Three perfect days we spent mostly in the villa, occasionally venturing out onto the private beach in front of the house. My need for Vanna only seemed to grow the more we were together.
My phone lit up with a call, the display reading “Liam”. He wouldn’t call unless it was important, so I picked up my phone and went outside. Taking a seat on the steps leading down to the beach, I answered.
“We have a problem.” Liam’s voice was tight, and I knew there’d be a deep frown line on his face. “The shipment that was supposed to get in today has been taken. And I don’t have to tell you that only a handful of people knew about the change in days.”
Standing up, I clenched the hand not holding the phone. “Impossible.”
Liam’s frustration was evident in his barely controlled voice. “Someone is leaking information. There’s no other way. We have to find every single person who knew about the change to the shipment and figure out who sold us out.”
I stared out at the beach, for once not seeing the white sand or sparkling water. “Put a list together. And when you find them, I want to be the one to deal with them.”
“If whoever took the shipment got to one of our guys, we have to make sure the betrayal hasn’t spread through the ranks. This could get ugly, fast.”
Grinding my teeth, I fought for control. “Don’t you think I know this?”
“I’m sorry, brother.”
“Fuck.” I paced the sand, then kicked it. “I’ll get a chopper and be back by tomorrow night.”
It’d take about thirteen hours to fly back to Chicago once we were in Athens. The problem was getting to Athens.
“Don’t come back yet. You only have a few days left. Spend them with your wife. There’s nothing you can do right now anyway.”
Betrayal like this was like rot—it was hard to contain and would spread if we didn’t find the root of it. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Well, I do. And if you remember, I used to be the one in charge. I know what I’m doing. I’ll get a list of everyone who knew about the change of plans. And then I’ll find the traitor.”
“Let me know as soon as you find anything. No matter how small.”
“Of course. Now get back to your wife and enjoy what’s left of your honeymoon.”
We hung up, and I threw my head back, cursing at the sky.
Movement near the stairs drew my gaze. Vanna was standing at the top, her face white, her hands trembling.
Forgetting about Liam’s call, I rushed up to her. “Anghele mou, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She threw herself into my arms with such force that I barely caught her, stumbling back a few steps. She pressed her face into my chest. “Just missed you.”
Her words engulfed me in warmth, any thoughts of my conversation with Liam disappearing. Gathering her close, I buried my head in her hair. “Let’s go back to bed.”
She held on tighter, almost as if she feared I’d disappear. “I need you.”
Without another word, I led her back inside.
16
VANNA
