“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.
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 wanted 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.
His soft top was loaded with everything else they might need: blankets, a small tent, a bedroll, a couple of fold-up camp chairs and extra petrol. He was always prepared in these mountains. Whether they found Darren tonight or not, they’d be comfortable.
Stavros had never taken a woman camping with him. It was going to be a novel experience. He realized he was looking forward to being with her. When he’d walked out of the board meeting for the last time earlier in the day, little had he dreamed that by nightfall he’d be searching for a runaway teen with this lovely woman.
When Andrea saw him coming, she relieved him of the coats and sweaters so he could carry everything else. They left the house and hurried out to the Jeep. By the time they were packed up and ready to go, twilight had fallen over the lush landscape.
He started down the road toward another one that would lead to the Dragon Cave. “Did you talk to your boss?”
“Yes. He’s already informed Darren’s parents. They’ll be on the next plane to Thessaloniki.”
“Could they shed any light concerning their son?”
“No. He’s a scholar who’ll be attending Yale in the fall. They’re baffled and in agony.
“Sakis told me not to come back to work without the boy. That’s how anxious he is.”
“We’ll find him.”
“Since this is your backyard, I believe you.”
Her faith in him was humbling. “How about digging in that hamper for a couple of sandwiches. My housekeeper makes them up for me.”
“Sure.”
She turned around on her knees and reached in the hamper behind his seat. Her movement sent a faint flowery scent wafting past his nostrils, igniting his senses, which had been in a deep sleep for longer than he cared to remember. After handing him one and taking one for herself, she pulled out two ice-cold bottles of water.
They rode for a few more minutes before she asked, “How high up are we?”
“About four thousand feet.”
“That’s high for an island. Have you climbed to the top of Mount Ypsarion?”
“Many times.” He darted her a glance. “Have you ever climbed a mountain?”
“Yes. Mount Kilimanjaro.”
At her unexpected answer, Stavros let out a whistle. “That’s over nineteen thousand feet high.”
“I found that out when I needed to stay on the oxygen above fourteen thousand feet. My dad took me up while he was working in Tanzania.”
Fascinated, he said, “Does he still work there?”
“No. From there he was sent to French Guiana for two years, then India for three. Later he spent two years in Paraguay and another two in Venezuela. From there he was sent to the Brusson area of northwestern Italy for three years. Then he came to northern Greece. We live in Thessaloniki, where I got my degree in history and archaeology from Aristotle University.”
Stavros marveled. “What does your father do?”
“He works for W.B. Smythe, an American engineering company in Denver, Colorado, where I was born. Gold practically built the state. His company designs and fabricates modular plants and equipment for the extraction of gold and silver. As of this year, they’ve established a global presence in twenty-four countries. From the time I was born, I’ve lived with my father wherever he was sent.” He’d be going to Indonesia next.
“How many languages do you speak?”
She let out a sigh. “Besides the obvious, I’m fluent in Italian and French, and speak some Hindi, Afrikaans, Swahili, Spanish and Guarani. It’s no great thing. You have to learn a country’s language while you’re there if you hope to survive. Lucky for Darren, a lot of your countrymen speak English.”
“Amen.” He cleared his throat. “What about your mother?”
“She died giving birth to me.”
He smothered a moan. No mother...
“Dad and I have been nomads, traveling the globe.