THE CHAMELEON (16 page)

“What if he saw these? What would it do to him to find out you are the Chameleon? Or better yet, maybe believe that you were the one who killed Sister Katherine. Back off or someone will die.”

Stephan perused every picture. He no longer doubted that Aisling was exactly who she said she was.

Aisling took a seat next to Stephan on the couch and gently removed the pictures from his hand. He said nothing when she put them back into the envelope. Her soft hands gripped his and she leaned into him. “It is time we went to work.”

CHAPTER 33

(Stephanous Petros: thirteen years old) Every part of his body hurt. Stephan struggled to open his eyes, but as hard as he tried, they refused to obey. He had no idea that both were swollen shut. “He will live, but I am not sure how he survived that beating,” a man’s voice stated.

“Thank God!” Sister Katherine stared in horror at the misshapen figure of the young boy lying on the bed in the infirmary.

Sophia Moore was nervous as she sat in the large chair in front of Stephan. He doubted the average person would have picked up on the signs but he did. He gave her credit for holding it together as well as she was. She wasn’t new to him; in fact, both he and Alicia had followed her career within Carras Enterprises, slowly promoting her when it was deemed necessary to keep her within their ranks. She didn’t know it but they had spent all of these years grooming her to take over when Alicia retired.

Stephan swallowed hard in a feeble attempt to rid himself of the thick lump that seemed to now reside permanently in his throat. She had reached the clearance level a year ago that no one else in the company had achieved. Not even his security personnel. Not even his right-hand guy. The true test was now. This was the moment whether or not she was going to pass or fail. Her reaction to what he was about to put on her plate was going to determine whether or not she lived or died, but Sophia Moore did not know this. No one could ever reach the level that she did and be allowed to just walk out of the company alive.

“Miss Moore. Sadly, I need to inform you that Alicia Granger passed away last night.”

The woman’s face paled so much so that Stephan was afraid that she was going to pass out, but he stayed rooted in his chair.

“I am so sorry.”

Ignoring the whispered response, Stephan continued as if she never spoke. “You have been an exemplary employee here at Carras Enterprises and I would like you to be Miss Granger’s replacement, if you are willing.”

Twin bolts of color stained her cheeks. She seemed uncomfortable with the request.

“Me, sir? Are you sure that I am the right one? I am not sure anyone could ever replace Alicia.”

Stephan didn’t blink and continued to stare her down. “In that respect, I agree with you wholeheartedly, but this is a business. Alicia’s loss is a great one from a business perspective and even more so from a personal standpoint. Yet, business does go on and I need someone in her position as quickly as possible. Alicia and I both spoke about you quite a bit, and we both felt you would be the right fit to be her successor.”

Sophia blinked several times. Stephan knew that she probably needed a few minutes to wrap her brain around what he was saying, but he also knew that time was of the essence. She had to be strong in tougher situations than this. Had to think on her feet when a crisis occurred. If she couldn’t handle this…

Knowing that he was waiting for an answer, she willed the butterflies away. Squaring her shoulders, she nodded. “I would be honored to stand in her place. When would you like me to start?”

Grateful, he walked around the desk to sit on the edge and stared down at the folder with Sakis’s contact information. “You will start immediately. I will take care of all of the arrangements with human resources. I appreciate your faithfulness to the company, but have to be very clear with you. This is a volatile job and I cannot promise that your life would never be in danger. Are we clear?”

“Very clear, Mr. Petros.”

“Good. Going forward, you will refer to me as Stephan unless we are in a meeting with other people. The same goes for Sakis. He will accept my decision in your hiring, but he will also expect your utmost loyalty. Do you understand this?”

Wide-eyed, her eyes glazed over, seeming to fully comprehend what her role was now in the company. She could never imagine speaking to Sakis Carras on a first-name basis. She swallowed hard. “I understand.”

“Now that we have come to an understanding, I would like you to get Sakis on the line. I know that you speak Greek fluently. You are not to let anyone know this—inside the company or out. You will remain in this office with me and go through this folder as I speak with Sakis. Memorize every detail of the Boulos family. Go through the photographs and match faces with names. Learn their favorite things; their likes and dislikes. Understand the hierarchy of the family and that goes for the children also. It is key that you retain everything that you read, Sophia. We will be conducting delicate business with this family within the week. I will not tolerate any mistakes.”

