Point of No Return

Getting out of the airport terminal, the heat struck Elizabeth straight away. The summer heat of Greece always felt to her like a slap in the face. It was very different from the milder English summer climate.

Her cousin Samantha had moved to Greece two years ago for reasons unbeknownst to her. But she seemed to have fallen in love with the country after a holiday with friends a couple of years ago and decided to move there on the spot.

It was the kind of impulsivity that had always guided Samantha’s life. So even though Elizabeth hadn’t felt overly surprised, even she had thought that this time it was a bit too much.

But all had worked out for her cousin, not that there was ever any question about that for Elizabeth. Things always turned out well for Samantha.

If she hadn’t loved her cousin so much, that might have made her feel jealous or perhaps even resentful that things always seemed to just work out, no matter how impossible or crazy her impulsive decisions seemed.

But instead, she had just felt at ease knowing that you really didn’t have to worry about her. It might seem crazy, but everything will be fine.

‘I don’t know how you cope with this Samantha, the heat is suffocating.’

Her cousin looked at her with that exuberant smile that had been her trademark since they were young children.

‘I prefer this to the lukewarm summer heat of England, that’s for sure. I spend my days by the pool or the beach in as little clothing as possible. If this were home, I would freeze my ass off.’

Elizabeth chuckled and then asked.

‘What do you mean you spend your days by the pool or the sea? Don’t you have work to do? You’re still with the cosmetic company, aren’t you?’

There was a short silence as they walked through the car park before Samantha answered.

‘No. I’m not with them anymore. Actually, they fired me six weeks ago.’

That chocked Elizabeth. Samantha had loved that job, not to mention been really good at it.

‘Why would they fire you? You were one of their best salespeople were you not? I remember it was just six months ago since you scored yet another price for your achievements there.’

‘I just couldn’t put in the hours that they required of me. I needed to take some time for myself, and they didn’t like it. After a while, the situation just got to be so acrimonious that they decided it was just better to part ways.’

‘I’m sorry, Sam, I know you loved that job. What did you need to take personal time for? Have you been feeling ill?’

Even Elizabeth could hear the worry creeping into her own voice. Samantha was never ill and had never to her knowledge needed personal time.’

‘Don’t worry Lizzie, it’s nothing serious. The fact is I have met someone. I have a boyfriend, and I wanted to spend time with him. It just didn’t gel with my schedule at work. ’

Elizabeth was stunned.

‘I’m sorry, are you saying you have basically quit a job you love just so you can spend your days with a new boyfriend? And what do you mean it didn’t gel? You work during the day like most people, are you also telling me that this guy you’ve been seeing doesn’t have a job of his own? How do you expect to support yourself if you don’t work?’

‘Will you calm down? You’re bombarding me with questions without even giving me a minute to answer them.’

Elizabeth stopped walking and turned to Samantha.

‘I’m worried, Sam.’

Elizabeth saw the flicker in Samantha’s eyes and knew that she got her.

They had always had that kind of relationship.

Elizabeth was the responsible, serious, and cautious one. The worrier.

Samantha was spontaneous, frivolous, and carefree. The easy-going one.

But there had always been respectfulness on both sides.

And if Samantha ever felt that Elizabeth was truly worried, she would always take it seriously.

After all, they were the only family they had left. 10 years ago when they had both been seventeen, their parents had decided it was high time for a holiday for just the four of them. Elizabeth’s parents and her aunt and uncle had felt since the girls were seventeen now, they were responsible enough to handle being left for a week on their own.

They had never gotten their Holiday.

The plane had crashed due to a bird strike on the way up killing everyone on the flight. Leaving two young girls orphaned at the tender age of seventeen.

They had clung to each other and barely spent a day apart until Samantha’s Holiday in Greece two years ago.

Their parent’s deaths had changed the girls differently. Samantha became obsessed with the thought that life could be over at any minute, so you had to live every day as it was your last. She became fearless and did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted to do it.

Elizabeth’s obsession became helping others that had experienced the same loss as she and Samantha, but that hadn’t been old enough to live by themselves or make their own decisions.

