Chapter 9

I smiled. I still couldn't believe Gio had brought me flowers—roses even!

"You're as clumsy as your Father when he was younger." He shook his head in disbelief. "But I still love you like my own daughter."

"You're not old enough to be my Father!" I gawked.

"Sadly, I am—But I don't mind at all." He winked playfully.

I looked around the hospital room. I hated every part of hospitals since I was younger. The only reason I was okay with this room was the bright red flowers bringing life to the grey and blue walls.

"I can't wait to get out of here." I said, playing with the edge of the hospital blanket.

"You'll be out by tonight! They just need to stitch your arm up." I nodded, trying not to look at the gash in my right arm. In hindsight, such a silly reason to have gotten myself into an accident. I didn't even want to acknowledge how careless I'd been.

There was a light tap on the door.

"Come in!" Gio called. A tall dark-haired woman walked in.

"There's a Mr. Austin Yates to see Ms. Westfield." I hoped my sudden wide grin wasn't too obvious.

"Let him in!"

Gio looked at me speculatively. "Who's-"

"Austin!" I exclaimed. He walked in wearing a dark sweater and slacks—and carrying a fresh bouquet of lilies. I almost forgot Gio was there until he cleared his throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Austin, this is my personal assistant, Gio. He's from Scotland." I hoped that would lead to him telling me where he's from.

"Really?" He smiled and shook Gio's hand.

"You sound like an Aussie, mate!" Gio said. So that was it! I had never met anyone from Australia before.

"I am!" He shook Gio's hand firmly.

I graciously took the flowers from himand held them up to my nose. They smelled delicious enough to taste!

"Lilies are my favorite, thank you." Gio gaped at me as if I had just betrayed him and his roses.

"Well you're welcome, but I see you have more than one secret admirer." Austin winked at Gio. His smile was so bright, it lit the room. I hid the red invading my neck behind the lilies.

"Listen, I'm really-" He closed his eyes, a more serious look coming over his face "-Very sorry about what happened this morning. I need to make it up to you." I felt so suddenly lost in his long beachy blond hair and crystal blue eyes that it took me a moment to form some semblance of a reply.

"Wait... He's the one who ran you over?!" Gio's voice practically screeched.

"Oh really, it was only a bruise or two!" I scoffed. Gio's jaw clamped shut. I could almost hear his words ringing loud and clear in my head. You should be suing him!

Austin's mouth formed a grim line.

"Regardless, I just feel terrible and—well, would love to be able to take you to dinner."

A date?!

"Well I accept your apology..." I said, after all I was the one who was driving without being fully aware. "And ah..." I looked at Gio, who shrugged, realizing he didn't have a say in the matter. "I-"

The door swung open and Will burst inside, looking out of breath and worried.

"I came just as soon as I heard. Are you all right?" When he saw Austin, he froze. I smiled inwardly. Oh, there was Mr. Double Life.

"Hey, Will. This is Austin." I said. Looking confused, Will cautiously shook his hand.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I'm the one who ran her over." Austin admitted.

Will's eyes widened. He looked angry.

"But-" I interrupted before anyone could say anything more. "He's quite made up for that. He's offered to take me to dinner!" The room became awkwardly silent. Thankfully the nurse came in and told everyone the doctor was going to tend to my stitches.

"Great, well." Austin seemed nervous with the addition of two onlookers. "Pick you up at eight then?" I nodded, not being able to hide my smile any longer.

"Wait, you don't know where I'm staying!" I called after him.

"I have my resources." He winked. Resources? When he left, I clung onto the lilies. I glanced at Will. Boy, if looks could burn I would be a pan seared Ahi by now. I gave him a look of equal ferocity.

"How did your 'business' go?" I sniffed the lilies, which made his jaw clench.

"Fine." He grumbled. I looked over at Gio, who watched the interchange with interest. Finally, he stood.

"Alright, let's go, Will. I need some more research done. And you-" He pointed at me. "the two security guards are going to escort you home. Try not to get yourself killed this time."

"Gio!" I admonished. Before exiting the door, he glanced at the roses.

"And by the way, you're not fooling anyone with those stupid lilies. I know roses are your favorite."

I almost laughed aloud; that made two jealous men out of Austin's affection. Even though I didn't understand why Will could be jealous, having a blond babe like the one I saw earlier on his arm. The memory of seeing her kiss him made me frown.

