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negotiable. But protecting Eva now mattered more to him than his own life. He d do anything to keep her safe. Even if it meant eliminating his father from the equation. As Andreas ran into the kitchen to grab a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess, his phone ring. He rushed back and picked it up off the table. He stared at the display and soon, a lump formed in his throat. The number on the screen belonged to Oliver, which could only mean one thing. Eva never made it home. He let his phone ring five times in an effort to avoid the inevitable. Andreas picked up the receiver. Before he could say anything, Oliver shouted at him. Put her on the phone, Kristopolous. I know she s with you! Andreas sighed, afraid to admit that he let Eva out of his sight. An act almost certain to sign her death sentence. Oliver already wanted to stake him through the heart because of who and what he was. Now he d be lucky if the man didn t cut his body into pieces and burn them limb by limb. She s not here, Polinski. We got into a fight and she left a couple of hours ago. Andreas held the phone in one hand and rubbed the tension out of neck with the other. I was hoping she d gone back to BPA headquarters, but based on our conversation, I m assuming that s not the case. You let her out of your sight? Are you bloody mad? Oliver fumed at him. You ve known for some time that your father has a hit out on her life! How could you let her leave unprotected? Andreas could hear the anger in his voice, but more than that, he sensed sincere concern emanating from the man on the other end of the telephone. Don t worry. I ll find her. If my father so much as touches a hair on her precious head, I ll rip out his jugular and feed him to the newborns! The vampire inside of him meant every word. Andreas was sure the psychic had already picked that certainty out of his mind. He d give up his name, his title, his whole life to have her back in his arms safe and sound. It s true, then. You really are in love with Eva, aren t you? Oliver breathed steadily into the phone. His nonchalant question fed the vampire s anxiety. Yes. I love her. More than life itself. Andreas closed his eyes and let the words slip out. The unbridled emotion he kept bottled up inside for so long suddenly burst free. It was the first time he d uttered the words aloud, to himself or anyone for that matter. Right now, I ve gotta find her. I ll be in touch. Andreas ended the conversation and headed for the elevator. He knew that time was precious and every moment Eva remained missing, the less chance he had of finding her alive. **** Andreas slid through the open window of his Porsche, not bothering to open the driver s side door. He flipped the ignition switch and started the engine. But before he maneuvered out of the underground parking structure in this fine piece of machinery, he needed to clear his head and come up with a plan. Without a doubt, he was headed to suburban Connecticut to confront his father at their compound at Miravale. He managed to avoid him for close to a week, and it was possible that in retaliation, Aristotle ordered the hit on Eva. Andreas s gut instinct told him his father wasn t behind her disappearance. Nevertheless, he couldn t quite pinpoint the reason why he felt that way. Maybe their shared blood had clouded his perception. Either way, Andreas would get to the bottom of the situation and find out exactly what the elder Kristopolous knew about his lover s whereabouts. If he expected his father to cooperate in the search for Eva, he d have to remain calm and reason with him, vampire to vampire. Aristotle may not have been the most doting husband and father, especially when it came to expressing his feelings, but Andreas knew without a doubt that he d been head-over-heels in love with Andreas s mother. The best way to broach the subject with the patriarch would be to be as honest as possible. To appeal to the man s well-hidden sensitive side. He planned to gain his father s sympathy and profess his deep and profound love for Eva. If Andreas understood anything at all about Aristotle, it was his weakness for classical literature. While he didn t like to admit it, his own literary fondness had spawned from the elder s loins. If his suspicions were accurate, the Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lover approach might just works on the man who d helped bring him forth into this world. Andreas s plan wasn t fool-proof, but it was a good start. The hard part would be to keep his anger in check and pray that sincerity would allow him to weasel himself into his father s heart of stone. He pulled into the roundabout in front of the mansion, not about to waste time parking his car in one of the stalls in the ten-car garage. Leaving his keys in the ignition, he sauntered into the house. His demeanor calm and steady. But before he could make it past the first step on the marble staircase, Aristotle hobbled forward, his gold-tipped cane aimed at Andreas. Son, where have you been? A tinge of annoyance evident in his tone. I ve left message after message without a single reply. While I hope that is not the case, your lack of response leads me to believe that you ve been avoiding him. Andreas expected his father s unabashed scolding. But instead of contempt, he swore he saw compassion reflected in the old man s eyes. I m sorry, Father. I know I should have confided in you sooner. But I needed time to sort things out on my own. Andreas lowered his head with humility. I ve come to some pretty frightening realizations in the past few weeks, and I ve been reluctant to share them with anyone. Andreas found it difficult to share his feelings with his father. Growing up, glimpses of emotion from his father were few and far between. A heart-to-heart between the two men long overdue. I know I haven t been the best father. Aristotle said as he stared at his hands to avoid eye contact. After a tense moment of silence, he looked up at his son. I have a tendency to close myself off to that which is too painful to endure. But please, Andreas, tell me. What weighs on you so heavily? Andreas looked sideways at his father, trying to decide whether or not it was all an act. First, let me get one question out of the way. Andreas rubbed his temple, hesitant to say too much. Do you know anything about the huntress s disappearance? Have you done anything to harm her, Father? Andreas didn t want to ask and he sure as hell wasn t sure he wanted to hear the answer. Nonetheless, he had to know. She s disappeared? Aristotle asked. Worry lines etched into the folds of his furrowed brow. Honestly, I had nothing to do with it. In fact, I didn t even know she was missing. You may not have said it in so many words, but I can see you ve developed strong feelings for this woman. Because of that reason, I could never harm her. Andreas released a much-needed sigh of relief. Maybe his father wasn t the monster he always made him out to be. Thank you for saying that, Father. It s not easy to admit, but yes, I think I m falling for her. She s all I ever think about. Andreas smoothed a hand through his mussed-up mop of hair. He paced the room. His loud, impatient steps drowned out the negative thoughts swirling around in his head. If Aristotle hadn t abducted Eva, where in the hell could she [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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