CHAPTER 34

At the sound of the key in the door, Aisling glanced at the clock on her computer, stunned to see the time. Hours literally had flown by without her being aware. Watching Stephan warily and wondering what his frame of mind was, she quickly ran to his side as he staggered through the door. She kicked the door closed, wrapped an arm around his waist—careful not to squeeze too tight as she offered herself as a crutch—and led him to the couch.

Stephan tried not to put too much weight on her, but was grateful for her assistance. The pain medicine had worn off hours ago, but he couldn’t leave until he tied up the loose ends at the office.

Without being asked, Aisling rushed to his bedroom to search for the medicine the doctor had left. She handed several pills and a glass of water out to him.
God, he looked so tired.

Stephan waved the water away, tossed the pills into the back of his throat and swallowed without the liquid. He hoped that they would act fast. He despised showing weakness, even to Aisling. Maybe even more so to her.

Closing his eyes, he laid his head back on the couch. There was no time to rest. He needed answers. “Did you find anything new?”

“Yes.” She grabbed the papers she had printed out earlier from the table and returned to where he sat. She curled up a short distance away, restraining herself from touching his face. She wanted so much to smooth away the lines formed from his scowling but she knew that this was not the time for physical contact. That would have to be initiated from him first, if ever. Taking a deep breath, she became all business. “I was able to put together a rough list of all pregnant women due the month you were born. Then I narrowed that down by eliminating all of the women who delivered girls, followed by women who had valid birth certificates corresponding to their births in the later years. If there was a history, they were automatically eliminated. The list is still long but nothing like when I began the search.”

She felt his eyes on her as she spoke. Not daring to look at him directly, she continued. “I have entered a new search parameter to look for unmarried women; that is what is running now. Considering the culture, I am not convinced that it is the best parameter.”

Stephan leaned toward Aisling and reached behind her, tugging on the band that held her hair tight until he was able to slide it off; Aisling’s hair fell around her face. She tried hard not to wince, her scalp still tender from when he pulled her hair so roughly.

“I like your hair better down, Aisling,” he stated gruffly.

Ignoring him, she continued to read from her notes. “I also started to look into the families who lived in Greece at the time. Specifically the wealthy ones. Whoever is threatening you has money and a lot of it. Once that list is compiled, I will ask you to take a look and see if you recognize any names and then we will go from there.”

Stephan’s fingers touched her cheek before he dropped his hand to his lap. The medicine was starting to take effect.

“You have been busy.”

“Yes.” Hesitating, her voice softened. “Did you call Sakis?”

Stephan felt the tears prick behind his eyes. He needed to sleep; he couldn’t keep going like this without rest. He was becoming too emotional. “Yes. I will tell you later. Right now, though, I need to take a nap.”

Aisling nodded and rose. “Go, rest. I will let you know if I find anything.”

Stephan rose and slid his hand in hers as he gently cupped her face. “Lay down with me, Aisling? I just need someone…I don’t want to be alone.”

Keeping the shock from her face, she squeezed his hand gently before she nodded. “Of course. Honestly, I could use a couple of hours of sleep myself.”

