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Chapter 21

His head hurt. His body hurt. And the throbbing in the back of his eyes made him feel as if he would implode. He had been hovering somewhere between fantasy and reality. For how long, he had no idea. The desperate voice of Alexander finally broke through the haze.

"Daddy, daddy, wake up. My head hurts and Spencer is throwing up."

Nikolas tried to open his eyes. Everything was blurry.

"Daddy, mommy's gone."

He finally gathered the strength to face the situation. Despite his growing headache, he opened his eyes and was met with the desperate stare of his son.

"Mommy's not here, daddy. I don't know what happened to her."

Nikolas looked around the room. Spencer was a few feet away from him, leaning over a garbage can. He marveled at how a 2-year old was able to make it to the garbage. Alex seemed to read his mind.

"I gave it to him. He threw up a little on the floor but then he was pretty good about not missing."

Nikolas nodded, holding his head.

"Where's mommy?" Alex demanded.

"I don't know son, but I intend to find out."

He realized that Helena must have Gia. She must have paid off someone at the hotel to put some kind of odorless gas in the breakfast cart and give her access to the room. He looked at his watch. He knew that time was of the essence, and yet he would be unable to do anything until Mrs. Lansbury arrived to stay with the kids. Thankfully, she would be here any minute.

He got up and reached for his cellphone. "Alexis, it's Nikolas. I need you to fuel up the jet and fly to Athens immediately. Helena has taken Gia, and I need your help."

He thought about calling Taggert, but was afraid to. He had promised Gia's brother that he would watch over her. Now that Gia was at Helena's mercy, he could not bring himself to tell him he had failed.

He quickly gathered Spencer in his arms and started cleaning him up. The child whined and groaned that his stomach hurt. He dipped two washcloths from the bathroom in cold water and gave one to each of his sons, laying them side by side on one of the hotel beds.

"You two need to rest. If you rest, the headache will go away." He walked over to the television set and found cartoons, hoping this would entertain both boys for a while.

Then, he got to work. His laptop open, he began to look for Gia. After the conversation they had had the previous night, he was afraid that she might break the rules. She would need space, and would try to distance herself from him. That's why he had placed a small tracking device on the back of her watch. As long as Helena did not remove Gia's jewelry, he would know where to find her.

It took a few minutes to fill Mrs. Lansbury in on what was happening, but as soon as she knew, she took charge of the situation. Nikolas breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his sons would be well cared of as he dealt with the upcoming difficulties.

He asked her to handle a few things as he tracked Gia's signal. "Please, go down to the lobby and request another room. Doesn't matter what it is," he whispered to the older woman. "I don't think Gia is going to be in any condition to see the boys when I get her back here. She'll probably be drugged and traumatized."

"Also, you must keep the boys here at the hotel at all times. Ask for lunch, and possibly dinner, to be delivered from a nearby restaurant. They have a list in the lobby. You can ask for it when you get the other room. Check the food carefully and make sure it's safe. And if the boys start to show any signs of distress or side effects from this morning, call a doctor. Also, please call Dr. Alexandris and let him know that I will need his help."

Once Mrs. Lansbury had her instructions, Nikolas picked up his cellphone. He swallowed hard as the call was put through and began to ring on the other end. He was dreading this conversation.

"Nikolas, darling, what a pleasant surprise."

"Let's cut the formalities, grandmother, and get down to business. You can have your funds back, as soon as I have Gia."

"My dearest grandson, I'm afraid that is not possible. I need you to understand that I cannot be toyed with. You have mocked me and patronized me, and I don't appreciate that. Ms. Campbell will not be coming back to you."

He was filled with desperation, but he had to conceal it. Showing fear would not help Gia's situation. "Grandmother, Gia and I are no longer involved. My only interest is for my son. What would killing Gia accomplish?"

"Call it a warning, darling. Just keep in mind that if you cross me again, other people you love will meet with her same fate. So protect your dearest Emily, or she too will meet her end at my hands."

"Grandmother, this does not get you what you want. Let Gia go!"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Nikolas. Gia is already gone. Perhaps the sea will return some piece of her to her family. It's very sad, really. The Mediterranean is such a treacherous and vast place. I tried to reach for her, really, I did. But I'm afraid that she slipped beneath the waves and hasn't been seen since."

"What do you want, Grandmother?"

When his phone rang again, he was already out the door.

"Nikolas, it's Alexis. I am at the airport in line for takeoff. The weather is cooperating, so I will be in Athens in about 3 hours. What is going on?"

"Helena has Gia, and she is going to kill her. In fact, she told me Gia is already dead," he said.

"What makes you think she's still alive?"

"Gia and I kind of got into it last night. Her instinct when we have a confrontation has always been to run, so I was afraid she might try to take a walk, be alone for a while and Helena could snatch her. I placed a tracking device on her watch, and it's still working and showing me her location. She's still alive."

"Nikolas, Helena probably took the watch off. Just because you have a location does not mean you have Gia's location."

"I know my grandmother, Alexis. She tipped her hand when she told me Gia drowned accidentally. She's holding her somewhere in Piraeus, near the port. That means that she is going to drown her, but she's going to make it look like an accident. She'll leave her fully clothed and with her jewelry on, in case the body ever washes up. My guess is she will drug Gia instead of tie her, to help the accident scenario."

"So what now?"

"I don't know, exactly. I am on my way to Piraeus to find her. I don't have any backup, though, so this isn't going to be easy. Dr. Alexandris is already out there waiting for me. Hopefully, he will be able to help if Gia's condition merits it."

"Nikolas, I will be there as soon as I can. Please, please, promise me you'll be careful."

Gia had been trying to pry herself loose, but the handcuffs were securely fastened and her feet were tightly bound. She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. It was Helena, and she was not alone.

"Gia, dear, you'll be pleased to know that I have grown to respect you and your tenacity. That's why I will be merciful, dear. Your end will not be through a slit throat or a broken neck. It will be much more peaceful."

How she found the strength to answer despite the terror gripping her, she would never know. "Lady, dead is dead." She wanted to beg for her life, but she would not give Helena the satisfaction.

"Very well," she replied, motioning to the two guards who had accompanied her in. "Go ahead, give her the shot."

"Should we remove her jewelry, Madame?"

"No, of course not. This was a terrible accident, not an armed robbery."

She would have tried to resist, to move around to make it more difficult for the guards to inject her, but there was nowhere for her to go. There was no escape.

The last thing she saw was Helena's smiling face as her vision began to fade and her eyes closed for what she knew with certainly was the last time.