He’s known me for a long time. Antonio can read me well, which is why he doesn’t argue now.
“And I want two more teams on the search for her,” I add quietly.
He swallows, clenching his jaw.
“That would be all our men. Is it wise to…”
“Antonio, it wasn’t a request. I want her found,” I snarl.
His eyes go wide with shock. His arms unfold in slow motion, and I realize he’s not even looking at me. He’s looking over my shoulder.
Frowning, I spin to see what has him so astonished.
My chest explodes with surprise.
“Athena,” I whisper, staring at her, wondering if I’ve finally completely lost my mind and I’ve started hallucinating.
“Hi,” she smiles tightly, standing in the warehouse, her arms hugged around herself as she nervously shifts from one foot to the other.
Her hair is pulled up into a mess bun. She’s wearing blue jeans and pink sneakers. Beneath her thick pink coat, she is wearing a grey hoodie. The sleeves are a little too long, and she’s fidgeting with them as they cover her fingers.
She looks sweet and innocent and so fucking beautiful I could fall to my knees in front of her.
“Hi,” I say, taking a step toward her.
“I’ll be…in the office,” Antonio says from behind me, excusing himself.
Athena takes a nervous breath as I stand next to her, looking down into her dark green eyes, wondering how I survived so many days without seeing them.
“How are you?” I ask quietly.
“I’m, um, ok. It’s been a really long week,” she laughs, still tense. Her fingers tug at the edges of her hoodie sleeve.
“It’s been the longest week,” I agree, letting out a long sigh. “Did you want to talk?”
She nods.
“Can I take you to breakfast?” I ask, reaching my hand toward her, then pulling it back.
“No, I need to say this now. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
My jaw clenches tightly. She sounds nervous, like she’s coming to say her final goodbyes, and it’s difficult for her.Please, no. Let it not be that.
“I really missed you,” she blurts out, catching me completely by surprise.
“You missed me?” I repeat dumbly.
She nods. “I wanted to stop thinking about you because I was angry. I was really, really angry and hurt, and I thought I could just move on and forget about you… But that’s not what happened, so I had to come and see you.”
I nod, finally understanding. “You needed closure,” I say miserably.
She sighs, unfolding her arms but still fidgeting. “When I left that morning, I phoned Anka. I asked her to help me because I didn’t know who else to call. She’s really amazing. And she understood what I was going through because of… You know… the past.”
“My sister helped you?” I say in shock.
“She came to fetch me, and she let me stay in her apartment in the city, right near your place. Very close,” she half smiles.
“I know the one,” I nod.
