Chapter 28
T heo
I jarred awake, feeling as if I’d emerged from deep water. My muscles ached as if weights sat heavy over every inch of my body.
What the fuck?
Immediately, dread crept in, and everything inside me sensed the wrongness in the room.
No, no, no.
Nerine.
I whipped my head to the side, regretting the wave of dizziness.
She wasn’t there.
The sheets were cool to the touch. How long had she been gone? That’s when I noticed something near Xander.
What the hell?
I jumped up, caught my balance, and crawled to Xander’s side of the bed.
My heartbeat pummeled into my ears as I focused on the used syringe next to Xander.
Instinctively, I rubbed against my neck and felt the slight lingering ache.
I reached over to the side table to turn on the light but pulled back when I realized no power lit any corner of the house. There was always a dim glow somewhere, from the windows to under the doorways.
Shit. This was not fucking happening.
“Xander, wake up.” I shoved at him, pushing down the drowsiness still pumping in my system.
When he remained stock still, my hands shook. No, I would not fucking lose him, too.
I rubbed my eyes, trying my best to clear the haze. I had to get it together.
Checking for Xander’s pulse, it beat strong, giving me a short bit of relief.
I staggered from the bed, grabbing clothes and putting them on. I searched for my phone and realized it was gone. In fact, all of our devices were gone.
Jesus. This had to be a professional job. I never slept this deep, and how the fuck had they gotten through our security?
Would the Assassin Squad do this? Nerine had spoken of wanting freedom, and they were the ones with the means to make it happen.
No. Nerine had put away her plans to leave. She wouldn’t lie to us. We’d planned our future last night. She was the one who decided for us to marry sooner rather than later, even though I suggested we should wait a few more months.
Moving into the closet, I pushed back some of Nerine’s clothes and found the safe. Opening it, I grabbed some backup phones.
I checked the devices, and none of them had signals.
Whoever did this had tech skills beyond any average motherfucker.
Gripping the back of my neck, I reached into the safe and pushed through the false wall encasing in the far right of the enclosure. Thank God for Xander and his paranoia.
I pulled out flashlights and his encrypted satellite phone. Turning it on, I released a deep breath as the screen lit up.
I dialed Clay, who patrolled the properties near the port tonight.
“Sir, we’ve been trying to get through, but all lines are dead, and access to the house is restricted. We assumed you put the compound on lockdown.”
“No. I have no idea what’s going on, but you need to get here now. Whoever it was drugged Xander and me. We need to account for the Angelos women.”
“They aren’t there?”
I blinked a few times. “I just came to. I’m going to search. The house is too fucking quiet.”
At that moment, I heard the distinct sound of something crashing and knew it was Xander stumbling off the bed and knocking things off the side table. Whatever dose they gave him was probably a hell of a lot stronger than mine.
“Xander is conscious. Let me check on him. Call in our forces. Assume we are under attack. Contact Theios Alex. He’ll know how to coordinate everyone.”
“We assumed he was at the compound. No one can reach him.”
“Fuck.” I gripped my hair. “Send someone to his house. Check on them. Report back and get your asses here.”
I hung up, grabbed the flashlights, and went to the bedroom.
The churning in my stomach pissed me off to no end. This was bullshit.
Whoever gave me this drug needed their head bashed in.
Xander braced his hand against a wall. Fear burned in his eyes, and the firm set of his jaw made it obvious he was doing all he could to keep hold of the panic welling up inside him.
“Tell me this isn’t happening.”
“I can’t. Our nightmare has come to life. Xander, Theios Alex is missing.”
“The fuck he is. I talked to him before we went to bed. Mom and Pops were at home.”
“I sent a team over to check on them. Right now, we need to find Nerine and the girls.” I tossed him a flashlight and his pants. “You take the passageway to Fiona’s room. I’ll go down the main hallway.”
He nodded.
We went through every bedroom, with no sign of any of them. All their things were as they had left them the day before, nothing out of place. The only thing missing was them.
Our men were alive but lay unconscious all over the place, all drugged.
The sat phone beeped with an incoming message, and as I read it, my heart sank.
“What?” Xander saw my face.
