When Dead in Greece Read online

  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. Th
ey 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.

  Behind the counter, Isadora shouted. “Leave them alone. They’ve got nothing to do with this.”

  The guy in front of me said, “Then they should have kept their dumb American noses out of this.”

  I laughed. Hurt like hell to do so.

  “What’s so funny?” the guy said.

  “He’s Russian, you dumbass.”

  Michael drew his hand up high across his chest like he was going to backhand me.

  Esau emerged from the stairwell, past his office. “What is going on here? Leave these men alone.”

  All five men looked at the old guy. They released Alik. Michael took a couple steps back, nodded at the two men holding me. They released my arms. I helped Alik to his feet. Isadora went to her uncle. Alik and I positioned ourselves between them and the five men.

  One of the men left the cafe. The bells jingled as the door opened and fell shut. Ragged breathing filled the room. Angry stares flitted between us.

  Why had the guys halted their attack? They had us dead to rights. Could have taken us outside and thrown us over the railing onto the rocky shore. Could’ve dragged us out of the cafe, thrown us in the trunk of their car, taken us out of town and executed us. But they stopped when Esau showed up. He was important. We were a distraction.

  The door opened again. The guy who’d left stepped in. A sixth man followed him. He looked different from the others. Less Greek. He dressed better, too, clad in a dark suit and expensive shoes. Where they looked like men who lived to fight and shake down their boss’s customers, this guy was cool and calculated. He didn’t need to be in a group to handle himself, yet he used the power of the men to do his will. But he wasn’t the boss. The boss wouldn’t show his face in such a public place during an event like this. I figured this guy only stepped in when necessary.

  And we had made it so.

  He walked past his men and stopped in front of me. He stood an inch taller, but wasn’t as wide in the shoulders. His light-brown beard was trimmed to maybe a quarter of an inch. He stood there for a moment, staring me down. Then he stepped to the side and continued on. I looked back. Saw him thump Esau in the chest.

  “Let’s go.” He looked back at his men and gave them a circling gesture with his finger. They retreated to the front door, effectively barricading it from ingress and egress, as Esau and the guy disappeared into the office.

  Isadora retreated behind the counter for a second, then came over to me. She offered me a wet towel. I wiped my face with it. Wasn’t sure if the blood it removed belonged to me.

  Tension filled the cafe. It smelled of coffee, pastry, and sweat. The rumbling waves and persistent wind howled through the room. Three of the men lifted their shirts and placed their hands on hidden weapons. Why hadn’t they used them? Not even for a threat? Someone had told them not to, no matter the situation. I doubted they had expected the kind of resistance they encountered.

  Isadora returned to the busy side of the counter. She paced on a five-foot tract, her gaze never wavering from the wall that separated her from her uncle.

  I strained to listen in on the conversation in the office. Heard nothing. Wouldn’t have mattered if I did since they likely spoke in Greek.

  Fifteen minutes passed. The men at the door took turns stepping out. Each time the door opened, I caught the scent of seared tobacco.

  When the guy finally left the office, he took a path that led right through me. His hard soles slapped the tile, slowly and deliberately. He slipped his hands inside his pockets. Stopped three feet from me. His gaze worked from my feet to my eyes.

  There was no sign of fear in the guy. He could handle himself, and he knew it. Worse, he knew that I knew it. He had a background that paralleled mine in some way. He was more than a common criminal. He had military and government training and experience.

  He stared at me as though he considered how to handle me. If he stepped to the side, I won. That was unacceptable.

  Same went for me. I wasn’t about to give the guy ground. But adrenaline had worn off. My ribs hurt like hell. Knuckles felt swollen. I ached in spots where I’d been punched and kicked.

  Esau stepped out of his office. He held a bloodstained cloth to his nose. He wiped his face, then tucked the cloth in his pocket. He walked like a man with a vertebra out of place. Back arched, shoulders held back, feet shuffling along the floor. He pushed past the guy in front of me.

  “Enough, Chris,” he said to the guy. “Get out. You and all your bastards.”

  Chris turned his head toward the old man, but kept looking at me. “Twelve hours, Esau. That’s all he’s giving you.”

  Chapter 5

  THE GUYS AT THE DOOR filed out, one at a time. They looked left and turned right and slipped out of view. Chris was the last to leave. He stopped in the open doorway and looked back. His gaze traveled slowly across the room until it met mine. No words were exchanged, but his intent was clear. Intimidation. He stared me down as though he were saying I’ll be back to deal with you later.

  He said something in Greek, and followed it up with a hand gesture, then let the door fall shut.

  Esau charged forward. He threw his weight into the door to expedite its closing. The lock engaged with a thud.

  “What’d he say?” I said to Alik.

  Alik shrugged. “It didn’t make sense to me. Maybe some kind of code that only Esau would understand?”

  Isadora went to her uncle and wrapped her arms around his neck. She choked back sobs. He patted her back and soothed her in muffled tones.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to us. “Sorry that you two got mixed up in that. It is not what it looked like.”

  Isadora stared at the floor.

  “Then what is it?” I said.

  Esau sighed as he pulled away from his niece. He gestured for her to sit down. She twisted a seat until it faced the window and collapsed into it.

  “It is something that goes back a long ways,” he said. “And it doesn’t concern you. From now on, if you see those men, you get up and you leave. They are not to be messed with. Understand?”

  “Understand?” I said. “I’m not your damn kid, Esau. You can’t brush me off like that.”

  “How about I kick you two out, then? Huh?” Esau’s cheeks burned red. “What if I notify someone in the government that you two are hiding out here? What happens then?”
<
br />   “You threatening us?” Alik said.

  Isadora rose and placed herself between us and her uncle. “No, he’s not. He’s just angry. Frustrated. He’s taking it out on you two when he should be thinking about other things. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

  Esau assumed the posture of a defeated man. “Yes, I’m just trying to do the right thing here. Please, avoid those men.” He walked up to Isadora and touched his hand to her elbow. He led her past us without either of them making eye contact. Esau ushered his niece into his office and shut the door.

  The air inside the cafe went still. The sound of the waves diminished. The front, back, office, and stairwell doors were closed. The fan switched off. Isadora’s perfume lingered, mixing with sweat and stale coffee and pastries.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Alik said.

  As we made our way to the stairs, Esau emerged from his office. He stopped, looked at us, then continued to the terrace door. He flipped the lock and headed back.

  “We’ll reopen around five. Please leave us alone until then.”

  Chapter 6

  I WASHED UP, CHANGED INTO clean shorts and a white t-shirt. Made my way into the living room and collapsed into a chair, facing the sea. Warm salt-laden air washed over me. I placed a bag of ice against my ribs and held it in place with my arm. The contrast between where the bag pressed into my flesh and the rest of my body was like black and white.

  Alik was standing in the kitchen, holding a glass tumbler filled with clear liquid. He looked over, nodded, grabbed another glass. He picked up a bottle that had a red, white and blue label and filled the tumbler with ouzo.

  “A little early, don’t you think?” I said.

  “It’ll help dull the pain,” he said. “Besides, we don’t have to finish off the whole bottle.”

  “Might keep us out of trouble if we did.”

  Alik laughed, lowering himself onto the couch, a green fabric thing that looked like it belonged in the seventies.

  He said, “Knowing you, we’d end up deported.”

  I said, “Then my life can go back to normal.”