Orphans.

It was just the two of them now. And they might be different as night and day, but the love and bond they shared were absolute and strong on both sides.

‘I know you are. And I knew you would be. This is why I haven’t said anything during our weekly call. I wanted you to come here so we could talk in person instead. So let’s get in the car and just go to my place and get you settled in with a cool drink, and then we’ll talk about all the important stuff. Ok?’

Elizabeth took a deep breath and decided to just give Samantha was she seemed to need.

‘Ok.’

The car ride was not silent, but you could definitely feel a bit of tension in the air. It seemed as though Samantha had not only given up her work, she had also acquired a new car. They were driving around in what appeared to be a brand new BMW.

For Elizabeth, this rang some alarm bells. But she had promised to keep her mouth shut until they got to the apartment and could sit down and talk properly.

‘How’s your job going?’ Samantha asked.

It was the perfect distraction for Elizabeth.

‘It’s going. Too much work to little time.’

’I don’t know how you do it. I hope you’re taking some time for yourself as well Lizzie. If you allow work to consume all your time, you won’t have any left to actually live your life.’

Elizabeth knew this was true, but she couldn’t help herself.

‘I know all this Sam, but how can you priorities going out to dinner when you know there’s a five-year-old that has just lost his parents that needs placement. Or how can you justify going to a party when you know several children are sleeping in temporary cots with no family, completely devastated to have lost the most important people in the world to them when you could spend that time trying to find a family for them.’

‘You can’t save them all Lizzie.’

‘I know I can’t, Sam, but we were lucky. We had each other not to mention we were old enough to fend for ourselves. You could not imagine the horror stories that I could tell you about the younger children that I’ve worked with. I’m serious; it keeps me up at night. There’s abuse within foster families, desertion, people changing their minds after the child have already bonded with their potential adoptive families. They have no one to speak for them, and I’m doing my best to be that person for them. I know I don’t always succeed, I know I can’t save them all. But I have to give it all I can. It’s all I know how to do.’

‘I know. I just wish you would take more time for yourself. I don’t mean to criticize, but you look pretty frail and tired. And you’ve lost weight you couldn’t really afford to lose.’

Now, this was true, it stung a bit, but it was true never the less. Samantha had always had a more full form, with curves she loved to flaunt. Elizabeth had always been a bit on the thin side, which suited her well, but it did mean that during stressful times when she forgot to eat and take care of herself she did end up looking a bit like a gust of wind could sweep her away.

The height didn’t help with that either. Neither of them was tall, but for some reason her cousins two extra inches over her own 5’3 frame make her look extra frail when the pounds were shredded, especially next to Sam.

And pale?

Well, she didn’t live in Greece for a start. The English summer this year hadn’t had that much sun to offer. And even if it had, she would have had no time to enjoy it. Unlike Samantha’s golden blond hair, which in all fairness wasn’t completely natural and blue eyes, her cousin could pull off a pale look a lot better than Elizabeth with her auburn hair and dark brown eyes.

‘I am well aware of what I look like Sam. That is one of the reasons that I’ve taken a two week holiday to come and see you. It was encouraged by my boss that I took a little time out.’

Elizabeth said with a small smile.

‘Well I’m for one is glad to see you. I’ve missed you a lot, Lizzie.’

‘You could come home and see me more regularly as well, Sam.’

‘Why bother. You don’t have any time for me when I get there.’

‘That’s not fair, and you know it.’

‘And you know that we don’t get any quality time together unless you come here. Last time I came home, you ended up going to deal with emergencies basically every day. And I’m not saying that to be a bitch or to make you feel guilty. I know they are real emergencies that you feel you have to handle even if you’re on vacation because they are your cases. But when you’re here, there’s nowhere for you to go. This means we end up spending full days together.’

Elizabeth couldn’t argue that point at all. Vacation time for her while staying at home was useless.

‘True. But I’m here now, and all yours for fourteen days. It’s going to be lovely to get some peace and quiet.’

