The Renegade Billionaire (HQR Romance) Read online

  “That’s when he gave her the slip?”

  “So it seems.”

  “She must be as devastated as you are.”

  He nodded. “We did a head count when everyone got on the bus, but he was missing. One of the students who had sat by him remembered he was wearing his backpack while they toured the quarry.”

  “In this heat you wouldn’t want to be hampered by a backpack without good reason. It sounds like he might have had a plan before he ever arrived here,” she theorized.

  “That’s what the police think too. I’m inclined to agree with them. The group knows to leave their belongings on the bus during an excursion, but it wasn’t a hard, fast rule. After this experience, I’m going to insist on it. That is, if I don’t get fired.”

  Andrea shook her head. “Sakis knows this isn’t anyone’s fault but Darren’s,” she assured him. But she knew how the public would react. Anyone and everyone would be blamed. “According to the file, he isn’t on any medications, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of his taking recreational drugs. What’s he been like?”

  “Throughout the tour, his behavior didn’t stand out one way or the other. His teacher says he’s an honor student, somewhat on the quiet side.” He scratched his head. “His parents have to be notified.”

  “I’ll report back to Sakis and he’ll take care of it if he hasn’t already. Right now you’ve got a group of hungry, thirsty students and teachers who need attention. Go ahead and get them on board. I’ll catch up with you later and help you any way I can.”

  “Thanks, Andrea.”

  She turned away just as a black Mercedes sedan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and drove right up, blocking her path. A tall, dark-haired male with a powerful build alighted from the front seat with an aura of authority that couldn’t be denied. The man, maybe in his early thirties, was so ruggedly Greek and gorgeous, her mind went blank for a minute.

  Before she averted her eyes to keep from staring at him, her gaze took in the lime polo shirt and light khaki gabardine pants. His clothes only emphasized his hard-muscled body. He wore a gold watch, but no wedding band and looked as expensively turned out as the gleaming black car he drove. Andrea had no idea such a man existed. Where had he come from?

  “Kyrie Konstantinos!”

  The lieutenant’s exclamation, plus his show of deference, answered her question. This stranger with black hair swept back from a visible widow’s peak had to be one of the men whose family owned and ran the internationally renowned corporation.

  He shook the lieutenant’s hand. “After the plant manager told me the news, I got here as soon as I could. Tell me what happened.” The two men discussed the situation and talked about keeping this incident from the press while the search was ongoing.

  Between impossibly black lashes, his dark gray gaze swerved to Andrea. For a heart-stopping moment, she was subjected to a thorough, faintly accusing male scrutiny of her face and body that made her go hot and cold at the same time. To have such a visceral reaction to a man she’d never met stunned her.

  He broke off talking to the lieutenant and moved toward her. Switching to English, he said, “I take it you’re the American teacher who was in charge of the runaway teen? How was it possible he disappeared on your watch?”

  He’d fired the question with only a trace of accent. That didn’t surprise her given his affluent background and education. What did surprise her was the fact that he’d correctly assumed she was American. Something about her had given her away. Furthermore, it seemed he’d decided that she was the teacher in question, the one whom he’d already tried, judged and convicted as the guilty party without knowing all the facts.

  Andrea expected the lieutenant to step in at this point and explain, but his attention had been diverted by one of the officers. It was up to her to clarify the situation before he made any more erroneous assumptions.

  “I believe introductions are in order first,” she answered in Greek. “My name is Andrea Linford. I’m a representative of PanHellenic Tours in Thessaloniki. My boss sent me out to be of help to the tour guide, Georgios Debakis, and offer any assistance before I return to the office with my report.”

  She held out her hand, which he was forced to shake. His firm grip tightened a little before he released her, but she felt the imprint of his hand travel through her whole body and stay there. There it went again. That shocking sensation from just being in his presence. To fill the disturbing silence since he hadn’t spoken yet, she said, “Which Konstantinos are you in the hierarchy? Leon, Stavros, Alexios or Charis?”

  More silence ensued before he muttered, “Stavros.” She’d studied the facts of the company on the way here and remembered that Stavros was managing director of the Konstantinos Corporation. “You’ve done your homework, Kyria Linford.”

  “Despinis,” she corrected him. She wasn’t married.

  “My apology for misreading the situation.”

  His apology had been difficult for him to verbalize, but she would cut him some slack. “You were half-right. For all my sins, I am American. But I’m not poor Mrs. Shapiro, who no doubt you assumed didn’t have the maturity to handle a group of teenage students away from their parents. If I’m wrong in that assumption, then my apology.”

  His intelligent eyes flickered with some unnamed emotion. “You weren’t wrong,” he admitted in his deep voice.

  “Thank you for your honesty. I think we can both agree this is an ugly situation all the way around and no one is at his or her best. My boss is beside himself. He has to make the call to the teen’s family and explain that their son is missing. Hopefully they’ll supply him with a reason why he might have run off midtour.”

  “Let’s hope he’s found within the hour.”

