Assassins of Athens ak-2

by Jeffrey Siger

'Kostopoulos doesn't know about us.' It was the Old Man.

  'If you want to take that bet, fine. Not my problem.'

  'Of course it's your problem. You're as much a target as any of us.'

  'I had nothing to do with this!' said Linardos.

  Demon spoke as if he'd not heard Linardos. 'I don't have as much to lose. Only my life.' He pointed to each of them. 'But the two of you-' he waved his hand in the air. 'When Kostopoulos is done with you, you'll not only be dead, your names will be synonymous with terrorists who murder children. The shame to your families will be eternal. Sandblasters will be working overtime erasing your names from every plaque, every monument, every building…' Demon stopped. He liked his argument but thought he might be overselling. Either they'd bite or they wouldn't.

  Linardos slouched in the chair, put a hand up to his face, and stared at the floor.

  The Old Man answered. 'What makes you think he'd ever find out about us?'

  He'd bitten. 'What makes you think he wouldn't? This is Greece. Everything's for sale, and everyone wants to see the big ones fall. Are you telling me you can't think of at least one person who, if given the chance, wouldn't bring you down?'

  'Like you for instance?'

  Demon smiled at the Old Man. 'I'm probably one of the few who wouldn't, for a couple of reasons. As cavalier as I sounded before about dying, I'd prefer not to die, and bringing you down takes me with you. I need you too much. Almost as much as you need me.'

  'You're rather arrogant today, Demosthenes,' said the Old Man.

  'No, the word you're looking for is "realistic."'

  Linardos drew in a deep breath, dropped his hand to his lap, and sat up in the chair. 'What is it you want, money?'

  The Old Man put up his hand. 'Sarantis, that is not what drives Demosthenes. He has a far nobler calling.' There was no sarcasm in his voice, but Demon knew it was there.

  Linardos stared at the Old Man. 'And what "nobler calling" justified murdering a boy?'

  The Old Man pointed to Demon. 'Tell him.'

  So, that's the deal, Demon thought. The Old Man set this up so I could pitch Athens' most influential publisher into joining the Old Man's crusade while he sat back seemingly above it all. That's the carrot. If I pull it off, I get the three hundred thousand.

  But Demon saw things differently. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for to do some recruiting of his own. 'Thanks for the vote of confidence.' There was no sarcasm in Demon's voice. 'The Kostopoulos problem stems from an effort to keep the wrong element from accumulating power in our country. I'm certain I don't have to tell you who they are.'

  He looked for a nod from Linardos but received none. 'No matter, you know who I mean. They're the ones you continuously talk about at your dinner parties and study with veiled disdain and envy at all those events you simply must attend with them. You wish they weren't there, except you need them — if you want their money to hold the damn event. Now do you know whom I'm talking about?'

  Demon didn't bother to check for a nod. 'Wouldn't life be easier if we could go back to the good old days where only the right families had the money?' Now, the sarcasm was clear. 'Don't act as if you're somehow free of guilt for what we did on your behalf. The boy was murdered. We're all responsible. We all must live with it.' He stared at the Old Man. 'But we cannot continue with these ways of yours.'

  The Old Man looked angry. 'We need order and must do whatever is required to achieve it. The Kostopoulos boy's death was necessary. You know that.'

  'Yes, but your vigilante method of returning us to the old days isn't working and never will. You can't keep up this potsherd banishment bullshit to achieve your dream. It's now more like terrorism than patriotism and you're running out of patsies who run when you say run. You're left to going after people with balls and the ability to fight back. Things only will get worse if you keep this up.' Demon shrugged. 'Sorry to tell you, but your plan's kaput.'

  Linardos stared at the Old Man. 'What is he talking about?'

  Demon answered. 'I am talking about this.' He pointed at both men. 'You and your families are not going to make it. No, not because of Kostopoulos. I can take care of him if you let me, but because you're dinosaurs, unwilling or unable to adapt.'

  'I've heard enough.' It was the Old Man.

  'Don't think so.' Demon didn't budge from his seat. He looked straight at Linardos. 'What this country needs is leadership, not more terrorists. How many Greeks love their country? Answer, all of them. How many love their form of government? Answer, most of them. How many love their politicians. Answer, none of them; not even their mistresses can stand them. Why is that? Do I really have to tell you? Because they're all alike. Name one who ever has gone to prison for corruption? The people have no faith in their politicians and have given up on finding better ones. What I want to give them is hope.'

  'You're beyond arrogant.' It was Linardos.

