Chapter 16
Nikos persuaded Emma to go to town with him to pick up the part he needed to fix the faulty thermostat on the vat. They rode his Ducati motorcycle through the twisting roads of the valley. He drove fast, but not recklessly. He loved how she would grab tight around his waist as a curve would approach. He thought he might have a bruise between his shoulder blades from her trying to hide her eyes only to ram her helmet into his back. When they got to the village, she threw her arms around him excitedly. This time the helmet caught him under the chin.
“Oh, Nikos! That was so much fun! Better than a ride at Six Flags any day!” She jumped up and down with exhilaration, and Nikos quickly stepped back to avoid getting rammed again.
Laughing, Nikos loosened the chin strap. “Let’s get this off you before you cripple me. Are you sure you didn’t play for the New York Giants? You are vicious with that helmet.”
Emma giggled. Nikos loved anything New York but especially the Giants. “Sorry. I was just so pumped. It’s like flying,” she said giving his jaw a kiss where he was rubbing it.
Emma smoothed her hair back and looked around the small town. It was the same town she had jumped ship in all those many weeks ago. This was the first time she had left the estate. Kalamata catered to tourists. There were souvenir shops, restaurants, boutiques, and spas housed in rustic stucco buildings. It was in a word- quaint.
“This is the old quarter. There is a modern city just over that rise,” Nikos said as he took her hand and started walking toward a shop. “Why don’t you spend some of the money you’ve earned? I haven’t paid you since you started. Here is a card loaded with your money.”
Scenes of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman danced through Emma’s head, and she giggled. She was still humming with adrenaline after the bike ride. I do need some new clothes, she thought looking down at her well-worn black leggings and t-shirt. “What are you going to do? You want to come help me in the dressing room?”
“As tempting as that sounds, lígo kléftis mou, I have business to attend to. I will be back in an hour or so, and we will have lunch,” he told her using his pet name for her. Despite her pestering, he still wouldn’t tell her what it meant.
Emma pulled him down for a deep, passionate kiss. Riding the Ducati had excited her in more ways than one. She was aroused and was only half kidding about the dressing room. As he walked away down the street, she watched appreciatively for a moment before choosing a random shop and pushing through the door.
Three hours and a couple hundred dollars later, Nikos sat across from Emma at a small café. He had sent all of her bags to be transported to the villa. They had eaten an exquisite meal of fresh fish and vegetables with simple Greek spices and were winding down with a coffee. Emma chattered happily and was more alive than Nikos had ever seen her. She looked carefree and happy.
He realized that in their short time together, he had developed a deep connection to her. He had never been as easy and happy with anyone like he was around her. Abigail had been the result of a brief, but intense affair just after his parents’ death in a car wreck. He had been lost in grief and looking for a way to feel something other than overwhelming sadness. The woman had not wanted a daughter or a husband, but Nikos had paid her handsomely to see the pregnancy through. She signed over her parental rights and disappeared the day after Abigail was born.
Emma watched Nikos get lost in his thoughts. He was far from their little table in the afternoon sunshine thinking intently on something. She was just about to ask him to share when movement across the street caught her eye. A large man stood looking at their table. He wore jeans, a tourist t-shirt that said GREECE in blue letters, sunglasses, and heavy thick-soled work boots. He was talking on his cell phone and turned his head to look up the street. Emma’s heart rate was climbing. He looked very familiar. She swallowed a scream when a tall, wiry man wearing pointy cowboy boots rounded the corner, tucking his cell phone into his jacket pocket.
“We should go,” Emma said, abruptly jumping to her feet. She bumped the table in her haste making water slosh onto the tablecloth, and the dishes rattle.
Nikos looked up at her in alarm. Her tone was close to panic, and she looked ready to bolt. She was already heading toward the bike. He quickly got up, tossed some cash on the table, and jogged to catch up with her. He grabbed her elbow and spun her around.
“What’s wrong?” Nikos looked around trying to find the source of her agitation. There were several tourists milling around on the streets, but he could see nothing that should have caused this reaction.
“I don’t feel good. I want to go home.” Emma pulled her elbow free of his grasp and crammed the helmet onto her head. She stood waiting for him to get on the bike, twisting her hands to keep them from shaking. It can’t be them, she thought. She scanned the crowd again and didn’t see the two men. I’m overreacting and making something out of nothing, she decided. However, now that it was in her head, she needed to get away from here- quickly.
Nikos frowned as he pulled his helmet on, still looking around. It looked like a very typical day on the streets of Kalamata. He swung his leg over the bike and pulled it off its kickstand. He held it steady as she slipped on behind him and grabbed him in a fierce hold around his waist. He steered the bike onto the road, resolving to have a long discussion with Emma when they got home. It was time for some answers.