Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“What?” Kairo screeched, his brain locking up for a second. “This is your house?”
The man in front of him nodded vigorously. “Yes, my family’s. My maternal great-grandmother had it built because she found it peaceful to be near the monasteries during the winter. I believe she thought winter should be a time of personal reflection and meditation. To be closer to God. And the cliffside monasteries give the area a very mystical feel.”
“Where are we, exactly?”
“The house is outside a small village called Kalambaka, up in the mountains. There aren’t any close neighbors, and it takes about twenty to thirty minutes to drive into town. Longer if there’s fog or snow. Kalambaka is one of the closest towns to Meteora.”
Kairo pointed a finger at Isidore. “That sounds vaguely familiar, but I’m afraid I’m not incredibly familiar with Greece outside of Athens and Delphi.”
“No problem. Meteora is about a four-hour drive from Athens and is in one of the most northern parts of Greece. It’s famous for having more than half a dozen monasteries here, with many perched on their cliffs. It’s really quite picturesque and a favorite tourist spot during the summer months.”
Leaning back on his elbows, Kairo frowned as he turned over this new information. “With it being the end of July, the area is probably crowded with tourists, which means that the locals aren’t going to necessarily notice new faces in town.”
Isidore shook his head. “No, not at all.”
It seemed very unlikely that coworkers, employees, and even the locals weren’t going to be of any help. “Were you here when you were kidnapped?”
“No, Athens,” Isidore replied with a shake of his head. “I’d been preparing to travel to our summer home on Santorini. I was supposed to meet Athena there. We’d stay in Megalochori for a week or two. Then I was going to accompany her to California. She’s starting her master’s studies at Stamford.”
The pride ringing in Isidore’s voice every time he spoke of his sister made Kairo want to smile as well. He just hoped this Athena was worthy of all this brotherly worship.
But Isidore’s tone dipped again. “I’d gone to one of her favorite outdoor markets that afternoon. I was looking for some fun little trinkets that she could take with her to the United States in hopes they would remind her of home. I saw a child who was alone and crying. I thought he’d gotten separated from his parents. I only wanted to help him…”
“But he was bait, leading you directly into the hands of your kidnappers.”
Kairo bit his tongue to hold in any exasperated words that might slip out. This was not Isidore’s fault. He was trying to do a good deed and it blew up in his face. There were just too many evil people in the world, and the man needed to take better precautions.
“What about your bodyguards? You have them, right?”
“Oh, I’m sure they’re thoroughly annoyed with me. After the first two times, I should definitely know better.”
“What? I…first two times.” Kairo shoved upright and stared at the man, who was blushing under his glare.
“Yes, this is the…third time I’ve been kidnapped.”
“Are you fucking shitting me?” Kairo shouted.
Isidore winced. “The first one wasn’t my fault. I was only six, and all children wander off on their own at that age.”
“How old were you the second time?”
“Twenty-two,” he whispered and looked away from Kairo. “It wasn’t long after the death of my parents. I…I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. Luckily, there were other people around when it happened who called the police in time.”
Kairo clenched his fists in front of him, fighting the urge to grab Isidore by both shoulders and shake him. After going through such harrowing events twice in his life, he should know better. He should take better precautions to protect himself. What was he even thinking?
But he couldn’t say any of that. The man already looked so miserable, he couldn’t bring himself to voice a single word of criticism. If anything, Isidore needed to be protected from himself.
“What about your bodyguards? Do they know you and your sister have been kidnapped?”
“Titus does. He’s the one who was with me when I was taken. He’s the head of my security team, but I’ve instructed him not to tell a soul or he will be putting Athena’s life in danger.” Isidore sneaked a glance up at Kairo. “He was the one who was sent to bring you to Greece. I’m sorry if he caused you any harm. He didn’t mean to.”
“He was…big. Really, fucking big.”
Isidore’s smile returned for a flash. “He is. Everyone finds him very intimidating, but he’s actually very sweet and funny.” And then it was gone again, the sadness bleeding into his expression. “But this is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so careless, we wouldn’t be here right now. Athena wouldn’t be in danger. You wouldn’t be in danger. I’m so sorry.”