She heard exactly five shots and then heard two bodies fall to the ground with a loud thud…
No, no, no… Oh, God! Was Parthenios dead?!
At the moment Ana was in the hospital. Just the familiar scent of the place made her nauseous, the memory of Christian being here not so long ago almost too much for her heart to take.
As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana thought back on what just happened a few hours ago. After Parthenios and the other monster was shot by one of 'the Phoenixes', using a tranquilizer gun, they both were brought into this hospital.
From another 'Phoenix', Ana found out that the other monster was indeed Christian's cousin, Giorgos! During the fight, both of Christian's cousins had done damage to each other.
That's why Parthenios' second in command, Andreas Liakos, took over temporarily when their leader was badly injured.
So, now here they all were in the waiting room of the hospital. Ana's eyes darted towards Andreas, observing the young man. He couldn't be older than 25, she guessed. And yet he looked like the kind of man, sitting proudly and firm with his head held high in his seat, like he had been prepared from a very young age to take on big responsibilities.
Ana let out a deep breath, and wondered just how much damage Giorgos had done to his own cousin.
And most importantly, why did he attack 'the Phoenixes'?
As the wheels in Ana's head started to turn and turn, she thought about Adon Papadakis.
Had he been the one to send Giorgos to attack Parthenios?! Well, that wouldn't surprise her at all. Ana suspected that Adon also was the one who had grabbed Christian against his will and kept him some place on the island…
Something… her gut told her that it was all Adon's doing!
Ana was taken out of her thoughts by the surgeon who was treating Parthenios. As she walked towards them, they all stood up. Ana, Andreas, and the other 'Phoenixes'.
The doctor had a relieved look on her face, and told Andreas that Parthenios was going to be fine.
"He'll need a lot of rest. Three weeks or so, but he'll make it. He's one strong man." She stated, and smiled.
Andreas thanked her, and they all sighed in relief. As the news reached Ana, a tear rolled down her cheek. She was so happy that Christian's cousin was going to be fine.
'Well, of course he's a strong man.' Ana thought, as a genuine smile played at her lips.' Parthenios came from the same bloodline as Christian… he also was a Niarxos.'
xxx [[[]]] xxx
Three days later, Ana woke up with a huge head ache. She was still unsure what to do, not knowing what will happen now that Parthenios was temporarily out of commission. She had attempted to visit Parthenios multiple times over the course of the passed three days, but had failed every single time.
She wasn't family, they said. And he was still in intensive care.
All kinds of excuses the personnel of the hospital threw at Ana's face. She even tried to have an appointment with Andreas, but they had refused to let her speak with the young man. Right now, Andreas was the temporarily leader until Parthenios was well enough to take his job back.
As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana sat up in the bed and wondered if she should try again to ask for Andreas' help in finding Christian. Should she though? Maybe the third time's the charm? She wasn't sure… however, Ana knew that she had to try!
She refused to give up on Christian…
While getting up from the bed, she walked towards the balcony of her hotel room and admired the amazing view in Tinos.
"Wow… breathtaking." She whispered, and closed her eyes.
Gosh, she missed Christian so much it hurt. Her heart contracted in her chest, feeling the loneliness and the gnawing ache consuming her whole being.
"Where are you, Christian? Where are you, my love?" were the words that tumbled from her lips, as a huge lump formed in her throat.
It was then, when she heard a soft knock on the hotel room door. Ana furrowed her brows, wondering who it could be…
The person knocked once more, when she didn't react.
"I'm coming! Give me a minute, please?" Ana said, and walked over to the bathroom to wash her face and straighten up her night gown.
As Ana swung the door open, her heart almost leaped out of her chest!
It was Andreas Liakos who was standing right in front of her with a serious look on his handsome face.
"Uhmm, excuse me, Miss Steele for barging in unannounced." He said, while giving her an apologetic look.
Ana shook her head, and said." No! don't you apologize… it's OK. Can I help you with something, Mr. Liakos? Wanna come inside?"
