Page 3 of Her Greek Protector
As soon as the meal was over, Alexi, Kosmo, and two other crew members set out for the cargo ship. Alexi made short work of climbing the ladder to reach the deck, doing his best to ignore the pain in his head. Hand over hand he climbed, the action both familiar and welcoming.
Once on the deck, he scrubbed a hand over his thick beard. If only he had some way of shaving. That aspect of personal hygiene wasn’t something the islanders worried about as they didn't seem to grow facial hair. Alexi had not been born with the same genes. He’d always needed to shave twice a day if he was going out in the evening. His twin brother was the same, as was his father.
“I was told you asked to speak to me.”
Alexi turned at the sound of the deep voice. He saw the uniformed captain stride across the deck. The man was imposing, standing at least as tall as Alexi’s 6’4” height, with a full head of white hair and a full beard. His broad shoulders and commanding presence let anyone who saw him know this man was used to being in charge.
Alexi drew himself up to his full height, extended his hand, and spoke firmly. “Nai, kapetánios. Is there someplace we could speak privately for a moment?”
The captain narrowed his eyes, but after eyeing Alexi carefully for a long moment, nodded. He strode towards the ladder leading up to the mid-deck. He gave orders for the crew members working there to leave and then turned to face Alexi. “Now, we are as private as I am comfortable with. Please say what you have to say.”
Alexi took a deep breath. “My name is Alexi Moustakas…”
The captain reared back. “You lie! Alexi Moustakas was lost at sea several months ago…” He stopped speaking as Alexi extended his arm, displaying the small tattoo on the inside of his upper arm, placed there shortly after he and his brother had been born.
Alexi’s tattoo was a circle with an A on the inside. Leo’s tattoo was a circle with an L on the inside. The tattoos had enabled both family and staff to differentiate between the two infants and later the two mischievous boys. They were also visible proof to those favored with knowing about the tattoos that the now adult men were who they said they were.
The captain’s eyes widened. Clearly, he had heard tales of Vasil and his twin boys. His eyes misted over with tears and he held his hand to his heart. “You survived! You didn’t go down with your yacht! Your last known location was almost a hundred miles north of these islands! Everyone thinks you're dead!” He enthusiastically shook Alexi’s hand. “Captain Colin Rodis, at your service. I sailed with your father when you and your brother were little boys.”
Alexi shushed him. “Please keep your voice down. For reasons I do not want to explain, I would prefer to let everyone continue thinking I am dead, at least until I reach Greece.”
“They had a funeral for you,” the captain told him. “Your brother is now running the company.”
“Leo is running things?” His playboy brother? “Is he doing a good job?” Alexi couldn’t help but ask.
The captain nodded. “I believe so. I’ve been at sea for the last three weeks so I’m not up to speed on everything that has been happening… We need to get you back to Greece, but that will take many weeks.”
Alexi nodded. “I’m aware of that, but I have no paperwork to verify my identity so getting there faster is not an option.”
The captain frowned. “We were supposed to return to Greece by going around Africa. We can cut through the Suez Canal, speeding up our travel by several weeks. I’ll have to give some sort of explanation for deviating from my assigned course, and for the extra expense…”
“Let me worry about that once we get back to Greece. I will ensure you are not punished, but handsomely rewarded, as well as your crew.”
The captain grinned. “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking… How come you didn’t get someone to take you to one of the larger islands? With all of the relief ships coming this way, you could have gotten home sooner.”
Alexi smiled and then pointed to the logo emblazoned on the side of the ship. “I arrived on the island with no memory of anything. The company logo brought it all back to me, my name, what happened to my yacht… There are still a few unanswered questions, but I believe they will come back in the coming days.”
“That is horrible. Let me be the first to welcome you back to the land of the living. Yourpatérasandmitérawill beeftychisménosto see you.”
“No happier than I will be to see them. I can only imagine how sad the news of my death made my parents.” Alexi tossed aside those depressing thoughts. “I need to go back to the island and say goodbye.” He’d worry about how to announce his return from the grave on the journey home.
The captain’s eyes widened, “You learned to speak their language?”
Alexi laughed. “Not even close. I have become very adept at sign language. I wish there was some way to repay their kindness…”
“Sir, with your permission, we have a cargo below decks that we have been collecting as we made our way to these islands. We have a variety of cloth, fresh food, and some building materials...”
Alexi grinned. “Take me on a tour and I will select some items to gift them with.”
It was the least he could do for the care they’d shown a strange man, injured and not even remembering his name. Because of their hospitality, he would now be given a second chance at life. One he was not going to waste.
It was time to figure out who had been threatening him and deal with it. Alexi would no longer stay away from his family out of fear for their safety. He was going back to Greece a new man with a singular focus—to find the threat and eliminate it.