  'As I said before: no, I'm realistic. I know what the far left thinks, they know me, and they trust me. I also know how you think. I come from the same roots as you. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes that's best for Greece, for all of Greece. We cannot continue as we are. We must bring about change, but through the system, by making it work for us, not by tearing it apart and bringing it down.' He looked at the Old Man. 'That is how you will realize your dream.'

  At that point, Demon's speech morphed into dialog among the three men. It was of the sort he'd engaged in for years, as if training for this singular opportunity. They spoke for hours, and by the time they were through two of Greece's most important men were converts to his cause-

  'Greek children are rioting alongside their parents in the streets. Widespread vandalism, arson, and assaults on police are dismissed by our government as "democracy" in action, and law-abiding Greeks, who once watched such protests in horror and disgust, now call the demonstrators justified! Our countrymen are sick of their politicians and their parties. They want a new beginning and they want it now. They know it can happen, no matter how unrealistic it might have seemed at other times, for they have seen the impossible happen in the United States. A black man elected president. But it requires a fresh leader to emerge, one who can unite the left and the right, the rich and the poor, under one political banner and offer new hope for our beloved Greece' — and the promise of ultimate power for Demon.

  The three hundred thousand became a meaningless sum for what they now sought to achieve. The money would be delivered within the hour to the address Demon gave them. A new world was about to begin. Once Demon took care of Kostopoulos.

  21

  'What do you mean you couldn't get inside?'

  'Chief, it's the Kolonaki Club. Nobody gets inside without an invitation.'

  Andreas nodded at the phone. 'I know. I'm just pissed.'

  'He was inside for over three hours. Can't believe he's a member.'

  'Me, either.'

  'We photographed everyone going in and coming out. Felt like paparazzi. It was a parade of Who's Who in Athens.'

  'What are your instincts?'

  'Linardos left about twenty minutes after Demosthenes. And we didn't see him go in, so he was inside the whole time Demosthenes was in there.'

  'No way that's enough to justify surveillance on Linardos. Shit. So, what's Demosthenes doing now?'

  'He's back in the apartment. Humming "the times are a-changin" or something like that.'

  'Great, just what I want, a happy terrorist. Let me know if he changes his tune.' Andreas thought it was funny. Kouros just hung up.

  Andreas looked at his watch. He promised Lila he'd see her. This would be a good time to start keeping his promises. Besides, Kouros knew how to reach him. Tassos did, too. If he had to. A man rarely succeeds at convincing a strong-willed woman that he knows what's best for her. Especially when she distrusts his motives. Tassos was having no better success with Ginny Kostopoulos. She called him her husband's 'shill' and said that nothing he said was worthy of her time. She started to listen on
ly when he reluctantly showed her glossy eight-by-ten color photographs of actual body parts cut off by kidnappers and delivered to victims' families to soften them up to ransom demands.

  'How dare you show me this garbage? Do you think scare tactics will change my mind? We're safer on this boat than anywhere else in the world. We can go anywhere from here. Anywhere. No one can find us on the open sea.'

  Tassos had given up arguing that point. 'Mrs Kostopoulos. I showed you those photographs because that is what these people do. This is the reality.' He tapped his finger on the photographs. 'You cannot ignore this. They did horrible things to your son and will do even worse to you and your daughters if you don't take precautions.' He braced for a screaming tirade. She'd launched into one each time he pressed that point before.

  She stared at the photographs. 'I don't believe they know we're here. It's just a coincidence.' She wasn't yelling. 'The truth is, if you sail around the Mediterranean, sooner or later you end up in Sardinia. And everyone knows about the history of kidnapping here, and elsewhere for that matter. All of us take precautions. Sardinia is no riskier than any other place we sail to.'

  That was another point he gave up debating. At least she wasn't yelling. 'You might be right, but the men who are preparing to kidnap your family have roots in Sardinia; that makes it much easier for them to operate here. It's their backyard for god's sake.' Now he was the one heading toward a tirade.

  She shook her head. 'We know about them. It is up to you to make sure they don't succeed.'

  He shook his head. 'Not while you're in port. You have no mobility. You're a sitting duck here. At least let the captain take us out to sea until we get a better fix on what they're up to. Please.'

  She looked at the photographs again. 'Tell the captain I'm tired of Costa Smeralda. Let's sail south.' She walked away, leaving Tassos alone.

  He sat down, took a deep breath, and said, 'Thank god.' Then he called the captain. 'Get us the hell out of here.'

