Aegean Intrigue by Patricia Kiyono Read Free Book Online

than her mother?”
    â€œThey were close, until Genevieve told him—well, until that blasted blood test.”
    â€œOh?” Blood test? Why hadn't he heard about this? Alex struggled to maintain an air of indifference. If he didn't react with shock, maybe the professor would keep talking.
    â€œI probably shouldn't talk about it. But it upset Georges so. He had always thought of Francie as his daughter. I told him perhaps there had been a mistake at the lab, but he wouldn't listen.”
    Alex's head spun. Georges was not Francie's father? Was that why he had broken ties with her?
    â€œI'm sure Francie was upset at the news as well,” he guessed.
    â€œPerhaps. She's quite stoic, our Francie. Genevieve had wanted them to do a movie together, acting the parts of mother and daughter, but Francie refused. She had plans to go on a dig with Georges. They had a heated argument, and Francie told her she would much rather get dirty on a dig than dress up in front of a camera. That's when Genevieve dropped the bombshell. She said Francie had been the result of an affair with a co-star while Georges was away on a dig. Francie went to her father, hoping for some reassurance, but Georges insisted on the blood test to verify. And poor Francie ended up losing both parents in the process.”
    Alex's heart ached for the young girl. To have been deceived by Leandros and then abandoned by her parents—no wonder she lost herself in her studies.
    â€œBut if Georges had raised Francie as his own, why would he take it out on her?”
    â€œI don't think he meant to. He left the university and easily found a position in the private sector. It probably didn't occur to him he was abandoning her. And she didn't complain. He was wrapped up in his own emotions.”
    Just like his own father, Alex thought. Nikolaos Leonides hadn’t been one to consider other people's feelings or needs. He did and said what he pleased. Alex had learned through a cousin that his father no longer owned the restaurant and lived a hermit-like existence on the edge of town.
    He walked to his tent, disgusted with the human race. Halfway back to his tent, he stopped in his tracks. Francie was an actress, like her mother. Could Zotis be correct in asserting the fresh-faced girl persona was just an act? The thought made his stomach churn.
    Please, don't let it be so.
    ****
    Francie watched Alex stalk away from the campfire area. What had upset him? Only a moment ago, he had been standing at the outer edge of the clearing, talking with the professor.
    The man was an enigma. He was Greek, but he spoke excellent English and seemed to embrace American ideas about women. He was a Project Director, a man who dealt in numbers, names, and logistics, but he had a human side to him. He was an interesting mix. A very attractive mix. Good grief, could she be falling for him? Please don't let it be so.
    â€œFrancie, are you feeling all right?”
    Francie forced a smile and turned to Willem, who was seated next to her. The gentle young man wore an expression of concern.
    â€œI'm fine. I just remembered some details I forgot to take care of in Athens. It's fine—next time I'm in town, I'll get online and take care of it.”
    Willem's features relaxed, and they both turned their gazes back to the game. But a part of Francie's mind stayed on the dark man who had left the bonfire area. She hadn't been lying to Willem. She had left something in Athens—her sanity.

Chapter Seven
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    Alex toweled himself off, his afternoon swim making barely a dent in his libido. Cold showers were a luxury in a country plagued by water shortages, but he’d hoped a half hour in the bright Aegean Sea would make him presentable for dinner. Dimitri was still not well enough to cook, so he and Francie would have to handle kitchen duty again. It was bad enough to watch her out in the field crouched in those shorts, her long tanned legs providing him with