Samantha’s full-blown laughter filled up the car.

‘Peace and quiet? Sometimes I wonder if you know me at all Lizzie.’

Arriving at Samantha’s apartment complex felt almost like coming home. Elizabeth loved the little two bedroom apartment her cousin had found when she moved here. It was not by the water but close enough where you could smell the saltwater water in the air; the apartment complex also had a communal pool that you could utilize.

Walking up the familiar stairs felt like a balm for the soul. She hadn’t realized just how tired she had been lately and how much she needed a break from the stress and heartache that inevitably came with working with young orphaned children.

The white stucco facade, the blue shutters, the flower overflowing in pots around the windows was everything she loved about Greece. She had initially told Samantha that there was no need to get a spare room and pay more for having that second bedroom since she knew she rarely had any time to come and visit.

But Samantha had insisted that she had her own bedroom so she would always feel like she had a home with her as well. And Elizabeth had the same in England. They might not live in the same country anymore, but the bond of family was just as strong. And both of them needed to feel like there was a home away from home with the other.

Samantha unlocked the door and told Elizabeth to settle in while she fixed them a drink.

And after Elizabeth had unpacked washed her face and changed into some more comfortable clothing, she joined her cousin out on the balcony so they could have the talk that Elizabeth had been dreading for the past half an hour.

She took the first sip of her cold drink, savored it, and then since it didn’t look like Samantha was in a hurry to start off, she did.

‘So, tell me what’s been going on, Sam.’

She saw her cousin taking a small breath before starting to answer.

‘I met someone.’

The silence ensuing made Elizabeth a bit irritated.

‘Yes, Sam. I’ve gathered that. It still doesn’t explain why you would neglect your job to the point that you were fired, just because you met someone.’

‘Well, it’s a bit complicated.’

‘That’s what I figured since you wanted to wait until we could sit down so you could explain it. Well, we’re sitting, and I’m waiting.’

‘Well, the man I met is called Mateo. He’s a pretty well-known figure here in town. He owns some nightclubs and stuff in Athens.’

‘Ok.’

‘Well since he’s busy most nights his free time is in the day. It made it difficult for me, working days when he was available.’

‘I suppose I can understand that, to an extent.’

‘And he also doesn’t like me working, since he has enough money to go around for both of us.’

This made Elizabeth take a quick pause before continuing.

‘How long have you guys been together?’

‘Three months.’

‘And how far into this relationship did he bring up that he didn’t think you should work?’

‘I don’t know a week or so. But it’s only because he wants to spend time with me, Lizzie. We love each other. I’ve never felt like this before.’

‘And this Mateo guy, he feels the same about you?’

There was a slight pause before Samantha continued.

‘I think so. I mean he’s never come right out and said it. But yes, I believe so. He usually changes women like most people change underwear. The fact that we’ve been together for three months is a huge statement to his feelings for me. It’s basically unheard of.’

‘So he supports you?’

‘Well, yes. He pays the rent and stuff.’

‘And he gave you a new car.’

‘Yes. He did.’

‘Is that car yours? Or is it his and your borrowing it?’

‘Does that really matter Lizzie?’

Did it? Elizabeth really didn’t know.

‘I suppose not. But I have to say that this to me sounds really odd. You’ve given up your entire life and independence for a guy that supposedly is such a commitment-phobic that three months in a relationship is considered a declaration of undying love. It makes me a bit uneasy. You’ve always been so independent.’

‘I know, but I want to spend my time with him. And I just can’t do that and keep a full-time job. It doesn’t work. So I’ve decided to give this a real chance and take the time to do it. I can always find another job. But I may not find someone I feel like this about again.’

‘Well, where is this mystery man? Do I get a chance to meet him?’

‘He wanted to give us a bit of space since it’s been so long since we saw each other, but if you’re up for it, we could meet him for dinner tonight?’

‘That sounds like a plan.’

She could see that Samantha was really pleased about that. Her eyes lit up, and excitement was shining in her eyes.

‘That’s great Lizzie. I’ll go and give him a call right now. I think you two are really going to hit it off.’

