“I just hope I haven’t placed everyone in further danger,” he frowned. “I was so foolish. So desperate to find out my true heritage, my true lineage I was willing to trust those men without ever asking for references or calling the government.”
“That’s another thing,” said Gaspar. “When the boys called the Greek government they claimed they were told that you’d gone mad and wandered off. No one had seen you in months. You said you called the Greek embassy.”
“I did! I swear to you all, I did. I spoke to a young man by the name of Yannos Nikolakis. I remember the name because it’s such a traditional Greek name. We have three men named Yannos on the island.”
“Our team will search that name and see if it’s an actual employee of the embassy. The boys will figure this out,” said Tailor.
“Boys? I’m not sure if you’ve notice but your boys are full-grown, extremely large men,” he smirked.
“We’ve noticed,” said Trak. “But they will always be our boys. Always.”
“I wish I’d had children. Although right now it seems a good idea that I did not. My poor wife. My poor sweet wife.”
“I’m so sorry you lost her, Nicolai. These men will pay for what they’ve done.” Gaspar listened intently to the voice of Code in his ear. “Nicolai? Do you know a man by the name of Petros Andriopoulos?”
“I know the name, not the man. He’s the new head of defense for Greece. We’ve not had great need for increased defense in our country, except to defend against our own protestors. He was appointed by the new government a year ago. He has quite a history from what I understand.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” frowned Nine. “Andriopoulos is a Greek-American who pushed the idea of privatizing the military and the police, setting up Marshall law in larger cities like New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, even New Orleans. He was not very popular, especially after he proposed weapons be positioned at our ocean boarders.”
“Weapons? Like old days of defense fortresses?” frowned Nicolai. The men all nodded. “I don’t understand. Isn’t technology such that you could fire a weapon, even of the worst variety, from anywhere in the world? From a ship, a plane, a satellite…”
“A mountain or cliff,” said Gaspar.
Nicolai’s face went white, his body swaying slightly as Tailor gripped his shoulders, holding him steady.
“Is that what he’s doing? Is he blasting a hole in our cliff to place weapons? Is he responsible for this?”
“I’m not sure,” said Gaspar. “We’re not sure but it seems a strange coincidence that he’s there, and what’s happening on your island feels connected in some way. Greece doesn’t exactly have the funds or abilities to create a nuclear weapon program but it wouldn’t matter if he was close enough to fire on other countries.”
“Good God,” whispered Nicolai. “From our island on a clear day you can see Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Cyprus, and definitely Italy and Sicily. Could he be that crazed? That mad?”
“We’ve seen worse,” frowned Trak. “If he thinks he can somehow control them, put fear in them and take whatever it is he wants, it’s possible. But he can’t be doing it alone. He has to have someone backing him.”
“The Prime Minister. I met with him after his election. He asked about the island and how many people were there. We spoke of my family’s history on the island and how important it was to me. He even said that he knew there was only one entry to the island, with the cliffs making it not accessible from the other side.”
“That’s pretty damning evidence,” said Gaspar. “Maybe we let the boys know to give the Prime Minister a call.”
“He’s very cold. Very stern looking,” said Nicolai. “I’m a man that likes to smile and laugh, enjoy life. Or I did. He never once showed any signs of happiness. Wait. That’s not quite true. He smiled when he met my wife.”
“Did they know one another before that meeting?” asked Nine.
“No, she’d never met him before. At least, not that I’m aware of. She seemed surprised that he was so interested in her thoughts. He held a dinner that night for many of the heads of the local islands. He insisted that she sit beside him. I thought it was a good thing. I guess I was wrong.”
“Maybe not,” said Nine. “Let’s take a walk, Nicolai.”
“A walk? Where are we walking to?” he asked. Gaspar smiled.
“It’s actually more of a short boat ride. How do you feel about animals?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“If this shit gets any more confusing, I quit,” said Luke.
“You can’t quit. It’s our company,” smirked Hex. “But I agree. It’s confusing. What does this asshole Andriopoulos want? Does he really think the world is going to let him stockpile weapons, load them into the sides of cliffs and not say anything?”
Cam seemed off in his own little world. Eric leaned over, tapping his forehead.
“Earth to Cam,” he smirked.
