But she didn’t shine any more. She would never shine again. Grace Della-Bosca and her cronies had extinguished the spark that had been Zoë, preying on her insecurities, feeding her own self-doubts, and ultimately destroying her with a drug-crazed hand.
And he’d be damned if Della-Bosca was going to get a chance to do the same to his sister!
He swung around, facing the bed and its sole occupant, both little more than dull shapes in the dark room.
‘Tell me what you know about my sister, Olympia.’
Silence followed his question. He saw the outline that was Jade move to sit up, reaching for what he took to be her robe.
‘I didn’t even know you had a sister. You’ve never mentioned her.’
He laughed out loud. As if he’d have to mention it! He knew Olympia was a client. She’d told her mother she was booked in—there was no mistake. ‘Surely you don’t expect me to believe that?’
‘You can believe what you like, but it’s the truth. As far as I know I’ve never met your sister. What makes you think I have?’
‘Come on! Is that what she tells you to say whenever someone starts asking difficult questions?’
‘What who tells me to say?’
Her voice had dropped the defensive attitude and taken on a more argumentative tone. Good! Maybe he might get somewhere yet. He watched her silhouette rise from the bed, saw movement as she thrust her arms into the robe.
‘Who do you think? That woman you work for. Della-Bosca.’
‘You’re talking about Dr Della-Bosca, I take it?’
She rounded the bed, snapping a switch as she reached the door, and suddenly everything moved from the shadows and was bathed in colour and light.
He looked at her, at the dishevelled hair flying untamed around her colour-tinged cheeks, her accusing eyes, the peacock-blue robe cinched tightly around her waist and her arms crossed firmly over her chest, and he realised all too soon his mistake.
So much for the softly-softly approach he’d intended! Instead he’d gone in all guns blazing, and now it was too late to pull back. Especially when all her continued denials achieved was to further fuel his anger.
‘Why bother to call her a doctor at all?’ he sniped. ‘Witch doctor would be more appropriate!’
Her gasp told him he’d punched the air right out of her lungs, and her features were masked with shock. Thank God. She needed to hear the truth, even if she didn’t like it. She had to face up to the kind of woman she was working for—the kind of woman she herself was no doubt becoming, if she wasn’t already there. Why else would she defend her so stridently?
‘What the hell is wrong with you all of a sudden?’ she demanded, unfolding her arms only to plant her hands defiantly on her hips. ‘Grace is doing work that’s world-renowned. You know that. Who are you to criticise her? What is your problem?’
‘I expected you to defend her.’
‘Of course I’m going to defend her! Somebody needs to, given she’s not here to defend herself. Who the hell are you to attack her this way?’
‘Who am I? Just someone who knows what she’s really like. Someone who has seen what that monster can do and think she can get away with it. And someone who’s going to make damn sure she doesn’t get a chance to destroy my sister’s life!’
By the time he’d finished his outburst he was shouting, his chest heaving, one hand curled into a fist, ramming against the air with every point he made.
This was madness. Her mind reeled under the force of his tirade, the force of his hatred. But she had to stay calm—stay calm, breathe deeply, and then get the hell out of there!
‘I told you before, and I’m telling you now, I don’t know and have never heard of your sister.’ Her voice surprised her with its even quality. Thank God. Someone had to keep control here. She took another lungful of air, praying that her tone would have some soothing effect on Loukas’s mood. ‘Come and search our database if you don’t believe me. There is no Olympia Demakis on our files anywhere.’
‘She’s married.’ He spat the words out impatiently, as if she should have known. ‘Her name is Kovac now.’