Elizabeth wished she could share Sam’s enthusiasm. But it was way too early for that.

Luca was anything but amused. He was so tired of people trying to tie their name to his family in the hopes of getting some respect and status. Respect, by the way, they hadn’t earned.

He was especially tired of people using his name.

Every low life criminal was trying to make a name for them self by insinuating some sort of connection to the Costas, and particularly to Luca Costa. It put him in the position of having to discourage them from doing it again. And that in itself was beginning to feel like a full-time job, and he had a lot of other things he needed to deal with.

Now granted he usually didn’t have to do much, it was most likely going to be enough that he just shows his face and look the person in the eye. Unless they were complete fools, they would immediately know that he knew what they’d been saying. And to stop it before he makes them stop.

He had worked on and perfected the look in his eyes that made men quiver in their boots for over twenty years. He had it down to a T., But he had just come home from a business meeting, and all he wanted was a cold drink and some time at the pool. Not to deal with idiots.

As he pulled up to the estate, he nodded to the security guards who quickly opened the gates. He and his father had built a fortress, and it was protected by armed guards at every exit. They may have managed to go almost completely legit, but they still needed the security to make sure nobody entered their domain. The memory of the attack on his family just twenty years ago had left open and festering wounds in both of him and his father. And they would take any precaution they needed to secure their family. What was left of it.

As he pulled into the parking area and got out of the car, he was immediately met by his right-hand man and second in command, Nikos.

‘Do you have everything I asked for?’

Nikos handed him a USB drive.

‘This is everything we have on this Mateo guy. Background, current deals, personal life, everything. Including the restaurant, he’s going to be visiting today at eight.’

‘Thanks. I’ll have a look at this. Be ready to leave by seven, it will take us an hour to get there. And the car needs gas.’

‘Yes, boss.’

He handed Nikos the car keys and added.

‘There’s something else I would like for you to look into for me.’

‘What is it?’

He hesitated, and he could see this intrigued Nikos.

‘I need you to find someone for me.’

‘And who am I looking for?’

Luca thought back to the girl he’d just seen at the airport a short hour ago. He’d been walking through the terminal, home from an overseas trip when he’d seen her. He didn’t know what it was about the girl that had made him keep looking. She was beautiful, yes. But there was something else there as well. He felt drawn to her in a way he’d never felt before. Like something was keeping him from walking away, and he’d never had a problem walking away from anyone.

So he’d kept following her, and when she disappeared from his sight into the crowd towards the car park, he tried to follow, but there were too many people outside. He could actually feel the disappointment in his gut. He wanted her. It was the first time he’d ever felt the acute feeling of wanting someone. It completely threw him.

‘A girl from the airport she was wearing jeans and a white shirt, auburn hair in a ponytail, maybe a bit shorter than average height and big brown eyes.’

What else could he say? He didn’t have much to go on.

‘Ok. That might be hard, there are a lot of people coming through the airport Luca, and a lot of them would fit that description.’

‘I know. But this girl was with another girl, wearing a short yellow sundress, blond. And they were by the entrance of parking area C around one thirty. That should at least give you something tangible to go on. Get the footage from the airport’s security cameras and try and get me some information.’

‘I’ll do my best.’

Entering his father’s office, Luca saw him look up and the love and pride in his eyes. The way he had always looked at him.

‘You’re back.’

‘I am.’

‘Did everything go all right?’

‘It did. We will keep the contracts for the build. And all new developments that they decide to build for the next five years.’

‘Good job, my son. I hope you didn’t have too strong arm them.’

‘Not at all. I just gave them a friendly reminder about loyalty to the ones that help you get started. I got my point across without any unpleasantness.’

‘Good. There is something else I wanted to discuss with you.’

‘What is it?’

‘We have a ceremony for the hospital in two weeks. The new children’s wing is being unveiled. We have to put in an appearance, and I would prefer that we do it together.’

‘Jesus. Why do I have to go? Every time I show my face at one of these press circuses the tabloids follow me around for weeks trying to get the scoop on the most eligible bachelor.’

