by C. Kennedy
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. I have much news.”
“I take it that Ariel finally spoke with you.”
“Yes. We have the urgent problem.” Christy switched to Greek and relayed the news to Nero.
Sophia, Jake, and Michael returned to the dining room, and Sophia listened to Christy as she set Celeste’s cell phones on the table. “She had two cell phones. I believe one is to contact the Sannas.”
“Can I take a look?” Michael asked.
She pushed them to him as she continued to listen to Christy. “I agree with Christy, Mitéra.”
Ariel nodded. “It is unfortunate we must go to such extremes.”
Jake looked at Sophia. “What’s he saying?”
“He is asking Nero to provide additional security for us and to provide house staff from the security company.”
“Good move.” Michael held one of the phones up. “This phone shows a history of calls to one number only.”
Sophia took it from him and studied the history. “I do not recognize the number, but it is a US number.” She reached across the table and handed it to Ariel.
She looked at it, frowned, and shook her head. “I do not know the number.”
Nicos returned to the dining room. “Where is our traitor?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“CELESTE IS locked in her room, and we have the phones,” Jake said quickly.
“The FBI will be here shortly to take her into custody.”
“What then?” Sophia asked.
“She will be detained, interrogated, and deported.”
Ariel handed the cell phones to Nicos. “These belong to Celeste.”
Nicos retook his seat and scrolled through the phones before pocketing them, then listened to Christy speak with Nero for a moment. He then turned to Ariel. “Do you want Thimi to know you are his mother?”
Tears sprang into her eyes again, and she dabbed them with a napkin. “I wish to know what Christy believes is best for Thimi.”
The apartment phone rang, and Sophia quickly left her seat to answer it. “Please send them up. … Thank you.” She returned to the table. “It is Tad, the head security man for us, and the FBI. Tad wishes to speak with us, Mitéra.”
Christy finished his call. “Okay. I make the decision for you, and I wish you to agree. I wish two security guard for the apartment all of the time. I wish four security guard for you and Sophia when you leave the apartment. I wish all house staff to be from the security company.”
“Four is a bit much,” Sophia said.
Christy tsked his disapproval. “We have the new problem of Rich, and you are to have four when you leave the apartment and when you visit Jacob. I believe this is the good number.”
“Rich?” Ariel inquired.
Sophia quickly explained in Greek, and Ariel nodded. “Ah, the news last night.”
“Yes.” Sophia turned to Jake. “Now will you tell me what happened with your arms?”
Michael and Jake exchanged glances again, and Jake cleared his throat. “It wasn’t only Michael’s house that caught fire last night. My car and the security vehicle went up in flames.”
Sophia gasped and started in on Jake, and Michael stepped in for a save. “Sophia! It happened after we got to Jake’s house, we weren’t in the car, and it was two o’clock in the morning. Everybody was okay, and there was no reason to wake you or Christy. We’re riding with security until it’s resolved, and we’re being very careful. There’s no reason to worry.”
“What do you mean, do not worry? How can I not?” Sophia turned to Christy. “You must give them more security.”
“Kýrios Santini did this. Also for Michael’s parents. I do not wish the problems to grow,” Christy said firmly.
Sophia swore softly. “It is beyond belief! What are the police doing about Rich?”
“They’re doing everything they can, and Lisa’s Uncle Smitty is also looking into the motorcycle gang that’s been hassling us,” Jake defended.
“It is as if Jason began some sort of war!”
“Hey, it’s no more than what you deal with when it comes to the Sannas.” Michael’s tone was sharper than he had intended it to be, but it drove his point home.
Sophia stopped short and glared at Michael.
“Look. All I’m saying is that we need to stick together and stay safe. Arguing about any of this isn’t constructive.”
Christy said something to Sophia in Greek, and she reluctantly relaxed.
“Christy?”
He turned to Ariel.
“What do you wish Thimi to know?”
Christy sighed and slumped in his chair. “He believes his mother to be dead.”
Ariel looked as if she would burst into tears again. “He does not remember those who adopted him?”
“I do not know. He does not speak of them.”
“Never?”
Christy shook his head and sat in silence for an extended moment. “I believe it is best to say nothing now. I believe you should make the visit when you wish. In the future we will make the decision together what to say.”
Ariel was thoughtful. “Agreed.”
Christy turned to Nicos. “This makes the new rules for the guardian for Thimi?”
“That is an interesting question. Legally, his adoptive parents would be in line to take custody of him.”
“I do not wish this.”
“Unfortunately it is not for you to decide.”
“What of the police files in Greece?” Ariel asked.
Nicos frowned. “I will look into the files, and we will speak again.”
A soft chime sounded, and Sophia rose from her seat to greet Tad, a young woman in a skirt suit, and two FBI agents as they stepped into the foyer. Michael recognized one of the men as Agent Simmons, who had helped rescue Christy from Yosef’s plane.
Nicos stood to greet them. “Ariel, this is Tad MacDonald. He heads up security for Christy. Tad, you know Sophia. This is Madame Antoniou.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“A pleasure,” she responded softly.