“Same MO for the security at your house. All were knocked out, and the cameras were disabled. Your parents are gone.”
Immediately, Xander pulled out his phone and sent off a series of messages, his face a mask of fury.
“What did you do?”
“I’m getting Drakos involved. We need help. I can’t keep fucking failing everyone.” Xander’s anger radiated out from him.
“This isn’t on you. It’s a coordinated attack on us.”
“We need to keep looking.”
We continued our search through every possible corner and passageway, but hope dwindled. Then when the team arrived, the power reconnected, nearly blinding us with the lights.
“The library,” I shouted, and Xander and I ran toward it.
If I found her in there, I’d tan her ass so red for scaring the shit out of me.
Xander and I slammed through the doors and came to an abrupt halt.
There on the sofas were the unconscious forms of Theios Alex and Theia Brenna. They lay on separate couches with blankets over them as if they’d lain down for naps.
We rushed to them.
“Mama, wake up.” Xander lifted her limp form.
I checked Theios Alex’s vitals, hearing his shallow breaths and weak heartbeat. He opened his eyes, shaking his head.
“I had no chance, too many of them, too organized. Planned—I’m sorry.” He passed out as the drug took effect again.
I stared at Xander, but his attention was on something behind me.
“Turn around,” he said through gritted teeth, not letting go of Theia Brenna.
His body shook with waves of anger unlike anything I’d ever seen from him.
Instead of doing as he ordered, I asked, “Is she breathing?”
“Yes, barely. With Mama’s heart condition, they could have killed her.”
At that moment, Stefano and other soldiers rushed into the room.
Stefano went directly next to Xander. He was a trained paramedic and could help Theia Brenna.
“I’ve got her, sir. Let me help.” Then Stefano gestured for someone to help Theios Alex.
Xander and I moved out of the way and turned in the direction where Xander focused. There, on Nerine’s desk, sat a large cream piece of paper with red writing.
Xander grabbed my arm and warned, “Don’t touch it. I want to check it for prints.”
“It won’t have any. Everything here is too professional. They targeted her. All of us.”
Xander’s fingers curled on my arm in a brutal hold. “The only way they could have gotten past our security was if they had help from the inside. I thought we’d weeded the traitors out.”
“I don’t know what to think right now. We have to find them.” I clenched my jaw. “I’m going after whoever did this. She’s our everything.”
We moved closer to the desk, and instantly my world shattered.
Mr. Onassis and Mr. Nephus,
Did you honestly think there was a happily ever after for the three of you?
Especially when your enemies circle nonstop and each plans to take you down to make a point. Do either of you know who your enemies are? Not Angelos’s enemies, but yours?
Yes, we know all about the Xander-Angel-Theo throuple. We’ve known about it since you were youngsters.
FYI, we aren’t the only ones who’ve known about it. You weren’t as discreet as you believed.
We commandeered your most prized possession before others could implement their plans to take her.
Your Angel’s life and the lives of her family are in your hands now, gentlemen.
Run her empire. The two of you are the standing Angelos now. Remember the rule, no bodies, no deaths.
We will notify you when we are ready to return her to your keeping. However, looking for her may result in her death.
Finding her will guarantee her death.
Now, here is something to think upon. The Angelos bloodline is worth billions. Yes. Billions. Peter Angelos was a ruthless man and made deals that netted him well. Your Angel’s signature is needed to cash in on all of them.
And guess who his partners for these investments were?
That’s right. Think of our procurement of the Angelos women as protecting our assets.
They are safe and protected, and they will want for nothing.
As long as you keep your distance.
Congratulations on your elevation to the roles of the heads of the Angelos syndicate.
“Who the fuck are these people?” Xander looked at me.
I shook my head. “Whatever it is, this isn’t only about her. It’s about us. How are we connected to everything that’s happened?”
“I don’t know. One thing I do know is that nothing is going to stop me from finding Nerine. Fuck them for thinking they can threaten me and believe that would keep me from searching for her.”
“Good luck hiding five women who look the way they do and act the way they do from us.”
Get ready for more mayhem, suspense, and steam as Theo and Xander search for their Angel.
And let’s see if they can handle Nerine’s deception the same way she handled theirs.