Assassins of Athens

'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 only 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.'