Meridio's Daughter.

LJ Maas.

For CB with love.

Meridio's Daughter.

Chapter 1.

Tessa Nikolaidis watched their reflections move behind her as she peered pensively out the window. The image cast back into the gla.s.s displayed a burly man being ushered into the office between Stefano and Alex. They pushed him into a chair, and he sat there obediently. Tessa waved her hand in a dismissive gesture at her two large henchman, but still she gazed out the window, her eyes the color of the Aegean Sea that lay below. The two a.s.sistants left her in the room alone with the rugged fellow. Although her back faced the man, even he knew he was lucky to be alive. Attacking her didn't enter the man's mind.

She sighed deeply as she looked out onto the beautiful vista.

The sunset was indescribable. The yellow-orange glow turned the surface of the blue-green sea below the same soft color, and the muted hues bounced back at her from the whitewashed houses along the edge of the sea.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and wished she were anywhere else at this moment, perhaps at sea on her catamaran, nestled in the arms of a beautiful woman. She closed her eyes and could feel the setting sun on her shoulders as the Meltemi blew strongly from the north. She could almost feel the woman in her arms. She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes. This wasn't the time for dreaming. Besides, her business didn't exactly afford her the kind of relationships with the type of women who might enjoy fine wine and Milton on the sea.

*She needed to focus on the task at hand. Running the slender fingers of one hand through her ebony hair, she swallowed down the longing and the melancholy; they would only make her weak.

She needed strength for this business of Mr. Meridio's. After all, he paid her well to do what she was best at-enforcing his will.

Another deep breath and the woman with the soulful gaze disappeared. As she turned, the burly man looked into her face, and what he saw there caused him to swallow hard. Her perfectly chiseled features spoke highly of her pure Greek heritage, but it was her eyes that held the man mesmerized. Moments earlier, she looked out onto the world with deep blue eyes, now as she turned her gaze to the seated man, her eyes were as cold and pale as ice.

"Mr. Stefanopoulos, my name is Tessa Nikolaidis," she said in a low alto voice, devoid of emotion.

He swallowed again. He knew who she was. The corners of her lips curled upward slightly, watching as he crossed himself, hoping to ward off what he thought was surely the evil eye.

She couldn't stop the indifferent smile. The Greeks always considered women with blue eyes more capable than any other of being able to curse someone with the evil eye. There was only one thing that thrilled Tessa more than seeing the look on a man's face once he realized who she was, and that was his fear.

"Miss Meridio?" the flight attendant addressed the young blonde who had her eyes closed.

The attendant hated bothering first-cla.s.s pa.s.sengers; they could get very testy, but this one seemed genuinely nice when she served brunch.

"Miss Meridio?" she repeated.

The blonde opened her eyes to reveal dark green irises, the color of a lush forest. She pulled herself up, apparently surprised that she fell asleep. Wisps of wheat-colored hair fell across her eyes, and as was her habit, she shook them away with a quick toss of her head. Quickly running a hand through her short locks, she focused on the attendant.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up expectantly at the attendant who bent toward her.

*"Miss Meridio, the pilots have taken a message for you." The attendant held out a piece of paper. "Do you read Greek?"

"Yes, thank you." She opened the folded note and smiled.

Only her father would have the audacity to make the pilots deliver an emergency message to her when she was fifteen minutes from landing in Athens. He told her his Kare would be at the airport to meet her. Casey folded the note and wondered who this new right-hand man was. She never liked the man everyone called Tusky, but she remembered the sadness in her father's letter when he told her that the large man, whom she had grown up in fear of, had been killed in an unfortunate car bomb attack. That was five years earlier. They blamed it on the Turks or the Albanians, much like they blamed everything bad that happened in Greece.

Casey stretched and leaned her elbow on the armrest of the seat, her chin resting comfortably in the palm of her hand. She looked out the airplane window and lost herself in the billowy white clouds. It felt strange to be going home again, although most people would not consider Greece her homeland, nor would they, at first glance, take her as a native. When she told the attendant that she did speak Greek, she answered with a short nai. The woman looked surprised but said nothing.