‘What’s the problem with that? You have nothing to hide.’

‘Old man, don’t play games with me. We may have managed in the past five years to get most of our dealings in the clear. But I have more skeletons in my closet than half the population combined.’

Luca went over to the drink cabinet and poured himself a drink while continuing.

‘I wear a gun which they always note, and no before you say anything I’m not going to leave it at home because not all of our dealings are white as snow, and even when we manage to get there, the past will always hang over us. I’ll never be able to toss it. Not to mention, there is always a reference to my dark and dangerous looks, and it’s always combined with rumors of my supposed crimes. More than half of which is true, though no one could ever prove it.’

‘The more good deeds we do, the more people will start talking about that instead of the past. Its good publicity and who knows. You might even find someone to your liking in the hoards of women that are trying to get your attention.’

‘That’s the kind of wife you would saddle me with? Some attention seeking crazy woman that thinks it would be cool and dangerous to hook up with a killer man with killer looks?’

‘You’re not a killer son.’

‘Then what am I?’

‘You’re a protector.’

Luca didn’t have a reply to that. He was a killer, but he had killed to protect. Did that make the deed less of a crime? Less of a sin? He didn’t know. Was the money they were shelling over to all kinds of local and national charities making a dent in the balance towards the crimes and the life they had led up until five years ago? He didn’t know that either.

All he knew was that the notoriety he had gained by them building their family up to be one of the wealthiest and yes, most feared in Greece he didn’t like. He didn’t like it at all.

But what was the point in bitching about your life? It was the only one you got.

Luca turned to leave and said.

‘Don’t count on me for dinner tonight; I have some business I have to take care of in the city.’

His father immediately perked up his ears and asked.

‘What kind of business?’

‘Just some low life thug making a nuisance of himself.’

‘What kind of nuisance?’

‘I haven’t quite figured it out yet. I have yet to go over his file, but he seems to be dropping my name in conversation to some drug business.’

‘We’ve never dealt with drugs. That’s a deplorable thing to work with.’

‘But very profitable. Let’s just say I am going the extra mile to shut this down considering the subject matter.’

‘What kind of fool would ever utter your name in the same sentence as drugs?’

‘A big one.’

‘Be careful.’

‘I always am.’

Luca went up to his room, and the first thing he did was sit down to review the file his men had put together on this Mateo guy. When he was satisfied that this really was just some low-level club manager trying to make a name for himself in some unsavory circles, he took a shower and then lounged around listening to some music for half an hour before he dressed in his typical black, and headed out the door.

Nikos was waiting for him downstairs.

‘You ready?’

‘I’m ready boss.’

‘Then let’s go.’

Dressing for dinner Elizabeth was feeling very sluggish. Who was she kidding, she was exhausted. If there wasn’t such curiosity in her to meet this man Mateo, that her cousin had fallen over heels in love with she would have crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

She chose a black dress that was sleeveless and tight all the way down to her midriff where it flowed out down to her knees. It accentuated her slim waist, but she wasn’t worried about the weight she’d lost. Two weeks here would make her put the pounds back on. If there was any kind of food that she loved, it was Greek food. Last time she spent two weeks here she’d gone home ten pounds heavier so it might not be so bad that she’s starting at a bit of a lower weight this time around.

She left her long hair down for the evening and decided to do a minimal amount of makeup. She had to use foundation to get the bag under her eyes to disappear, but besides that. Mascara, rouge and some lip-gloss were enough.

It made her feel a bit better getting some makeup on. She looked nice, less worn out. She made her way into the living room, where Samantha was waiting for her.

Her cousin had gone all out, the blond hair was curled and styled, a bit too big for Elizabeth’s tastes, but she knew Sam like it. The dress was a short golden shimmering dress that fit like a glove. With all of her curves on display, it almost felt indecent. Big golden jewelry and red lips to match her Smokey eyes, Elizabeth couldn’t help but utter.

‘Are we going to a cabaret show?’

Samantha just laughed as she knew she would.

