Chapter 5 - A Contract Written in Blood
The yacht was called The Leviathan, its dark carbon hull reflecting the scattered starlight of the southern Aegean.
Armed security personnel in black uniforms stood at the gangway, saluting Dante as he escorted me aboard.
The main salon was cavernous, paneled in dark walnut and polished chrome, with floor-to-ceiling glass looking out at the wake.
Nikos carried a basin of warm water, antiseptic, and clean towels into the lounge and set them on the glass coffee table.
“Clean your hands,” Dante instructed, pouring two fingers of amber whiskey into a tumbler.
“We have four hours before we enter Cretan territorial waters.”
I dipped my trembling hands into the water, watching the water turn pink as the blood washed away.
The physical shock was wearing off, replaced by an overwhelming, suffocating reality.
My apartment was gone.
My waitressing job was gone.
My identity as Emma Collins was dead on the bedroom floor in Oia.
“What happens to me when you get your ledger?” I asked, wrapping a clean towel around my stinging palms.
“Do you drop me off at an American embassy and pretend I never existed?”
Dante set his whiskey glass down and walked slowly toward me, stopping just inches from where I sat.
“If you go to the American embassy, Vanezis’s contacts will intercept you before you reach the front desk.”
“Your passport is flagged, your mother’s house in Ohio is under twenty-four-hour surveillance, and every airport in Europe is watched by customs officials on Alberto’s payroll.”
“You have nowhere to run, Emily.”
“Running is what got you cornered in a Greek tavern working for pennies.”
I looked up into his dark eyes, finding no pity, but an unyielding, dangerous resolve.
“Then what do you propose, Mr. Moretti?”
“Tomorrow evening, the Mediterranean Maritime Consortium convenes at a private estate outside Heraklion.”
“Every port director, politician, and syndicate boss from Rome to Athens will be present, including my uncle Alberto and Nikos Vanezis.”
“They believe I am traveling alone to negotiate terms of surrender.”
“They do not know I have Thomas Hart’s final audit.”
He reached out and tilted my chin upward with his knuckle, forcing me to hold his gaze.
“You will walk into that gala on my arm.”
“You will wear diamonds, you will wear silk, and you will play the role of my American fiancée.”
“Why would anyone believe that?” I stammered, my pulse racing against his skin.
“Because Alberto knows your father’s daughter is the only person who could hold the encryption key.”
“By presenting you as my partner, I force Alberto and Vanezis to make their move publicly in front of the entire council before they can silence you.”
“And what do I get in exchange for being your bait?” I demanded, anger finally breaking through my terror.
“Justice for your father,” Dante answered, his voice dropping to a fierce whisper.
“The complete eradication of the men who drove him into the lake and left your family in ruin.”
“And fifty million dollars deposited into a secure Swiss account in your name the moment my uncle is removed.”
I stared at the black card still sitting on the polished table between us.
The choice was an illusion; the only alternative was a bullet in an alleyway or a shallow grave beneath the Aegean waves.
“If I agree,” I said, my voice hardening, “we play by my rules when it comes to my family in Ohio.”
“My mother gets protection starting tonight.”
Dante’s eyes flared with a spark of genuine respect.
“Deal.”
May you like
He extended his right hand toward me.
I reached out and took it, sealing a pact with the most dangerous man in the Mediterranean.
