Page 62 of Betraying Family Vows

ATHENA

The sun is just coming up when our car rolls to a stop outside a small convenience store, just as we get into Piraeus.

Dimitri turns the engine off and looks around.

"Here?" I ask, voice scratchy from hours of silence and adrenaline.

"Not staying," he says, pushing the door open and grabbing his bag. "Just ditching the car. Stay here real quick."

He leaves the keys in the ignition and walks over to a group of taxi drivers who are outside smoking and drinking coffee.

After some back and forth, and what looks like way too much money, he waves me over.

He opens the back door for me and I slide in. He comes in behind me.

The taxi drives us into a neighborhood I don't recognize. I watch as we turn into a gated lane bordered by towering trees.

The taxi slows as we approach a gate, its wrought iron design twisting and curling up like frozen black smoke. Dimitri pays the driver more money and nudges me out. The cab backs up and peels away, leaving us standing in front of what looks like a small palace.

"This is your family home?" I say, staring up at the beautiful white stone facade.

"One of them," Dimitri says, punching a code into a keypad. The gate clicks and swings inward. "Wait here."

"What? Why?"

"I need to check the grounds."

I open my mouth to protest, but he's already moving down the path with his gun drawn, disappearing into the shadows cast by towering trees.

I stand alone, arms wrapped around myself, half-expecting another attack. Every rustle of leaves makes me tense. I've never felt so exposed, or so alive. My skin buzzes with nerves and adrenaline.

Dimitri finally returns, holstering his weapon. "Okay. Come on."

I follow him up the winding path to a massive wooden door. He pulls out a key from his pocket, turning it in the lock.

"No alarm system?" I ask.

He smiles. "Several, but I've disabled them."

The door swings open to reveal a foyer with marble floors. I step inside, admiring the high ceilings and elegant furnishings.

"This is..." I trail off, taking in everything.

"Home," he finishes, shutting the door behind us. "At least for now."

Photographs line the walls. Dozens of them. Along the stairs. On the tables. Some framed in gold, others in silver or black.

I see a boy with too-serious eyes and bruised knuckles. Three siblings standing shoulder to shoulder, flanked by their father. Another photo has Dimitri with Theo and Ares, arms around each other, standing behind Calli, looking like they'd kill anyone who looked at her wrong.

Then one photo stops me completely: Dimitri, no older than sixteen, sitting on a low wall with a woman behind him. Her hand rests on his shoulder. She's laughing, and he's got the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face.

I look up.

Above the staircase, centered like a shrine, is a large portrait of her. She's stunning. Regal. Not the kind of woman who tried to be soft, but the kind who was naturally captivating.

"Who's that?" I ask looking at it.

Dimitri glances up. "My mother," he says. "Her name was Eleni."