‘Come on Lizzie, I know it’s a lot, but Mateo likes a lot. We all want to please our men, don’t we?’

‘Oh, I don’t know Sam; I’ve never had that inclination.’

‘You never had too. You married the first man you ever dated, and Michael worshipped the ground you walked on. You didn’t have to do anything but show up to please him.’

Elizabeth couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips. She and Michael had met about a year after their parent’s accident. She had seen him across the room at a party, their eyes had met, and that was it for her. She knew that he was the man for her that instant, and she hadn’t been wrong. He had been both her rock and her comfort. She had loved him completely.

‘True. What can I say; it was love at first sight.’

She took a few seconds just to remember his face.

‘He was special, wasn’t he? ’

Sam looked at her with the fondness she’d felt for Michael still lingering in her eyes.

‘He was Lizzie, the best there was. But he’s gone, has been for over three years. You haven’t been on one single date since then. Don’t you think it might be time for you to get back into the saddle?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready, or even want to be. My work keeps me really busy. And besides, I’m only twenty-seven. There’s no rush.’

Samantha came up to her and air pecked her cheek, not wanting to cover her in bright red lipstick.

‘I know Lizzie. I’m just joking. You’ll find the right one again. And until then we’re just both going to have to revel in the fact that I’ve found mine.’

Elizabeth didn’t say anything to that statement; she wanted to meet this Mateo before jumping on the happy train that Samantha was on.’

‘Let’s go eat and meet this mystery man shall we?’

Walking into the restaurant was a bit nerve-racking, she hadn’t a clue what to expect. But the restaurant itself was beautiful. The décor was made up of crème colored wall and floors, the tables had white linen on, with nice candle lights everywhere, the accents were in beautiful gold, which to Elizabeth’s amusement actually matched Samantha’s dress.

They were received by a man that seemed to immediately know who they were and told them to follow him. They were led into a private room that outshone even the main dining area in the restaurant.

The ambiance was breathtaking. And by the table was a man that Elizabeth assumed was Mateo. She was proven right when she saw Samantha rushing up to him, giving him a kiss and hug. And all Elizabeth could think of was that the man was not what she had expected.

Samantha had always in the past gone for very tall, dark men, but perhaps more importantly very attractive ones. And even though this guy was by no means ugly, she would feel it a stretch of the imagination to call him handsome. He looked a bit ordinary; he was fair and not very tall maybe an inch or so above Samantha.

Her cousin interrupted her thoughts.

‘Elizabeth, this is Mateo. And Mateo this is my cousin Elizabeth.’

He looked at her with playful eyes and a personality that screamed confidence.

‘Nice to meet you Elizabeth, I’ve heard so much about you.’

‘Well that’s nice; you see I haven’t heard anything about you until today.’

She followed that statement with a small smile.

‘I have to say I am very curious of the man that seemed to have swept my cousin of her feet.’

‘Then its good we’re going to have some time to get to know each other. Let’s sit down and order some wine shall we.’

The wine was delivered, and menus were placed on the table, and Mateo shooed the waiter away. Which Elizabeth didn’t like one bit, it was rude. She decided to start asking some questions.

‘So how did you guys meet?’

Her usually bubbly and open cousin just sort of sat there letting Mateo take the lead on everything, it didn’t help Elizabeth feel better about the relationship.

‘This beauty came into one of my clubs one day, and that was about it. Our eyes met, I could tell she wanted me to notice her, and I did. We’ve been together ever since.’

His arrogance was abounding.

‘What do you mean she wanted you to notice you?’

Samantha popped in.

‘He just means that I had dressed in a way I knew he liked. I had seen him around a few times asked about him, and that night I went with the intention of being noticed by him. That’s all Lizzie.’

‘Ah, so you were on the hunt, and Mateo was your prey.’

Samantha’s small smile showed her that was precisely what had happened.

What it was about this man she found so irresistible was still a mystery to Elizabeth.

