The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (15 page)

“We’re here, Sir,” the driver said. “The private airport terminal. Shall I park over there?”

“No, stop here,” Atreus said.

Without a moment to spare he chucked a wad of bills at the driver and sprinted over to the terminal.

His phone rang in his pocket and he picked it up, breathless.

“Yes?”

“Go around the corner and to the right,” Brian said on the other end of the line. “Your plane is waiting there.”

Atreus did as Brian instructed, hoping against hope that Dios would soon be safe in his arms. When he turned the corner he caught sight of Brian at the foot of the plane’s fold out steps. He was holding Dios, the two of them flooded with the orange light of the terminal.

Atreus began to run.
 

“Dios! Dios!” Atreus said. “My boy!”

“Papa!” Dios cried, reaching out to him.

“Shut up!” Brian snapped, smacking the child’s outstretched hand and causing him to whimper.

“You son of a
bitch
!” Atreus said hotly. “Don’t you dare harm my son!”

Brian smirked.

“Where’s the ring?”

Atreus reached into his pocket for the ring, the ring that had meant so much for his and Carla’s relationship. He could only hope that she would forgive him once this was all over. He held it out to Brian.

“I don’t think so.
Toss it
,” Brian ordered.

Atreus complied.

“Bloody hell!” Brian exclaimed, genuinely angered by the obvious value of the mammoth stone. “I could sell this ring and buy a villa in fucking St. Tropez.”

“Give me my son.”

“You can have him,” said Brian. “But first I need your word that you will never get in touch with Carla again.”

Atreus’ heart was in his throat. He could never keep that promise.

 
“Otherwise,” Brian continued, his voice as cold as ice as he turned his gaze to Dios, “you won’t get him back next time.
 
At least, not in one piece.”

“I understand,” were the only words Atreus could muster.

He could barely contain his rage but he knew he would only endanger his son further if he attacked Brian.

“Now get on this plane back to Greece. And don’t try anything foolish. I have eyes and ears
everywhere
,” Brian explained. He held the ring up to the light. “And this will buy plenty more.”

He laughed but the hate and fury remained plastered on his face.

“Now take your son before I drop the little shit.”

Brian held Dios by the wrist and let him swing, wailing, his face screwed up in pain. Then he dropped him to the ground and quickly stepped away. Atreus ran for him and scooped him up in his arms.

“Papa’s got you now,” Atreus whispered as he kissed Dios all over his face. “I’m so, so sorry.”

*****

Carla pushed the buzzer, the tip of her finger turning white from the pressure. Standing there brought back so many memories of when she had been stupid enough to love Brian.

“Come up, darling. I’m waiting,” a sultry female voice came over the speaker.

The buzzer sounded and Carla hauled open the door and leaped up the stairs in twos. She pummeled Brian’s door with her fist. It was opened instantly by Sarah, scantily clad in red lace underwear that left little to the imagination.

“Sarah!” Carla exclaimed, shocked.

Sarah scrambled for a coat from the pegs next to her and quickly swung it about her body.

“Carla, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Where’s Brian?” Carla asked, ignoring Sarah’s question.

“I... I don’t know,” she said. “I thought it was him at the door.”

“Then how did you get in?”

“He gave me a key.”

Carla snorted and pushed her way into the apartment.

“Brian?” she hollered. “I know you’re in here!”

“Are you crazy?” Sarah said. “You can’t just barge in. I told you he’s not here.”
 

Ignoring her yet again, Carla headed straight to Brian’s bedroom.

“I know he’s got something to do with this.”

“With what?” Sarah asked, frantically trailing after her. “Get out of here!”

Carla searched through the clutter on the desk, looking for a plane ticket or a note or anything at all that would give her some clue as to his involvement in Dios’ disappearance.

“Listen, Carla, Brian’s
mine
now,” Sarah said. “You have to get over him and leave.
Now.
”

“You think I want that scumbag back?” Carla laughed, disgusted. “You must be out of your damn mind. He’s a criminal.”

“
You’re
the criminal here!” Sarah shouted, her voice tight. “If you don’t leave I’ll call the police!”

“Go ahead and ring them if you want,” Carla said as she continued her search. “I have a lot to tell them anyway.”

After a fruitless inspection of the desk’s surface, she began pulling its drawers out one at a time and turning them over onto the floor. Within minutes the clutter that was strewn so thickly that the carpet could barely peep through.

“That’s
it
!” Sarah said as she turned and stormed out of the room. As she stomped down the hall she called over her shoulder, “I guess you
really
want to go to jail!”

Glad to finally be alone, Carla carried on to Brian’s night table, his dresser, his closet. And, finally, after a disgusting search through dirty underwear, condom wrappers and fast-food containers filled with rotting leftovers, she got her hands on what she had been looking for.
Evidence
.

There, under a pile of damp, molded towels, were scrunched up balls of paper with drafts of a letter written on them; the
exact
letter Atreus had shown her at the hotel. She flattened them all out with her palm, feeling nausea twist and surge in her stomach. She folded them as small as she could and tucked them into her purse.

She emerged from Brian’s room to find Sarah waiting for her at the front door, now fully dressed and tapping her foot on the floor.
 

“I found what I was looking for,” Carla said, smiling sarcastically.

“You’ve got some cheek.
 
You know that?” Sarah spat, anger and tears colliding in her voice. “You think you can just come back here and accuse Brian of terrible things, like you’re the queen of the world or something? Well, guess what, you’re
not
. And I don’t care how much you regret losing him. Brian wants
me
now, not you!”

