Vengeance (COMPLETED)

Part 8

Atticus leaves me alone for the rest of the afternoon. I did as I was told and scoured the files for weaknesses. There weren't many. At one point, I saw potential to take down one of Vassilis' closest accomplices, but the excitement passed when I checked the binder of failed attempts. They'd already tried it. That's how it went for hours. I came up with something, only to find it had already been tried. The whole afternoon felt disappointing. I learnt more about Vassilis' operation, but I couldn't think of anything useful.

Hours have passed when the guards outside the door finally speak up, letting me know it's time to head to dinner. They lead me outside to the docks, where Atticus waits beside a large motorboat. It's nowhere near as big as the yacht, but much more than a simple dinghy.

"Where are we going?" I ask him. I didn't know dinner involved a boat trip.

"Just another island," he points to one a few miles off. It's smaller than this one and more secluded. "Santos and Catarina live there."

Santos Stavros, the eldest of the brothers. If tradition was followed, then Santos should be running this place now. I'm not too sure that he is, though. Atticus holds a lot of authority and he doesn't seem to be taking orders from anybody. They seem to be doing things differently here, now that Vassilis is gone. I'm not sure who Catarina is, but I can only assume that's Santos' wife. I'm provided right when we arrive on the island. A long wooden path leads from the dock across the beach to the entry of the house, backing onto a mountain covered in trees. The home is just as stereotypically Greek as the compound back on the main island — stone and white, with arched windows, and the indoors bleeding outdoors.

A young woman stands in the entryway. She's smiling brightly, her skin glowing. She looks like a model. Her dark hair is neatly curled, a layer of red lipstick decorating her perfect pout. She's decked out in a gorgeous burgundy dress, and black Louboutins. She's a powerhouse. She belongs in Hollywood.

"You made it!" She waves us over eagerly. "You must be Erin. It's so good to finally meet you!"

"You too," I smile awkwardly. She eyes me up and down. I wasn't feeling insecure about my appearance until now. My green wrap dress is nothing compared to hers. "Sorry, I would've liked to dress up, but I don't have any makeup with me."

"You don't?" She gasps. "Atticus! I gave you a list!"

"I'm sorry. I did what I could," he laughs. The two embrace, giving each other a kiss on the cheek. Even in her heels, she's a lot shorter than him. "We're going to the mainland tomorrow, anyway. She can shop then."

"The mainland?" I question. This is news to me.

"We want to show Vassilis you're here, with us, right under his nose."

I don't know if that is a good idea, but I don't get a chance to question it further. Catarina ushers us inside and leads us into a dining room. Again, it's the same style as the hotel on the main island. Two men stand by the bar, both chatting over a glass of bourbon. Santos and Angelis Stavros. The three brothers look alike — all tall and muscular with dark skin and dark hair. Santos looks slightly more weathered, with a few deep wrinkles on his forehead. Angelis is the youngest, and he looks it. He's the only one without facial hair. He has a buzz cut, and a large grin is plastered on his face. His eyes fill with pride when they land on me.

"Erin Michaelson," he heads my way with his arms wide open. He scoops me up in a hug, squeezing me tightly into him. "You have no idea how excited I am to meet you."

"It's good to meet you too," I say, but I don't actually know if it is. His excitement is contagious.

"You're clearly just as beautiful as you are smart," he continues. "I knew bringing you here would be the right choice."

"Thank you?" I don't know how to respond to that. Santos is nowhere near as chipper as his brother, but he still shoots me a polite smile. He extends his hand out to me. I shake it.

"We're delighted to have you here with us, Erin," he says. "We hope you accept our apology for what happened to your mother. You didn't deserve that, and neither did she."

"Thank you," I mean it this time.

"We've all been curious about the woman who finally took down our father. We're all grateful for what you did."

"Yeah," Angelis snickers. "Vassilis is an asshole. That fucker deserved it. I hope he rots."

"Angelis!" Catarina scolds him. I smile at Angelis, completely agreeing with his words. His disdain for this father is obvious. It almost makes me feel bad for questioning their intentions.

We all take a set around the dining table. Catarina sits at the head, with Santos to her left and Atticus to her right. I sit beside Atticus, opposite Angelis. As soon as we're seated, a waiter comes in to pour us wine. Another follows, serving us an entrée — fried zucchini with feta.

"How are you finding it here so far?" Santos asks me. "Hopefully your trip here wasn't too distressing."

"It's uhm... fine," is all I muster. "I don't really know what to say."

"You didn't scare her too much, did you?" Angelis asks Atticus. He shakes his head.

"She just doesn't trust us yet," he responds.

"Of course, she doesn't," Angelis says. "She's smart. I wouldn't trust us either."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, we're all impressed by what you did," Catarina adds. "You took down a major crime syndicate, and that can't be underestimated."

"Doesn't that make me a risk to you?" I challenge.

"Or, our greatest asset," she points out, but I don't fall for it.

"If what I did was so impressive, why risk bringing me here, telling me all this information? Don't you think I could take you down, too?"

Laughter fills the room. I didn't think what I said was particularly amusing, but I guess I was wrong. They seem to think I'm some sort of comedian.

"No, there's no need for that," Santos says, his eyes still filled with humour. "You'll soon come to see that we're nothing like our father."

"Well, you did kidnap me and traffic me to another country, so I'm not seeing much of a difference."

"Damn, she's feisty," Angelis chuckles. "You know we're keeping you here for your safety, right?"

"That's not how I see it."

"Look, we never expected this to be easy," Atticus turns to me. Besides Catarina, he's the only one who seems concerned by my comments. "It'll take time for you to see what we mean, but we have no doubt you'll come to understand where we're coming from."

And then it hits me.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you? The second you're done with me, you're getting rid of me."

The brothers laugh again, but it's the only logical move.

"Erin, no..." Catarina eyes me with sympathy.

"No, no one is killing anyone," Atticus responds. "When we're done, we'll bring you back safe and sound."

"Knowing everything that I know?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's not entirely true," Santos comments. I knew there was more to the story. "We're hoping you'll decide to stay."

"Stay?" I raise my brows in surprise. "Here, in Greece?"

"That's right."

"Why would I ever do that?"

"We'd like you to come work for us. We could use your legal knowledge."

"No," I shake my head. "I'm not doing that."

This is absurd. I'm sitting here surrounded by the children of my nemesis, who have brought me here, claiming to keep me safe, wanting my help to kill our nemesis, and hoping to recruit me. Not only that, but I bet everyone in this room has killed someone before. I'm surrounded by murderers, and I have no doubt they're going to kill me too.