  She nodded her blond head. “We all want that. Unfortunately, his disappearance happened on your company property and will put the Konstantinos name in the spotlight, bringing you adverse publicity. As for poor Mrs. Shapiro and Georgios, they’ll be in agony until Darren’s found.”

  He raked a bronzed hand through his gleaming black hair. “I asked the lieutenant to keep this quiet for as long as possible.”

  “I heard you. Let’s hope one of the officers doesn’t leak it for a while. That boy has got to be found!”

  Her voice shook because she was remembering the long ten-day wait before her fiancé’s dead body had been spotted on the mountain ledge, dashing her dreams for their marriage. The thought of Darren’s parents having to wait that long for any news made her shudder, a reaction Kyrie Konstantinos observed while he studied her.

  She tore her eyes from his in time to see the tour bus drive out of the parking area to the road. Her heart was heavy for the teacher and Georgios, who had to keep doing their jobs while they were dying inside. Andrea felt anxious over the situation too. Where was Darren?

  “With only a three-and-a-half-hour head start, he can’t get too far.” The incredibly handsome Greek read her mind aloud.

  Andrea folded her arms to her waist. “Did you know he has his backpack with him? I wonder if he’d been planning his escape long before today in order to survive while he was on the run.”

  “If so, he picked the right spot. It’s true these mountains will give him cover and the forest is dense, but I’ve lived here all my life and know every inch of ground. If the search and rescue teams don’t find him, I will.”

  Stavros Konstantinos instilled such confidence in her, Andrea had no doubts he could do anything. She was alarmed by her thoughts about him—considering he was a stranger, she shouldn’t have been thinking about him at all. “You’ll need his description and a picture. I can email the information in his file to your phone right now.”

  He pulled out his cell and gave her his number. Within a minute, he’d received it. She watched him study the dark blond boy’s passport photo. “He
’s nice looking with that Marine cut. It says he’s five-eleven with brown eyes. He’ll be easy enough to recognize.”

  “Unless he was carrying a disguise in his pack. Maybe turn himself into a woman?”

  He flicked her another searching glance that sent a curl of physical awareness through her. “That would definitely throw anyone looking for him off the scent. I’ll pass your idea on to the lieutenant in case he hadn’t thought of it. You never know.

  “Perhaps you noticed Darren’s birth date on the passport. He turned eighteen yesterday, which makes him an adult.”

  “I didn’t catch that.” This man’s mind was a steel trap.

  “What else do I need to know about him?”

  She sucked in her breath. “My boss found out Darren comes from a well-to-do Connecticut family, so he probably has enough money on him to last for a while. Maybe he planned this before leaving the States, possibly with someone else who’s waiting for him at another destination.”

  “Anything’s possible.”

  “My guess is he’ll try to leave the island by boat rather than ferry. I’ve been studying my map of Thassos. There are dozens of harbors. How hard would it be for him to pay a fisherman to take him somewhere else and escape under the radar, so to speak?”

  His eyes narrowed on her features. “It sounds like you’ve had experience with this kind of thing before.”

  “Some,” she admitted. But not while she’d been working for the tour company.

  “If he tries to get away in a boat, the harbor police will be onto him. In the meantime, I’ll head back to my house to change and go after him. As I recall, your tour brochure mentioned the Dragon Cave near Panagia.”

  “Yes. They would have toured it this morning.”

  “Then he might have decided to go there to hide for the night.”

  “You’re right.” She hadn’t thought of that. “You’d make an excellent detective if you hadn’t been born a Konstantinos.” The comment had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. What in heaven’s name was wrong with her?

  After a pause his lips twitched. “There’s a thought.” His amused tone played havoc with her breathing.

  Andrea had visited the Dragon Cave months ago. It contained amazing stalactites and stalagmites. She’d seen the stalactite shaped like a dragon. “The literature says the cave hasn’t been fully explored.” Fear clutched her heart to think Darren might be foolish enough to penetrate a danger zone.

  “I’ll check there first. There’s no time to waste.”

  “Kyrie Konstantinos—” She thought he was about to walk away and wanted to stop him. He eyed her with such a penetrating gray gaze, she felt he could see right through her. This important man was ready to drop everything to look for a boy he didn’t know. With the police already doing a search, he didn’t have to do it and no one would expect it of him.

  On top of his overwhelming male attributes, there was a goodness in him she could feel. The combination startled Andrea. She felt drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain and would have to analyze later. “I’d like to go with you and help.”

  He looked stunned. “Why would you want to get involved?”

  “Because in a sense this is my fault. I’m the one who asked the quarry manager if we could bring our tours here. These quarries have been worked for a thousand years, yet many tourists still aren’t aware of their existence. I find them fascinating and convinced my boss to agree to the idea of a tour here in the first place.”

  His head reared back in surprise. “Your idea?”

  “Yes. I can only imagine how much you wish your quarry manager had said no to me. I realize everything is a risk, but you could have no idea how responsible I feel now that this has happened on your company’s property. And to be honest, there’s another reason...”