They sipped on their wine and made small talk until all of a sudden the door to the room opened again. In walked a man that Elizabeth thought was what she would have thought Mateo would look like if her cousin had stayed true to her usual type. He was dressed in all black, really tall, black or dark brown hair styled to perfection and dark brown eyes that looked dangerous.

Her eyes met with his, and the intensity of that look brought shivers down her spine.

Now Elizabeth was very good at reading both people and situations, that’s something that her profession had thought her. You dealt with a lot of people who were not what you imagined them to be. She didn’t always get it right, but she could have sworn that the minute this man walked into the room. The atmosphere in the room went from fairly pleasant to dangerously frozen.

She tore her eyes away from the man and looked over to Mateo and Samantha, her cousin had a look of astonishment, excitement, and awe. But what really caught her eye and made her cold to the core was the way Mateo was looking.

Completely frozen with a look of dread, resignation, and fear.

‘Good evening everyone.’

The man said.

Sam found her pipes and with an excited squeak said.

‘Good evening.’

Mateo was silent and seemed to be frozen in the spot where he was.

The man looked at Mateo and said.

‘Aren’t you going to introduce me, Mateo?’

That seemed to have spurred him into action because he stood up with the speed of light to make the introductions.

‘This is my-’

He seemed to be struggling with how to introduce Sam, which Elizabeth found incredibly odd. And looking at the mystery man he did as well.

‘-Companion Samantha, and her cousin Elizabeth. Girls this is Mr. Costa.’

The man looked and Mateo with icy eyes and said.

‘No need to be so formal is it, Mateo? Were seem to be old friends, after all, Luca is fine.’

This if anything made Mateo go even paler.

There was no doubt in Elizabeth’s eye that these two were not friends.

‘It’s very nice to meet you, Luca.’

Samantha said with the exuberance of Christmas morning. Her cousin it seemed had not picked up on the atmosphere at all. She seemed utterly oblivious to the tension and looked upon this Luca guy as though he was a god.

‘Will you join us for dinner?’

She added.

He paused and looked over at Elizabeth again.

‘Why not, I haven’t eaten yet.’

He sat down next to Elizabeth and said.

‘Did you order yet?’

Mateo piped up.

‘I placed an order before the women arrived, it should be coming any minute.’

‘Good. Pour me a glass of wine will you, old friend.’

Mateo almost made his chair topple over with the speed in which he complied. If Elizabeth hadn’t felt so ill at ease with the whole situation, she probably would have found it all pretty comical.

But she wouldn’t let this Luca intruder stop her in what she came here to do. And that was to get to know Mateo and see if he was even remotely good enough for Samantha. So she tried to just block this man out and continued her subtle interrogation.

Luca had done what he had come to do, which was making it clear to this little weasel that he had heard his name was being tossed around. And he didn’t like it.

He did that within the first few minutes of being here. What kept him here and why he was sitting at this bastards table and now eating his food had all to do with Elizabeth. Or Lizzie as her cousin kept calling her.

The mystery woman from the airport, it had hit him the minute he walked through the door, and she turned and looked at him, it had to be fate. What were the odds of her being here tonight? He finally saw her up-close. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And he had definitely had his share of beautiful things in life. The long brown hair framed an oval face with the most beautiful dove like brown eyes. High cheekbones and a full mouth, she was absolute perfection.

He realized immediately, she didn’t have a clue who he was. Which was incredibly rare, but even more interesting was she didn’t really seem that interested to find out. She seemed more intent on giving this Mateo guy a full inquisition as to his intentions when it came to her cousin Samantha or Sam as Elizabeth called her.

Being ignored he found, was not something he particularly likes, probably because he never had a chance to get used to it. It never happened to him before.

In the earlier days, his mom and little sister and his dad as well to be fair, showered him with attention. He was their darling boy and beloved older brother. After the attack on his family that had left him short of not just a mother but a much-beloved sister, the guns were picked up by him as well. And everybody paid attention to a man holding a gun.

And for the past five years when the business had been brought to more clean areas his reputation about who he was and what he and his dad had done to reach the levels where they were at preceded him. So when he walked into a room. People listened.

