The Enigmatic Greek Read Online Free PDF Page B

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