had become the driving force in his life, and when he’d lost his father, too, his drive had simply increased.
A sound made him look up.
Four men dressed in black approached down the path. Bulky men, built like gorillas, whose sole purpose in life was to stop people getting close to their reclusive billionaire boss. If the rocks hadn’t killed you, these men probably would.
‘This is a private island. You are not allowed to land here.’
Stefan stood his ground, legs spread, using that power he’d sweated blood to gain. ‘You might want to rethink the warmth of your welcome.’
They drew closer. ‘There is nothing here for tourists. You need to leave right now.’
‘I’m not a tourist and I’ll leave when I’m ready.’ Timing it perfectly, Stefan removed his sunglasses and the man stepped back. Recognition was followed by alarm.
‘Mr Ziakas!’ Thrown, the gorilla exchanged a dubious glance with his two colleagues. ‘Mr Antaxos doesn’t receive visitors here.’ But the tone had changed. There was caution now. Respect for the reputation of the man facing them. Respect and just a touch of fear because there were so many rumours about the past life of Stefanos Ziakas. ‘You should leave.’
‘I’ll leave when I have the girl. Where is she?’
They exchanged nervous glances. ‘You can’t—’
Judging that they were too scared of their boss to be of use to him, Stefan strode past them towards the ugly stone building perched on the hill. His insides churned.
Images blurred in his head and he paused, reminding himself that this was about Selene and no one else.
There was a commotion behind him but he didn’t turn his head, knowing that Takis could handle all four of them with his eyes closed. Providing he didn’t slip on the rocks and fall in the water.
A faint smile on his mouth, Stefan swiftly climbed the steep path. He was just calculating the most likely place for an overprotective father to lock away his daughter when Selene came flying down a set of steps that led to the path. There was blood on her face, on her hands and streaked through that beautiful pale hair. She was running so fast she almost crashed into him and he closed his hands round her arms to catch her, using all his strength to stop her propelling both of them off the cliff and onto the rocks below.
Her eyes were dazed, almost blank, and he could see now that the blood came from a cut on her head.
Swearing under his breath, Stefan turned his head and ordered Takis to bring the first-aid kit from the speedboat. Then he turned back to her, touching that blonde hair with gentle fingers as he assessed the damage.
Her eyes finally focused on him. ‘What are you doing here?’
If he’d been expecting a warm welcome he was disappointed because she twisted in his grip, but he was so afraid she was going to go over the edge of the cliff he kept hold of her.
‘Keep still. You’ll fall.’
‘I know this path. I’ve lived here all my life.’
And he couldn’t bear to think of what that life had been like. ‘Did he do this?’ The anger roared like a beast but he kept his emotions hidden, not trusting his ability to contain what was inside him.
‘You shouldn’t be here. I don’t want you here. This is all your fault.’
‘What is all my fault?’ Stefan tried to ignore the scent of her hair and the feel of her body against his. The hot sun beat down on them but everything else was dark. The rocks, the buildings, the mood …
‘He saw the photographs. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? He was waiting here when I arrived, so if you’ve come here to do more damage you’re wasting your time because there is nothing more you can do than hasn’t already been done.’
He didn’t correct her assumption that he was somehow behind the photographs. Time enough for that later. His priority was to get her away from here.
Ignoring her attempts to free herself, he examined her head. A blue bruise darkened the skin around her eye. Looking at it made him feel sick. ‘He did that?’
‘I fell. I was clumsy.’
She mumbled the words and Stefan bit back his instinctive response to that lie.
‘We’re leaving, Selene. I’m taking you away from here.’
There was a brief silence and then she started to laugh. ‘I came to you for help and doing that made things a thousand times worse. I thought you were a hero—’ Her voice broke on the word. ‘And just when I find out how far from a hero you really are you turn up here to make things worse. I won’t be part of your stupid business rivalry.’
She was so innocent, he thought. Like a child, with a talk of heroes.
She’d stood in front of him in her business suit, spouting numbers and pretending to know what she was talking about, and he hadn’t looked deeper. He’d ignored all the instincts that had told him something wasn’t quite right. Because he preferred all his interactions to be superficial, he hadn’t probed. Like everyone, he hadn’t questioned the happy-family image. Even he, who should have known better, had believed it.
‘I never claimed to be a hero but I’m going to get you away from here. I promise you that.’
‘Forget it, Stefan. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few days it’s that the only person I can rely on is myself.’
Before Stefan could respond someone came striding out of the villa and down the path towards them. He recognised the bulky figure of her father.
Stavros Antaxos. Rich, reclusive and rotten. His features were set in a scowl that made closer to bulldog than man and his body groaned from an excess of good food and a shortage of physical exertion.
Stefan topped him by a foot but the other man didn’t appear to notice him. His attention was fixed on his daughter.
‘You’re hurt, Selene—you shouldn’t have run. You know how clumsy you are.’ His concerned tone caught Stefan off-balance and he realised in those few seconds why no one had questioned the happy-family image so carefully created by this man. He was a master.
His expression was warm and caring as he stepped closer and it was only because Stefan was still holding her that Stefan felt her flinch.
Acting instinctively, he stepped in front of her, shielding her with the muscular power of his body while inside him the anger snapped at its leash. ‘Kalimera.’ His voice was silky-smooth and deadly and the older man stopped and looked at him, apparently seeing him for the first time.
His expression altered. Something flickered in those eyes. Something deeply unpleasant. ‘Ziakas!’ The other man’s face grew ugly. ‘You dare show up on my island after what you’ve done? You made a whore of my daughter. And you did it publicly to humiliate me. You took her innocence.’
Emotion almost blinding him, Stefan was about to answer that accusation with a few of his own when Selene pushed in front of him.
‘He didn’t take my innocence. You did that a long time ago when you became everything no father should ever be.’
Shock crossed her father’s face. ‘If I’ve been strict it’s because I was trying to protect you from unscrupulous men who would use you to get to me.’ His eyes bored into Stefan but Selene shook her head.
‘No. You wanted to control me, not protect me. I know what you are, even if no one else will believe it. I won’t do it any more. I won’t pretend to be this perfect family. It’s over.’
Stavros’s expression changed slightly. ‘You’re very emotional, and I’m not surprised. You must be feeling very hurt. Used.’
Stefan