Women also always came easy. Even the ones that were scared found it intriguing enough to seek out his interest. He as used to the looks this Samantha girl was giving him, not what he was getting from Elizabeth. She had barely spared him a glance, and he was looking for it, intently.

All of a sudden she looked his way and met his eyes and quietly said.

‘Will you stop staring at me please, it’s making me uncomfortable.’

With that, she turned her head back and kept on talking and eating.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or pull her out of the chair and show her exactly who was in charge. In the end, he ended up doing none of these things. Instead, he went back to eating and listening to the conversation. And it turned out Mateo had had enough of questions directed at him.

‘What is it that you do Elizabeth? Samantha tells me you work with children?’

‘Yes, I’m a social worker.’

‘That must be a gratifying line of work.’

She took a short pause before she answered.

’Yes, I suppose it is. It’s also tiring, frustrating, heartbreaking and overwhelming. But I do like it. Trying to make a difference. I’m sure Samantha has told you a bit about our background, losing our parents. I’m trying to help as many children in that same situation as I can. Not everyone has someone to depend on like we did.

Luca piped up for the first time.

‘What happened to your parents?’

Elizabeth turned and looked at him and said shortly.

‘They died in a plane crash ten years ago. Luckily we were both seventeen at the time and petitioned the courts for emancipation in order not to be placed in different foster homes. We could stay together and take care of ourselves. But many young children are left completely on their own.’

He was just about to say something when Samantha said.

‘Michael told her several times not to pursue this line of work. She’s too sensitive for it.’

She looked at Elizabeth.

‘Didn’t he say that several times Lizzie? You get so personally attached to the children and situations because of your own background.’

Samantha then looked at him and said.

’But she refused to listen.’

Elizabeth had a small smile on her lips when she replied.

‘Yes, he did. And yes I refused to listen. It was something I felt I had to do. But in retrospect, he was probably right in a way.’

Luca didn’t know who the hell this Michael character was.

He looked at Elizabeth and asked.

‘Who is Michael?’

She opened her mouth to speak when Samantha cut through.

‘It’s Lizzie’s husband.’

Luca felt like someone had punched him in the gut. There was no fucking way this girl was taken. It couldn’t be. He refused to believe it.

Without even knowing he was doing it, his right hand took hold of Elizabeth’s left arm, he must have done it a bit harder than he realized because she made a sound as he pulled it close to him to see if she was, in fact, wearing wedding rings that he had missed.

‘What on earth are you doing? Let go of my arm. You’re hurting me.’

He looked at her hand and then met her look dead on.

‘You’re not wearing any rings.’

Even he could hear the relief in his voice.

She pulled her arm back from his grip and said.

‘That’s because my husband died three years ago. I took them off.’

He couldn’t have had more welcome news.

‘I’m sorry for your loss.’

He could feel her anger radiating from her.

‘Yeah, you look it.’

She stood up quickly and looked at her cousin.

‘I am very tired Sam. I would like to leave now. ’

Luca stood up as well.

‘I will escort you home.’

She didn’t even bother to look at him while replying.

‘You most certainly will not.’

‘I would- ’

’Mateo it was very nice to meet you. I hope that we will meet again during my time here preferably in more relaxed surroundings without an audience.’

The little witch just interrupted and talked over him. It was like he had ceased to exist.

‘I’ll wait for you outside Sam so you can say good night.’

With that she turned her heels walked to the door and left without saying a word to him.

He looked at Mateo dead in the eye and said.

‘Have I made my point in coming here?’

The man just looked at him fear radiating from his every pore at being yet again the focus of his interest and nodded vigorously.

‘Speak’

He said in a quiet sharp tone.

‘Yes, sir.’

That was enough for Luca.

‘Good. Make it a long goodbye.’

With that, he left to go after Elizabeth.

Nikos was waiting for him as soon as he exited the room. Luca barely spared him a glance and said in passing.

‘Move the car to the front.’

‘The chances of you being photographed are pretty high in the front.’

‘I don’t care.’