Catherine George - The Enigmatic Greek

‘My bag!’ said Eleanor in sudden alarm.

‘The assault weapon?’ His lips twitched as he handed it over. ‘Stefan rescued it, but I can’t answer for the contents.’

‘I hope your camera is undamaged!’ exclaimed Talia.

‘If not, I shall replace it,’ said Alexei, shrugging.

‘That won’t be necessary, thank you.’ Eleanor breathed more easily as she investigated. ‘My phone took a direct hit, and the glass on a picture I bought for my mother is cracked. But the camera seems all right.’ She was horribly conscious of her bedraggled appearance as Talia bundled her up in a towel. So much for looking sexy! ‘The memory card will have survived, anyway. I won’t lose any of the pictures.’

‘Excellent. Now we must go inside and get something hot into both of you.’ Talia spoke to Sofia, who nodded vigorously and hurried off.

To Eleanor’s surprise the musicians were still playing and singing on the terrace, people were talking at the tops of their voices at the tables and a large crowd was still milling around on the beach, where youngsters were shouting as they took turns in leaping over the traditional St John’s bonfires. ‘Didn’t they hear all the commotion?’

‘Too much noise, and I got there so quickly I doubt that anyone noticed,’ said Alexei, rubbing his hair. ‘I followed when I saw you leave the table with my mother and hurried after you in time to hear her scream for me. But I regret that I arrived too late to stop the intruder kicking you into the water. Stefan and a couple of my security men were behind me as I caught him, and they took charge of him while I went in after you.’

‘I wish I’d known all that when I was trying not to drown,’ said Eleanor wryly.

‘Alex dived in after you almost at once,’ Talia assured her.

My hero , thought Eleanor, and won herself a sharp look from her dripping rescuer as he escorted them into the cavernous hall of the Kastro and into the anachronism of a modern lift. After a swift, quiet ascent it opened onto the hall of an apartment that could have been part of a modern building. Impressed by the contrast to the ancient Kastro which housed it, Eleanor wrapped her towels around her more tightly to avoid wetting the beautiful floor as Talia led her to a surprisingly feminine bedroom.

‘You must get into my shower, as hot as you can bear it. You’ve lost your lovely glow.’

‘You look pale yourself,’ said Eleanor anxiously. ‘You had a horrible shock, too.’

‘But I wasn’t kicked into the sea, my dear! Use any of my bath stuff you want.’

‘Thank you.’ Eleanor’s teeth began chattering again.

Talia wagged a finger. ‘Be quick; you need something hot to drink. Wrap yourself in the bathrobe behind the door.’

Eleanor bundled her sodden clothes up in the damp towel and put them in the slipper-shaped bath. To her relief her waterproof watch had survived undamaged and, even more miraculously, the crystal bull-charm was still intact on her chain bracelet. Feeling limp as a rag doll as her adrenaline drained away, she turned on hot water in the shower and used some of Talia’s shampoo. After a few warming minutes under the spray to rinse her hair she dried off, wincing as she encountered various aches and pains, the most painful a large welt on her ribcage, courtesy of a male shoe. Swathed in towels, she slumped down suddenly on the edge of the elegant bath. What a day! She brightened suddenly as she rubbed at her hair. Now she’d helped save his mother from kidnap, maybe Alexei Drakos would give her an interview by way of thanks. And maybe the moon would turn blue tonight!

Eleanor ran one of his combs through her hair, eyed her reflection without pleasure and reached for the hooded white bathrobe on the door. She replaced her watch and bracelet and opened the door in answer to a quiet knock.

Talia came in, wrapped in a long navy bathrobe, her wet hair tied back from her beautiful face. ‘You feel better now, Eleanor?’ she asked anxiously as she applied moisturiser.

‘Lots better, thank you. How about you?’

Talia grimaced. ‘I stripped off every stitch after contact with that man. I had a quick shower in Alex’s bathroom and borrowed his bathrobe so, now I have washed away eau de kidnapper , I am fine.’

‘Thank God for that,’ said Eleanor fervently. ‘What shall I do with my wet clothes?’

‘Sofia will deal with them. She has brought food to the tower room, so come and eat something.’

Suddenly so tired she wanted nothing more than to crawl into the nearest bed and sleep, Eleanor followed Talia to a room with a panoramic sweep of windows and a tray with savoury steam rising from it on a low table in front of a huge leather sofa.

‘Sofia’s special lentil soup will get you warm,’ said Talia. ‘After all this drama, you need something nourishing.’ She shuddered. ‘I thought I was done for when that monster grabbed me, but you attacked him like an avenging fury.’

‘He made me so angry,’ agreed Eleanor, and took the bowl Talia handed to her. ‘Something exploded inside me when the brute snatched you.’ She managed a smile. ‘But you were pretty ferocious yourself. Between the two of us, the man must have wondered what hit him.’

‘I wrenched my shoe off in the struggle and stabbed at his face with the stiletto heel.’ Talia laughed unsteadily. ‘What an adventure!’ She turned as Alexei, now in dry clothes, came into the room with Stefan. ‘Did he tell you anything?’

‘Nothing useful,’ Alex thrust his fingers through damp curls. ‘He was insane with fear, certain I intended to kill him for hurting my mother. But eventually he confessed that he was paid to seize the kyria and take her to the man waiting at the jetty in a boat. The “dog” who left him to my mercy without paying him.’

‘And just who was the man in the boat?’

‘A stranger he met on Karpyros today who offered him money to do a job for him, if he can be believed. He swears he doesn’t know any names, but after some persuasion he gave me his.’ Alexei’s look chilled Eleanor to the bone. ‘He calls himself Spiro Baris, and he’s now locked away for the night, moaning about injuries suffered during the struggle.’ He shook his head in contempt. ‘A struggle with two unarmed women!’

‘Not unarmed, exactly. I had my shoe and Eleanor her useful bag,’ his mother reminded him, eyes sparkling.

Stefan gave a smothered laugh, and Alexei thawed enough to grin.

‘Which of you amazons gave him the black eye?’

‘That would probably be me,’ said Eleanor, contemplating grazed knuckles. ‘I might have got him in the mouth too.’

‘You did, kyria. He has a split lip,’ Stefan said with relish.

‘Do you have any other injuries, Eleanor?’ asked Alexei.

He’d finally brought himself to use her name! She shook her head. ‘A few bruises—the worst one in the ribs from where he kicked me off the jetty.’

‘Oh my dear,’ said Talia, appalled. ‘You must be so sorry you ever set foot on Kyrkiros.’

Alex shot a hard look at Eleanor. ‘Will you mention the incident in your article?’

Oh, for heaven’s sake! She sucked in a calming breath and winced as her ribs protested. ‘And broadcast your breach of security? Of course I won’t.’

‘Thank you.’ He exchanged a glance with Stefan. ‘Go down and have a word with Theo. His crew must make very sure no one’s stayed behind after the last boat leaves the island.’

‘Two of them are guarding the intruder, so I will help him with that,’ Stefan said quickly. He wished them goodnight and hurried from the room.

‘I’d better get down there too,’ said Alexei. He eyed Eleanor with the air of a man with an irritating problem to solve. ‘Tomorrow I’m taking my mother to Crete for her return flight to London. You must go with us—Eleanor. I’ll try to get you on the same flight.’