by L. T. Ryan
“I thought this was normal for you? Getting caught up in other people’s problems. Getting your ass kicked.”
“Whatever.” I took a sip of the ouzo, wincing as the liquor slid down my parched throat. It continued on. The warmth in my stomach radiated outward. “If I wasn’t in such bad shape none of those guys would’ve stood a chance.”
“Is that so?” Alik leaned back with both arms spread over the back of the couch. “What about that sixth man?”
“You spotted that too, huh?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know what to think of him,” I said. “Different from the others, for sure. You see how they all tightened up when he came in?”
Alik nodded, remained quiet.
“And he didn’t show any fear,” I said. “Obviously he’s from somewhere else. The way he acted tells me his background is more aligned with ours.”
“Could have been because he had five men with him. Three of whom were armed.”
“How early did you catch that?”
“Before you did.” He lifted his glass and tipped it toward me. “Before I jumped in to help you out.”
“Thanks for that.”
“Wasn’t for your benefit, Jack. Something happens to you, I’m marked for death on three continents instead of just one.”
We finished our drinks in silence. The wind died down. Sunlight poured through the windows. The heat of its rays warmed me, lulling me into a false sense of security. Eventually forcing me to doze off. I looked at my watch and determined I’d been out for half an hour when Alik woke me.
“What do you think he did?” Alik said.
I looked over at the man. His hair was wet and he’d changed clothes. His glass was filled to the rim again.
“Who?” I said.
“Esau,” he said. “Who else?”
“I dunno. The president? Ivanov? Could be anyone, I guess.”
“Smart ass,” he said. “Anyway, I can’t help but wonder what he did to bring this on himself.”
“We really don’t know the guy. Did your contact tell you anything about him?”
Alik shook his head. “All I got was a name and an address, along with a promise that the man would be on our side, so don’t worry.”
“Did you?”
“What?”
“Worry?”
“Of course I worried.” Alik rose and walked to the window, blocking my view of the sea. “I had broken you out of Black Dolphin. I still don’t know how I managed to get across the border and out of Russia with you. I thought we were both dead men at the crossing.”
“I was too weak to move when they pried the lid off the pine casket. Damn eyelids didn’t even clamp when the sun hit my face.”
Alik laughed. “Morbid son of a bitch.”
“Whatever.”
“So what do you think he did?”
“Esau?”
Alik sighed and brought his glass to his forehead. “Yes, Esau.”
“You heard them say money earlier, so I’m guessing he either owes a debt or a tax.”
“Well, that’s kind of what we figured earlier, right? I guess my question is over what?”
“Hard to tell when the guy won’t tell us anything.”
“He’s a proud man.”
“That’s obvious.”
He walked back to the couch, saying, “And I think we need to respect his wishes and stay out of this.”
“Are you scared?”
Alik leaned forward, arms crossed over his knees, his drink supported by both hands. He stared down at the clear ouzo. Without looking up, he said, “Yes, Jack, I am. We don’t know these men. We don’t know what Esau did to get involved with them. We don’t know their connections. Think for a moment. Follow the strands of the web as they work outward from the center here. What are some real possibilities here?”
“You complicate things too much,” I said. “All I know is there’s an old man down there who’s getting bullied. We have the ability to stop it.”
“You suffer from a curse, my friend.” He jabbed a finger at me from six feet away. “And you would be better off doing what you are told instead of following your gut all the time.”
“I spent years doing what I was told. Earned me a price on my head put there by the guy whose orders I followed.”
Alik rose and shuffled to the kitchen. I stared out the window and watched a tanker pass in the distance. When Alik returned, he stood in front of me empty-handed, missing the third drink I expected him to be holding.
He said, “I’m leaving for a bit.”
I said, “Where to?”
“Going to scrounge us up a few days’ worth of food. I think it’s best we stay up here in the apartment instead of venturing down to the cafe.” He waved off my argument before I had the chance to state it. “At least until we know this mess has blown over. I can’t help but think we — and by we, I mean you — made things worse for Esau and Isadora today.”
He slid out of view. The door opened with a creak and shut with a soft thud. The lock made a clicking sound as he engaged it with his key. Alone in the apartment, I kept watch over the sea and mulled over his words. All along, Alik, Isadora, and Esau had all told me to stay out of it. What did I do? Jumped in headfirst. Was it due to a lack of action? Feeling like I needed to be involved in something to continue on? Or could I chalk this up to my stubborn nature? Sometimes it seemed that I’d rather use my head as a battering ram than for logical thinking.
I wanted to avoid the questions, not face them. The situation with Ivanov and in Black Dolphin had left me feeling susceptible for the first time since I was a kid. I felt as though I’d lost a bit of my edge. I didn’t have the ability to back it up.
The scene in the cafe only helped to solidify those thoughts.
So perhaps Alik had a point. Whatever this was about, Esau had brought it upon himself. He didn’t run or hide from the men. He didn’t call the cops. He didn’t accept my offer of help. And neither did Isadora. As young and beautiful and kind as she had been, she had a choice here too. And she chose to go it alone.
