Page 111 of Beyond Enemy Vows

Stavros watches from above, smiling. "There's the fire I've been waiting for. Pity it took this long to surface."

The guards step back, leaving me crumpled on the floor. Stavros checks his watch.

"You guys come with me," he says to three of the men. "I'm going to get the whore personally." He points to the remaining two. "You stay here and finish this sorry excuse for a Petrou. We'll dump both their bodies in the morning after the guests leave."

My heart pounds against my ribs. I struggle to stand, but a guard's boot shoves me back down.

Stavros looks back down at me. "Take solace in the fact that when you die, your bitch won't be too far behind."

The door slams shut. The remaining guards look down at me, one of them pulling out a gun from his jacket.

The safety clicks off.

And all I can think about is Calli in her red dress, alone in that ballroom, with no idea what's coming for her.

37

CALLI

The guests blur into a sea of people as I move through them, the champagne glass still clutched in my hand. I spot Keira slipping between two older men carrying flutes on a tray. Our eyes meet, and she changes direction, moving toward me.

"Where's Niko?" I whisper as she pretends to show me her tray.

She shakes her head slightly, lips barely moving. "I don't know, but be careful. We're here." She turns and moves back into the crowd before I can say another word.

Him missing, the guards running out. My chest tightens. Niko should be beside me. I should be making polite conversation while tracking Stavros's movements, waiting for the right moment to slip away to his study.

I move toward the entrance, hoping to spot Niko returning from whatever pulled him away. But instead, I see something that makes my blood freeze.

Stavros enters the ballroom with four men flanking him. His eyes scan the ballroom, sweeping over faces until our eyes lock.

He smiles.

My heart pounds so hard I feel like it might come out of my chest. Stavros begins moving toward me, cutting through the crowd. His men follow, forming a loose circle that will trap me if I try to run.

Panic shoots through me. The napkin in my hand. I can't let him find it. Can't risk him discovering what I planned to do.

I spot a large potted plant near me and, with what I hope looks like a casual gesture, I lean in and let the napkin slip from my fingers into the soil.

The vial disappears among the leaves.

I quickly glance around as he gets closer. No sign of Niko. No time to run.

I straighten just as Stavros reaches me.

"Calli."

"Stavros," I say and nod.

"Just the person I was looking for," he says smoothly. "Would you come with me? I'd like to talk about everything Niko's told me."

He extends his hand like we're old friends.

I don't take it. "Where is Niko?"

Stavros laughs. It sounds fake. "Oh, he got held up talking to his old friend, George. He says he'll meet us soon."

"Come," he says, dropping all pretense of warmth. His fingers grip my arm, tight enough to bruise, and pull me forward.