‘Still so over-dramatic,’ Nik said calmly. ‘Just don’t do anything stupid in the next few da
ys. I have to try and salvage something from a business deal that collapsed when you pulled your disappearing act.’
‘Why are you doing this? You don’t care about Danny at all!’ Carrie burst out. ‘He’s just a big inconvenience because you had to choose between him and clinching a business deal!’
‘Don’t talk about Danny as if he means no more to me than some kind of acquisition,’ he said. ‘Even though you seem unable to accept it, he is my nephew and I care about him.’
‘Then why did it take you six months after your brother died to come and find his orphaned baby boy?’ Carrie demanded. ‘You just thought it would be more convenient to wait until a business trip brought you to London anyway.’
‘I didn’t know he existed,’ Nik grated. ‘Until very recently I didn’t know he existed.’
A flash of raw emotion passed across his face for a split second and Carrie stared at him in surprise. Was he telling the truth? She wanted to know how it was possible that he hadn’t known about Danny, but then a movement from the villa caught her eye. Elaine was approaching, with a bottle of mineral water and two glasses.
‘I thought you might need some refreshment,’ she called out as she came towards them.
‘Thank you for your concern.’ Nik turned to speak to Elaine. ‘But it’s not necessary. I was just about to leave.’
‘But…’ Carrie was suddenly lost for words, still wondering about what Nik had just said.
‘I’ll meet your plane when you return to London next week,’ Nik said, turning on his heel and striding away towards the wrought-iron gate at the villa driveway.
‘You look like you need a long cool drink,’ Elaine said, pouring water into a glass.
‘Thank you,’ Carrie said, with only part of her attention on her friend. She was watching the tall dark figure of Nikos Kristallis as he climbed into the back of his black limousine.
He had frightened her with his announcement that he’d only learned about Danny’s existence recently. The fact that he hadn’t waited six months to seek out his nephew but instead had come virtually straight away was unnerving. It seemed to make it even more certain he really did plan to take Danny from her.
She was glad that he had gone, but a nasty cold feeling of dread crept over her.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE appalling heat in the underground car park was the final straw as Carrie searched in every corner of her bag for the keys to the hire car. She’d looked and looked, even emptied the contents of the bag out onto the dusty bonnet of the car—but the keys simply weren’t there.
Danny had come down with a case of chickenpox, and was screaming agonisingly in her ear. Her head was spinning and tears pricked behind her eyes as she desperately tried to think what to do next.
Only one thing was clear. She had to get Danny out of that car park quickly, before his fever got dangerously high. The poor little thing was burning up, and if she couldn’t find the keys to the hire car she’d have to find some other way to get him somewhere more comfortable, where she could try to cool him down.
She started stuffing things back into her shoulder bag with one hand while she held Danny in her other arm, trying not to rub his irritated skin or press him too close to her hot and sticky body. It wasn’t an easy task, especially with her eyes blurring with unshed tears and a lump of anxiety constricting her throat. What if she couldn’t cope? What if she couldn’t take care of Danny properly, make him well again?
The nightmare had started that morning, when they’d got ready to leave for the airport. Danny had seemed grizzly, and then one of Elaine’s girls had noticed the small red spots. Carrie hadn’t known what they were, but Elaine had recognised them immediately. Chickenpox.
The airline doctor had agreed with Elaine and refused to let Danny fly home.
At first Carrie had felt quite calm. She’d just have to stay in Elaine’s villa with Danny until he wasn’t infectious. It would be fine. She knew where everything was. There was food in the freezer and there was a small grocery shop a few metres along the road.
Elaine had been more worried, fretting and saying she’d stay behind, too. But she had her sister’s wedding, and Carrie knew how much that meant to her. Then John had offered to stay instead, but Carrie had insisted she’d be all right on her own with Danny. After all, she looked after him on her own at home.
She’d done such a good job sounding confident and convincing for Elaine and her family that she had more or less convinced herself, too. Luckily she had her driving licence with her, and John had just had time to hire a car for her before their flight left. And then they’d had to go, leaving her alone with Danny and the keys of the villa.
He had seemed all right while she drove away from the airport, and she’d been proud of herself for staying so calm. When she’d caught sight of Nik’s assistant’s car in her rearview mirror she had smiled grimly and thought to herself that she wasn’t exactly alone anyway. No doubt he’d already called Nik to let him know she wasn’t on the plane.
She’d decided to stop in town to buy some infant painkiller, just in case she needed more and they didn’t stock it in the village shop near the villa. That was when everything had started going badly.
Danny had become increasingly distressed, and by the time she’d got back to the stifling underground car park he’d been far too hot and screaming at the top of his lungs.
For the first time that week Nik’s assistant had disappeared, so she couldn’t even ask him for help. She was feeling so desperate she would have asked almost anyone around. But the car park was deserted.
Oh, why had she assured everyone she’d be all right on her own? She didn’t feel all right, and Danny certainly didn’t look or sound all right.