Jeffrey Siger - Target - Tinos

“I guess I should take that as a warning of what life will be like after Sunday.”

“Yeah, someone always caring that you have a good time.”

“If you want me to have a really good time you’ll tell me that your bit about being able to set up a meeting with the Albanians was all part of an elaborate ruse to get me here and that there’s absolutely no truth to it.”

“Sorry, wish I could. But that part’s all real, though it did give me the idea for making sure you’d be surprised when the door opened.”

“Remind me of that tomorrow, when I’m sober. What about the two Albanians at the door? Nice touch.”

“Hey, not all Albanians are bad guys. They’re cops from the western suburbs. It was Yianni’s idea. He thought they would lend authenticity.”

Andreas felt a sharp slap on his back. “Andreas, Andreas.” It was Spiros, the minister of public order.

“ Yiasou, Spiros.”

“I am so glad to be here. After all we’ve been through together I feel as if we’re brothers.”

“Thank you, I’ve had similar thoughts at times,” said Andreas thinking of certain well-known biblical siblings.

“I’ve arranged a little surprise to commemorate the end of your bachelorhood. Enjoy.” Spiros winked at Tassos and walked away.

Andreas stared after him. “Why does the thought of a surprise from Spiros not make me happy?”

Tassos waved to Kouros to join them. “Forget about him. At least he didn’t ask you for a report on what’s happening with the Tinos murders.” He put his arm around Kouros. “Yianni, we pulled it off. Congratulations.”

Andreas stared at Kouros. “Bastard.”

“I love you too, Chief.”

Andreas smiled and hugged him.

The food, music, and drink had been running non-stop since they got there, all in a mix of modern and old Greek styles. Now the lights flickered, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room began to turn, and splashes of colored light darted about in pace with the music. Spotlights splashed about the room before abruptly fixing on three figures shrouded in black beneath the disco ball. Every eye was drawn to the objects caught in the lights. At that instant the music gained a sudden intensity and from beneath each cloak a bare white arm shot straight into the air followed a moment later by a second bare arm.

Andreas had a pretty good idea of what was coming and was certain it did not involve any dancers approved by Lila.

First one then another dancer dropped her cloak, followed by her dress and bra, while the deejay did his masterful job of pumping up the music and virtually every man in the room. It wasn’t that hard to do. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, big-busted young women, undoubtedly Eastern bloc, dancing naked down to their g-strings before two hundred drunken men generally did the trick every time.

One woman danced over to Andreas, teasing him to join her in the middle of the floor. He smiled, but refused. She tried pulling him onto the dance floor. He kept smiling, but refused again. His second refusal met with friendly shouts from around the room of “ pusti,” and other names questioning his manhood. Andreas laughed and smiled but did not budge. When the practically naked woman again tried pulling him onto the dance floor, Kouros smoothly lifted her off her feet and carried her back to beneath the disco ball, smiling all the time, amid a barrage of men yelling offers to take Andreas’ place. Everyone seemed to be having a terrific time.

Kouros walked back to where Andreas and Tassos were standing.

“Thanks, Yianni,” said Andreas. “I can’t believe this.”

“My guess is that this is our distinguished minister’s surprise,” said Tassos.

“What planet is he on?” said Andreas. “Doesn’t he realize these girls are part of the sex trafficking trade? The man is an idiot.”

“A complete idiot,” said Kouros.

Tassos shook his head. “No, my friends, I’m afraid he’s just a man. Look around you. The place is filled with cops. They know what’s going on. How many do you think even care? They’ll say ‘Hey, it’s not child porn, it’s dancers at a bachelor party. Chill out. What’s the harm?’”

What’s the harm? Oh yes, the unofficial mantra of Greece for all the corrupt practices that had brought his great country to its knees.

“Yeah, ‘what’s the harm?’”

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you had a good time last night.”

Andreas heard the words through the pillow pulled tightly over his head. “I don’t remember,” he mumbled into the pillow.

“You could have slept in our bedroom, or a guest room. You didn’t have to sleep on the sofa in the elevator foyer.”

“It was the only room I could find.”

Lila laughed. “Well, my love, it’s one in the afternoon. When exactly did you get in?”

“It was light out, that’s all I remember. And someone putting me into the elevator.”

“That was Tassos. Maggie called a few hours ago. She said he wasn’t in much better shape but at least he could walk. What I want to know is who drove?”

“A sober Albanian cop. Who now has lifetime job security. As long as he doesn’t talk.”

“About what?”

“I don’t remember. And that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

Lila laughed again. “That reminds me, Maggie said for you to call Tassos when you’re up. Something about a meeting with Albanians.”

Andreas pulled the pillow off his face. “Oh no, not that again. I was hoping it would pass, along with the spinning of the room.” He sat up and looked at his feet. “At least I took off my shoes.”

“Nope, Marietta did that. Come, darling, time for the shower.”

He lay back down on the sofa. “Not yet. Please not yet.”

Lila grabbed his hand and tugged. “Sorry, big boy. When you play you pay. Time to get up and get to work. Our country needs you.”

“In other words, you don’t want me hanging around.”

“Good, your mind is functioning again.”

Lila tugged again at his arm. This time Andreas let her pull him up, but swung his other arm around her waist as he stood. “That’s not all that’s functioning again.” Andreas pulled loose of her grip, slid that now free arm behind her knees and lifted Lila off the floor. “Now, where is that bedroom?”

Lila smiled, put her arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear. “Follow the bed crumbs.”

Andreas laughed all the way home.

It was after three when Andreas reached Tassos at Maggie’s.

“Thanks for getting me home. Lila would have been very unhappy had I been misplaced so close to our wedding day.”

“No problem, but there’s still time.”

“Why do I think that means you’ve set up a meeting?”

“I had to call in some serious favors but the one who set it up ‘guaranteed’ our safety.”

“Meaning?”

“It’s a better than fifty-fifty chance no one with a grudge against you or me will take the opportunity to whack us. At least inside the room.”

“And where would that room be located?”

“Menidi.”

“Fantastic, great, couldn’t pick a better place. Greece has the lowest violent crime rate in all of Europe and we get to do the equivalent of running through the streets of wartime Baghdad waving an American flag shouting ‘Bush is great.’” Andreas drew in and let out a breath. “What if we don’t go?”

“To me that’s the smart move. Let it go. These bad guys won’t budge. They’re only comfortable in their own neighborhood. Don’t trust us. Like I said, they know your reputation and worry we might be setting them up for a major bust, what with the new government clamoring for a crackdown on organized crime.”

“They believe all that bullshit?” said Andreas.