Casually, I put the lilies aside and stole one of the red roses from the vase, smiling as the sweet scent captured all of the sorrow within me. Oh well, if Will was jealous I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

******

I glanced at myself in the mirror. Thankfully there were no bruises or scratches on my face. Probably thanks to that trusty helmet.

I wasn't wearing anything fancy, just a simple strappy black dress and heels, but as Mrs. McDowell always said: when in doubt wear black. I sighed, realizing how thinking about everyone at home made me frown. I'd been so busy with the whirlwind of action here I hadn't even called my family of almost 20 years! I decided I would call them this week, no exceptions.

I looked in the mirror one last time. I somehow managed to tame my messy blonde hair into soft waves that almost reached the middle of my back. I breathed in and out. This was my first date in months! Holly would have a coronary if she knew it had been that long.

"Eva!" That was Gio's voice. Austin must be at the door. I shook all of the thoughts away and walked into the main room where Austin stood talking to Gio. Gio still looked extremely skeptical but I could tell he was pushing all of that back now. He was the one who suggested I meet someone new after all. Will was noticeably scowling in a corner. When Austin saw me, his crystal blue eyes lit up.

"You look lovely, Eva."

"Thank you!" I replied shyly. There was some minor chit-chat before Gio had us both ushered out the door. Outside, the weather was warm and breezy, the perfect evening to spend with a so-far perfect gentleman. He led me over to a flaming red motorcycle. At first, I paused.

"This... Is your car?" I was hesitant after the traumatic incident involving the scooter earlier.

"I have a car that's being repaired from the accident. Why?" His face paled with realization. "I can call for another one, I'm so sorry."

"Oh no, please that won't be necessary." I assured him several times that I didn't mind. At least I wasn't the one driving it.

"Great, then after you." With his help, I buckled a matching red helmet. This one looked a little sturdier than the one I had on earlier. I climbed on in back of him and clutched onto his firm chest as we rode off. I looked behind and saw no sign of Will. I idly wondered if he would be the security following us tonight. I hoped not, I couldn't imagine how awkward that would be.

The city was quiet except for downtown. Austin directed us to the side of a small Greek restaurant and led me inside. The interior was low-lit and quiet. The blue stencils on the crumbling stone wall gave it an eclectic feeling. The waiter showed us to our table, a quiet corner with two chairs facing each other. When we sat down I hoped my staring at him wasn't obvious.

"Thank you for agreeing to this." His smile hid nothing. I smiled in return.

"I've been looking for an excuse to get away." I admitted. "This is the perfect excuse."

"So..." Austin started as a waiter came up and filled two empty glasses with water. "I haven't wanted to seem rude by asking this question..." He said. The glow of the candle-light danced on the side of his face as he spoke. I mentally braced myself for the heap of questions he probably had.

"Ask anything you'd like." I invited.

"Why do you have body guards and a personal assistant and all that? Are you some kind of government official?"

I almost spit out the water I drank.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. "Nothing like that. I'm not that important." I scoffed. Was I?

"Oh, my mistake then." He laughed "Well, if you don't mind my prying, then what do you do?" I paused. What did I do? Did I even know the answer to that?

"I... was... er, am a media professional in Los Angeles. My Father died in Europe suddenly so I had to come here to attend to matters." There, no need to instantly doom this relationship by mentioning that I am now the owner of a company that manufactures weapons for goodness knows what. Would be a hard pill to swallow on a first date.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad." He held his hand out. At first, I hesitated, but then I took it gratefully. His hand was so warm, so comforting. The waiter arrived with our menus and I was dismayed that we had to break contact. I looked at the menu, but realized I didn't recognize anything on it. This should be interesting.

"We'll start with your Imambayildi and a bottle of the house's finest wine."

"Yes sir, right away." The waiter spoke English!

"I always call ahead and pick restaurants with at least one waiter who speaks English." I was relieved. Perhaps I would ask the waiter to clarify the menu then.

"So." I said once the waiter left. "You know what I do. What do you do?"

"I am a surfer and small business owner in Australia." I smiled. Beach bum would be the perfect way to describe him.

"And what brought you to Santorini?" I asked.

"My Sister is having her wedding here. And my uncle has some big charity event he'd like me to attend." I gasped.

It couldn't be... could it? There was only one major event I knew was happening.

"Hosted by WWM?"

"Yes, I think that's what he said! You know of it?"