Agent Simmons extended a hand to Michael. “Good to see you again, Michael.”
Michael shook his hand. “Thanks again for all your help.” He turned to Christy. “This is the FBI agent who helped rescue you from Yosef’s plane.”
“Oh.” Christy stood and bravely extended a hand for a shake, something Michael had never seen him do.
Agent Simmons shook his hand vigorously. “I’m only one of them. It’s good to see you in good health, Mr. Castlios.”
“Thank you for the rescue.”
The young woman who had accompanied Tad took a seat in the corner chair Celeste had vacated.
“Let me finalize matters with Celeste, and I’ll return in a few moments.” Nicos gestured to his chair. “Please.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tad took Nicos’s seat at the table as Nicos and the two FBI agents departed. “Christy, I want to confirm Mr. Santini’s instructions. You want a staff of four to accompany Sophia and Madame A—”
“Ariel,” she said quickly.
“Thank you, ma’am. A staff of four to accompany Sophia and Ariel at all times if they leave the apartment.”
Christy nodded once.
“And you want to have a staff of two in the foyer at all times.”
Christy nodded again.
“And you want all house staff to be from our company.”
Christy nodded yet again.
“Do you want the house staff to be fully qualified security?”
“Yes.”
Tad gestured to the young woman who had arrived with him. “This is Deborah Ross. She’ll take over for Celeste.”
The young woman stood and offered a formal nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
“Thank you for assisting us,” Sophia said politely.
“She certainly cannot work in a suit,” Ariel said.
“I h
ave additional clothing with me, ma’am.”
Tad continued, “She is also going to take care of Celeste’s room and belongings, and she and two others will check the entire apartment for any sort of surveillance or listening devices.”
Sophia and Ariel looked stunned in equal measure.
“It’s precautionary and standard protocol when we have a breach.”
“A breach?” Ariel inquired.
“When we encounter a person such as Celeste. Please recall that we found illegal surveillance in Christy’s cabin.”
Michael had forgotten about that horrid night and the death threat that had followed.
“What is the surveillance in the cabin?” Christy asked, his one-brow frown in action.
Uh-oh. Tad began to speak, and Michael interrupted him. “Do you remember the night Jason bombed my car?”
“I cannot forget this.”
“To be ultrasafe, security checked your cabin when we were at dinner and found that Yosef had tapped into the system that records you when you sleep.”
Christy gaped at Michael. “Why did you not tell me?”
“Honestly? I forgot. That was a crazy night, and we were all kinds of messed-up.”
“Okay. Like this, I give you the forgiveness because this is in the before with the very big awareness problem.”
Michael wanted to smile but refrained. “Thanks, babe. I’m sorry. I’m working on it. I swear it.”
Christy turned to Tad, who held his hands up in mock surrender. “You’ll have to ask Mr. Santini why he didn’t tell you, Christy.”
“I will do this. How long was this in the cabin?”
“The system showed interference began less than twenty-four hours before we found it, so not long.”
Even Michael hadn’t known that. “That’s good to hear.”
“It is not.”
“It’s better than finding out it had been there for months, babe.”
Christy winced and reluctantly agreed with a silent nod. “What if there is surveillance now and the people are listening?”
“I checked for interference as I stepped off the elevator and didn’t find any, but I’d still like the entire place checked.”
“You can do this?” Christy asked in surprise.
Tad nodded. “A large part of our clientele is foreign dignitaries, diplomats, politicians, and the like. It’s standard to check for that sort of thing.”
“Oh. This is good. Thank you.”
They turned to the sound of Nicos walking the FBI agents and a handcuffed Celeste to the foyer.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” Nicos said.
Agent Simmons offered a curt nod before they stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed.
Nicos returned to the table, and Tad stood from the chair. Nicos waved him back down and took a seat in another of the corner chairs. “Christy, are you satisfied with the instructions?”
“I am, General.”
“Ariel, for now, Christy is to say nothing to Thimi?”
She nodded. “I would like Christy to make decisions for Timotheos.”
Christy turned to her. “Thank you, Ariel.”
“You will let me know if he should remember his adoptive parents?”
“I will do this. I am sorry for everything.”
She offered a wan smile. “Do not apologize, dear boy. We have all been victims of these miscreants.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ARIEL TURNED to Nicos. “Tell me, what do you know of General Colonomos?”
Nicos cleared his throat. “General Colonomos is in custody pending trial. Why do you ask?”
Ariel smirked. “You were finally able to arrest the bastard. He accused me of kidnapping Thimi.”
Nicos’s face turned angry, but he maintained his calm. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Why was he arrested?”
“He was on the Sanna yacht when we raided it.”
A smug satisfaction seemed to settle on Ariel’s face. “You now have proof he knew all along where Thimi was.”
Nicos met her even gaze. “It would seem so.”
The satisfaction left her face, and Christy turned back to her. “Another question, Ariel?”
She gestured for him to continue.
“What do you wish the media to know?”
She went rigid again. “Nothing.”