After several minutes debating the issue, I decided to back off. At least for a while.
I pushed a chair closer to the window. The wind picked up. White caps approached in staggered lines from a hundred yards out. They pounded the rocky shore and it sounded like thunder. The spray rose into the air and rode on the wind and spattered my face. There was a coolness to the breeze that was lost inside the closed room.
So I left the apartment and went down the stairs en route to the terrace.
Isadora stopped when I stepped into the cafe. Her hair was pulled back. She held a broom at an angle, the bristles an inch off the floor. The chairs were perched upside down on the tables. Coffee percolated. The sign on the front door had been flipped and read open upside down.
“What’s going on?” I asked her.
“Decided to remain closed for the day,” she said.
“Worried those men are coming back?”
She smiled weakly. “No, I don’t think we’ll be seeing them for a few days at least.”
“Then why shut down?”
“In a small town like this, word gets around quick. No one is going to come in tonight.”
“Fear?”
“Shame.” She drew the broom handle across her body. “No one stepped up to help. At least, no one local.”
“They’re smart.”
“You’re right, they are. You should have listened to Alik, Jack. To me and my uncle too. You want no part of this. It isn’t even your battle. You owe my uncle nothing.”
“Sure I do. He’s put me up here despite possible ramifications. Besides, the men were getting rough with you. I had to intervene.”
“No one laid a hand on me.” She clutched the broom with both hands and shrugged forward. “And I can take care of myself.”
“They were close.”
“I can take care of myself,” she said again, a hint of force b
ehind her words.
I threw my hands up in retreat. “Well, you don’t have to worry. I decided that next time I see something going on, I’m just gonna walk away.”
“I’m sorry.” She set the broom against a table and crossed the room to me. Despite the long day, she looked and smelled as good as she had that morning. She rose onto the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed into me. Her breasts meshed with my chest. Her hips touched mine. Her soft lips grazed against my cheek and then my ear. Her words were hot against my skin. “Thank you. Your actions, though misguided, are appreciated.”
She pulled away from me and retreated behind the counter.
I turned and stepped out onto the terrace. Her scent remained on me. Shades of red, orange and purple colored the horizon. I hadn’t realized it was so late. The wind whipped in from the sea. It enveloped me, cooling my skin, taking a bite out of the humidity.
The terrace door opened. I turned, saw Isadora standing there. I resisted the urge to go to her, wanting instead for her to come to me.
She cleared her throat and spoke over the waves and wind. “I’m almost done in here. Can you lock up the terrace before you go back upstairs?”
“Can I walk you home?”
Her gaze lifted. She sighed. “Always the good Samaritan?”
I crossed the terrace and stopped a few feet short of where I wanted. “I’d feel better after all that happened today.”
She turned toward the cafe’s dining room. I stepped in front of the shifting door and followed close behind.
“Fine,” she said. “But we had better go so you aren’t walking the mean streets of Palaiochora alone in the dark.”
Chapter 7
THE BUILDINGS ON EITHER SIDE of the street were two or three stories, sandstone and white. The odd alley ran between them, allowing slices of orange sunlight to knife across the road. When we walked through those spots, Isadora’s hair shone like golden thread. A few older people were out, sitting on benches, the hum of their chatter filling the street. The air was cool, yet humid, and smelled of searing meat.
Isadora said she lived with Esau, about two miles from the cafe. We didn’t speak the first few minutes. Then she told me a little about her upbringing. I offered her a little about mine. Halfway to her uncle’s house, she recounted the story of how she’d ended up in town.
“When my mother’s sister, Eleni, fell ill, my mother asked that I come to this town to help out with my aunt and uncle’s business. Now, this was a big deal. I only had two more semesters at the university when Eleni became too sick to work in the cafe.”
“And she ended up passing, right?”
“Yes.”
“But not before you came?”
“Right.”
“You gave it all up?”
She nodded. “That was four years ago.”
“He couldn’t get help in the time since?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t necessarily work like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a family business.”
“But you were close to finishing school. Could’ve gone on to start your career.”
Isadora stared at the ground and clutched her hands together behind her back. “My sister took my place.”
“How do you mean?”
“My parents could only afford for one of us to be in school. Instead of her taking a year off to come here so I could go back and finish, my parents sent her to university.”
“Why didn’t she come help at the cafe?”
“I already knew how to run the place.”
“Come on,” I said. “It’s not rocket science.”
“No, it’s not. But dealing with my uncle is another story. And my sister is not me. She doesn’t have the same kind of, what would you say, work ethic. I think if she had come here, she would have ruined the business. Especially considering Uncle Esau’s state of mind since my aunt passed. Do not get me wrong. It has improved. But he always seems distracted, like he’s thinking of her non-stop. It really breaks my heart.”
“So that’s it? You give up your future, and you’re OK with it?”
