The Brothers Drakos ~ Book 1

20 - Sunshine

It had been nearly two months. She had tried many times to go to the house and get the rest of her things but couldn’t make the journey without falling into a pit of sobbing despair.  She only had one chance to be happy and she chose it willingly. They were both her loves; they were both her destiny for as long as time allowed and she didn’t regret a minute of it. She had spoken to Kris twice a week via text and phone. His concern was real and he did at least confirm Dimitri was safe back in Greece but shut off from everything.

‘I will be there today at one o’clock. Pick me up from the airport and I will help you retrieve the rest of the stuff from the estate. I need to see you.’ Kris’s text said.

‘I can’t go in the house. Kris, how will I ever get over this?’

‘You will sunshine. You will. My flight is 1024. See you shortly.’

With that she went into the bathroom to get herself somewhat presentable. With the money she had saved, working wasn’t really in her daily ‘sobbing and eat ice cream’ strategy. Her hair was messy and wavy, no make up and a t-shirt that said FML on the front coupled with jeans was the game plan.

The drive to the airport was silent. No music, no happiness just worry for seeing the place she fell in love and was heart broken all in the same year. She sat in the designated flight arrival pick up spot, waiting on Kris’ exit. Seeing him walk out the feeling was uncontrollable.  she got out of the car and he embraced her tightly. She couldn’t stop crying. Her body shook and her sobs were large. He was the only man in her life that hadn’t left. He had stayed though so many thing over the last year, she was thankful he hadn’t bolted too.

“Alright sunshine, let me drive.” He took the keys and walked her to the passenger side.

The drive was about twenty minutes and fifteen had passed in silence. She simply watched the landscape fly by in blurs of color and shapes.

“Sunshine, are you going to be able to do this?”

She shook her head yes still sniveling slightly. “I have to.”

As they pulled into the drive her shaking was nearly uncontrollable. He took her hand and kissed it. She looked at his soft hazel eyes and couldn’t stop her own baby blues from leaking tears.

“Calm down. No one is here and we will take our time.”

She walked up to the door and entered the code.  The door unlatched and she pushed it open. The echo was unnerving. She had stopped crying and it seemed all emotion was devoid.  The smell in the estate was still the same. Anger took over her emotions suddenly. This was not fair, how could have this happened to them all. She strode into the office. Empty. Nothing.  Walking into the other rooms they were barren as well. It was as if all that she recalled in memory hadn’t every been real. Striding up the stairs she opened all the doors and found each and every room empty. Finally resting on the suite that was her home for nearly nine months. The place where love lived for a short time and she even found that a beast of a man could become so much more.

Everything in the room was the same. Nothing moved, nothing changed.  She fell to her knees and wept. He hadn’t the heart take her with him. Leaving her here alone was his recourse for Darius’ death. She started to pack the bags that Kris had brought in. He helped but didn’t interrupt her sobbing and throwing things in different moments.  She had all but cleared out everything except her desk. Walking over to the desk she found the coin she had left sitting I the center of it. Nothing else on top, just the coin. He had come in here. He had taken a moment at least to remember her. She picked up the coin and put it in her pocket with tears starting to flow again. Sliding open the top right drawer she found want she had wanted in the last two months, more than anything. It was a simple selfie she took with them both at the pool. She was sitting in Darius’ lap and had her arm around Dimitri. They were all smiling, happy and she was sunburnt. This was the first and only time she could catch them both smiling with her at the same moment. She pulled the framed 5x7 picture to her chest and closed her eyes.

“Kris?”

“Yes my sunshine?” he walked to her and touched her cheek.

“I don’t want to know. I can’t hear about him or know anything. I have to lock this away in a place of no more pain and sadness. I have to figure out how to move on and not be cripplingly sad any longer.”

“Of course my dearest sunshine, of course. But will we still remain close. I don’t want to lose you. You are very important to me you know.”

“We will be as we always are family. But you may not discuss me with him or Angelos and vice versa. What I am about to go through will be hard enough but I want you to be my brother from now to eternity. I do love you Kristo as the family I always wanted.”

He hugged her tightly and just let her sob for a few more minutes before pulling back.

“Wait, what you are about to go through? What is wrong Rayne? What are you not telling me?”

She looked up at him and smiled. Taking his hand in hers she placed it on her belly.

“Seems the Drakos line will continue on but in secret. Promise me Kris, Promise me…”

“You have my word but you must promise me one thing my sunshine. You will let me help you and you will never go without. Understood. This is non-negotiable or I will tell Dimitri right now.”

“Don’t threaten me you ass.” She smiled. “I promise. You will be Uncle Kristo, Right?”

Rayne hugged him again and they carried the last of the belongings down the stairs. Taking one last look at the once vibrant and full of life home, Rayne closed the door. She left her heart inside somewhere on the floor. She had sent her love with Darius on the plane and had given her promise of forever to Dimitri when she said yes. Her heart and soul were empty.

Touching her belly she tried to stretch a smile on her face. If nothing else came from this, at least the love of her Brothers Drakos would culminate in a small bundle of joy.

There wasn’t much to say on the ride back to the apartment. Kris did suggest she get a house and a new job since he heard she quit PMMI. Although the money was outstanding and hours were good, something about going into that place hadn’t been the same since her near raping experience, so this was just a perfect scenario to find her calling elsewhere.

In the months to come Kristo made sure a proper home was bought for Rayne and her bundle of joy coming. Kris, more than anything wanted Rayne to want for nothing and knew that once the child came, if it looked like the brothers, she would most assuredly need support.

While he kept his promise to not mention her or anything else to Dimitri it did take all he had to not punch that asshole in the face. Kris knew the only thing that could make him leave somewhere he loved was guilt. He didn’t truly blame Rayne. She was his scape goat for his own personal guilt. Kris knew Dimitri thoroughly and was pretty damn sure one day, he would need to know where she was, no matter what he did until that time.

The proof of this face was when Angelos brought up Rayne about six months later. Dimitri went ballistic. He didn’t have anything negative in particular to say but also didn’t want to hear her name.

Later that same evening when walking into Dimitri’s office to grab a pen, he noticed something on the computer screen. Search engine open and the name Rayne Mills typed in. The cursor was still blinking inside the search bar, which meant he just hadn’t found the balls yet to look. Obviously Kristo made the right call when he surmised Dimitri was in fact in love with her and it would only be a matter of time.

Kris watched Dimitri drown himself in women and parties once again. He looked angrier than ever before and it was obvious none of these women satiated his emptiness. The company and alcohol was his focus. The most Kris could do was pray one day this story would end as it should have originally.  He was sure above all else that Darius definitely wouldn’t have let it end this way.