Page 29 of Claimed Gem
Stephanie blanched at his words and he released her hand, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“I’m going to be fine,” he told Nicolai. “Now tell me what you’ve learned from the men you arrested.”
The police quickly introduced themselves and Detective Pataros started explaining, “It seems you and your brothers have garnered the attention of theEkdikités.”
At this news, the entire room grew strangely quiet, until Stephanie broke the silence. “What does that word mean?”
“TheEkdikitésare an organized crime syndicate that operates out of Cyprus and Macedonia. They also have ties to several other countries but it is rumored their headquarters is here – in Greece. In English, their name means ‘Avengers’ but they are nothing more than a group of thugs who have taken it upon themselves to profit from the country’s history,” Detective Pataros explained.
“Are they like the mob?” Stephanie guessed.
“In a way. But this group specializes in smuggling ancient artifacts out of the country and selling them to the highest bidder. They have been doing this for decades and it’s only recently that they have begun trafficking other items.”
“Such as?” Ries asked.
“Weapons. Illicit drugs. Even people,” Nicolai answered.
“The grandson of the syndicate’s founder is now in charge and his greed knows no bounds. Nicolai was telling me about your missing shipments and cargo and I believe they have been usingKafatos Shipping as their primary means of moving merchandise out of Greece. Their workers write it on the books as a legitimate shipment – but they load it with their own goods and take the cargo to destinations unknown.”
Ries and Nicolai shared a look. Ries asked, “How long have you known about this?”
Detective Pataros shook his head, “We haven’t. Until we started running backgrounds on the two men we captured, we didn’t know who we were dealing with. Does the name Angelo Kartsonakis mean anything to you?”
Nicolai nodded. “He’s number two on Interpol’s most wanted list. A terrorist no one seems to be able to catch.”
“That is correct. I’ve personally been after this criminal for the last ten years but he always seems to slip through my fingers. I’m hoping this time will be different.”
“Angelo is a part of the syndicate?” Stephanie asked, confused at the connection.
“No. Angelo is a freelancer – an assassin working for the highest bidder. The two men we arrested are connected to the syndicate.
“The grandson – Dmitrius Yttrios was born in Cyprus, but his mother was English and took him back to Britain when he was young. He had very limited association with his father until a few years ago. We believe he was brought back to Greece for the sole purpose of assuming the reins of the syndicate upon his father’s passing.”
“Stephanie heard someone talking to this Angelo, speaking English. Is it possible she was listening to this man – Dmitrius Yttrios?”
“Very likely, he’s known for believing himself invincible and would have no qualms about hiring an assassin in public. Did you get a good look at him, miss?” the detective asked.
Stephanie shook her head, “Not really, just the Greek guy. I could probably recognize his voice but I’m not sure of that either.”
“No worries,” Detective Pataros assured her.
“We’ve had another rash of museum and depository burglaries in the last few weeks. It is my belief that they are getting ready to move a large number of pieces out of the country. They would need a large ship to do so as several of the stolen pieces are statues weighing well over a thousand pounds each.”
“How does someone steal something like that?” Ries asked, incredulous.
“Carefully, and with inside help. We know that at least one of the museums had an employee who disabled the security system, giving the thieves well over nine hours to remove items without anyone being the wiser.”
“So, what do we do?” Nicolai asked.
“First, we need to ensure that your brother and his girlfriend are kept safe. The men we arrested confessed that Angelo has been hired by Dmitrius to kill Ries first, and then go after therest of you. He believes that by taking you all out, it will pave the way for him to step in and assume control of the company, thereby eliminating any further need for secrecy or caution when moving their merchandise.”
“They would be in control of the shipments and could hire their own people to do everything,” Nicolai added. “Clever but not something we can allow to succeed. Ries, you and Stephanie need to be careful.”
“What about you?” Ries asked.
“No one knows I am here and I’m returning home in a few minutes. I flew over here to check things out for myself. Damon is not happy nor does he know about my visit.”
“When is Damon ever happy with me?” Ries asked.