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Gabriel
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Gabe rose slowly back to consciousness without giving any indication he was doing so. His head pounded. The coppery scent of blood filled his nostrils. He took a few moments to assess the situation.
He was sitting in a hard-backed chair. Duct tape wrapped around his chest and upper arms kept him upright. His wrists were secured to the back of the chair with zip ties. More duct tape wrapped around his thighs, effectively binding him to the seat. Additional zip ties fastened his ankles to the front legs. He kept his head down, using his peripheral vision. It looked like he was in Christos’s private study. As far as he could tell, he was alone, but voices spoke from nearby with urgency.
“What the hell were you thinking, Chris?” Gabe identified the voice as Virginia’s. “Just leaving like that, without telling anyone, without telling me. I had no idea if you were alive or dead.”
“That was the general idea. Were you really concerned for my safety, Virginia?”
“Yes, of course, I was,” she snapped.
“How touching.” The man sounded amused. “But unnecessary. I’m a careful man. I leave nothing to chance. You, of all people, should know that.”
“I do know that,” she agreed, “but this was different. Not even Gregory knew where you were.”
“No one did. I knew there was a traitor in our midst. I could trust no one.”
“A traitor?”
“Yes, a traitor. Don’t sound so shocked. Treachery and duplicity are as much a part of the Kristikos legacy as money and power.”
“Don’t say that. Your father is a terrible man, Chris. He does terrible things. You are nothing like him.”
“At one time, I might have agreed with you, but, as it turns out, I’m every bit as ruthless as he is. And you know what? It’s not so bad.” He laughed, the sound cultured and smooth but cruel.
“No, I won’t believe that,” Virginia said stubbornly.
“There’s something to be said for embracing what you are. It is liberating, and it has opened my eyes.”
“So, what you’re saying is, this vanishing act was a ploy to identify the so-called traitor among us?”
“Yes and no. Ferreting out the Judas was imperative, but even more important was finding a way out of this ridiculous deal my father made with the American government. He’s losing money hand over fist.”
“What deal?”
“VIP customer status in exchange for preferential treatment and protection while on US soil. It served its purpose, but now that I have decided to return to my native homeland, it is no longer necessary. However, reneging on such a deal isn’t good for business. It fosters mistrust.” He chuckled. “My father knows this. That’s why I must be the one to sever the agreement and make it look as if the US didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. With the amount of corruption at the high levels of your government, no one will think twice about who’s at fault.”
“That is so wrong, Chris, on so many levels.”
“It is what it is, my sweet, and time is of the essence. We need to tie off a few loose ends. Come.”
They walked into the room where Gabe was. Gabe heard Virginia’s gasp. It was her companion who spoke.
“Ah, good. You’re awake.”
Gabe raised his head and glared into the cold, dark eyes of Christos Kristikos. Beside him, Virginia looked shocked and pale, but unharmed. Her eyes grew huge when she saw Christos draw the weapon and point it in Gabe’s direction.
“Chris, no! This isn’t you! You don’t have to do this.”
“But I do. You know, I used to think my father was overly paranoid, his methods extreme. Now, however, I see the beauty in swift, decisive action.”
“Have you gone mad? He’s a SEAL, for God’s sake, and the other one? The one bleeding out in my office? He’s CIA. Do you want to cause an international incident and bring the entire US government down on you?”
Christos smiled coldly. “Why bring them to the doorstep when they’ve been living inside all along?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know who the traitor is, Virginia. It’s you.”
“What?” Virginia took a step back. “Have you gone mad?”
“You can drop the act. I know everything.”
Virginia continued to shake her head. “What do you think you know?”
“I didn’t want to believe it when Argyros told me. Not Virginia, I said. She’s incapable of such betrayal. She would never do this to me. Even when he showed me proof, I still resisted. But I know the truth now. Your sentimentality is going to be your downfall.”
Christos held up a large manila envelope. “Recognize this?”
She shook her head.
“You should. You handed it to me yourself.” His lips curled up into an evil grin. “How’s that for irony?”
