Free Hostage to Love (Entangled Suspense) by Maya Blake

England?” His cousin’s voice held deep amusement.
    “One day, the tables will turn, and I’ll get to feed off the streaming comedy of your life.”
    “That’ll only happen if I decide to obsess over one woman and one woman only. Something which I don’t intend to happen in the foreseeable future.”
    “Never say never, my brother. Now did you call for a specific reason or just to rib me on my life’s choices?”
    “I wanted to say I’m sending over some of my security guys to Althea. They should be there in the next couple of hours.” Alex’s tone turned serious. “You need anything else, you let me know, and I’ll be there.”
    His chest tightened at the solid weight of his cousin’s promise, and he couldn’t speak for a moment. When he did, his voice came out gruff, “Thanks.”
    “You heard anything about the scumbag’s whereabouts yet?”
    Nick cleared his throat. “Not yet, but I intend to throw everything I have at it.”
    “We cut down a good chunk of his army. That should slow him down a bit.”
    “Hmm.” He felt a modicum of satisfaction for that. He’d be lying if he said he was sorry Mwana’s men had met a hellish end. As for the rebel leader, he’d instructed John Allen to find him, at all costs.
    No one got away with threatening what belonged to him.
    “Something else on your mind?”
    “The intel we gathered indicates the bastard targeted Belle—it wasn’t an opportunistic grab.”
    “You think he knew she was your wife?”
    Alex knew him well; a little too well at times.
    The Andreakos wealth meant he and his family were always targets for unscrupulous individuals. What sent alarming tingles down his spine was the piece of info Allen had revealed—the separate sleeping area, suspected to be Mwana’s—where they’d found several pictures of Belle.
    “Yes, I think Belle was the sole target, with the other captives taken as collateral.” His fists tightened. “Those men were highly trained. They meant business, Alex. She could’ve been killed.” Anger and residual terror at what could’ve happened coiled in his gut.
    “But she wasn’t. And we’ll find this guy and make him pay. Whatever it takes. For now, you have to reflect on the positives.”
    He sighed. “Yeah.”
    Belle was safe and back where she belonged. He could only be thankful he’d gotten to her—to all of them—in time.
    He ended the call and walked to the double French doors. The view from this room never ceased to work its magic on him. The sloping garden planted with plumbago and sweet-smelling jasmine led down stone steps to pristine white sands lapped by the sea. The blend of greens and blues made the outdoors almost an extension of the room.
    From here, he could hear the waves washing onto the shore. The gentle undulation of the sea soothed his chaotic thoughts, as it always did, and shucking off his shoes, he walked barefoot down across the terrace and onto the grass. He breathed in the cleansing air, but his tension didn’t ease.
    Belle was back in his life, but it seemed they were farther apart than ever.
    …
    Belle entered the kitchen a few minutes shy of seven, irresistibly drawn to the delicious aroma of moussaka . Rays from the setting sun slanted through the partly painted glass windows, throwing gorgeous colored patterns on the walls.
    She’d hardly touched the light snack she’d been served on the plane, but now her stomach reminded her of its lack of nourishment. It growled in anticipation and remembrance of Demetra’s specialty. As she entered the large, homey kitchen, she squashed the small voice in her mind that hinted she was trying to avoid Nick for as long as possible by staying away from the living room. But she didn’t deny the fact that she’d spent more time than necessary in the shower, reveling in the feel of being washed clean.
    Of course, being alone had also meant reliving the hellish events of the past few days. How had Charles Mwana reacted to the loss of his