"Know of it?" I almost choked. "It's hosted by my Father's company!"

His eyes bulged. "WWM?! Wow, well that's quite something, isn't it?" He laughed. "Pretty incredible how we're both here for the same thing. The same thing, except I'm here for a wedding and you're here for a funeral. Ironic, really."

I frowned. The last thing I wanted to think about tonight was my father's funeral.

The light danced across his clear blue eyes. "Say, since we're both going, how would you like to go together? Unless you're going with someone already." I smiled again.

"I'm not." I said, "I think I'll take you up on that." Having a date would definitely make me look less alone and desperate in front of the executive board.

"Wow, imagine my luck. Meeting the daughter of one of the most powerful men my uncle knew!"

I desperately wanted to ask about his uncle, but I bit my tongue. If he happened to be anyone in the meeting from before, I'd rather not know about it. They had all been some level of rude and unwelcoming.

Seeking a quick subject change, we exchanged a few life stories as we sipped on delicious wine and ate. I had gone with the Kleftiko, which was lamb roasted with vegetables and topped with a delicious cherry glaze. It was almost as good as Woody's Lamb, which I was fortunate to have tried the other night. A movement at the bar caught my eye and I realized Will was standing there, spinning a drink and scowling at Austin. Oh shit, there was absolutely no winning privacy with him was there?

"Something wrong?" Austin looked at me with concern.

"No!" I shook it off and lowered my voice. "It's just that one of my security detail is here and I was hoping for a little more privacy."

"Well then let's see if we can lose him then, shall we? I have a little surprise to show you." He winked. A surprise? A tingling sensation crept up my neck.

He paid for the meal and I led the way out to the motorcycle, feeling a bit more comfortable approaching it this time. I looked around for Will but he had disappeared suddenly. As horrible as the thought was, part of me hoped he was off meeting his blond chick so Austin and I could have some privacy. It was awkward enough having kissed him just the other day. I frowned thinking about it.

Austin revved the engine and we spun off into the darkness. The streets were quiet except for his loud engine as we tore through the streets. We turned left on one street and then right on the next. Shortly after we were riding on some coastal highway where I could see the full moon high above the ocean in a blanket of the brightest stars. I squeezed Austin's chest a little tighter and glanced back. Sure enough, no one was following us. He turned down a steep lane and soon we were in some quiet cove with the waves gently lapping the pebble-like sand. A rocky, steep cliff separated us from the highway. It was the most peaceful I'd felt since L.A.

"What do you think?" He escorted me off of the bike and helped me remove my helmet.

"I think it's the most beautiful place on earth!" I couldn't take my eyes off of the glowing water. Or him.

"I come down here to swim every time I visit."

"Swim?" I laughed. Of course, he loved to swim, he was a surfer!

"Yes. Would you like to join me this time?"

"But I didn't bring a swimsuit!"

"Are you kidding?" He almost laughed out loud. "No one wears swimsuits in Greece!" He took off his sweater and T-shirt, revealing his bare chest. He unzipped his pants while I froze in place.

"Well, come on then!"

"Are you crazy?" I shouted after him.

I awkwardly unzipped the back of my dress. Thank goodness, I had underwear on! He looked towards the quiet waves, his toned legs screamed of the years he'd spent surfing.

My face felt hotter than a fire poker.

"Come on." He said. "I'll show you how to have fun Aussie-style!" He lifted me right off my feet and started running towards the water. I screamed, but it only got me so far before I was flung into the water, the icy Mediterranean coldness stinging and numbing my body. By the time I resurfaced, he dove in beside me, creating a huge wave.

Great, now Gio was going to pepper me with questions, namely asking why I was covered in ocean water and sand. When Austin resurfaced he made whooping noises at the cold.

"It takes a minute, but you'll get used to it!" I wondered how that was even possible in this frigid temperature. We stood beside each other in the shallow, laughing at how silly we both looked. A moment later something slimy brushed against my leg. I screamed and leaped onto Austin's back for dear life.

"What the hell was that?! Something touched me!"

"They're probably just eels!" He laughed.

"Eels?" I screeched. Shit, I hated eels!

"Don't worry!" He lowered me down, until I was in front of him. "I don't think they're the electric ones." We were only inches apart. The moonlight bounced off of our wet bare shoulders. I could hear the water dripping from our bodies. It was the only sound.

