Page 166 of Modern Romance May 2026 Books 5-8
“The Paris arrangements have all been made. We have found a rental just outside the city with the required amenities.”
Meaning, a gym from which Ari could do her boxing and whatever other kind of training she desired.
“The plane is ready to leave in the morning,” Bacchus continued. “I will accompany you, but I plan to leave Sebastian behind to continue to lookout for signs of Hyseni if you agree.”
Sebastian ran the Kritikos security for the most part, though everything went through Bacchus, security included.
Zervou tapped his fingers on his desk. It was a good plan. More than likely, Erjon would poke around Corfu or send someone at his behest while they were gone.
It would be a start. It would have to be a start.
“Very well. As for today, I will need you to pick up Ms. Malis at the gym at five this evening,” Zervou told him. Though he was tempted to handle the errand himself, he thought it wise to give them yet a little distance. Perhaps she had laughed at the idea that sex last night might be more, but he wanted to ensure she understood.
He had no desire to leave anyone heartbroken, and she was the more vulnerable party here, no matter what she thought.
He had to protect her from herself.
“Yes, sir.”
“Get there a little early. Watch the comings and goings. If someone from Erjon’s camp is watching her, it’s likely to be there, where they might think she’s not being protected or watched. I want a sign of him before we go to Paris. I want to know he has noticed what’s going on.”
“Yes, sir.”
Some rumbling. Some inkling. His plan had to work. And he needed a sign it was.Now.
Zervou sent Bacchus on his way, then made a few calls to check the progress on the stadium. Much was left to be done, but he already had some sporting vendors interested. Eager.
Football, basketball, volleyball. Some wrestling had been discussed. He had not had any meetings with boxing agencies, but his interest was certainly piqued now. Ari’s boxing gym boasted nothing impressive—except her—so he wasn’t sure he wanted to dabble there just yet.
But he thought of watching her just practice. How mesmerizing it all was. With the right marketing, a boxing match could no doubt be a draw. Especially with Ari as the star.
Still, he set that aside for the time being. He had to ensure his Paris trip was a success. He had a man to destroy before he worried about his own successes.
A few hours later, when a call from Bacchus came through his personal cell, Zervou did not know whether to feel victorious or trepidation. A direct call could only mean something had happened.
“Is everything well?”
“Yes, sir. Ms. Malis is getting ready to leave, but I thought you should know. There is a man here loitering outside the boxing gym. I have sent his photograph to Sebastian to be sure, but I believe he is a man from the Petrov family.”
The family Erjon had worked for when he’d murdered Zervou’s father. There had not been a connection there in some time. Zervou had taken care most of the Petrovs himself. He had certainly undercut any power they had as a crime family.
But Erjon had always been his main target. And now what scraps were left of the Petrov family were poking around Erjon’s daughter? Now that she had a connection to Zervou?
It had to be the hint of something he’d been hoping for. No doubt Erjonandthe Petrovs would scuttle back into partnership in the bowels of wherever they were hiding from his considerable reach.
“I would like you to go inside the gym and fetch Ari…adne yourself. Make sure this man knows she is protected without necessarily letting on that you recognize him or see him as a threat. Just make it clear to anyone who might be watching that Ariadne has protection.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then put Sebastian on finding any current link between Hyseni and the Petrovs. I want to know every member of the Petrov family still alive and not in jail—and where they’re hiding.”
“Already on it.”
“Excellent.” And it was. Because it was a sign. His plan was working. There was still time to tease it out, but the beginnings had started.
And Paris would be the next step.
Paris. Ari couldn’t believe she was in Paris. Literally every other thought in her mind drifted away as they drove through the city.
