Jeffrey Siger - Assassins of Athens

'No, not unless I give you the signal.'

'What signal?'

'"Yianni, would you please excuse us."' Andreas smiled.

Kouros smiled and shook his head. 'Where was I? Oh, yeah, the asshole hasn't left his apartment since he got back from the Kolonaki Club. He ordered in some food, but all we've heard so far is humming, typing, and music. Seems like he's at peace with the world.'

'Why do I think this guy finding peace isn't a good thing?'

There was a knock and the door opened. 'It's Mrs Vardi.' Maggie let her pass and left.

Lila gave a quick nod to Yianni and went directly to Andreas' desk. She was in front of it before Andreas could stand. 'I must speak to you immediately.'

He looked at Yianni. 'Could you give us a minute?'

'No, he should stay.'

Andreas felt a sigh of relief. It was business, not personal.

She sat in a chair in front of the desk and let out a deep breath. 'I just came from the Kolonaki Club.'

Andreas' immediate instinct was to jump out of his chair and say 'You what?' but he didn't.

'I know that must upset you, but it was so easy for me to do. I'm a member and just casually asked the concierge if a friend was there yesterday as a guest of another member. I wanted to surprise you.'

'You did.' He kept his other thoughts to himself. Like didn't she consider the likelihood of the concierge mentioning their conversation to the other member?

'I was careful, I never asked who he was meeting, just read the members' names upside down off the guest list.'

'Members?' Yianni asked.

She turned to him. 'Yes, two. That way they share the visitor charge. It's not uncommon.' Obviously, she was nervous. Going into arcane, irrelevant details delayed the inevitable point of why she was here.

Lila turned back to face Andreas. She shut her eyes, took a breath, and said the members' names. Then she opened her eyes.

'Jesus Christ.'

'Fuck us. Sorry Mrs Vardi.'

'No need to apologize. I thought the same thing when I read the names.'

Andreas ran his hands through his hair. 'Linardos, okay, I get that. Hard to believe, but not totally unexpected.' He paused. 'But the other one… Wow! Who would have believed that the-'

'Maybe you misread the names? You were reading upside down.' Kouros sounded prayerful.

Lila gestured no. 'That's not a name you misread. And it was his name in bold, capital letters.'

Kouros was shaking his head. 'Then we really are fucked. Who's ever going to believe us? Who's ever going to prosecute? Maybe we should just take out Demosthenes and let the rest of them ramble off through their old age?'

Andreas dropped his elbows to his desk and his head into his hands. 'I must admit I never expected this.' He sat up and looked out the window, then over at Lila. 'Thanks. I don't want to think of the mess we'd be in if we didn't know who was behind this.'

She sat straight up in her chair. 'What does that mean? Are you going to let them get away with it?'

Andreas shook a finger at her, but in a friendly way. 'Don't start up with that again.'

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Andreas continued. 'I didn't say that and, besides, Zanni Kostopoulos isn't about to walk away from this.' He turned to Kouros. 'Keep doing what we're doing — building our case against Demosthenes. Let's see where it leads.'

He looked back at Lila. 'As for pressing formal charges against the Kolonaki Club kids, that will be decided by someone way above my pay grade.'

She stared at him, then winked.

'Everybody happy now?'

'Oh yeah, perfect. I'm going back to Demosthenes' neighborhood wearing a shirt saying, "Fuck the Revolution." My death will come quicker and less painfully that way. Bye, Mrs Vardi. Sorry, again, about the language.'

Andreas waited until he left. 'You do know what I'm about to say?'

'Something about not taking chances?'

'Not without at least telling me first. Every chance isn't worth the risk.' Though he knew hers at the club clearly was worth it.

Lila's bottom lip turned down into a pout. 'You're absolutely right.' She stood up, walked around his desk, put her lips to his ear, and whispered, 'Is there a lock on your door?'

This one was, too.

Dear Gertrude Louise,

A friend stopped by the club today looking for you.

Give a call when you have the chance. Kisses.

Now what? Demon was enjoying the quiet. He'd been working on his plans for the future, preparing for the launch of the new party, his new party. He didn't have time for hand-holding an old man. But he had to; this was the Old Man. He reached for the phone but paused before calling. Perhaps they were on to him? Should not risk calling from here, just in case.

The place he had in mind was about eight blocks southwest. He hadn't used that apartment in months. Only went there to get away from everyone. People stayed off that block unless they were desperate to get laid or high or lived there. His building had the obligatory white light above the door and smell of piss in the vestibule. He made a mental note to be out of there before dark.

His apartment was on the second floor — just a room, a table, a bed, two lamps, and two chairs. The water worked sometimes, the refrigerator rarely. He didn't consider it a home. He sat by the table and dialed from a new cell phone number, just in case.

'Hello.' It was the Old Man.

'I understand I had a caller.'

'Yes, an old friend of your family stopped by yesterday and asked for you by name.'

'By name?'

'Yes, and she knows you were our guest. I suspect that very soon each of us will be receiving a personal invitation of some sort.'

Probably to die, Demon thought. 'How did she get my name?'

'Don't know, but I assume from our mutual friend on Mykonos.'

Shit. Kostopoulos was onto him. 'What's her name? I think I should look her up.'

'Yes, that is a very good idea. Lila Vardi.'

He remembered the name, vaguely. 'Describe her.'

'Better yet, buy this week's Hello. There's a story on her and the museum where she works — with photographs.'

'How convenient.'

'Yes. Please do give her my best when you see her, which I assume will be soon.'

'Will today do?'

'The sooner the better.' He hung up.

Demon did not move from the chair. He heard shouting from the next room. A hooker and a client arguing over the price for some special pleasure the john had in mind. These are the people who will rally behind me, who will believe I share and understand their pain, that I can lead them to a better life. Let me get elected, and I promise I'll take care of them. I'll take care of all of Greece's garbage.

He went back to thinking about Lila Vardi. Ms Vardi is a threat. She's also the perfect vehicle for another sort of message to Kostopoulos: this is what happens to those you send against us.

No reason to use his regulars for this. They'd want too much, and learn too much. He'd give it to local scum from the neighborhood. No, make that a nearby neighborhood, one where he wasn't known. Who knows. If she's pretty enough they might even cut their price. 'What's he doing now?' It was late afternoon and Andreas had been waiting for Kouros' call. His last one didn't make Andreas happy. They'd followed Demosthenes to an apartment on one of Athens' worst streets and had no way of knowing what went on inside.

'Angelo, Christina, and I are with him. He bought a magazine at a newsstand on Sophocleos by the Athens Market and headed down Sophocleos toward Pireos.' One end of Sophocleos Street was known as Greece's Wall Street, but Demon was headed toward its other end, and a 24/7 market for virtually every other sort of vice or crime you might have in mind.

'He just bought two strung-out, junkie-looking guys a souvlaki. The three of them are arguing back and forth.'