The Freedom Broker (Thea Paris #1)(61)

“If I can get you anything else, just let me know,” the flight attendant said, moving down the aisle.

“I have everything I need right here.” Max’s fingers eased in and out deeply while his thumb stroked her clitoris.

She arched her hips in response to his fingers. Her whole body ached for him. What was she doing? A top-level government operative screwing around on a commercial plane. If news of this ever got out, she’d be a laughingstock.

She searched for the strength to stop him, but a wave of pleasure drowned any lingering resistance. Oh, God, if he kept this up, she’d be frog-marched off the plane for screaming.

She was hovering on the crest of a climax; he pushed her over the edge. She stifled a moan as her body rode the waves of pleasure. He made her feel so good, and not just physically.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, a genuine smile on his face, but sadness lingered in his eyes. “You are special.”

Dammit to hell. She didn’t think she could stand it if he got all romantic on her. And had she technically broken her one-night rule if they hadn’t had actual intercourse?





Chapter Forty-Two



Thea had ditched Rif while he showered so she could restock her medications and supplies. The local pharmacy didn’t have her regular brand of insulin, but she’d make do. Time-zone changes, stress, and missed meals all wreaked havoc with her blood sugar levels, and stabilization was key to remaining healthy.

Back in her room, she studied the layout of the hotel. Knowing the ins and outs of the building boosted her confidence. Given the litany of recent attacks, she was determined to maintain her situational awareness.

She phoned Hakan.

He picked up on the first ring. “I spoke to Gabrielle Farrah. Disappointing news. The SEAL team recovered a banker who’d been kidnapped six months ago. No sign of your father.”

Of course finding Papa wouldn’t be that easy. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“The press is going crazy with hypotheses about who abducted Christos,” Hakan said.

“The media loves dirty laundry. I guess this situation is too tempting to resist.”

“I have a team looking into the plane crash. Watch your back. Someone didn’t want you making it to Kanzi.” His voice sounded depleted, tired. She was sure he’d been awake around the clock, working every angle with Freddy Winston and the team at Quantum.

“Rif’s piloting skills came in handy.”

“My son works well under pressure. So do you.”

“We’re missing something. The answer’s in my peripheral vision, but I can’t quite see it.” She was beyond frustrated.

“No ransom, cryptic messages, zero forensic evidence. The kidnapper’s a pro. Henri used a burner cell to set off the limo explosion, but so far nothing to trace back to whoever orchestrated Helena’s murder.”

“She knew the kidnapper’s identity but wouldn’t tell me on the phone.”

“And the Moleskine is gone. I have Paco working his connections in Colombia to analyze the FARC angle, but I agree with you—the real kidnapper had nothing to do with what happened on the supertanker. He’s playing an intricate game and doesn’t want to reveal himself yet. Could it be someone in our industry? It feels like they have the rulebook on kidnapping, making none of the typical mistakes.”

“And always several steps ahead. We need to catch up before we reach checkmate.”

“I’m worried about your safety. The attack in the alley, the plane crash . . . they keep coming for you. It makes me think they missed you on the yacht. The timing of your stair run might have saved your life,” Hakan said.

“I lost all my belongings in the plane crash, so if they planted a tracker, that’s out of the picture now. Rif and I are on full alert, so don’t worry.”

“I can’t help but worry. We keep striking out chasing leads. I have the team working every angle, including ISIS, Ares, the Russian mob, General Jemwa, Prime Minister Kimweri, the Chinese . . . the list goes on.”

“Don’t discredit an event from the distant past. The planning involved in such a complex operation would take the patience of Job. It’s also the twentieth anniversary of Nikos’s kidnapping, coming full circle now that Papa has been taken.”

“Speaking of which, have you heard from your brother?” Hakan had a soft spot for Nikos, maybe because he knew what had happened during his captivity.

“No. He wasn’t pleased he’d been left out of the loop. Someone stuck his old psychiatric notes in my bag, the full story. All my life, I’ve been fed lies. Why didn’t anyone tell me what he’d really endured?”

Silence echoed on the line for an endless moment. “Christos insisted. One child had been stripped of his innocence. Your father didn’t want you to lose your childhood as well.”

“What about when I grew up? Didn’t I deserve to know the truth about my own brother?”

“That wasn’t my decision to make.”

“Was Nikos told not to say anything?” Her heart ached for her brother—she couldn’t imagine living through such horrors, then having to hide it all.

“You’ll need to ask your father about all of this.”

And she would, but she needed to find him first. “Any leads on the latest text?”