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“He is.”

“Did you take over when he died?”

“Kairos and I took over together about eight months ago, after his death. It was sort of a hostile takeover. He found out the Greek was responsible for his parents’ deaths, and that he’d essentially been kidnapped when he was led to believe his grandmother had asked the Greek to keep him safe.” He doesn’t sound overly upset as he relays the events of his past, so I decide to push for a little more.

“Did anyone challenge you?”

“There was one man who outranked us, but he fled with a few others who were loyal to him. Once they were gone, there’s little they could do to take back the yachts and private island.”

“You own an island?” I blurt.

“The organization does.” Elio’s hand circles my throat and coaxes me to turn my face toward his, a devilish smile widening his face. “Would you like to see it sometime?” His thumb strokes my jawline, and I lose myself in his enchanting eyes.

“Yes, please.”

He lowers his lips to mine in a series of featherlight kisses between softly spoken words.

“Your wish … is my … command.”

CHAPTER 55

ELIO

It’s time to exterminate the unusually large rodent of a man who calls himself Ruban. I want to give my new life with Isa my undivided attention, which is impossible with that man around. Once I send him back to the swamp he crawled out of, Michael and I will part ways, and I’ll be free to pave a new path with the woman I love.

“I’m a little surprised he agreed to the meeting,” Michael says after I tell him about my call to Ruban.

“If you’d been in that dentist’s office with us, you’d understand. I think he’s become a little obsessed with watching me die. When I told him we wanted information about your dad’s death, he was more than ready to believe it if that meant getting another chance of capturing me.”

“What are you talking about?” Isa injects after entering the main lounge.

Michael and I are sitting at the dining table across the room, but she managed to overhear the tail end of our conversation.

“We’ve arranged a meeting with Ruban tomorrow,” I explain calmly.

She closes the distance between us, her gaze worried. “A meeting with the man who wants to kill you?”

I pull Isa onto my lap and kiss her cheek. “I know it sounds scary, but I’m going to need you to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

Her teeth worry her bottom lip. “It’s him I don’t trust.”

“Nor do I, which is why I will be fully prepared for the situation, okay?”

She releases a heavy sigh. “If you’ll do me one favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t leave Evie and me here on the boat. It feels so helpless to be stranded out here when something important is happening on land. Please,” she adds for emphasis.

As someone who was trapped on a boat for years, I know exactly what she’s talking about, which is why I can’t refuse her request. And if something does go wrong, I want her to be able to reach her father as easily as possible.

“Michael, you good with that?”

He nods. “I’m sure Evie would love to spend time away from the boat, no matter the reason.”

“Okay, we’ll head to a hotel tonight. A couple of the guys can stay with you two in one of our rooms tomorrow while we’re gone. Will that work?”

Isa wraps her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. “Yes, baby. Thank you.”