Greece was Casey's home, in an eccentric sort of way. As the story was told to her, her mother was born to a Greek father and French mother. Her father went against family tradition by not marrying a woman of full Greek blood. The story got muddled after that. Neither her mother nor her father would ever explain it, but from what she could gather, when Ca.s.sandra Meridio was five years old, her mother took her and left Greece for the United States, never to return. Casey now held dual citizenship in both countries.

It was always very civilized between her mother and father.

Casey spent every summer at her father's estate on the island of Mkonos. The rest of the year, she lived with her mother on Long Island. For the past six summers, Casey hadn't been to the Greek Island. College life was too time-consuming, and every summer, she traveled around the globe on an archaeological dig. Finally, with her Master's Degree in Ancient Civilizations in hand and *the funding of the University of California behind her, she was returning to her father's home. She was placed second in command of the dig, mostly because of her heritage and command of the language and area. It was a joint effort between the United States and Greece, and Casey was going to make the most of her first opportunity.

She was nervous about seeing her father again after so much time, but she had nothing to worry about. Andreas Meridio cherished Casey like a G.o.ddess. His daughter wanted for nothing growing up. On the day she graduated, she had a royal blue BMW M3 convertible waiting in the driveway. When she told her father of her a.s.signment in Chora at the Archaeological Museum, he insisted she come home to the estate to live. Casey's first thought was to make up some excuse to live on her own in an apartment, but since it had been six years since she visited the island, she decided to let herself be pampered for a while and look for an apartment once she was there. A few weeks of vacation couldn't hurt, she thought.

The blinking of the cabin lights brought her out of her reminiscing, and she refastened her seat belt. Hopefully, her father's Kare would at least be someone she could get along with while she lived there. She shuddered as she remembered the unfeeling stares she had always received from Tusky. Ca.s.sandra hoped this one would be more on the friendly side.

"What are you trying to do-get us killed?" Tessa hissed and grabbed the card that said Meridio from the chauffeur driver's hands. Turning it over so the name was hidden, she slammed it into his chest. "Vlakas," she cursed the man's stupidity.

"But I don't know what she looks like," he stammered with a heavy accent.

"Don't worry, I do," she said.

Every day for the last five years, she had looked at the picture on Meridio's large oak desk. Casey was all of about twelve with long blond hair and braces gleaming on her teeth. She was a tiny thing, looking even smaller sitting atop a large black stallion.

Tessa wouldn't have needed the picture to remember, anyway.

*She had the image of Meridio's daughter as a child burned into her brain.

After all, how much can one girl change?

Casey stood and stretched muscles that had tightened up during the seventeen-hour flight from California. She'd had a bit of a jog, rushing to catch the connecting flight in Amsterdam, but she fell asleep and barely moved since then. Getting off the airplane, she dreaded the wait in Customs. Coupled with the fact that she had no idea who she was supposed to be looking for, it was already a stressful afternoon. Laptop case in hand, she moved through the busy airport like a seasoned traveler, unaware of the gazes that followed her every move. She was able to move swiftly through the east terminal to baggage claim.

She stopped a young man working as a skycap and surprised him by speaking in Greek, explaining it would be worth a large tip if he obtained her bags and directed them to Customs for her. The young man tilted his hat back and leered at her. When she held up a ten-thousand drachmas bank note invitingly, his eyes went wide, but his face froze, not on the money, but at something over Casey's left shoulder. His face went pale and he shook his head, attempting to move away. Casey took hold of his arm to pull him back to face her.

"Ochi," the young man said forcefully and pushed the hand away that still held the crisp bank note. As if Casey didn't understand, he repeated himself in English.

"No!" He looked behind Casey and backed up.

Casey was surprised at his frightened behavior. He bowed slightly, turned, and all but ran away. Casey felt a presence behind her. She remembered the look on the man's face and turned with one of her best American back-off glares.

