Page 40 of Dagger in the Sea

Both women glanced at me. The mother’s claws retreated and the daughter’s eyes softened. “Surely, you must have other plans, Mr. DeMarco?” Liana said, swirling the liquor in her glass. “Can you possibly drop everything on your stay here in Greece to accompany my daughter?”

“Actually, I came to Greece to do research for a client,” I said. “I’ve done what I can in Athens. Going to Mykonos fits perfectly into my plans, thank you.”

“Polí oréa,” Adriana said to her mother. She wanted this over just as much as I did.

“Yes, very nice,” Liana replied, her verbal volleyball icy on contact.

Eyeing us both, Petros lit a cigarette, snapping a small, thin, gold case shut. Adriana’s parents didn’t much like her relationship with the Prince ofNapoli, and yet she persisted, and on top of that, the girl wanted me along on the getaway. I needed to focus on the fact that I was going to get face time with Gennaro on a yacht and—bonus—in Mykonos, of all places. There was an airport on that island. I’d do what I needed to do and get back on a plane to Chicago.

Adriana led me to the staircase. “I fit into your plans, hmm?” she tossed over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs, a slight smile touching the edges of her beautiful lips, dissolving the worry and anxiety that had etched her face earlier. The little minx was baiting me.

I grinned.

You do. You fit into my hands, my mouth, and I’ll fit into your every curve and hole, baby.

14

Turo

The sightof the Aliberti yacht cut off my breath.

TheAllegrawas magnificent. The sleek luxury vessel had to be about eighty feet long or so, dark navy blue with blackened glass windows stretching down the length of the boat which gleamed in the harbor lights. The whole damned thing gleamed. Seductive, ominous. Uniformed attendants scurried to take our luggage.

“What do you think?” Adri asked as we followed the others, tracking across the long plank to board.

“I’m not thinking right now,” I replied, and she laughed.

And I was being completely sincere.

My feet touched onto the deck of the massive yacht, and Alessio eyed me as he spoke to a crew member. An icy chill razored over my skin. I had no fucking idea what I was getting myself into. Could it be some sort of trap that he and Adriana had set me up for? The fogginess of their relationship status was irritating, but I had to remain focused on getting a shot at talking to Gennaro Aliberti. Of course, all the while I’d be out in the middle of the water with these people and no chance of escape.

Well, except for drowning.

I was either a foolish idiot, or the luckiest bastard in Athens.

“I’m going to use the ladies room.” Adriana glanced at Alessio and headed down the narrow staircase to the lower deck along with Uncle Gennaro and his Miami Vice bodyguard. Alessio lit a cigarette, his features an aristocratic snarl as he sucked on the smoke. The air between us suddenly thickened.

“Come,” said Alessio. “Let’s have a drink.”

I followed the Aliberti brothers up two flights of stairs to the top deck where there was a bar and a long dining table and, a few feet over, a long banquette with a low table in front of it and two console chairs on either side. I sat down across from Alessio and Luca, and a uniformed waiter appeared and asked what we’d like. Alessio and Luca ordered whiskys on ice.

“Whisky, no ice,” I said.

The engines gunned to life, their vibrations rattling in my gut. The water frothed and churned below us, and the engines whirled and hummed as we pulled out of the harbor. The humid wind lashed at our hair, our clothing.

Alessio eased back into his seat as the barman placed our drinks on the table before us.“Salut,”he said, raising his glass. Luca raised his.

“Salut,”I answered in perfectly accented Italian. We drank.

The harbor receded from us. The dark blue water frothed and foamed in our wake, hints of aqua in the lights. We were at sea. The very dark sea. Alessio continued to study me, Luca looked rather bored and shifted his gaze out to sea.

“Any news about the identity of the shooters?” I asked.

“Their motorbike was found, abandoned and burned outside the city. But no clues as to who they are or who hired them yet,” Alessio replied.

“You have any ideas?” asked Luca.

“Do you think those bullets were meant for you?” I asked.

---