He shook his head, and then nodded." Well, I've got some news regarding Mr. Grey." He announced.
Ana's throat instantly closed up as those words reached her ears, her heart thumping wildly against her chest, while she gripped the door frame to steady herself.
Andreas noticed her reaction to his words and held her up.
"Wanna sit down?" he asked, genuinely concerned about Ana.
She nodded, so he helped her walk into the hotel room. As she took a seat in a chair, he asked." Want me to get you some water, Miss?"
Ana nodded, so he grabbed a bottle water from the hotel fridge and handed it over to her.
After she had taken a swig from it, and he had taken a seat also, he continued." I'm sorry to come here and overwhelm you like this." He stated, and locked eyes with Ana.
She shook her head at that." No… it's good that you're here. What is it that you wanted to tell me about Christian?"
Ana was terrified at the moment, all kinds of horrible images swirling inside her head… What if they found him and he's badly injured? Or worse? What if he's …? She shook that horrible thought off, as Andreas asked.
"Are you alright, Miss? You look very pale."
"Mr. Liakos, just PLEASE tell me what you know!" Ana said, her voice two pitches higher than usual.
The anticipation was killing her… she had to know right now.
He let out a deep breath, and smiled." We've found him… we've found Mr. Grey. And he's alive."
As those words reached her ears, Ana began to cry loudly, the sound echoing in the hotel room. Her whole body was shaking, as loud sobs escaped her pale lips. Ana felt as if a big weight had fallen off of her shoulders, the feeling so wonderful.
Andreas smiled, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at him, and as her sobs subsided after a few minutes, Ana asked." What happened? I didn't know that you were searching for him?"
Andreas let out a deep breath and explained that before losing consciousness on his way to the hospital, Parthenios had given 'the Phoenixes' the order to search for Christian.
Andreas followed the order and all of the Phoenixes instantly made work to find Christian. It took them 48 hours, when they received information that he was being held captive by his ex-wife, Leila, in one of the small houses deep in the woods.
The Phoenixes immediately went to the house, and surrounded the place, while fighting off a couple of Leila's thugs.
"Why did she do it though? On who's orders did Christian's ex-wife held him captive all this time?" Ana asked, while attempting to swallow the lump in her throat.
Andreas scrunched his brows together and sighed." Well, she didn't say much. Leila only said that it was all her idea… she wanted to punish Christian. That's all she told me, when we caught her." He explained, still frowning.
Ana shook her head at that." It doesn't make sense… don't you think so?" she asked Andreas.
He nodded." Yeah, you're right. I think so too, but Leila hasn't changed her story yet… my friend who is a detective at the Precinct told me that. She keeps telling the Police that she acted on her own."
Ana bit her bottom lip, and placed a hand on Andreas' upper arm." I suspect that she was following someone's orders… I hope you look into that." She pointed out, and then asked." Please, I can't take it anymore! Can I see him? Can I see Christian? Please?"
He nodded, and got on his feet." Of course, Miss Steele. I'll bring you to him right away." the young man commented.
Ana nodded and immediately got up from her seat." I've gotta take a shower first… if you don't mind?" she asked, while wiping away her tears.
"Of course… you can get ready, Miss Steele. I'll wait down stairs for you and grab breakfast." Andreas replied." My men and I haven't rested or eaten properly the passed days."
"Why not?" Ana asked, concerned.
As those words reached his ears, Andreas let out a deep breath, before answering Ana." Well, we wanted to find Mr. Grey first. Because that was Parthenios' order, before he lost consciousness. And we obeyed of course, because he's our fearless leader. He said, and I quote: Do not eat, do not sleep, do not sit still until you've found Miss Ana Steele's soulmate. You must find him, because he and Miss Steele are destined to break the Niarxos' family curse."
Note: 'The Phoenixes' found Christian! Yes! OMGG! :)
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I really appreciate it, you all. You rock!
Till the next one.
J