Neither woman would ever remember if any words were exchanged in those first few seconds. It was as if every bad movie cliche came to pa.s.s and time stopped for a few precious heartbeats.

It felt much longer to the two women who stood staring at each other.Casey looked up into the bluest eyes an artist could have ever *imagined. The woman in front of her was easily six inches taller than she was. She had long ebony hair that cascaded across broad shoulders and down her back, her dark bangs swept casually to one side. One eyebrow arched under those bangs, and Casey thought she saw a definite look of amus.e.m.e.nt-or was it surprise?-in the stranger's contemplative glance. The woman looked suspiciously like an American federal agent in a tailored black suit and white silk blouse. She seemed perfectly at ease as she held her hands, pensively folded, in front of her.

Tessa watched as Casey walked through the airport, ordering the others to stay behind. She saw her opportunity when the skycap attempted to hit on her. Once Casey turned around, it took every bit of Tessa's self-restraint not to laugh out loud at the look she was given. Then Tessa found herself caught in a gaze that swirled with all the colors of the ocean. This was definitely not the twelve-year-old in that picture. This woman must be someone else entirely. The top of her head came up to Tessa's chin, but her body was a work of art. All sleek muscle covered by skin that looked so soft, Tessa had to clasp her hands together to keep from reaching out and touching it. Then Tessa remembered who this woman was, and as suddenly as her eyes softened, her expression slipped back into its cold pretension.

"Ca.s.sandra Meridio, I presume?"

The voice startled Casey out of her haze. Tessa's expression went from quiet contemplation to severe impa.s.sivity in the blink of an eye.

"Yes?" Casey said.

"My name is Tessa Nikolaidis. I work for your father."

Casey took the offered hand and for a second, thought about not letting go. She couldn't understand the feeling when it was obvious from Tessa's indifferent stare that it was only a perfunctory handshake. Casey couldn't explain it. The funny thing was, Tessa seemed just as reluctant to end the contact.

"Please follow me, Ms. Meridio," Tessa said, then promptly turned and walked away, fully expecting Casey to follow.

"But...my bags..." Casey started.

"I've already taken care of your bags."

*"Shouldn't I be in Customs?" Casey said, a bit breathless from keeping up with the woman's long strides.

"Already taken care of."

"Hold it!" Casey stopped after finally realizing that she was practically running to keep up. "How about we ease it down to a slow jog, huh?"

For the first time since the two met, a small hint of a smile played at the corners of Tessa's lips.

"Sorry" was the only word Tessa spoke as she indicated the door to the car.

The limousine pulled to the curb seconds before the women walked out into the heat of the afternoon. Swiftly pulling open the door, Tessa let Casey enter and sat across from her, next to a muscular young man in his thirties.

"This is Alex, also in the employ of your father. He doesn't speak English very well." She indicated the man seated next to her. The beefy young man smiled shyly at Casey as she introduced herself in Greek. He shook her hand and pulled away quickly, shooting nervous glances at the woman next to him.

Casey watched and listened to Tessa's English but couldn't place the slight accent. The inflection of her voice was a bit off, as if she learned English in England or Australia. She couldn't be American; she spoke the language too perfectly. Tessa looked over her shoulder and spoke to the driver in Greek, asking him to drive by the port road to the airfield. That's when Casey realized the woman was Greek. The throaty way she rolled her R's, a technique that had always been difficult for Casey, seemed to roll off Tessa's tongue with a natural ease.

Tessa picked up the phone on the first ring. She proceeded to conduct business, speaking sometimes in Greek, then in English.

She held a black leather portfolio in her lap and constantly scribbled on the legal pad inside. All the while, Tessa kept one eye trained casually on Casey seated across from her. Casey seemed to take business dealings in stride and looked out the window, her chin resting nonchalantly in the palm of her hand. Tessa wondered how many of these rides Casey had gone on with her father, being *ignored just like this, business always coming first. Suddenly, Tessa caught an unguarded moment of pain in Casey's features.

Then just as quickly, it was gone.

Tessa closed her notebook and turned off the phone.

