The Kapani Vlali Market…
Aimee had never seen so many people or so much merchandise for sale in such a small space. The Kapani Vlali Market was a local flea market, situated right in the heart of the city. A large number of small booths sold food items, fresh seafood, fruit and vegetables, and even freshly cut flowers. Other booths sold trinkets and religious items, while yet others specialized in textiles, clothing and shoes.
“It’s pretty amazing, huh?” Kassi led Aimee further into the melee.
“There’s so much to see.” Aimee had her camera ready, snapping photos from her chest using the monitoring screen. It burned through the battery life faster, but allowed her to experience the sights and sounds of the market while capturing them on film—without drawing undo notice to herself in the process. “The email said they would meet me at the corner of Aristotelous street.”
“That’s back this way.” Kassi turned to their bodyguard. “We’re just going to wander down this street and find the person Aimee’s supposed to meet. We’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”
The burly man shook his head. “That is not acceptable, and you know this. I will accompany you.”
“How is it going to look if Aimee arrives with a big bodyguard following her around? Just give us a little space, okay?”
The bodyguard’s expression indicated he was not inclined to agree to her request. “I will have to clear this with Piotr.”
At the mention of the head of security’s name, Kassi threw her hands up and flounced off, leaving Aimee to make her apologies. “She’s just a little irritable today.”
The man nodded, his expression indicating he’d not understood most of what she’d just said. She turned and followed Kassi. “Hey, wait up!” The bodyguard followed slowly behind, his ear to his phone as he sought permission to give the two women more freedom.
Kassi stopped a few booths down. “Did you hear that? Now he’s calling Piotr who will more than likely come down here and take over. We’re grown women. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Aimee gave her a funny look. “Well, I don’t either, but it seems that we have one anyway. Let’s just forget he’s there and enjoy ourselves. If Piotr shows up, he can twiddle his thumbs alongside the guard.” She glanced at her watch and then grimaced. “I’m supposed to meet this person in twenty minutes. I don’t want to be late.”
“We’ll make it in plenty of time.” Kassi pulled Aimee into a small shop that specialized in jewelry. She held up a blue beaded necklace. “This would look amazing on you. It actually makes your eyes look more blue than grey.”
Aimee examined the bead work. “This is very beautiful.”
“I’m buying it for you.” Kassi had a rapid-fire conversation with the shop owner. A few minutes later, money exchanged hands and Kassi slipped the necklace over Aimee’s neck. “I was right, it’s perfect on you.”
Aimee fingered the necklace. “I can pay for this.”
“Don’t be silly. Consider it a gift of friendship.” Kassi peeked around the edge of the booth to see if their guard dog was still on his phone. “Quickly, follow me.” Kassi grabbed Aimee’s hand and pulled her out the opposite side of the booth, hurrying her down a side street.
“Wait! Kassi, where are we going?” Aimee pulled them both to a stop.
“There’s a shortcut through here. Besides, our watchdog is so busy getting instructions from the mighty Piotr, he doesn’t even know we’ve gone. He’s now going to spend the next hour looking for us,” Kassi told her triumphantly.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea or not. You heard what Alexi said this morning. There are people out there trying to kill you all.”
Kassi waved away her concerns, pulling Aimee down a narrow alleyway. “It will be fine, you’ll see. We’ll show them we can handle ourselves—and maybe then they won’t keep us in the dark!”
Aimee opened her mouth to comment, but suddenly three large, black leather clad men were bearing down on them. “Um…we should go now.” She jerked her head towards the approaching men.
Kassi backed towards Aimee. “Okay, maybe I acted a little hasty. Those guys don’t look very friendly. Let’s go find our guard. In fact, I think we should run.”
Both women turned to do just that, only to find themselves caught in the grasp of two additional men. The one holding Kassi spoke roughly to her, but Aimee couldn’t make out any of the words.
“Let me go, you big goon!” Aimee kicked her feet against her captor’s legs.
The man holding Kassi had her mouth covered with his hand, which he promptly pulled away with a shouted curse, revealing the imprint of her teeth on the side of his hand. The look in the man’s eyes was deadly.
Aimee shuddered. “Kassi, what do they want?”
Kassi struggled as the men dragged them towards a nearby door. “I don’t know, but we need to scream for help.”
As Aimee opened her mouth to do just that, one of the men pulled a black revolver from beneath his jacket. He pointed it at Kassi’s head. “I would not do that if I were you.”
Aimee gasped. “You speak English?”
The man gave her a dismissive look, signaling one of his men to unlock a heavy steel door. As the women were bundled inside, he followed, keeping his gun on them. “I speak eight languages and their various dialects, but we are not here to talk about me. We are here to talk about Leo Moustakas.” He used the gun to indicate two chairs at the other end of the warehouse. “Tie them up and then start the video feed.”
Aimee and Kassi were dragged to the center of a very bare space, forced into chairs and then tied in such a way they couldn’t move either their arms or their legs.
Terrified, Aimee had long since stopped fighting, but Kassi continued to belittle the men with her words, drawing evil glares from several of them.