“Who said I’m OK? I accept it. And I know that my little sister will be done with school soon, and I’ll be able to return. I’m not giving up on myself. Haven’t you ever cared for someone so much you gave up things that meant the world to you?”
I said nothing.
Her hands fell to her side, her right brushing my left. She glanced over. “You have a habit of interjecting your opinion on everything, don’t you?”
“Not everything,” I said. “I tend to avoid certain topics.”
“Yeah, like what?”
I shrugged. “Women’s water polo, for one.”
She smiled at the remark and nudged me with her elbow.
“I’m just asking questions,” I said. “I can stop.”
“I don’t mind, I guess.” She came to a halt. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“You remind me of someone back home.”
“A special someone?”
“At times.”
“What’s she like?”
“Strong willed and pig headed. A lot like you, actually.”
Isadora shoved me, her hands pressing into my ribs. I tried to mask the pain. Didn’t work.
“You’re not healed yet, are you?” Her hands remained, but they opened and gently pressed into my chest.
“Getting there. Didn’t help they managed to connect a few times where the ribs had been broken.”
She regarded me in the fading light. “So you’ve heard a little about me. Who are you, Jack?”
“I’m just a pawn.”
“For?”
“The highest bidder.”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“It is. You should read the book when it comes out.”
“Everyone’s got their secrets,” she said.
“Guess so,” I said. “What’s yours?”
“I told you mine. I still hold out hope for a better future even though the odds are stacked against me.”
“A woman like you, the odds will always be in your favor.”
She smiled as her hands trailed down my arms until her left hand latched onto my right. She turned and tugged me forward. We covered the last quarter mile in silence. By the time we reached the house, the sky was dark and the only illumination came from porch lights. The sound of the sea was faint. The wind rustled through trees and bushes. It whipped her hair and it brushed against my cheek a couple times.
“The lavender,” I said.
“What about it?” she said.
“It’s in your hair.”
She grabbed several strands and held them to her nose. “An oil I rub in.”
“All day long I thought it was your perfume.”
“All day, huh?” she smiled.
I said nothing.
“Maybe when you’re feeling better, I can get a day off and show you the island.”
“I don’t know. The more you’re with me, the more you might uncover some more secrets.”
“Don’t worry, I’m good at withholding information, Jack.” Her smile lingered as she jutted her chin toward a white house. Her eyes flicked in that direction, then back at me. “That’s my stop.”
I walked her to the door and waited while she unlocked and opened it.
“Should I invite you in?” she asked.
“Is that you, Isa?” Esau called from another room.
“Yes, Uncle,” she said over her shoulder.
“Who are you talking to?” Esau said.
“I swear he’s got sonic hearing,” she whispered.
I took a few steps back. “You should get inside.”
“It’s OK if you want to come in.”
Esau had been good to Alik and me. He’d housed and fed us, and it didn’t matter why we needed the help. I appreciated that he stuck out his neck for us, two men he had never met. After what had happened toda
y, it felt like imposing if I remained any longer.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, turning away.
It was pitch black out. The sun was gone. The moon hadn’t risen. I could barely see the ground. If not for the random house light, I might not have found my way back to the town and the cafe.
The day’s events played over in my head. I watched them like a movie, without interjecting thought or opinion into scenes. I thought about the corners of the cafe, the street just beyond the window. Looked for other faces I didn’t recognize. If there were any, I’d blocked them out. I winced at every blow. Didn’t help that I felt the pain in my side with every step I took. I considered myself fortunate that my lung hadn’t collapsed again. All the more reason to be careful. I had to accept that I wasn’t myself. I couldn’t dish out punishment like normal. I didn’t recover from my injuries the same way. It was harder to work through them.
“God, am I getting old?” I muttered.
The wind mocked me with a gust that sounded like a long drawn out yes. I chose not to listen.
The first streetlight loomed in the distance, an orange halo in the darkness. The light wash grew as I drew nearer, illuminating the street, grass, bushes. A few minutes later the shadows were confined to the alleyways. Every sound echoed down the corridor of two- and three-story buildings, all orange in the electric haze. Even my own footsteps ratcheted into a sound akin to downrange automatic gunfire.
Three blocks from the cafe the sound was interrupted. Someone clearing their throat. Could have been my mind transmuting the sound of the waves. But when it was followed by a foot slapping the ground, my gut and chest tightened.
I shifted my eyes. Saw nothing. Moved my head. Still saw nothing. I stopped and leaned against the wall, pretending to search my pockets for a phone or a cigarette. I casually looked back in the direction I’d come from. Shadows played across the empty street.
I considered that my mind was playing tricks on me. The action I’d seen today was the first I’d encountered in over six weeks. I wasn’t used to the rush of adrenaline and the drive to fight. My system needed the counteraction. It wanted me to take flight. So my brain created this scenario, taking a simple noise and exaggerating it into a threat.
With the cafe close, I quickened my pace. I heard nothing other than the sounds of my steps and my heart whooshing in my ears.