"This might come out in completely the wrong way-" He tucked a strand of my wet hair behind my ear. "but I'm glad you came for your Father's funeral." I smiled. That did sound completely wrong.

"Then would it be strange if I told you I'm glad you ran me over?" His lips turned upward.

"I suppose not." His eyes traveled from my eyes to my lips. I felt them tingle under his gaze. My whole body was craving his kiss. Gently, he brought my chin up and his face lowered until his nose touched mine. Our lips touched briefly, taunting me with his taste. I wove my hand through his wavy hair and brought his head down, my lips meeting his again hungrily. I groaned softly, deepening our kiss. His hands supported me on the small of my back. Everything from his arms to the water glistening off of his body made me want him more all of the sudden. I smiled as our kiss broke slowly. He looked into my eyes, his arms still firm around me.

"Come on, let's get you back before your bodyguards chase us down."

We rode back silently, enjoying the open empty highway and the stars. I hugged his bare chest, smiling at the fact we were both still in our underwear and that if anyone saw us they would probably think we were crazy. Gio would have a heart attack if he saw us drive up like this!

We stopped a block from the resort to change back into our regular clothes. I tamed back my drying hair—both Austin and I were laughing at the ridiculousness of our midnight adventure. I glanced at my watch. It was past 10:00pm, everyone should be asleep by now.

"Thanks for the date." I stood beside him, heels in hand and my bare feet resting on the cool concrete. The end of our journey. His wavy blond hair looked like a hot mess framing his face.

"Well, I just hope it made up for earlier."

"It did!" I assured him. A light clicked on inside. Oh boy, someone was up.

"I'd better get in."

He nodded, his eyes indicating he didn't want the evening to end. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Sure!" I smiled, waving my phone over my shoulder as I walked back towards our private bungalow. "Text me!"

I watched him disappear from the front patio, unable to stop smiling.

The door swung open before I could reach for the handle. It was Gio. The color was drained from his face. He looked sick with worry.

"What's wrong?" I demanded. Inside Woody, Charles and Will stood side-by-side in silence. My pulse quickened.

"Tell me what's wrong!" I demanded.

"It's Pia." Woody said. "She's gone missing."

*********

He felt another one of his spasms coming on. His body shook violently.

"Harry!" He barked. "Get me my pills!" He snatched them from Harry and knocked them back with vodka- never water.

"Now, what did you say?" He could still feel the side of his face twitching—the little gift from the Russian Syndicate he was meant to live with for the rest of his life.

"I..." Harry hesitated.

Stupid imbecile. "Tell me!" He demanded.

"Someone tried to access information on Sabertooth—You wouldn't know him. H...his name is Giovani McKernan and he's with a British Intelligence Agency."

He groaned and put a cigarette to his lips, his hand shaking as he fumbled with the lighter.

"He's her assistant you nitwit!"

"Who?"

"The Westfield girl!" She found him. How? Where? He rubbed his temples with one hand, the lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

"How would you like for me to proceed, sir?"

"I want you to exterminate him. Quietly, please." He rasped. "Have they found out about the pilot?"

"Yes, sir. We took care of her by the docks."

"Good, Harry." His head rose up, he still looked worried

"Oh, and a young man is here to see you, Mr. Plymouth. He's standing outside, should I let him in?"

"Of course, he is, send him in." He sat back and let the cloud of smoke dangle above him. Fuck it all, Sabertooth had mucked everything up one too many times. He depended on him to relay the truth, the truth that the young Westfield had seen him both in LA and Europe. Now he had to pay the ultimate price. Shame. He had been a good informant.

The young man entered the dark room, slowly coming into the light, his blond hair hanging in soft wet ringlets.

"What the fuck have you been up to, boy? Going for a swim while the rest of us are hanging by our teeth?" He put his hand up to his face to keep it from twitching. "Did things go according to plan at least?"

"Yes..." He paused. "Yes, uncle." Austin put his hands in his damp pockets, his face set in stone. He shifted uncomfortably, angrily. "How much longer do I have to do this?"

"As long as it takes." Plymouth snapped. "Don't worry, nephew. Soon I will have all I need to destroy that wretched syndicate and what that girl's father stole from me."

Author's Note

Okay y'all, what do you think of Austin? This was a part of the novel I was conflicted to write because I suddenly realized I had two potential lovers for Eva! Let me know by commenting or sending me a message. :)