When Dead in Greece (2 page)

“In trouble?”

She studied me for a moment, perhaps deciding how far to let me in. She inhaled sharply. “I think you should honor his request and stop asking questions.”

“Look, I’m just saying if you need help…”

She turned away from me and feigned busy work.

I took the hint and stepped out onto the terrace where the old men still gathered. If not for a couple curious glances, I would’ve thought they’d played through the entire incident. Were they concerned for Esau? Shamed at seeing me knocked over? Embarrassed because they didn’t do anything to help? I nodded at those who glanced in my direction, then walked past and leaned against the railing. The waves were about waist-high and hammered the shoreline. Salt spray coated the wall below me in a fine mist. The steady breeze dried the sweat that coated my face and arms.

After a few minutes of staring out over the sea, I reentered the cafe and took a seat against the far wall. Isadora ignored me. Just as well. My heart rate had barely come down since being knocked to the floor. A sure sign I’d had enough coffee.

Most of the old guys came in, too. They’d made it through another round of matches. While some were winners, others were out of their weekly gambling stipend. They grabbed a snack or a drink or a mug and seated themselves at various tables. Chatter rose and filled the cafe. Took the chill out of the place. Felt like normal again. Sort of.

The front door opened, creating a wind tunnel for the salty breeze. Napkins lifted off tables and spiraled toward the door.

Alik stepped in. He nodded at Isadora, then walked up to me. If Esau was a bad liar, then I was even worse at hiding the fact something had happened.

“What’s going on?” Alik said.

“Nothing much,” I said.

“You’ve got a cut on your face.”

I’d forgotten about the shattered mug. Perhaps that was what the guys on the patio were looking at. Maybe they had remained unaware that anything happened.

Not likely.

“I tripped,” I said.

“You tripped, huh?” Alik drummed his fingertips on the table. “Do you think this is a game?”

“A game? What?”

“You have to remain invisible, Jack. You may not understand the power that Ivanov wields, but I do. He has puppets everywhere in Moscow. If he finds out you are here, this place will be crawling with his men. We’ll both hang. So until Frank can get us out of here, you need to stay out of trouble.”

“Jesus Christ,” I said. “I got knocked over by someone hurrying out of here. That’s all. I didn’t start anything. Didn’t say anything. Got an elbow to my side and my face planted into the floor. My mug shattered. That’s why I’m bleeding.”

He slid a napkin across the table. “OK, well, just consider that other stuff a reminder.”

“Trust me, man. I just want to go home. The sooner that happens, the better. As nice as this place is, my heart skips a beat every time that door opens.”

Alik nodded as though he felt the same.

Then we both turned as the door whipped open again.

Chapter 3

FOUR MEN I HAD NEVER seen entered the cafe. A fifth guy followed. I recognized him. He’d been in there a few minutes ago.

“Shit,” I said.

“What?” Alik said.

“That’s the guy that knocked me over.”

Alik nodded. Said nothing. He narrowed his eyes and studied the guys.

“And roughed up Esau,” I said.

“These guys are new in town,” Alik said. “Some of the locals said they’re trouble. Criminals.”

“And they want something with Esau.”

The five men stood near the door. They were carbon copies of each other. Their gazes swept across the room. Sizing up the place. All around, old guys rose, dropped cash on the tables, and left. They stared at the floor as they squeezed past the group at the exit.

I wondered what the hell was going on.

Alik shot me a look as though to say leave it alone.

And I did.

At least, I tried.

The men gathered around the table nearest the counter. They were loud. Tossed leftover plates at the display case like discs. One splintered the glass, leaving a crack that ran top to bottom. They taunted Isadora, too. I wasn’t sure what they said, but heard Esau’s name mentioned a time or two.

Isadora looked frightened. She had no way out. Head for the front or back door, and they’d cut her off. Did Esau keep a weapon behind the counter? Hopefully she was smart enough to leave it alone if he did. Nothing good would come from pulling a gun on this group.

I rose, drawing the attention of the men. They watched me cross the room toward the counter. I kept a row of tables between me and them. No point in giving them an easy shot.

