The Freedom Broker (Thea Paris #1)(25)
“We’re working every angle. Nothing so far.”
“There are countless potential kidnappers. You could be at this for a while.”
“Nikos, this situation can’t be easy for you—it could bring back memories.” Her voice tapered off.
He wouldn’t discuss this now, not in front of Rif. He’d never been able to talk about his kidnapping to anyone other than the shrink and Papa, and look how that’d turned out. He’d also told Aegis, but only because a dog couldn’t talk back. “The coincidence hasn’t escaped me, but don’t worry about me. Papa’s the one who needs our concern.”
Before she could answer, her cell rang. “Thea Paris.” She listened, her face turning a chalky shade. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“What is it?” Nikos asked.
“I saw a homeless woman on the wharf just before Papa was kidnapped. Apparently her body has washed up on the shore.”
“So she did see something,” Rif said.
Not much of a lead. Nikos needed useful information if he was going to find their father before his sister did.
“Please forward me those texts. While you two lament the fate of those less fortunate, I’m going to give the kidnapping some thought, see if I can help determine who might have an ax to grind.” Other than him, of course. The only shared passion he’d ever had with his father was animals—Aegis was as close to neutral ground as they could reach. And there’d been his polo horse, Martino, a gift from his father for his sixteenth birthday. He’d loved that stallion more than life itself. But during a match, he’d pushed too hard, and Martino had fatally injured his leg. His father came with him to say good-bye to the horse, and they’d even had a drink afterward in Martino’s honor. But the détente hadn’t lasted long.
Nikos gave Aegis a last head-scratch and strode out the door, but not before he heard Rif say to Thea, “I think he’s starting to warm up to me.”
Interfering little prick. At least the ex-soldier might be of use playing bodyguard to Thea. Nikos couldn’t take care of his sister—the only person worth protecting—while also hunting for their father, so it was good to know Rif’s devotion could be put to use.
Chapter Fifteen
Just back from a run with Aegis and Rif, Thea stared out the Santorini hotel room window into the blinding morning sun. Paparazzi lined the cobblestone streets outside the main entrance, reporters pacing with microphones in their hands, piranha looking for prey. Media attention was a tricky issue during kidnaps.
She’d used the press strategically in the past, releasing tightly controlled information to trusted sources, but in most circumstances, it wasn’t advisable to address the media, since it could raise the value of the hostage, skyrocketing the ransom. In the case of Christos, the kidnappers obviously knew they had a billionaire in their hands.
Media attention could also lead to a hostage transfer, where one kidnap group passed along or sold the hostage to another group, sometimes turning a financially motivated criminal kidnap into a political one. For example, if a terrorist group had Papa, they could sell him for a hefty price to al-Qaeda or ISIS. And giving away too much information in the press could invite unrelated scammer or nutjobs to claim they had the hostage, which could divert attention and resources away from the real case.
At this point, she had nothing to gain by talking to reporters. Besides, given the apparent sophistication of these kidnappers, she didn’t think they’d be swayed by a plea from the victim’s daughter. The press would just be a huge nuisance.
“I wonder who leaked.” Rif joined her at the window.
“Hard to say. It could even be the kidnapper.” She’d asked Freddy Winston to follow up with the Greek newspaper that had broken the story, but sources were zealously guarded, so they might hit a brick wall there.
The timing of the snatch couldn’t be ignored. A multibillion-dollar deal that also had political ramifications was about to be decided. Most of the major oil fields in the world had reached their peak output, so their future capacity would only go down. A find like Kanzi could change everything.
She’d overheard Papa talking to top officials in the US government and knew that if he clinched this deal, his influence could reach new heights with the administration. The United States had for decades cozied up to the Saudis because of their oil reserves—just the kind of relationship Christos might enjoy if Paris Industries won the rights to the second largest oil field in the world. Her father’s dream was to support the failing Greek economy through the capitalization of select banks with progressive policies, and this political currency could give him the leverage to do it. Did someone want to stop Christos from saving his home country?
A flash of bulbs and a cluster of microphones around a redhead caught her attention. Helena dodged through the crowds, hurrying into a nearby car. The limelight was probably too much to bear, given her reserved nature.
Rif sighed. “She looks like a scared rabbit escaping a pack of wolves.”
“She has a strong core. I’ve seen the way she handles Papa.”
Remaining on Santorini wasn’t an option; Thea had only stayed overnight in case information came to light about her father’s abduction, but the kidnappers hadn’t left a trace. “We need to head for Athens. There’s a back door we can use to escape the hordes.”