Page 83 of Betraying Family Vows

I lie.

I'm fucking terrified of what they might do, because if this goes wrong, no one will be able to save me, not even him.

27

DIMITRI

The road curves ahead, winding like a snake through the countryside. Athena's been quiet for the last twenty minutes, her face turned toward the passenger window, watching the world go by.

It should feel like freedom.

Instead, every mile feels heavier. Like the closer we get to Kalamata, the more I can feel everything tightening around me. I can already picture the moment, walking into the compound, Athena at my side, pulling out the phone and laying it on the table like a bomb about to detonate.

We unlocked the phone. Here's the truth.

I check the rearview mirror. Clear. For now.

I flex my fingers on the wheel. One crack in the façade is all we need. One mistake from whoever "S" is. I've spent years building walls around the family, walls of bodies, and now someone's gone and punched a hole right through them. Killed my father, tried to kill me, and dragged Athena into this mess.

Part of me almost believes it could be that easy. Walk in, show the evidence, find the bastard who killed our father, end it.

But nothing in my life has ever been that simple.

Either way, in about thirty minutes or so I'll put all this in front of my brothers and watch them decide if she lives or dies.

And maybe, I think, that's the problem.

I don't want to watch them decide.

I want to tell them.

I want to make it clear that if they want her gone, they'll have to come through me to do it.

I glance at Athena again. Her hair catches the sunlight streaming through the window, turning the edges golden. I wonder what she's thinking about. If she's picturing what comes next, like I am. If she sees herself in it.

Movement ahead snaps my attention back to the road. A white delivery truck sits half on the shoulder, hazard lights blinking in the afternoon sun. Two figures stand near the back, looking down at a tire.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but every hair on the back of my neck stands up.

Something seems off.

I slow the car, shifting my hand to check the Glock holstered under my jacket. The road is empty in both directions, just us and a broken-down truck on a stretch of coastal highway.

"Dimitri?" Athena's voice is curious, noticing our decreased speed. "What is it?"

"I don't feel..." I say, and stop as I see one of the men shift and a gun pops up.

Then the truck suddenly lurches forward, engine roaring to life. It swerves across both lanes, cutting directly into our path.

"Fuck!" I slam on the brakes and pull the wheel hard to the right.

Tires scream, the car fishtailing. Athena cries out, bracing her hands against the dash.

"Dimitri, what's going on?"

Before I can respond, another vehicle slams into us from behind.

Our car lurches forward, the steering wheel torn from my grip. Glass explodes around us into a thousand glittering shards.