Back In His Arms (2 page)

Brian swaggered down the steps like a gunslinging cowboy into a saloon.

“I’ll take you anytime, any place.”

“Then let’s end this now,” Atreus declared.

“No weapons, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide,” said Brian.
 
“Just me and you, right here on this runway.”

“And if I win, you’ll give up, go back to England and leave us alone,” Atreus proposed.

“And if
I
win,” Brian returned, “you’ll admit to Carla that you’re not worth the fancy shirt you’ve got on your back.
 
You’ll tell her that I’m the superior man and that she should go with me for a better life.”

Carla felt sick at the thought of it.

“Fine,” agreed Atreus.
 

“But on one condition,” added Brian.
 
“I know Carla can be pretty stubborn at times and she doesn’t like to listen, so when you tell her that I’m the best man for her, she might disagree and want to stay with you.”

At that moment the pilot appeared at the door. “I’m looking for Mr Kostas.”

“That’s me,” Atreus answered.

“Do you require our services for a return flight, sir?”
 
the pilot asked.

“Not just yet,” Atreus said.
 
“Please wait inside until we have sorted this out.”

The pilot obliged, disappearing into the plane, confused by the apparent showdown.

Atreus turned back to Brian.

“So what do you want?”

“If you lose, you have to get a restraining order against Carla,” Brian explained,
 
“so that
legally
she is not allowed on this island or anywhere else you may be.
 
I don’t want her near your posh Greek house, near you, near your family or near that…
kid
.”

“I can’t agree to that,” Atreus dismissed.
 
“Carla makes her own choices in life.”

Brian’s eyes flashed with sick pleasure, like he had cornered his prey.

“You scared you’re gonna lose?”

“Fine,” Atreus agreed.
 
“You have a deal. But if you lose, we never see you again.
 
Got it?”

“
Got it
,” Brian replied, mockingly.

He turned away as if to go back into the plane, then lunged at Atreus.

“Atreus!”
 
Carla shouted.

Atreus staggered backward as Brian hit him, almost falling to the ground.
 
Linus rushed forward to assist.

“No!”
 
Atreus hollered, stopping the big man in his tracks.
 
“Stay there!”

He righted himself, then lunged forward at Brian with a right hook.
 
It caught Brian in his left cheek but was not hard enough to take him off his feet.
 
Brian reached back, preparing to hit Atreus with everything he had but Atreus ducked and Brian’s overzealous swing left him off balance.
 
Seizing the moment, he kicked Brian hard in the stomach, sending him staggering backward onto the tarmac.

Atreus made the mistake of looking back to see if Carla and Dios were ok, allowing Brian to regain his footing and set his attack back in motion.
 
Animated by a new fury, he rushed at Atreus like a raging bull and punched him in the back of his head with such force that Atreus fell to his knees, stunned.

“No!”
 
Carla cried out.

Brian looked over at her, sneering as he strutted toward Atreus.
 
Standing over him, he kicked Atreus in the stomach, the force of the blow pushing out a loud groan.
 
Atreus fell to his side and curled up into a ball, trying desperately to protect his abdomen as Brian laid into him with kick after kick.

Carla’s instinct was to set Dios down and rush over to help her man but she knew Atreus would not want that.
 
Besides, she was no match for Brian.
 
She knew that from experience.

It seemed all was lost and Carla’s view of the fight became blurred through tears but, somehow, Atreus managed to grab one of Brian’s ankles as the kicks rained down on him.
 
He twisted Brian’s foot and used it to bring him the ground.
 
Then, seizing his chance, Atreus climbed on top of Brian and, using every bit of energy he could summon, punched him square in the face.

“Aargh!”
 
Brian cried out.

Atreus raised his fist above his head.

“Do you surrender?”

“No!”
 
Brian spat.
 
He flailed and struggled and balled up his fist to punch Atreus.
 
“Carla’s mine!”

Atreus reacted more quickly, delivering a powerful blow to Brian’s chin.

“Son of a
bitch
!”
 
Brian hollered.

Atreus put his elbow on Brian’s neck.

“Don’t move,” he warned.
 
“I could kill you right now if I wanted to but. unlike you. I do not gain pleasure from hurting others.
 
My guards will take you to Nassau police station now and you’ll be deported to England.
 
This is over.”

He turned and nodded at Linus.
 
The big man muttered into his radio before walking over and dragging Brian to his feet.

“Oh, darling,” Carla said as Atreus came toward her.
 
“Your nose is bleeding.”
 
She reached into her bag and found a tissue.
 
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
 

He pressed it to his nose.

“I’m fine.
 
Now let’s forget him and enjoy ourselves.”

*****

Chapter 2

Carla awoke to the chirping of birds outside the window.
 
She looked over at Atreus but he seemed so peaceful in his white cotton cocoon that she decided not to wake him.

Pristine white slippers had been laid out on the marble floor and she slipped into them before padding over to the verandah.
 
White linen drapes covered the whole wall and she pulled them back to find that the wall was made entirely of glass.
 
Pushing open the matching door, she stepped outside and immersed herself in the dawn.

The view was the most spectacular she had ever experienced.
 
The verandah steps led down to a tropical garden bursting with orchids and exotic fruits of amazingly vibrant color.
 