  She felt his gaze travel over her. “What would that be?”

  “Eighteen months ago I lost my fiancé. He was a mountain-climbing guide who’d gone up on Mont Blanc with some other climbers. They were caught in a terrible storm. When it was discovered he was missing, I was told I couldn’t assist in the search because it would be too dangerous.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Immediately, his eyes softened with compassion. She could feel it.

  “I had to wait ten agonizing days until they found his body on a ledge. When I think of this boy’s parents hearing the news that their son is missing, I can’t stand by and do nothing.” Her eyes smarted with unshed tears. “Even if I’m not able to do any good, I want to help in the search for him.”

  She heard him inhale sharply. “You can add me to that list of people who feel responsible because I’m the person Gus appealed to for permission to allow tours here.”

  A small cry escaped her lips. “I knew he would have to go through channels. What a surprise to find out it was you.” Incredible.

  “I’d say today has brought several surprises. But I don’t regret giving permission, not even under these circumstances.”

  She took an unsteady breath. “Neither do I. Hundreds of students and teachers have benefited from what they’ve learned here.”

  “That’s been my hope too.”

  His words warmed her. She sensed he was a man she could trust. It was her own unexpected attraction to him she didn’t trust. “Whatever the outcome, please don’t worry that you’ll be liable. The tour company will take full responsibility.”

  In the silence that followed, she took it to mean he was thinking about a possible lawsuit from the boy’s family once their attorney found out the Konstantinos family’s worth was in the millions. She wouldn’t blame this man for having no use for today’s litigious society. It was also apparent he wasn’t keen on her help.

  Disappointed that she couldn’t be of help, she started to walk around his car to get to hers.

  “Despinis Linford?”

  Andrea whirled around.

  “You’re welcome to come with me. But we could be out all night.”

  All night alone with him? Her heart thudded for no good reason—except that wasn’t true. She knew exactly why it was thudding. She wanted to be with him. “I don’t care about that. If we can find Darren, that’s all I ask.”

  “Then we’ll have to go back to my house for a few provisions.”

  “Thank you. I’ll follow you.”

  She got back in the rental car. En route, she called her boss and told him what was going on. Then she phoned Georgios and explained that she was going to help in the search for Darren and would keep in close touch. He thanked her in a shaken voice before they hung up.

  The fact that Darren was now eighteen meant he was no longer a minor. Maybe his parents had given him this tour for a birthday present. To Andrea, his disappearance was more troubling than ever. As an adult, he could do what he wanted.

  Andrea didn’t think she could handle it if anything happened to him before he was reunited with his parents. It hadn’t been that long since Ferrante’s death. Being hired by PanHellenic Tours had saved her life and she was doing better these days. But Darren’s disappearance triggered remembered pain from that terrible ten days when she’d waited for word.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THROUGH THE REARVIEW MIRROR, Stavros watched the rental car following him to the house. Andrea Linford had come as a complete surprise in so many ways; he was still in mild shock. Her Greek was amazing, but there was a lot more to her than her linguistic ability.

  When he’d first laid eyes on her, he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. To his chagrin, the first words to come out of his mouth had been accusatory. But she’d turned the tables on him with that very maturity he’d thought had been lacking. Over the course of a few minutes, he’d found himself utterly overwhelmed by the unexpected strength of his feelings for her.

  The fact that she want
ed to help find a boy she’d never met revealed a depth of character that appealed to him. For her to confide her agonized feelings to Stavros over the death of her fiancé—to have felt so helpless while she’d waited for word of him—it had torn him up inside.

  The shocks kept coming. Since she’d been the one to plan an itinerary that included a tour of the quarry, she must be a person who thought outside the box. He found that intriguing.

  As for her physical attributes, those long legs and the way she moved her shapely body had branded her an American. She was a natural, honey-blonde beauty with deep, sky-blue eyes who needed no makeup to be attractive.

  No wonder Gus hadn’t been able to turn her down when she’d approached him on behalf of PanHellenic Tours. She’d probably had that same effect on her boss, who couldn’t help but hire her.

  Hell. She’d had that effect on him or he wouldn’t have agreed to let her come along to search for the boy. Talk about a day like no other!

  When he reached the house, he pulled around the back next to his Jeep. She parked on the other side of him. He tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help glancing sideways when she got out of her car. In an odd way, her sensible walking shoes only drew more attention to those beautiful legs of hers.

  “Come in the house and freshen up in the guest bathroom while I gather a few items. I’ll pack some food and drinks so we can eat along the way.”

  “Let me help.”

  Once inside the rear entrance, he showed her where to go before he loaded up a food hamper in the kitchen. With that done, he walked through the house to the bedroom to change into jeans and a crew-neck shirt.

  After checking with the police lieutenant, who had no good news to report yet, Stavros pulled on his hiking boots, then drew some parkas and sweaters from his closet. On the way back to the kitchen, he stopped in the storage room for his large flashlight and extra batteries. A smaller flashlight was in the Jeep.