"May I offer you a drink, Ms. Meridio?" Tessa gestured to the small bar.

"Actually, my friends call me Casey. I'd love a vodka, if you have it."

"Indeed we do, Ms. Meridio. Ice...tonic?"

Casey realized with that response how it was to be between her and this woman. Tessa was extremely beautiful, but cold and distant, and Casey understood that she would always be Meridio's daughter to the stranger who hid her emotions so carefully. She shook her head at the offer of additional amenities.

Tessa watched the woman's expression as she poured them a drink, purposely ignoring the offer to call her employer's daughter by her first name. She's a beauty, that's for sure, but this is the last thing you need in your life right now. No complications, that's what you promised yourself. And this one...Meridio's daughter...

she could definitely make life complicated.

Casey took the offered drink from Tessa's grasp, and a spark jumped between their fingers. Casey pulled back her hand and looked at her fingers as though they'd been burned.

"It's dry this time of year" was Tessa's only explanation, but even she felt it.

It was more than static electricity; it was scintillation borne of a fire that burned deeply within each woman but always kept in control. Neither recognized the cause, but each of them suddenly felt the incompleteness of their lives.

Tessa was tempted to smile and tell her she would love to call her Casey, and for a moment, her lips parted as if to speak the words. Gahmoh Toh!

What the h.e.l.l has gotten into you, Niko? Are you out of your f.u.c.king mind? What are you going to do-f.u.c.k the girl? You do and you'll be under the cornerstone of one of Meridio's new buildings. Get it together, woman.

Casey watched Tessa's face as she sipped the refrigerated *vodka. It was ice cold with a citrus flavor, yet it still burned as it slid down her throat. Tessa's blue eyes darkened and she appeared to be about to speak. The frown lines in her face relaxed. Just as quickly, Tessa's tanned features hardened and the open look on her face slammed shut. She grabbed the phone once more and angrily flipped open the notebook in her lap, ignoring Casey completely.

The short flight to Mkonos was uneventful, and another car was soon taking them up the small hill to her father's estate. The medieval house had been situated on this modest bluff, looking out onto Tourlos Bay for centuries. Casey remembered when she was a child running away to escape for a few moments of solitude to the beach at San Stefanos.

There was an enormous amount of activity once they exited the vehicle. Some of the confusion was due to the fact that Andreas Meridio's only child hadn't been home in nearly six years. Much of the ensuing activity, however, revolved around Tessa. She answered questions as she walked and gave directions to workers, staff, and gardeners, while always seeming to keep one eye trained on the horizon, scanning the area for what, Casey didn't know. Finally, it hit her.

Casey stopped and stood a couple of feet from Tessa. She fixed an incredulous look on her and Tessa returned the frank gaze with one of her own.

"You. .You're my father's Kare?" Casey asked in amazement.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Meridio, I thought I made that clear," Tessa said flatly.

"You most certainly did not, but I think you already knew that. Did you enjoy taking me for a fool, Ms. Nikolaidis?" Casey asked with a hot edge to her voice.

For the second time that day, Tessa came close to smiling.

"Ms. Meridio!"

Casey turned and a bright smile lit up her face, her anger immediately vanishing.

"Olympia!"

An older woman, gray streaking her hair, rushed up to the two women. She wrapped strong arms around Casey and hugged her tightly.

*"I've missed you in my kitchen." The plump woman laughed.

"I have no one to steal dolmades from underneath my nose."

Casey laughed and remembered the times she would help in the kitchen to sneak bites of the stuffed grape leaves that Olympia made to perfection.

"Hey, I learned to cook by stealing food in your kitchen."

Casey put on what she hoped was an affronted expression.

"Well, at least some girls learned how to cook," Olympia chided. "This one would burn water if you gave her a chance."

She pointed in Tessa's direction.

For the first time, Casey saw a small smile replace Tessa's customary scowl. Tessa leaned down closer to Olympia, who was nearly as tall as Tessa.

"Why should I bother to learn when I can get beautiful women to do it for me?" She grinned.