On the wall behind Isadora, a stainless steel paper towel dispenser hung. I positioned myself so I could use it like a mirror. Gave me a view of the group seated nearby.

She forced a smile. She rubbed her palms and pulled on her fingers one at time. There was fear behind her eyes. She knew why the men were here, and it scared her.

“Everything OK?” I asked her.

She nodded, tight and terse. Her lips thinned. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to comfort me, or looking for me to do so for her.

“How about another cup of coffee?” I said.

She turned and grabbed a mug. Filled it. Dropped a cube of sugar and splashed some milk.

Behind me, the guy who’d slammed into me earlier rose. The smug smile plastered on his face indicated he had no respect for me. He tapped one of the others on the shoulder and jutted his chin at me, as if to say, watch what I do to this guy next.

Isadora set the mug on the counter. Her gaze traveled to my left. I grabbed the handle. My knuckle pressed against the hot ceramic. I studied the makeshift mirror, waiting until the guy was two feet behind me. He stopped. I turned, mug outstretched, ready to coat him with piping hot coffee.

The guy’s wide smile revealed yellow stained teeth. His breath stunk of moldy cheese. He had a five-day-old beard. Half of it white. The hair on his head was solid black.

“We got a problem here?” I said.

He lifted his arms and shrugged. Kept smiling. His hot breath continued its assault on my face. A few seconds later, he took a half step back, turning his shoulders parallel with the door, giving me the out to avoid contact as I passed on my way back to the table.

Why take that, though?

I opted to pay him back for bowling through me earlier. I secured the mug in both hands and slammed my right shoulder into the guy’s torso. Probably didn’t hurt him. Sent a wave of pain through my ribs though.

The guy stumbled back a couple steps and laughed. “That all you got, you stupid American?”

I headed for the table, and didn’t look back. Alik sat there, shaking his head. Something soft hit me and fell to the floor with barely a thud. Alik glanced down at the crumpled up napkin, then up at me.

“What part of stay invisible don’t you get?” he said. “You are supposed to be a ghost. Stay out of this.”

I positioned myself to keep an eye on the five men. Their voices rose. The ones facing me stared. The ones seated with their backs to me tossed glances over their shoulders. I managed to catch the name of the guy who knocked me down earlier. Michael. He nodded when one in his group said it. Their actions earlier and now indicated that they hadn’t come here for me, but I’d become a part of their plans. A hindrance, perhaps. Maybe a focal point.

I looked at Alik. “Is that what your gut is telling you? Ignore what’s going on in here?”

He said nothing. Wouldn’t make eye contact. Sat there with his arms crossed, shaking his head.

“You know damn well these guys are about to shake that old man down. That kind of activity never stops, man. And what do you think is going to happen after? We live here now. This is gonna trickle down to us.”

“You don’t care about that.”

“Maybe I don’t. Truth is, I’d rather avoid that happening at all. I’d be content to get on a plane and head back to New York right now. But that ain’t happening. This is.”

“Jack, you ever spent time with, what would you call them, country folk or rednecks or farming type people?”

“Sure.”

“OK, these people in this town have that kind of mindset. So, you see, what they consider criminals might not be what we think of. Corruption runs wild in this country. These men could be part of the government. They might be here working on the side, but I can assure you, get in their way and they could make life hell for us.”

I leaned to the side and watched the men. Could they be government agents or some kind of law enforcement? Sure. Hell, most people couldn’t spot the guys doing the dirty work back in the States. But there was something missing. Government agent types wouldn’t be so brazenly stupid in public. They’d do their dirty work behind the scenes. Intimidation worked. But these guys were using it overtly.

“You know that’s not the case,” I said. “These guys are thugs. Maybe organized, but thugs all the same.”

“Sometimes, there isn’t much of a difference between guys like us, and guys like them.”

Three of the men got up and left. Including Michael, the guy who’d planted me on the floor earlier. Their absence helped ease the tension in the cafe. We were on even ground. Sort of. I presumed the men were armed, but hadn’t confirmed it.

“Think we should go?” Alik said.

