Followed

by Cara Alexander

  Before moving to Athens, he’d lived in London and worked as a journalist. He got fed up with the rat race, moved to Athens and now owns a small delicatessen in the centre of the city. He also has a share in Helen’s business which has been a lifeline for him and his wife over the past few months and he also teaches English at the local college, when they need him.

  He’s nearing Glyfada so slows down, he mustn’t miss the turning it’s around here somewhere. Drivers honk their horns in frustration as he edges the car over to the inside lane.

  On leaving the highway he turns left into a tree lined street leading to Fanis Bar.

  Out of the corner of his eye he can see the guy he’s going to meet, it must be him, he’s the only one on the terrace. He sits with his legs crossed nonchalantly smoking a cigarette on an old rickety looking chair.

  James sits for a few seconds watching him. The guy’s probably in his 40s or 50s, with longish brown hair and a thin moustache. There’s a small glass of something in front of him which he picks up and slowly drinks.

  Without bothering to lock the car door, James walks quickly up the couple of steps to the open bar terrace. The man turns and sees him, waves his hand and beckons him over. His dark eyes rest on James’s face for a second, then he looks away. ‘What will you drink?’ he asks, flicking the ash of his cigarette in the ashtray.

  James pulls out another rickety looking chair opposite the Greek. ‘A beer, thanks.’

  The waiter’s leaning against the open bar door smoking a cigarette watching them. The Greek glances over to him and points to James - ‘Mia bira parakalo.’

  The waiter nods, takes another drag of his cigarette, flicks it into the night air and saunters inside the bar.

  James leans back in his chair and studies the man opposite him. The Greek returns his gaze.

  ‘So, what do you want to tell me?’ James asks, watching the man.

  The Greek leans slightly forward. ‘I have some news that will shock you.’ He stops for a minute, glances around at the nearby tables then as if satisfied, carries on talking. ‘You must not tell anyone what I’m about to tell you, if you do, your life and mine will be in danger.’

  James nods.

  ‘I can’t tell you everything tonight. We will meet in a few days, in another place then I will tell you more. We must be careful, you understand?’

  James raises an eyebrow it all sounds a bit dramatic but hey this is the land where Greek drama flourished in the late 6th century BC. The guy looks like an actor or maybe he’s a teacher?

  The man sits holding his gaze, his dark eyes defiant.

  ‘Don't worry,’ James replies, smiling slightly. ‘You can trust me.’

  The man draws hard on his cigarette, blows a circle of smoke into the night air and leans closer to James. ‘I have this on very good authority, they intend to kidnap the Prime Minister and kill him.’ He looks at James intently, as if waiting for a reaction. James says nothing so the Greek carries on. ‘At the moment he’s popular with some Greeks, but many want him out of the way.’

  James sits looking at him wondering if the guy’s for real, or just some crazy academic who's finally cracked. He could well understand this happening. They say the economy is recovering but many Greeks are still suffering, thousands of Greeks left the country and those that remain are either very rich or struggling to make ends meet.

  He sits watching the man opposite him with interest, just like many Greeks he smokes too much, and always seemed to be thinking. James shifts in his chair and scratches his head. If it’s true what he says then he needs to know more, much more. Maybe his friend Dev is the person the man should be speaking to? This is his line of work he has the necessary contacts.

  James frowns. ‘I’ll have to discuss this with one of my colleagues he has experience in this sort of thing. I also need to know who is behind this, when it’s going to happen, and where?’

  The Greek’s eyes narrow. ‘How do I know I can trust your friend? What is his name?’

  James looks at him in surprise. Does the guy really expect him to tell him? ‘If he agrees to help then I’ll tell you his name, but don’t worry, he’s one of the best.’ As an afterthought he adds. ‘You haven’t told me your name?’

  The man’s silent then waves his hand in the air dismissively, the way Greeks do. ‘My name doesn’t matter,’ he says, lighting another cigarette, his eyes never leaving James’s face.

  James leans back in his chair and looks at him. ‘Why all the secrecy, who are you?’

  ‘As I said, my name doesn’t matter, I prefer it this way.’

  James shifts in his chair, the guy’s beginning to irritate him. ‘What about my phone number? How did you get that?’

  The Greek smiles, slightly. ‘It was easy. I went to your food shop, in Athens. I told the Spanish woman working there I was an old friend of yours, that I needed to speak to you, I said it was very urgent and she told me.’

  James’s wife Isabelle often works in the delicatessen when it’s busy, or when he’s out. He’s lost count of the times he’s asked her not to give anyone his number. Running his fingers through his hair he surveys the man sitting opposite him. ‘It doesn’t make sense, why choose me when there are so many Greek journalists who would jump at a scoop like this?’

  The Greek shrugs his shoulders and looks at him. ‘I read your newspaper articles, I know how you think, I’ve checked you out.’ Then as an afterthought he adds. ‘I have to be careful.’

  The waiter saunters over, flicks the table with a red cloth, places a glass of beer in front of James then walks back to the open bar door and lights a cigarette.

  James sips the ice-cold beer relishing the moorish taste of the amber liquid. He sits watching the Greek for a few minutes. In a way he’s enjoying the drama of the situation, he just wishes his friend Dev was here, he’d know what to do.

  In his shirt pocket is a hundred-euro bill which he keeps for occasions like this. He reaches inside his pocket then stops, maybe the Greek will want more?

  As if reading his mind, the Greek waves his hand. ‘I don't want your money. All I want is for you to take this seriously - they must be stopped.’

  James nods, drains his beer and looks at his phone. It’s getting late, he must hurry, Helen will be waiting for him.

  He leans forward and picks up his car keys. ‘When do you think this will happen?’

  The man looks at him in surprise. ‘If I knew I would tell you, but it won't be long, I might find out more tonight, but you must promise not to repeat what I have said, otherwise...’

  He makes a gesture across his neck.

  ‘Don't worry - this is between you and me, I'll wait for your call.’

  The man nods. James stands up to go.

  There’s a loud bang - then everything goes black.

  The headlines on the Athens tabloid press the following morning read: SHOOTING IN ATHENS BAR IN EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING - ONE DEAD AND ONE ON LIFE SUPPORT IN HOSPITAL

  About the Author

  Cara Alexander is the author of the new Beth Papadakis thriller series.

  If you’ve enjoyed reading FOLLOWED why not join my Readers’ Group you can download Lethal Intent the prequel novella for free. The next Beth Papadakis book is due to be released very soon so get all the latest updates on new books and cool things. Please spread the word and post a review on Amazon, reviews make a world of difference and I appreciate it a lot.

  Cara