CHAPTER TWENTY
Eric, Cam, Luke, and Hex sat outside the office of the Greek Prime Minister, waiting to be seen. No one seemed bothered by their presence, nor did they ask why they were there. A simple phone call from Michael Bodwick and the Prime Minister was happy to see them.
The doors to his office were covered in ancient Greek carvings of mythology and legend. Any man who’d ever served in the military knew that they owed much of what they know, to what the ancient Greeks learned.
Simple things like the modern-day marathon, types of warfare, and respect for the sea come from Greek legends and history. They didn’t take that lightly.
“Gentlemen, please come in,” said the woman opening the door to the office.
The four men stood and entered, immediately looking to see if they were alone or were there guards present. They were pleasantly surprised to see that it was just the them and the Prime Minister.
“Welcome to Greece, gentlemen. Any friend of Michael’s is a friend of mine,” he smiled.
He was in his sixties with thick silver hair and a bushy mustache.
His eyes were a piercing hazel, his skin leathered and golden from the sun.
He had wide, callused hands and the men thought it was a good sign as they shook his hand.
“Please sit,” he nodded. “No names. Let’s keep this informal on your end. What can I do for you?”
“Well, sir, it’s about Nicolai Christodoulou,” said Luke.
“Nicolai, yes,” he nodded. “Tragic what happened to his wife. We still haven’t found the men that murdered her but we know that Nicolai went mad and disappeared. Now his island seems to be under some sort of quarantine for some strange virus.”
“Sir, Nicolai did not go mad. Armed men removed him from the island with intent to kill. He escaped.” The look on the man’s face told them he knew nothing of those details.
“He was taken?” he asked.
“I assure you, sir. He was taken against his will and fled the country. As we speak, there are men on that island blowing a massive cave into the side of the cliff, holding the people on the island hostage.”
“That can’t be. I would know,” he whispered.
“Sir, I’m not sure you would. From what we know, the island is somewhat removed from society.
No internet, no satellite except for basic news coverage, no cell phones.
Whatever they are doing out there cannot be good,” said Hex.
“Are you telling us you have no knowledge of what’s happening out there at all? ”
“None,” he said emphatically. “Why would I know about that?”
“Petros Andriopoulos,” said Cam.
“Petros? What does he have to do with this?”
“He’s holding the island hostage. He’s been seen out on the island and is controlling whatever is happening out there,” said Eric.
“I’ll call him in,” he said reaching for his phone. Eric covered his hand with his own, effectively making it disappear. He shook his head.
“Sir, if you are telling us that you know nothing of this, it’s best if you continue to pretend that’s true.
We will find out what’s happening out there and keep you informed.
No one will know we’re here. No one will know we are doing anything about it.
If you notify Petros now, he’ll be suspicious and possibly hurt the people on the island. ”
The prime minister started to speak but was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
“It’s Petros,” he frowned.
“Answer it on speaker, please,” said Luke. He nodded, hitting the button.
“Petros. Nice to hear from you,” he said calmly.
“Good afternoon, sir. Just letting you know I’m still dealing with a bit of a situation on one of our smaller islands.
We feared they had a strange virus and it seems we were correct.
The entire population, less than two-hundred people or so, are showing signs of an unusual virus that no one can name.
We’re keeping them quarantined and I’ve stopped all visitors from getting to the island. ”
“I see. I’ll send our ministers of health and a full team of doctors to the island,” he said calmly, slowly becoming angry.
“No. No, sir. I’ve taken care of this. Just informing you in case we get questions. The weather is quite horrid today so I can’t get out there either.”
“I see. Alright. If you think this is the best approach that’s fine.” He looked up at the four men and then spoke again. “Petros? Drop this nonsense with Syria and Türkiye. We are angering the wrong people.”
“Of course,” he said compliantly. “I’ll speak to you soon.” The room was quiet for a long time and then he stared at the foursome.
“He was lying to me. I’ve trusted that man for years and that was the first time I heard the lies in his voice.”
“We know how tempting it would be to go after him but for the sake of those innocent lives on the island, let us figure this out,” said Eric.
“I know that you’re right but it feels against my nature,” he said frowning. “I don’t want innocent people harmed. Alright. I’ll leave it to you for now but I expect that you will keep me informed. I will tell no one of your presence in the country.”
“We appreciate that,” said Luke. They stood to leave and the prime minister moved toward a flat panel on the wall.
“Go out this way. It will ensure that no one sees you leaving. Good luck, gentlemen. If you need help from my Navy or Army, let me know. We may appear a small country with fewer resources than yours but the Greeks are knowledgeable in the ways of war.”
“We definitely will call if we need you, sir. When we shut it down, whatever it is, we’ll call your teams in to make the arrests.” He nodded as he watched the men leave, closing the flat panel firmly so that no one was the wiser.
He turned in his office, staring at the photos of the men and women in his cabinet. How many more were lying to him? How many could he actually trust?
He’d soon find out.