Alex Ryder - Dark Avenger

Again he regarded her in thoughtful silence then he shrugged. ‘Very well. I’ll let you talk to him briefly. If that’s the only way to make you come to terms with the reality of your situation then so be it.’ He signalled to the waiter.

They both sat in tense silence until the waiter returned with a phone and a long extension cord which he plugged into a socket on the nearest wall.

Lifting the handset from the cradle, Nikos pushed the numbers, waited a moment then said quietly, ‘Andros? Fetch the Stevens boy. His sister wants to talk to him.’

He passed the handset across the table and she snatched at it eagerly. The instrument crackled in her ear for a few moments then she heard the breathless voice of her brother. ‘Sis? Is that you?’

‘Yes, Jimmy.’ She paused, afraid to trust her voice, then she took a deep breath. ‘Jimmy…are you all right?’

He sounded angry. ‘Sure. I’m fine. But what about you? Is Helen’s brother with you?’

She closed her eyes in relief that up to now he was unharmed.

‘Sis? You still there?’

‘Yes, Jimmy. And yes—her brother is here.’

‘Listen, you tell him from me that if he lays one finger on you I’ll…I’ll—’

She cut him short. ‘Don’t worry about me. I can look after myself.’ She hoped her voice sounded convincing enough.

There was an awkward pause then he said quietly, ‘Look…I was going to tell you about Helen. You’ve got to believe that, Sis. As soon as I found out about her condition I was coming back to the Miranda to tell you but these goons just bundled me into the back of a car.’

Her heart felt heavy as lead. ‘Then it’s true about you and her? She’s really going to have your child?’

‘Yes, it’s true. I’m going to be a father.’ There was another embarrassed silence then he tried to make light of it. ‘I guess it isn’t the time to be passing around the cigars, though. Now let me talk to that brother of hers.’

A steel band seemed to be tightening around her chest and she handed the phone back to Nikos. ‘He…he wants to talk to you.’

Nikos held the phone for a moment between finger and thumb then he dropped it carelessly back into the cradle, cutting the connection.

‘You might at least have listened to what he was going to say,’ she flared.

‘Listen to excuses…pleas for mercy? It’s too late for that now.’ He signalled to the waiter, who came over and removed the phone.

She held her tongue as Stavros, the hotel owner, came over and grinned at Nikos. ‘The accommodation you asked for is ready and the clothes you ordered have arrived.’

Nikos gave a satisfied nod. ‘Good. And the other matter?’

‘It is being attended to. The men say it will take a few hours. It will be ready in time and you will have no cause for complaint. They are the best on the island.’

Most of the conversation had been above her head but one item had caught her attention by the throat. He’d ordered ‘accommodation’!

As soon as Stavros was out of earshot she hissed across the table, ‘I’m not staying here. I’m going back to the boat.’

‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible,’ he drawled. ‘But you needn’t worry. The rooms are separate.’

‘With a connecting door, I’ve no doubt,’ she ventured bitterly.

‘No.’ His teeth flashed again in that predatory smile. ‘I dare say that you’re now impatient to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible but tonight wouldn’t be a good time to start. You’ve had a very trying day and you’re tired. I’d rather wait until you’re fully recovered from the shock. After all, I want you to enjoy the experience as much as I know I shall.’

BY MID-MORNING they were halfway to their next port of call and Nikos studied the chart then glanced at his watch. ‘We should be there in a couple of hours. What’s the cargo this time?’

‘Won’t know till I get there,’ she answered coolly. ‘Perhaps vegetables to take to the nearest market.’ She swept her blonde hair off her face. ‘Anyway we’re calling somewhere else first.’ She kept the wheel steady and stared fixedly over the blue silk sea. Well ahead of them a ‘flying dolphin’, one of the large hydrofoil ferry boats which served the larger islands, crossed their bows on its way to Samos.

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