“Kassi, you should be quiet. Don’t anger them any more than they already are, please?” Aimee looked around the room, searching for anything that might give her hope. “How are we going to get out of this? We should have stayed with the bodyguard.”
“It’s a little too late for that now, don’t you think?” Kassi snarled. “Besides, these guys must want something.”
A video camera was hooked up to a computer situated ten feet away from where they were tied up. The lights were dimmed, and then all of the men left the room.
“Hey! You can’t just leave us here!” Kassi yelled after them.
The man Aimee assumed must be the leader simply laughed as he slammed the door shut on them. Aimee felt like crying, but Kassi was strangely quiet for several minutes.
“Kassi?”
“We’re in trouble, Aimee. I mean, big trouble.”
“I kind of figured that out when I saw their guns. What do they want?” Aimee asked shakily.
“Leo.” Kassi turned her head. “I heard one of those goons call the leader Drossos.”
“The man after everyone?” Aimee asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Look, I didn’t tell you what I saw in that email written to Leo. It was horrible. Whoever wrote it seems to think they caused Alexi’s accident. It didn’t sound like…”
“Hey, they could be listening to us.” Aimee cautioned her with a look. “Be careful what you say.” She hoped Kassi remembered the plan Alexi and Leo had explained to everyone a few hours earlier.
Kassi shut her mouth and then nodded once, Aimee’s meaning clear. “If they were responsible for killing Alexi, what do you think they mean to do with us?”
“I don’t know, but something tells me we won’t have to wait long to find out. Damn it! I was hoping to make my first commission as a photographer today.”
Kassi blew out a breath. “Someone will find us. I bet the guard is already looking for us. When he doesn’t find us amongst the stalls in the marketplace, he’ll know something has happened. Leo will come for us. I’m sure of it.”
And Alexi. Alexi will come, won’t he? Aimee swallowed, feeling a new kind of fear. What if I never see him again? He was so mad earlier. What if these men kill us and he never knows how I really feel about him? The thought left her feeling empty. I should have apologized this morning. I shouldn’t have been so scared of losing my freedom.
*****
The Moustakas Estate…
Alexi strode into the suite of rooms Leo shared with his wife. “Leo, you had better come see this.”
Leo exited the bedroom, shushing his brother as he pulled the door gently shut. “What is it? Gemma just got to sleep.”
Alexi gave him a grim look and handed him his phone. The screen showed the video he’d received just moments earlier. Leo glanced at it and cursed loudly.
The video showed Kassi and Aimee tied up in what looked like an abandoned warehouse. They looked terrified. Alexi wanted to kill the person behind this act of cowardice. It was one thing to come after him or his brother, but another thing entirely to target the women of the family. What if Damien had been with them? What then?
“Have you shown this to Piotr?” Leo asked.
Alexi nodded grimly. “He’s on his way over here. Kassi was angry with the guard he assigned to go with them and gave the man the slip.”
“How long ago was that?” Leo paced across the floor.
“An hour at most. He was only minutes behind them, and then they just vanished. Aimee was supposed to meet the person she was going to photograph twenty minutes ago and never showed up. The guard went there, hoping to catch up to Kassi and Aimee.”
Piotr strode into the rooms, followed closely by two of his other men. “What do we know?”
“Only that whoever kidnapped them didn’t have time to take them very far.”
“That means they’re probably still close to the market. There are a lot of abandoned buildings down there. Today is Wednesday so the market closes in forty-five minutes. I suggest my men and I go in and start combing the area where they were last seen.”
“What about the demand letter?” Alexi asked, opening a new screen so that Leo could read it.
I guess by now you’ve watched the video and are just itching to get your hands on my throat. Well, here’s your chance. No police. Just you and me.
I was thinking we could meet like civilized men this time around. I find I’m getting tired of only being words on a page. In two hours I will email you an address. Be ready to come there alone, or the lovely women on the video will pay the ultimate price.
Think I’m fooling around? Remember how it felt to watch your brother’s casket lowered into the ground. I did that and if you don’t give me what I want, his won’t be the last. You thought you could beat me at my own game, but I’m years ahead of you.
Don’t be late.
“Two hours?” Leo asked in dismay. “We have to find them before then. Piotr, how many men can you get down there?”
“More isn’t necessarily a good thing in this situation. Drossos isn’t dumb. He’s going to be watching to ensure you follow his instructions. Let my men do their job for the next hour and then if we haven’t found any clues, we can change course,” Piotr suggested.
Alexi and Leo looked at one another and then nodded. “One hour.” It wasn’t much time, but they had faith in Piotr. Alexi knew the man had a personal stake in this game. He and Kassi had been circling one another for months now, and lately it seemed that circle had been getting smaller and smaller. Alexi knew there was history between Piotr and Kassi, and given the man’s current expression, he was confident that Piotr would put everything he had into finding the two women if only to prove to Kassi that she needed him.
As for Alexi, he needed a chance to do the same with Aimee. His anger had been unfounded. He needed a chance to tell her that. A chance to let her know that he didn’t want to push her away, but hold her close. He was ready to admit his feelings for her and even try to do things differently, if that was what she needed from him.
He clenched his fists, unable to rid his mind of the mental image of Aimee trapped in the warehouse. But you have to save her first.