A plunge pool nestled inside gleamed in the early morning glow, its pearlescent tiles dipping and flashing under the fresh water that flowed from the tap in its wall.
 
Carla imagined the cool water slipping over her sweltering shoulders in the noonday sun and resolved to take a dip that afternoon.
 
Atreus had promised to take her and Dios to visit a smaller island that day, but she was sure they would return in time.

Beyond the garden and its pool, the crystal waves whispered on the shore, humble despite the power of the immense sea of which they were a part.
 
Islands dotted the distance and the orange sun eased up and out of the horizon before her eyes.

She could not remember a time she had been as purely content as in that moment.
 
Brian seemed a lifetime away.

“Carla?”
 
Atreus called from behind her.

She turned to see him sitting up in bed and rushed to him.

“It’s so beautiful here, my love.”

“It is,” he agreed.
 
“And it’s even more beautiful where I’m going to take you and Dios today.”
 
He cradled her head on his chest.
 
“I don’t come here often enough.”

“I think I could live here forever,” she sighed.

“Wouldn’t you miss the city?” he asked.
 
“It’s not very exciting here.”

“I wouldn’t miss
anything
living here.
 
All I need is you and Dios to make me happy.”

He gazed at her, adoration in his eyes, and traced the curve of her high cheekbone with his finger.
 
Now was the perfect moment to tell him about the new baby.

“I have something to tell you,” he announced.

“That’s funny,” she smiled.
 
“I was just going to say the same thing to you.”

“You first, then” he said.

“No, you go.”

“Okay,” he acquiesced.
 
“Well, I really hate to say this and I wish it weren’t the case but…” he trailed off and picked nervously at the white mesh of the mosquito net.

“What?
 
What is it?”
 
Carla asked, concerned.

Atreus sighed deeply, gathering his courage.

“I hope you can forgive me, but the island… the island we are to go to today…”

“Yes?”

“It’s called Serene,” he said.
 
“It won’t be called that for long, of course, because I own the island and I can pick the name.
 
I just haven’t gotten around to it.
 
The truth is, I haven’t been here for so long because Serene and I were engaged here.
 
Our marriage had become so toxic that I did not even want to set foot on these islands again.”

“Then why did you choose here for us to come?” Carla asked, aware that Atreus owned many other properties.

“It’s the most remote,” he said. “Without a private plane you’d have to fly into Nassau.
 
That’s three boats away from here.”

“So Brian wouldn’t find us,” Carla interpreted.
 
“And then I led him right to us.”

“Don’t worry, my love,” Atreus said.
 
“The Bahamian police won’t let him come back in and I’m sure he can’t afford a private plane.”

“No, that’s true,” said Carla.

“Anyway, the island is not Serene to me anymore, but when the staff call it that I hope you can excuse them.
 
And forgive me.”

“Of course,” said Carla.
 
“So what will its new name be?”

“Initially, I was thinking Carla,” he said, “But then I thought it dreadfully unromantic for you, like it was a secondhand island.
 
So I thought, why not something to symbolize how you’ve changed my life?”

Carla held his hand.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying so,” he continued, “but you’ve saved my life.
 
My heart was almost dead before you came and revived it.
 
So I was thinking – and feel free to tell me if you do not like it – Redemption Island.”

He held his breath while awaiting her response.

“I love it!”
 
Carla gushed, kissing Atreus all over his face.
 
“I absolutely
love
it!”

“Oh, darling, I’m so glad,” Atreus exhaled as someone knocked on the door.
 
He kissed Carla and then called out.
 
“Come in!”

One of the staff entered to let them know that breakfast was served.
 
They ate on the second floor verandah with the whole family.
 
Dios crawled up and down while the rest enjoyed ackee, saltfish, fried dumplings and freshly made mango juice.
 
The pregnancy played on Carla’s mind but she needed to get Atreus alone again before informing him.

“I don’t know why we don’t do this more often,” Andria pondered.
 
She wore a wide brimmed hat, aviators and a sundress, and looked quite at home already.
 
“We should live here.”

“That’s what Carla said,” Atreus told her.
 
He fed a piece of dumpling to Dios.
 
“But wouldn’t you miss Greece, Mama?”

“Greece?”
 
Andria feigned confusion as she straightened her hat.
 
“What’s Greece?
 
Never heard of it.”
   

They all laughed.

“Perhaps…”
 
Atreus considered.

Once they had finished breakfast, Atreus guided Carla and Dios to a small motorboat.

“This is my toy,” Atreus told Carla, “so you’ll have to permit me a little fun.”

“Not too much fun, young man,” she said, wagging her finger at him as she pulled Dios onto her lap.

Of course, she meant none of it.
 
She would have trusted him with her life in even the most dangerous of situations.

The water was like rippling glass as they departed from the sandy shore.
 
As they moved deeper,
 
its color turned first into a beautiful aquamarine then into a crystal clear sapphire.
 
Carla held Dios tight and laughed as he screamed with delight at their increasing speed.
 

Atreus sat by the motor, guiding them and laughing along, looking so at peace with himself as they sped by countless sandy coves and vibrant green islands.
 
As Carla watched him she marveled at his magnificence; his bronze, muscular arms so rich in color against the white of the boat, his black hair blowing back in the wind and his eyes alive with love and life itself.
 
She knew she was exactly where she was meant to be.