Chapter 11

Allies

Three of Sonny's cousins—Jeno, Anatoli, and Tyrone Mylonas—met Jason at the airport. Jason recognized them from Sonny's descriptions and they seemed happy to see him. The men were Sonny's relatives on Mike's side. They were more demonstrative than either Sonny or Mike, but Jason didn't doubt their abilities. Each man was well over six feet and rippled with solid muscle.

They piled into two small compact cars. Tyrone directed Jason to his car and the others went to the car behind them. As they drove through the village to the Mylonas home on the other side of the island, Tyrone gave Jason the history of the island. Whenever Jason tried to steer the conversation toward the Cassadines, Tyrone would ignore him and mention another fact about the island's past.

By the time they reached the large gated home, the sound of Tyrone's voice grated on Jason's nerves. And that wasn't all. He could sense Dawn and not knowing exactly where to look almost drove him crazy. As they left the car and moved inside the house, Tyrone clasped a firm hand on Jason's shoulder. "Now, we talk about Cassadines."

The home was all white with lots of windows and a magnificent view of the sea. Sculptures and paintings screamed of the Mylonas fortune. Sonny had mentioned his cousins a few times to Jason and had hinted at their wealth. Jason had no idea that Sonny's cousins were rich. No wonder Sonny said that Jason would be in good hands with them on his side.

The servants brought in refreshments and left them within easy reach. As they left, Jeno made sure to close the door behind them. Then, he joined Anatoli and Tyrone on the sofa across from Jason.

"Our cousin, Michael Corinthos told us you have a grievance against the Cassadines," Anatoli said. "We know Stefan to be a hard man, but he is fair. He raised his nephew, Nikolas. He has been a fair Prince to his people."

"My grievance isn't with the Cassadines," Jason clarified. "It's with Nikolas."

Jeno frowned. "What has Nikolas done to you?"

Jason swallowed hard. He understood that according to society's rules a husband and a wife belonged together. If another person tried to break them apart, the other person would be viewed as being in the wrong. But Jason had never given a damn for society's rules. They didn't make sense. All he knew was what he felt and how he loved. He loved Dawn, she loved him, and he wanted her back.

"Do you know his wife?" Jason asked.

Tyrone nodded. A broad smile softened his sun-darkened features. "I have seen her. A very beautiful woman. Nikolas is a lucky man."

"She left Cassadine to be with me. We have a child together. Faith is eight months old," Jason explained. "Cassadine forced Dawn to go back to him."

Understanding dawned in the cousins' eyes. Jeno leaned forward. "You believe he brought her here."

"Yes."

Anatoli rubbed his chin with his forefinger. "It would seem to be the logical move. In America, the laws would protect her from him. Here, he is the law. He is the prince. His wife is his subject."

"She's not a subject," Jason clipped. "She's a person who has the right to chose where she wants to be and who she wants to be with. He had no right to bring her here."

Tyrone poured fruit juice into a tall glass. "To your thinking, he has no right. For Nikolas, perhaps you had no right to run off with his wife and give her a child."

Sudden anger flared through Jason. He stood up quickly and moved to the window. His chest heaved as he tried to control the rage that burned through him. "Dawn doesn't belong to him."

"Why?" Anatoli asked. "Because she belongs to you?"

Jason drew in a deep breath. "Because we belong to each other."

"You love her?" Jeno asked.

"Yes!" Jason said, turning around to face the trio.

Jeno turned to Tyrone. "He loves her."

Tyrone nodded as he raised the glass to his lips. "From the sound of it, he loves her very much."

"Cousins?" Anatoli said, "Are we in agreement?"

The two other men nodded. Jason frowned, not understanding what they were talking about. He folded his arms across his chest. "What are you talking about? Will you help me or not? I don't need your help. Sonny said—"

"Sonny said that we would help you because you are his friend. Sonny is our cousin and we would do anything for him. You, we do not know," Anatoli explained. "If we are to go to war against the Cassadines, we had to be sure of your motives."

"I only want Dawn back," Jason said. "Faith needs her mother. Dawn needs to be with us."

Tyrone gave Jason a faint smile. "We understand that. Now. Yes, we will help you."

"Let's go," Jason said. "Where do the Cassadines live?"

"First you must rest," Jeno said. "Tomorrow night, there will be a birthday celebration for Nikolas. We have invitations."

Anatoli smiled. "We will rescue your Dawn then."