Page 30 of Walking the Bird

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Alex pulled at the corner of the label on his beer, his brother's warning on replay inside his head. He’d spent all morning sitting on the beach, waiting for Eleni to jog past him, but she never showed.

“I don't know about the rest of you, but I’ve had enough of this bullshit.” Zach’s clipped words pulled Alex out of his mental assault, forcing him to sit up straighter in his chair. “Alex, I love you like a brother man, but enough is enough.”

Shifting his gaze from the tattered paper to Zach’s face, Alex didn't need an explanation of what he meant.

“Sorry. Better if I head back and let you—” Pushing the bottle to the side, Alex moved to get up, but a strong hand to his shoulder forced him back down.

“Sit.” Zach demanded, his face hard with eyes full of anger.

Leaning his upper body against the table, Zach shot a quick glance in Aiden’s direction, silently apologizing for what he was about to do.

“Something’s changed, hasn’t it?”

Alex knew better than to try and bullshit the man before him. Besides his skill to sneak in and out of places, Zach was a human lie detector.

Lowering his gaze to the chipped wood of the table, Alex nodded his head in affirmation. “Got a call from my brother this morning, warning me Stavros has declared war on Abernathy.”

“So?” Zach shrugged, unimpressed with the news. “Those two have been enemies for years.”

“Nick said,” Alex slammed his eyes shut, emotion filling his chest and stealing the words from his lips.

Zach shot a worried glance at the rest of the men, silently questioning if anyone knew what was wrong. He’d never known Alex to show any emotion outside of anger.

Reaching for his beer, Alex took a healthy drink in order to get himself together. “Nick said he couldn’t offer Eleni protection if—”

“Why would Eleni need protecting?” Matt and Aiden spoke in unison.

Alex scanned the faces of the men he considered family, knowing if what he was about to admit was true, there may be no hope. “If Eleni wasn't a part of the family anymore.”

“You’re divorcing her?” Zach slammed his hand on the table, sending several bottles crashing to the floor. “After all the shit she’s put—”

“She’s divorcing me!” Alex shouted, ending any browbeating Zach was about to serve, coloring every face at the table with surprise.“I couldn't confirm anything with the county courthouse, but according to Nick, the paperwork is in motion.”

“Did you confront her?

“I planned to.”

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘planned to’?”

“I sat on the beach waiting for her, but she never showed. I walked the hotel at least a dozen times and couldn't find her.”

“What about her cell?”

“Voicemail.”

“The spa?”

“What about the spa?”

“What do you mean ‘what about the spa’? Didn't you read the itinerary for today?”

“No, I was out looking for her.”

“Jordan didn’t want a drink-fest and strippers, so Kennedy reserved the hotel spa for the day.”

Alex tipped his head back, laying the palm of his hands on the sockets of his eyes. He’d stuck to the places he assumed she’d go, never taking into consideration the selflessness Eleni possessed in spades. Of course she would have gone along with whatever activity Jordan wanted, anything to make her friend happy.

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