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In an effort to disembark the ship unnoticed, Grady had Mic put on a long dark wig, a pair of jeans, and a camo jacket, clothes she’d never pick for herself, and then he managed to immerse them into a large group of brightly dressed folks from all over the world. As they moved with the group, Mic saw Slade studying every face that left the ship. She tried to gesture to him, but Grady placed his arm around her like a vice and stuck the Glock into her left hip.
“I’ll shoot you in a heartbeat, my love,” he whispered sweetly. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we departed this earth like Romeo and Juliet... Two starstruck lovers who could never, ever be together,” he threatened in a low voice.
“I’ll never be your lover,” Mic spat at him as her green eyes froze on his face. “You’re scum, a pervert, and a criminal! I’ll die before you touch me,” she hissed. “Anyone who tries to kill their lover’s dog doesn’t love them,” she said as she kicked his shin as hard as she could.
Grady cursed under his breath and gripped her tightly around her neck. “I’ll kill that bastard dog just as soon as I can... and you’ll watch me,” he promised with a threatening look.
Mic was as furious and helpless as she’d ever felt. She was impotent. She’d never in her life considered Grady Jones a formidable enemy, but now, here he was and he could kill her in an instant. She struggled for control of her situation and decided to back down and wait for her best opportunity.
Several minutes later, the couple was off the dock and surrounded by a horde of gaily-dressed passengers and crewmembers looking for transportation into Athens for a day of sightseeing.
Mic wiggled out of Grady’s grip in an attempt to flee, but a millisecond later, he kicked her in the back of her legs. She fell on the concrete and cursed as pain spread through her knee up into her hip.
He looked down at her and said, “Oh no, my lovely, you’ve fallen again.” He reached down for her and jerked her up just as a cab pulled in front of them. Grady pushed her to the cab and hissed, “If you ever, ever do that again, bitch, I’ll shoot you. I’ll shoot you in your face,” he threatened.
Mic was docile as Grady pushed her into the backseat of the cab. Her knee was bloody and bruised. Her hip was throbbing. Grady held a gun against her neck angled toward her cranium.
“Where you go?” the cab driver asked in broken English as he focused on his breakfast pastry. He paid no attention to the couple in his cab. Mic doubted he’d even looked at them.
“The Temple of Athena Nike,” Grady said. “We can’t wait to see it, can we, my dear?” He turned and kissed Michaela long and hard on her lips.
Mic turned her face away and swallowed constantly to keep the nausea at bay. Grady was turning out to be more formidable than she had anticipated. He was strong and powerful but most of all, he had her gun.
Grady glared at her. “You’ll love the Temple of Athena Nike, the patron saint of Athens. When we get there, you’ll pledge your life to me and I’ll ‘clip your wings,’ so to speak,” Grady said with an evil grin. “You’ll never leave me, and you’ll be mine forever,” he said in a dreamy voice.
“In a pig’s eye I will. I’ll never pledge anything to you, you crazy lunatic,” Mic said as she spat at him.