The Freedom Broker (Thea Paris #1)(27)

As he thought of his abduction and the long months he’d spent in captivity, his hands closed into tight fists, but he forced himself to release the deep-rooted anger. Emotions facilitated nothing. He needed to use his mind.

The beauty of his surroundings helped him regain his equilibrium. Seawater splashed in a nearby waterfall, tropical fish torpedoing around the basin. Early-morning sunshine cast fractured shadows of the acacia trees onto the grasslands, reminding him of the real Africa, his home.

The monkeys in their nearby habitat squawked at him, their intelligent gazes assessing the likelihood of his carrying treats. He tossed a handful of his peanuts into their cage. A mid-size monkey grabbed the nuts and divvied them up among the smaller creatures. Seconds later, the alpha of the group descended, pounded his chest, cawed a loud call, and pounced on the food. The other monkeys dropped their peanuts and scurried off.

Like monkeys, humans had their hierarchy. Christos had been the greedy, overbearing alpha for years, scaring everyone else off so he could plunder the spoils. But that was about to end. Thea needed to see their father in his true light—she had to be made to understand it was Papa’s greed that had destroyed Nikos’s life.

First he had to find Christos before his sister did. His most trusted men were scouring Santorini and Greece, and they’d discovered the identity of the pilot who’d flown the helicopter that had whisked Christos off the yacht.

Kidnapping a man of Christos’s stature was no easy feat, and the brutality of the abduction, including the execution of the crew, demonstrated the commitment involved. Immersed in the kidnapping world himself, Nikos knew most of the major players. He just had to figure out who had taken Christos and why.

The image of his proud father in a cage like the monkeys, covered in his own filth—a far cry from his usual platinum-spoon lifestyle—almost made Nikos smile, even as his anger threatened to resurface. He wouldn’t tolerate someone interfering with his plans for his father. Just as in a well-crafted chess strategy, it had taken a Herculean effort to get the pieces into place, and the timing was crucial.

The scent of jasmine wafted into his airspace, and suddenly Xi-Ping was standing a few feet away. She was a woman whose strength he respected. She’d turned to arms dealing as a way to separate herself from her domineering brother and had become incredibly successful at it.

The supplier wore dark jeans, and a white blouse hid the intricate tattoos adorning her arms and back. Her striking features were devoid of makeup—she didn’t need any. Lustrous black hair fell halfway down her back. Beautiful yet deadly. That was his partner. Or was she? Could she be behind Christos’s abduction?

“Should I call you Ares or Nikos?” A smirk played on her full lips.

“No time for games. We have business to complete.”

“Your pilot asked me to give you this delivery.” She passed him a black resin container slightly larger than a hatbox. “Something I should know about?”

“Family business.” Just not his family.

“Speaking of which, I read the papers this morning. Why accelerate the plan?”

He studied her carefully, looking for evidence of complicity in his father’s abduction. His original strategy had involved Christos arriving in Zimbabwe for the negotiations first. Was Xi-Ping behind a preemptive snatch? Her brother? The two of them were representing the Chinese in the negotiations, so they certainly had motive to kidnap Christos. Still, he didn’t think she would double-cross him. He’d been her top customer for the black-market arms she sold, and he’d helped design a plan that would eliminate her biggest rival—her brother. He couldn’t fault her for wanting to vaporize Chi; the misogynist bastard spoke to her as he might a personal slave. Nikos would never treat Thea in such a demeaning way.

“Everything’s under control.” He would never admit otherwise to her. Besides, after facing down Uzis and AK-47s as a child, not much fazed him. His father’s kidnapping was just another minor obstacle. And once he understood who’d orchestrated it, maybe he could work it to his advantage.

“Your sister could still be a problem.” Xi-Ping’s lips tightened.

“Thea?”

“My men roughed her up in Santorini. I wanted her temporarily out of commission so she wouldn’t be nosing into the kidnapping, interfering with our plans.”

Thea’s bruises. Her close brush with death. How dare She-Wolf hurt his sister? “Don’t ever lay a hand on Thea again.” He stared at the delicate hyoid bone in Xi-Ping’s alabaster throat, wondering how much pressure would be needed to snap it.

She shrugged, as if the attack was a casual misstep.

“Let me be perfectly clear. Thea is off limits to—” His cell chirped. He raised a hand to Xi-Ping, putting their conversation on hold. “Yes?” he said into the phone.

A raspy voice echoed on the other end. “It’s Konstantin from the hangar. Everything is ready.”

“Good work. Continue as planned.”

“Of course. Thank you for your generous gift.”

“There’s more to come.” Nikos pressed the end button.

Xi-Ping gave him a questioning look.

“We’re on target.”

“Can we meet later at my hotel?” She arched a seductive eyebrow.

“We’ll have time for that later.” Or not. “I need to head to Kanzi as soon as possible.”