He turned it over so the contents spilled onto the desk, some landing at Gabe’s feet. Glossy photographs. Pictures of a young couple on a tropical beach. The woman, blonde and beautiful. The man, dark-haired and handsome. Two little boys, also with dark hair. Everyone was smiling in the pictures. Happy.
“I’ll say it once again: you can drop the act now, Virginia—or should I say, Tenebris?”
Seconds ticked by in silence. Gabe’s heart pounded. Surely, he’d heard wrong. Virginia was Tenebris? No! She couldn’t be! He waited for her to laugh, or to protest, or say something to deny the outlandish claim. She did none of those things.
“That is you, isn’t it?” Christos pressed. “On the beach in Athens with your husband and sons?”
She said nothing, just stared at the pictures as if she were seeing a ghost as moments stretched out painfully.
“Where did you get those?” Virginia finally asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.
“That dinner meeting I had the night of my ‘disappearance’? He’s a longtime associate who has been helping me relocate some of my assets. Years ago, he worked for my father. Now, he works for me. He’s the one who sent me that package. Apparently, he saw a rare picture of us together at some function and thought you looked familiar. Well, at least I know now why you never wanted to be photographed. And here I thought you were just camera shy.”
Christos chuckled. “I admit, there’s some resemblance, but I still wasn’t convinced it was you until just now. It’s embarrassing, really. You had me fooled, and that’s not an easy thing to do. Your attention to detail is admirable, as is your dedication. To go through all that, to bide your time for ten years. Then again, my father does tend to inspire strong feelings in those he comes into contact with.”
“He ruined my life,” Virginia hissed.
“My father has ruined many lives, Virginia. It’s what he does.”
“Does he know? About me? Is that why he sent his goons?”
Christos exhaled and glanced toward the window. “No. They are here to assist me.”
“So what now?” Virginia asked tightly. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Relax, sweet. I’ve always liked you. You and I are a lot alike, really. We share a seething hatred for my father. We’re both clever. Driven. Willing to go to great lengths to get what we want. That’s why I’ve decided to offer you a proposition.”
“What proposition?”
“Return to Greece with me. Together, we’ll put the old man out of our misery and take control of his empire.”
“What about your associate?”
Christos shrugged. “He will not be an issue.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Easy?” Christos laughed. “No, not at all. But, like you, I’ve been planning and preparing for a long time. Thanks to the commander here, all of the pieces are finally in place. At this very moment, his rescue team is breaching the perimeter and soon, this house will be overrun. There will be an epic standoff, and everyone inside will die. Him first.”
Virginia moved in front of Gabe. “No. It doesn’t have to be like that.”
“I disagree. If there’s one thing you’ve taught me, Virginia, it’s that showing any mercy, leaving any survivors, will come back to bite me on the ass. Now, either you kill him, or I will.”
Virginia exhaled and extracted a weapon. She raised her hand and pointed it at Gabe. Her eyes held so much regret, so much pain. “I’m so sorry.”
Gabe held his breath, but refused to look away.
Then she turned and pointed the gun at Christos, who laughed.
“Please, don’t be ridiculous. I’m not the one you want. You’ve spent your entire adult life trying to get to my father, and I’m serving him up to you on a silver platter. Do you really expect me to believe that you’d actually—”
A shot rang out, stopping Christos from finishing what he was going to say. Gabe raised his eyes in time to see Christos collapse on the floor, a blossoming stain of red on his forehead. Then Virginia was next to him, cutting through the ties and the tape.
“Why did you—”
“Can you stand?” she cut off his question even as she was tugging him to his feet, wrapping one of his arms over her shoulders and grabbing him around the waist. He stumbled, nearly taking both of them down.
“That’s a no,” she said, shouldering him over toward one of the sofas and pushing him down. She quickly wiped down the gun and placed it in his hands. “You’ve probably got a concussion. Stay here. Backup’s on the way.”
“No. Stay.” It was an effort to get the words out. Her face kept going out of focus. He reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist.
“I can’t. I still have a few things to take care of.”
“Bullshit. Stay. Tenebris? Really?”
She looked at him then, her eyes softening. She cupped his face and kissed him. “Everything is going to be okay, Gabe. I promise.”
Then she quickly gathered the photos, tossed them into the flames of the fireplace, and was gone.