“Hell no,” I said.

“Seems like they’re leaving.”

“Still two here. I’m not getting up until they’re gone.”

“What if they stay all night?”

“Then so do we.”

“Dammit, Jack.”

The shadows on the floor tightened as the sun rose above the windows. I got up once. Went to the counter and dropped off my plate. The men at the table ignored me.

A short while later, the three men returned. The table was once again bustling with activity.

And Isadora had their full attention.

Chapter 4

THEY TOOK TURNS GOING TO the counter, slapping the stainless steel, and shouting at Isadora. Alik translated, but with all the voices and laughter and noise, he had trouble delivering a full transcript. He fell behind and stuck to pointing out key words.

Where’s Esau?

Money.

Where’s the damn money?

Where’s he hiding it?

The exchange painted a picture of the man who’d only shown kindness. He’d found himself in trouble with these guys over a debt. For what, though? Seemed Esau had everything he needed here. Of course, it didn’t always work that way. Demons are excellent at hiding.

“These guys are the thugs,” Alik said. “What if the man or whoever they work for is part owner in the cafe? They’re here to collect his cut.”

“Or maybe they’re trying to collect a tax,” I said. “They’re collectors for the local mob.”

Alik shrugged. “Doesn’t look like any of our business.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Do you really lack the balls to stand up and defend her?”

“No. What I lack is the ability to disobey a direct order.”

“Yeah, well, that’s my specialty.”

I swept the table for the thin serrated knife. It wasn’t there. I’d left it at the counter. The only weapon I had was my fists. In a lot of cases that would be enough. But in my current condition, not so much.

Isadora looked my way. Must’ve noticed I was about to do something by the way I sat, poised to attack. She shook her head, a slight movement once to each side. She didn’t have to say anything. I saw the pleading in her eyes. She didn’t want to be responsible for me getting beat down for helping. At the same time she needed my help before the men got out of control.

One of the men rose from the table. He walked to the front door and blocked it. The other four assaulted the counter together and shouted at Isadora from the other side of it. She served it back to them.

Alik said, “He’ll go see him later.”

“What?” I said.

“That’s what she’s telling them. Esau will go see him later.”

“Who is him?”

“How should I know?”

Michael reached across the counter and grabbed a tendril of Isadora’s hair. He yanked her forward, planting her face into the top of the display case. She cried out in pain. He pulled her head up. Blood trickled from her nose.

Alik swatted at me as I rose. He missed. I stormed across the room, ignoring the burning in my ribs.

One guy turned to intercept me, but lost his balance as I dodged his advance. A touch was all it took to redirect him into one of his associates. They collided and stumbled over a chair.

A third man managed to get in between me and Michael. He put his hand on my left shoulder. I reached across with my right. Grabbed his wrist. Torqued his arm back at an unnatural angle. He dropped to his knees and I drove my foot into his gut.

I looked up and saw Michael facing me. He let go of Isadora’s hair and lunged forward, swinging his fist in my direction. I couldn’t avoid the blow, but managed to slide enough to the right to catch it on my ear. I countered with a right hook to his side.
 
He rose up and bowed out in the other direction. I drew my arm back to deliver the knockout punch. Someone intercepted it. Turned me around. My knees were chopped at the side and I hit the ground.

Two bodies crashed into the display case. Alik must’ve flown across the room and plowed into the guy who’d taken me down.

I lunged into someone’s knees. Something snapped as he went sideways. Ended up taking down two guys.

Alik and I could win five against two in some situations. This wasn’t one of them. I was still too weak and fatigued, and Michael had re-injured my ribs earlier. On top of that, these men seemed trained. Our best hope was to extend the fight until the fear of help arriving settled in.

It seemed as though there was no chance of that happening.

I found myself pulled up, then pinned against the counter by two men. Michael stood in front of me. Blood poured from his split lip. He ran his tongue over the wound, then spat crimson tinted saliva at me. I struggled against the arms that pinned me, but got nowhere.

The other two guys held Alik to the ground. They hiked his arms behind his back and dragged him across the room.