  'Thank god.' This time it was the captain speaking. Lila was under the covers, cuddled under Andreas' arm, resting her head on his chest listening to him breath. He slowly ran his hand along her bare hip as he rambled on about the case. He seemed almost numb to the facts until he reached the part about the Kolonaki Club. Anger filled his voice. 'Look at that.' He pointed out her bedroom window toward the Acropolis. 'The symbol of man's greatest achievements. Democracy, literacy, equality-'

  Lila interrupted with a giggle. 'For some.'

  'The ancient Greeks knew a woman's place. Ouch, that hurt.' He rubbed where she'd pinched him.

  'Darling, the Kolonaki Club's rules are very strict: only members and invited guests.'

  'But these guys are murderers, terrorists. They're antithetical to everything Greece stands for.'

  'Or, as some might say, "completely opposite."'

  'Stop being a wise-ass. This is serious. We were this close to catching the bastards behind everything and a goddamn club stops us at the door.' He'd pinched a bit of her belly for the measurement.

  'Look at it this way, darling: students and revolutionaries have their universities for sanctuary. The Establishment only has the Kolonaki Club.'

  He stared at her. 'If you weren't so cute-'

  She stuck her hand over his mouth. 'Don't ever call a woman you're in bed with "cute" if you want to stay there.'

  He laughed and got to stay a while longer. After breakfast, Andreas left for his office.

  Lila left for the Kolonaki Club. 'Morning, Mrs Vardi.' The concierge knew every member by name.

  'Morning, Dimitri.'

  'What can I do for you?'

  'Yesterday, I believe the son of an old friend was here as a guest.'

  'Do you know the name of the hosting member?'

  'No idea.'

  'No problem. What was the name of the visitor? He would be on the list.'

  'Mavrakis.'

  'Let's see.' He reached under the desk and pulled up a list. 'Oh, yes, here it is, Demosthenes Mavrakis.'

  She didn't ask who invited him. She read the two members' names upside down off the list in Dimitri's hand-

  'Mrs Vardi, are you all right?'

  'Yes, just a little startled at how quickly children grow up. Can't believe he's already coming to the club. Thank you, Dimitri.'

  She left the club immediately and walked to the nearest coffee shop. She had to tell Andreas. There was no way he could bring these people down. She crossed herself and whispered, 'My god, my god, my god.' 'Sir, oh, sir.'

  'Yes, Dimitri.'

  'I'm sorry to bother you but I thought you might like to know that your guest, yesterday, also was the friend of another member.'

  'Which guest?'

  'The one with you and Mr Linardos.'

  The Old Man forced a smile. 'Which member?'

  'Mrs Vardi.'

  'Lila?'

  'Yes?'

  'I didn't see her here yesterday.'

  'She wasn't.'

  'Then how did she know he was here?'

  'I don't know, perhaps some other member saw him, knew that Mrs Vardi was a friend, and told her?'

  The Old Man stared at Dimitri. 'And what exactly did you tell Mrs Vardi?'

  'Nothing, sir, nothing at all.'

  'Not even his name?'

  'Didn't have to, she already knew it, I just checked the list to see if he was here.'

  The Old Man paused. 'Did she ask for the names of his hosts?'

  'No, sir.'

  The Old Man thanked him and gave him twenty euros, a cheap amount for such valuable information. He never thought of Lila Vardi as a friend of the Kostopoulos family. But what else explained her interest in so irrelevant a person as Demosthenes? How did she know Demosthenes was here if he wasn't followed to the club by Kostopoulos' mercenaries and she wasn't then asked to snoop about for names? Demosthenes was right: they must move quickly. He was certain Kostopoulos had their names by now. For he, too, knew how to read upside down. Efisio never thought Demon would come up with the money. He just wanted to get to Anna. But when the money arrived as promised, she no longer was relevant. At least not for the time being. This job would set him for life. It was not one to subcontract. He must see to it personally. Finding the Ginny Too was easy, thanks to all the GPS equipment and websites tracking ships of her size, but when he saw where she was moored he laughed. This almost was too easy. He called a cousin in Sardinia and, within hours, photos of the ship and all onboard appeared on his cell phone. Modern technology was an amazing boon to his business.

  He thought of trusting his cousin to run the actual snatch and avoid the risk of being recognized back home; but his cousin wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and for forty million he'd take the chance. Besides, from the way things looked, it all would be over in a matter of days. Forty million for a couple of days' work. Not bad. That's why he was back on Sardinia. Maggie buzzed through on the intercom. 'Mrs Vardi is downstairs at security.'

  'That's a surprise. Have them send her up.'

  'Should I leave?' Kouros stood up from the couch as he asked the question.

  '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.

&nbs
p; 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.'