Stephan led her to his bedroom, but released her the moment they entered. Aisling kept her eyes averted as he stripped down before he slid on a pair of pajama pants. She waited until he slipped under the covers before she took off her sweatpants and slid in next to him. He reached for her the moment her head hit the pillow; his arm wrapped around her waist and his face buried into her neck. Aisling wrapped her arm around his shoulders as he inhaled deeply, imprinting her scent into his mind. Moments later, he was sound asleep. She knew that she was seeing a side to Stephan that no one had ever seen before and it broke her heart.

~~~

Stephan shifted slightly, slowly coming to. Forgetting that he was injured, he turned to check the time on his clock. The stabbing pain in his side took all of the breath from his lungs. He laid there, willing the pain to subside as he remembered everything that had transpired over the past forty-eight hours. Strange that there is that moment, sometimes, when you wake that you are halfway between dreaming and reality when you don’t remember. He wished that he was still in that space of denial as Alicia’s bloody face flashed across his eyes. With his arm thrown over his face, he allowed himself a moment of remembering her in a different way. How she would smile at him when she entered the office, no matter how angry she was with him. He was glad he told her that he loved her, not realizing at the time how little time he had left with her. It hadn’t been easy, and Alicia seemed to sense that, but after looking into his past, he had come to understand that even though he was searching for his history, it didn’t devalue the people he surrounded himself with. He had wanted her to know that.

Feeling Aisling shift in her sleep next to him, he stared at her face as it rested on his pillow. And then there was Aisling.
Sweet, sweet, complicated Aisling.
He truly wanted to squeeze the life out of her, but not so much because he didn’t believe her story, but because she lied about pretty much everything. Being a loner, he understood her reluctance and he also knew that he was the first person that she fully let her guard down with. What a tangled web they were immersed in.

He ran his finger along her forehead and brushed aside her ridiculously fabulous hair, across her cheekbone before sliding along her jawline. It seemed a lifetime ago when they first made love. His hand ran lightly along her shoulders; he pressed his palm against her chest, feeling her heart beat slow and steady, before inching to her breast. He watched, fascinated, as her nipples hardened instinctively. He licked his lips as he resisted the urge to take the tiny nub into his mouth through the shirt, opting instead to pinch it between his two fingers, watching as it hardened even more. His body responded to her as he felt himself hardening.

“Stephan?” Black eyes met her confused green ones. She was still waking up. “What time is it?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I was trying to look, but got distracted.”

Aisling rose onto her elbow to look over his shoulder. “It is ten o’clock.”

Stephan seemed surprised, expecting it to be much later. They really hadn’t slept for that long.

His hand slid underneath her tee shirt; his fingers skimmed over her rib cage before sliding back to her breast to squeeze her through her bra.

“Stephan, I am not sure that this is a good idea right now.” Aisling’s voice caught as he squeezed her tighter, sending waves of pleasure straight to the core of her. She pressed her thighs tightly together in hopes to stop the crush of feeling that would soon overtake her.

“I need this right now, Aisling. I need you.”

Staring at him, she saw the honesty in his eyes but more than that, she saw his pain. The deep need to forget, just for a few more minutes. Pushing on his arm, she shimmied so that his hand was forced to let go of her. Sitting up straight, she quickly pulled her tee shirt up over her head and removed her bra, before turning back to him to gently push on his shoulder so that he would lay flat on his back. Carefully, she lay on top of him, making sure that she was not putting any weight on his rib cage.

“You really are in no condition to be even contemplating this.”

His hands squeezed her breasts gently, kneading them with his fingers, before he slid an arm around her waist to urge her higher so that he could take one into his mouth.

Aisling gasped as he nipped with his teeth; her nipples jut out, puckered and hard, before he drew one deeply into his mouth. The pulling and tugging was felt in every nerve in her lower body. He laved one breast completely before he shifted to the other, doing the same exact thing. She could feel him harden even more against her. She wanted nothing between them. Pulling out of his mouth, she kissed him softly at first, and then more urgently as they sparred with their tongues.

Her lips broke away from his, raining kisses down his neck until she reached his chest; she took one of his own tiny nipples in her mouth and nipped with her teeth. The quick intake of breath along with the hardening of his lower body was enough for her to know that he enjoyed a bit of pain with his lovemaking. Aisling liked being in control. She licked her way down to his stomach but steered clear of the bruises that lined parts of his skin. Pushing down the fury at seeing the mottled coloring on his darker skin, she inched even lower. Her mouth stopped by the fabric of his pajamas.

She untied the string that held it taut around his waist. Her fingers gripped the sides as she pushed it down over his hips while he lifted them off the bed, allowing her to undress him completely. Without hesitation, she straddled his legs and reached for him.

Stephan groaned and closed his eyes at the incredible pleasure she invoked with her hands as she slowly worked him. He jumped when her mouth closed over the tip. Gripping her head, his intention was to push her away, but she slid him farther in her mouth, sucking as she did so; his fingers wound through her tresses instead.

Aisling moaned against his skin, obviously turned on by his obvious reaction to her ministering. For several minutes, the only sound was of her pleasuring him.

“Aisling, stop. Baby, please!”

Smiling, she eased back up his body, again taking care not to cause him pain. Rising above him, she reached between them, placing him at her center before she slowly sunk down onto him with agonizing patience until she was impaled completely.

Stephan clutched her hips as she rose up, keeping her movements smooth and timed to drive him insane. For Stephan, she was exquisite as she rose and fell. He knew that she felt in complete control because of his injuries but he wasn’t that hurt. Tightening his grip, he held her in place as he thrust hard inside her, as his thumb made a circular motion at her center, catching her off guard.

Aisling’s face flushed as she felt herself losing control. She felt so good but this was supposed to be about him. Her pace quickened as she reached her peak, pausing for a moment as her whole body quivered.

Stephan was enthralled as she threw her head back in ecstasy. Thrusting harder and faster, it was only moments later that he lost himself; pulling her down onto him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. That moment that he realized he was head over heels in love with the Chameleon.