“I hate to admit it, but I hoped he’d never wake up from that coma,” she said. Nikos pressed a kiss to her head.
“Me too,” Nikos agreed as his hand tightened on her shoulder. “Me too.”
C H A P T E R
39
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES AFTER LEAVING HONEY’S PLACE, NIKOS ARRIVED AT HIS UNCLE’S PENTHOUSE SUITE IN UPPER MANHATTAN. He knocked on the door, and a second later, one of his uncle’s men opened it and ushered him inside. Nikos looked around warily, not knowing what to expect because tonight he had been blindsided.
While at Honey’s place, thinking he would spend his night relaxing with her and playing between her thighs, he received a call from Christos, who had just learned that Antonis had been spotted tonight. He had been shocked, but before he could even prepare himself for the fact that his uncle was awake now, he had heard his uncle’s voice in Honey’s home. He was lucky thathe had been in Honey’s bedroom, so he could easily slip out onto her balcony without being noticed. If his uncle had seen him there, Nikos was certain he would have killed him whether he was Giannis Drakos’s son or not.
“Nephew,” his uncle greeted him, gesturing for him to take a seat with him on the couch in the living room. Nikos took his seat across from his uncle, taking in his appearance. He was as Honey had described him. His uncle had clearly just gotten out of his coma recently because he still looked tired, pale, and unlike the man Nikos had first met when he arrived in America. But it seemed that no matter how tired Antonis was, after being away from the land of living for so long, he planned to get to business.
“Uncle,” Nikos said as he inclined his head respectfully.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” Antonis mused as a maid came over and poured them both drinks. Nikos took his glass, taking a small sip from it, wanting his mind to be clear.
“I always knew you would come back,” Nikos said, and he meant it. There had never been a doubt in his mind. He knew the possibility of his uncle coming back would happen. He just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. He thought there would be more time.
“Where have you been?” Antonis asked. “I stopped by your place earlier, and you weren’t there.”
“I was at Allison’s place,” Nikos lied smoothly. His uncle stared into his eyes as if he could see the truth there, but Nikos didn’t blink.
“Call Allison,” Antonis told Roberto, who had been his second-hand in-charge after Evangelos passed away. Roberto nodded before pulling out his phone and calling Allison, and Nikos frowned.
“What’s going on?” Nikos asked, but his uncle didn’t respond and waited. Words were exchanged over the phone before Roberto hung up and gave his attention to them again.
“Nikos was there,” Roberto said. His uncle arched a brow with surprise before he slowly nodded, and in the back of his mind, Nikos reminded himself to thank Allison for lying for him. He was glad he had been cautious enough before coming here to get an alibi. He had a feeling after his uncle’s visit to Honey’s place that he would want to know his whereabouts.
“I just had to make sure of something,” Antonis told him, and as Nikos had suspected, his uncle was suspicious of him, which he found to be slightly puzzling. At the club, he always made sure his interactions with Honey were strictly professional. No one knew about his relationship with her, and even then, with someone like Christos, he could only suspect. He didn’t understand why his uncle was wary of him or what made him suspicious.
“Give me an update on what I’ve missed while I was away,” Antonis said.
Nikos went over everything that had transpired after his uncle went out of commission, going over the books, the business at his clubs, down to the war with Ricardo. By the time he was done, they both had finished their drinks.
“I’m impressed,” Antonis admitted. “I see why your father was adamant about you joining the family business. You’re clearly built for it, and you didn’t even need my help to do it.”
“Thanks,” Nikos said.
“No thanks are required. After all, you might even be better than Aris,” Antonis said as he placed down his glass. “Pierce has the brawns, and Aris has the brain, but you have both. That makes you dangerous.”
Nikos couldn’t tell whether he was being praised or mildly threatened. He could never say that Antonis had been his favorite uncle, and he was pretty sure that was vice versa. But he had never been uncomfortable around him before until now. His uncle felt prickly, and Nikos felt like he was walking on a minefield, trying his best not to blow up the situation, not just in regard to his secret relationship with Honey, but his position in his uncle’s organization.
The maid came over and poured Antonis another drink, and when she came over to him, Nikos stopped her. She nodded before stepping back and taking her place to the side next to Antonis’s guards.
“Tell me about Honey,” Antonis said.
“What do you want to know?” Nikos asked.
“Everything.”
It seemed that tonight Antonis had been making pit stops everywhere before he arrived at his penthouse. Nikos was certain one of those pit stops probably had been at Georgios’s place too, which meant he probably knew about the things happening at the club. Nikos decided it was best to be honest.
“I let Honey do floor performances,” Nikos admitted.
“And why is that?” Antonis asked as he gripped the glass in his hand.
“So she wouldn’t leave,” Nikos said, remembering what he had told Honey. Even back then, he had made sure to cover his bases when he allowed Honey to do floor performances, telling her to tell the other girls that she had threatened to leave. “I didn’t think you would be too happy if that were the case.”