“I wouldn’t wish him on my worst enemy, sweetie,” Carla said. “But you can have him if you really want. I can’t stop you.”

“That’s right, you can’t,” said Sarah. “You can’t stop true love.”

Carla’s chest lurched as she thought of Atreus and she hoped, for the first time, that Sarah was right.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Sarah opened it to reveal two police officers, one graying and heavyset, the other lithe, tall and blond.

“That’s her,” Sarah said right away.

“Thank God you’re here,” Carla said. “I’ve got to report a kidnapping and I have evidence right here.”

She reached into her bag.

“Stop right there!” the tall police officer barked. “Don’t move!”

Carla laughed a little with the ridiculousness of it all.

“What…why?”

“We’ve been called on a report of harassment and criminal damage,” the graying policeman said.

“That’s right,” said Sarah. “She was going crazy, tearing up the place.”

“Only to look for evidence of the kidnapping!” she exclaimed. “You see, my fiancé and I were staying in a hotel and his child has been taken and I am sure the owner of this house has something to do with it.”

“She’s a delusional ex,” Sarah explained, “who feels rejected because her man’s moved on to…
better things
.”

“No!” Carla retorted. “Well,
yes
, Brian and I used to go out but that was a long time ago. He is still jealous and he even came to Greece to—”

“That’s quite enough stories out of you, young lady,” the graying policeman said. “Go ahead, Gary.”

“Put your bag down, miss,” the tall policeman said to Carla.

“I’m telling the truth!” Carla persisted.

“Put your bag down!” the policeman repeated, his voice louder and more firm.

Is this really happening?
Carla thought.

She did as she was told.

“I am arresting you on suspicion of harassment, disturbing the peace and, if it proves to be true, criminal damage,” the policeman said as he slapped cuffs on her. “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not...”

He continued but Carla had already tuned out. Dios and Atreus were all she could think of as he droned on, as she was led away and as she watched the lights of late night London zip by in the back of the police car on the way to the station.

Her phone sprang into life halfway through the journey, filling the otherwise somber police car with its cheerful melody.

“Please, can I answer it?” she asked. “It could be something to do with the kidnapping.”

“No,” both the policemen said simultaneously.

The tall officer was driving and the graying officer reached down to his footwell to pick up her bag and retrieve the phone.

“That ring tone is doing my bloody head in,” he said.

She leaned forward to see who it was.

Atreus
.

*****

Chapter 3

“Your call has reached the voicemail service of—”

Atreus hung up the phone and sighed deeply. He looked down at Dios playing happily on the plane’s carpeted floor, totally oblivious to the danger he had been in and could still be in, and longed for the innocence of youth.

As it was, his heart ached to speak to Carla. He could not blame her for rejecting his call after the terrible things he had said and done. But he had hoped that she would have seen right through him, knowing that it was all a ruse to get Dios back.

Apparently he had not been all that easy to read. He could only pray that she would understand and forgive him when he finally got the chance to explain. He vowed he would see her soon and had no intention of keeping his promise to Brian. Atreus had already made up his mind that he would have Brian arrested just as soon as he knew Carla, Dios, and Onella were safe.

The navigator knocked and came through the doorway.

“We’re refueled, Mr. Kostas. Would you like us to begin the flight?”
 

“One moment, please,” Atreus said. “I must make another call.”
 

He rang Onella’s cell phone as the navigator returned to the cockpit.

“Atreus,” Onella said, relief in her voice. “Where’s are you? Where’s Dios? And what is this nonsense I hear about Serene?”

“Everything’s okay, he’s with me,” Atreus confirmed hurriedly. “I have him right here.”

“δόξα τον κύριο,” Onella breathed, thanking the Lord.

“Yes,” Atreus agreed. “But there’s nothing about Serene. It’s a long story but Serene has nothing to do with any of it. We’ll talk more about everything later, but we need to work quickly on this. Brian left the airport only a few minutes ago and I think he’s on his way to you. There’s no telling what he might do. I’m going to arrange a private flight for Carla from Luton airport back home to Gree—”

“But Carla’s not here, Atreus!” Onella interrupted.

“What?” Atreus asked. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Onella admitted. “She ran off when room service came and she won’t answer any of my calls.”

“Oh, hell,” Atreus fumed before gaining control of his emotions. “All right, wait for her there. Ring down to reception and tell them not to allow anyone upstairs to you. Not guests, not staff. No room service, no maids.
Nothing
. Just so Brian doesn’t do anything stupid, I will fly Dios home where we will be safe and then decide what to do next. If we have not found Carla by then, I will fly back and turn this city upside down until I find her.”

“Okay, Atreus.
 
I’m sorry I let her slip away. You had trusted me to protect her.”

“It’s alright, Onella. We’ll get her back. Now try to get some sleep. Dios is safe and your door is locked, right?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Answer it for no one. Call me immediately if you hear anything. And please let the girls know Dios is safe.”

“I will,” said Onella. “Good luck, little brother.”

“Thank you,” Atreus said, then hung up the phone. “I’m good to go now, Dimitris!”

*****

“You have one phone call,” the tall policeman said, tapping the bulky phone attached to the wall. “Use it wisely.”

“Maybe you should ring the kidnappers,” the graying officer said with a smirk.

“That’s not funny,” Carla said, her voice cracking. She felt tired and hungry and emotional and knew that her period was due. What a place to have to deal with
that
. It took all her strength not to burst into tears. “My family could be in serious danger.
My son
…”