The Freedom Broker (Thea Paris #1)(17)
Her neck muscles twitched hearing about the lunch. Rif and Christos were close—the soldier’s über-masculinity appealed to Papa, and being Rif’s godfather meant something to him. Maybe Rif’s reckless abandon reminded Christos of his younger self. “Then why kidnap Papa? If he already had the information, there’d be no need. And the COO, Ahmed Khali, would also have access to that information. Should we look at him as well?”
Hakan circled a name on the list. “Everything is conjecture, because we have so little information. But it gives me another lead to check out. Thea, there’s something we need to—”
“If you think you’re taking me off this case because it’s too personal, forget it. I won’t sit on the sidelines while Papa’s missing.” If their roles were reversed, her father would be relentless in his search for her.
Hakan sighed. “I know better than to suggest that. What concerns me is that you might’ve been on the Aphrodite when it was attacked. We don’t know if they waited for you and Aegis to leave, or if they just missed you. Until we learn more, I want you under protection.”
“I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”
“I know, but your father would never forgive me if something happened to you. Rif is by your side twenty-four/seven until further notice.”
She refused to give Rif the satisfaction of reacting. Still, her back muscles tensed. To keep Hakan happy, she’d go along with having a babysitter. It’d be easy enough to ditch him when she needed to. “What about Henri? He disappeared with Papa, so he’s either another hostage or an accomplice. Any evidence linking him to the kidnapping?”
“I’ve brought in Freddy Winston from the London office. He’s researching Henri’s background. Also bank and phone records. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Freddy was one of the most senior London-based response consultants, and she was relieved he was on board. He’d just successfully wrapped up the case in Sudan for Beltrain, so he was free to help. “Freddy’s a good choice. Can you keep me posted on any other additions to the team?”
Sweat dotted Hakan’s tuxedo shirt. “When I can, I will. Look, we need to make decisions quickly. Christos’s life could depend on it. Lines are being blurred, and this is different from our typical case. We’ll need to have Freddy do a family-member interview with you. You may be one of my best negotiators, but you were also the first point of contact for the kidnappers. Anyone would have difficulty remaining objective in your situation.”
“It’s not like you’re impartial either.”
“And that’s why I’ll do everything I can to bring—”
A loud knock sounded on the door to the suite.
Rif moved soundlessly to the entryway, a Glock materializing in his hands. “Who is it?” he challenged. After a quick look through the peephole, he opened the door.
Christos’s wife, Helena, stood on the threshold, her strawberry-blond hair disheveled, mascara smudged under her eyes. Hakan had broken the news about her husband’s kidnapping earlier, interviewing her to see if she could provide any helpful information. “You wanted to know when Nikos’s plane landed. It arrived two minutes ago.”
“Thanks for the update. You doing okay?” Hakan asked.
“I will be when you bring my husband home. I’ll be in the chapel if you need me. I trust you’ll brief Nikos.” Helena glided back out the door.
A palpable tension filled the air. Nikos. Always the elephant in the room. Hakan and Rif would undoubtedly argue to keep him in the dark—for many reasons. But Christos was his father too, and no matter how troubled their relationship, her brother deserved to know what was going on.
“What about Helena? She’s relatively new to Christos’s life and has access to his schedule,” Rif said.
Thea shot him a look. “Not a fan?”
He shrugged. “They haven’t been together long. Maybe her sweet exterior hides a rotten core. She has a billion-dollar motive. It’d be crazy not to consider her.”
“Everyone is under scrutiny,” Hakan said, tapping his pen against his thigh. “As we know, Christos was about to sign the deal of his career in Africa, making Paris Industries the largest oil provider in the world. Wouldn’t the Chinese have the most to gain by making him disappear?”
“Maybe, but maybe not. I just introduced myself to the brother and sister who head up the Chinese negotiations team. Kanzi could postpone the negotiations altogether if one of the major players was missing, and that wouldn’t help the Chinese. Every oil company, both national and private, wants to get its hands on Kanzi’s resources.” The initial field of competitors had included many more than the final two bidders.
“Oil is a geopolitical labyrinth,” Hakan said. “We need to look at all the players, national oil companies as well as the private ones.”
The NOCs had the financial backing of their governments, access to political favors, and countless other advantages. Paris Industries was a private oil company, and that meant it had to fund all its own exploration. It’d been Christos’s probing that had led to the discovery of massive quantities of oil in Kanzi. But the bulk of the oil was in an area that Papa hadn’t negotiated rights to yet, opening the discovery to other bidders. But oil was only one potential motivation for the kidnapper.