Jake spoke up. “The problem is that Yosef said a lot of nasty things in the courtroom, and they will likely be leaked. At some point the press will find out that Sophia and Christy are siblings.”
Ariel became indignant. “Yosef said something about this?”
Pain imbued every fiber of Christy’s being and became obvious on his face as he collected his strength once again and reported only the facts. “He said I am born the whore, our mother gave Sophia to you to protect her from my disease and pus, I am the devil’s spawn, our mother hated me.”
Ariel paled to a white Michael didn’t even know existed before her face contorted in anger and her small frame trembled. “Your mother loved you dearly.” She turned to Nicos. “Were you in the courtroom?”
“No, but I’ve read the transcript. Christy is accurate, and Sophia contributed to the dialogue.”
Ariel turned to her.
“I lost all diplomacy,” she admitted.
“You must be more careful.” She turned to Christy again. “Never doubt that your mother loved you dearly.” She breathed in deeply before continuing. “Decline to respond to the media until they learn of it on their own, then use it to your advantage. Show them that Yosef did not only seek to destroy your life, but Sophia’s as well.”
Christy nodded, emotional pain still apparent in his mien, and Michael’s heart broke a little more for him. Yosef’s words would stay with him forever, something else to combat as they ate away at his new foundation and sought to carve a chasm in his soul. Michael shifted uncomfortably in his seat and sought to dispel his rage at Yosef and anyone who had ever touched Christy.
Ariel gently brushed a hand down Christy’s golden curls. “None of what he said is true.”
He turned soulful eyes to her.
“Know it in your heart. Your mother loved you dearly.”
Christy finally nodded.
“Thank you for visiting. I know it was difficult for you.”
“Thank you, Ariel. Again, I am very sorry for everything.”
She ran a hand down his hair again. “We shall soldier on.”
A smile fought its way onto Christy’s lips. “We will.”
“You are welcome any time.” She turned to Michael. “Thank you for caring for our Christy.”
Michael smiled. “Can’t help it. He’s great, and I am honored to know you and Sophia.”
She returned the smile before looking at Jake. “Thank you as well, Jacob.”
“My pleasure, Ariel. I’m very lucky to have Sophia in my life.”
Sophia laughed softly and kissed his cheek. “You are.”
“All of you are welcome any time,” Ariel said as she stood and Nicos joined her. “Give me one moment.” She left the room and returned within minutes. “These belong to you now.” She held a beautiful tin box out to Christy.
Christy took it and began to open it, and she put a hand over his. “Later.” She kissed his cheek. “Know your mother loved you.”
Christy smiled a small smile and nodded. “Thank you, Ariel.”
A soft chime emanated from the elevator as it arrived and two security guards stepped into the foyer.
Tad motioned them into the living room. “Ariel, Sophia, this is Bill Holder and David Browne, the additional guards to assist Deborah this evening. Here is my card. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require anything at all.”
Ariel accepted the card. “Thank you.”
“I will see you again soon, Ariel,” Christy said with a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you.”
Sophia kissed Christy’s cheek. “I’ll call.”
He nodded,
they boarded the elevator, and Christy waved a small wave as the doors closed.
“HOW LONG to be at Wellington?” Christy asked Tad as they sat in traffic on the GWB.
“We’ll be there sometime between eight and nine.”
“Thank you for the security for Sophia and Ariel.”
“My pleasure. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you require additional arrangements.”
“I will do this.” Christy withdrew the cell phone from his pocket and dialed.
“Who are you calling?” Michael asked.
“I wish to speak with Thimi. It is the first day without me, and he is to do the meeting with Melos.”
Tad began to roll up the privacy window, and Michael stopped him with a hand on the window edge. “Tad? We need to stop and get Gummy Bears for Thimi.”
“Will do.”
The privacy window closed, Michael looked at General Sotíras, and lowered his voice. “What do you think?”
He glanced at Christy, who was now embroiled in a conversation. “I did not believe it was possible to detest Vasilis Castlios and the Sannas more than I did.”
“Seriously.”
Jake sighed and shook his head. “I have to hand it to”—he gestured to Christy—“and Sophia. They have taken every hit in stride and haven’t lost it.”
It made Michael wonder if there was another shoe to drop, but he opted to keep that worry to himself. “We’re lucky, bro. They’re tough.”
“And resilient,” Nicos agreed.
Michael lowered his voice even further. “What about the police file on Thimi in Greece?”
Nicos shook his head, his expression dour. “Keep in mind that I have represented to our highest court that Yosef is Thimi’s lawful father and his mother is dead.”
Apprehension began a slow crawl up Michael’s spine. The thought hadn’t remotely crossed his mind.
“Now I will be forced to retract my declaration, and the court has the right to overturn the order placing Thimi with Christy.”
Alarm hit full speed as it permeated Michael’s veins. “That can’t happen. It just can’t.”
“I understand. In short, it isn’t a problem to correct the file. It is a problem to notify the court. They will require that I notify the adoptive parents as to his location, likely require DNA tests, and Thimi could be required to return to Greece and be placed in a state home.”