Chapter 12
Around noon, Ries woke up again and immediately reached for Stephanie. To his disappointment, he found himself alone in the bed.
He slowly rolled over to his good side and sat up on the side of the bed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he tried to dispel the sense of disappointment that filled his chest.
He’d begun to imagine what life could be like with Stephanie by his side but hadn’t realized how important she’d become to him in such a short time. Until just now.
Finding himself alone was like a stab in the heart. He’d been happy when he woke up earlier to find her body draped across his, a satisfied smile on her face as she slept in his arms.
Ries had envisioned many such mornings where they’d wake in each other’s arms and spend hours pleasuring each other before starting their day.
Ries had even imagined he would leave her side to go to the corporate office where he would work alongside his brothers to make the family business even more successful.
It was the first time Ries had actually been able to see a way forward in his life, beyond the next week.
Rather than instilling fear and loathing inside his chest, he’d been filled with anticipation.
So where was the woman who was responsible for this change? She should be lying next to him right now instead of…well, whatever else she was doing.
As he headed for the bathroom, old doubts and fears began to seep into his brain. Doubts that told him he wasn’t good enough for her and she deserved someone like Damon by her side.
Ries pulled on a pair of pajama pants, foregoing a shirt for the moment, and went in search of Stephanie.
He was surprised to hear what sounded like his brother’s voice coming from the sitting room as he came downstairs. Chris met him at the bottom and filled him in on everything he’d missed during the first part of the day.
“The authorities are here as is Nicolai. They contacted him last night and have some news about the men we were able to apprehend at the beach.”
Ries frowned, “I thought there weren’t any survivors?”
Chris shook his head, “That’s what I thought but they found a couple of men hiding in one of the fishing shacks. Lucky for us, they both have extensive records but I’ll let the police fill you in on those particulars. On another note, how are you feeling this morning?”
“Like I’ve been shot,” Ries groused. “Where is Stephanie?”
“She’s in there with your brother and the police. She refused to let anyone go upstairs and wake you up.”
Ries felt his frown disappear and he filed that information away to be examined later.
“I should probably join them. You come as well; I want maximum security around Stephanie until this situation is contained.”
“Already on it,” Chris informed him as they entered the sitting room.
“Ries!” Stephanie exclaimed upon seeing him, rushing to his side and searching his eyes as she whispered, “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
Ries took her hand and then bent and kissed her cheek, “Thank you for your concern but I’m okay.”
“You don’t look that well, brother,” Nicolai told him, coming forward and examining him with his eyes. “Stephanie is to be credited with saving your life, I hear?”
“That’s correct. If not for her, I would have been shot and mostly like you would be planning my funeral right now.”
Stephanie blanched at his words and he released her hand, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“I’m going to be fine,” he told Nicolai. “Now tell me what you’ve learned from the men you arrested.”
The police quickly introduced themselves and Detective Pataros started explaining, “It seems you and your brothers have garnered the attention of the Ekdikités.”
At this news, the entire room grew strangely quiet, until Stephanie broke the silence. “What does that word mean?”
“The Ekdikités are an organized crime syndicate that operates out of Cyprus and Macedonia. They also have ties to several other countries but it is rumored their headquarters is here – in Greece. In English, their name means ‘Avengers’ but they are nothing more than a group of thugs who have taken it upon themselves to profit from the country’s history,” Detective Pataros explained.
“Are they like the mob?” Stephanie guessed.
“In a way. But this group specializes in smuggling ancient artifacts out of the country and selling them to the highest bidder. They have been doing this for decades and it’s only recently that they have begun trafficking other items.”
“Such as?” Ries asked.
“Weapons. Illicit drugs. Even people,” Nicolai answered.
“The grandson of the syndicate’s founder is now in charge and his greed knows no bounds.
Nicolai was telling me about your missing shipments and cargo and I believe they have been using Kafatos Shipping as their primary means of moving merchandise out of Greece.
Their workers write it on the books as a legitimate shipment – but they load it with their own goods and take the cargo to destinations unknown. ”
Ries and Nicolai shared a look. Ries asked, “How long have you known about this?”
Detective Pataros shook his head, “We haven’t. Until we started running backgrounds on the two men we captured, we didn’t know who we were dealing with. Does the name Angelo Kartsonakis mean anything to you?”
Nicolai nodded. “He’s number two on Interpol’s most wanted list. A terrorist no one seems to be able to catch.”
“That is correct. I’ve personally been after this criminal for the last ten years but he always seems to slip through my fingers. I’m hoping this time will be different.”
“Angelo is a part of the syndicate?” Stephanie asked, confused at the connection.
“No. Angelo is a freelancer – an assassin working for the highest bidder. The two men we arrested are connected to the syndicate.
“The grandson – Dmitrius Yttrios was born in Cyprus, but his mother was English and took him back to Britain when he was young. He had very limited association with his father until a few years ago. We believe he was brought back to Greece for the sole purpose of assuming the reins of the syndicate upon his father’s passing. ”
“Stephanie heard someone talking to this Angelo, speaking English. Is it possible she was listening to this man – Dmitrius Yttrios?”
“Very likely, he’s known for believing himself invincible and would have no qualms about hiring an assassin in public. Did you get a good look at him, miss?” the detective asked.
Stephanie shook her head, “Not really, just the Greek guy. I could probably recognize his voice but I’m not sure of that either.”
“No worries,” Detective Pataros assured her.
“We’ve had another rash of museum and depository burglaries in the last few weeks.
It is my belief that they are getting ready to move a large number of pieces out of the country.
They would need a large ship to do so as several of the stolen pieces are statues weighing well over a thousand pounds each. ”
“How does someone steal something like that?” Ries asked, incredulous.
“Carefully, and with inside help. We know that at least one of the museums had an employee who disabled the security system, giving the thieves well over nine hours to remove items without anyone being the wiser.”
“So, what do we do?” Nicolai asked.
“First, we need to ensure that your brother and his girlfriend are kept safe. The men we arrested confessed that Angelo has been hired by Dmitrius to kill Ries first, and then go after the rest of you. He believes that by taking you all out, it will pave the way for him to step in and assume control of the company, thereby eliminating any further need for secrecy or caution when moving their merchandise.”
“They would be in control of the shipments and could hire their own people to do everything,” Nicolai added. “Clever but not something we can allow to succeed. Ries, you and Stephanie need to be careful.”
“What about you?” Ries asked.
“No one knows I am here and I’m returning home in a few minutes. I flew over here to check things out for myself. Damon is not happy nor does he know about my visit.”
“When is Damon ever happy with me?” Ries asked.
“Sirs, I am going to take my leave now,” Detective Pataros told them. “I will be in touch when we have something new to report.”
Ries and Nicolai thanked the man before Nicolai turned to Ries with a knowing grin. “You look happier than I think I’ve ever seen you, which is odd seeing as how you were shot yesterday. What gives?”
Nicolai’s eyes slid over to Stephanie as though he already knew the answer.