Hell's Gate by Ernest Dempsey

Author:Ernest Dempsey [Dempsey, Ernest]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 138 Publishing
Published: 2020-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

14

Athens

Dimitris pulled the car off to the side of the street and wedged it along the curb with little more than eight inches between two other cars. He stepped out and looked both ways before opening the door for Tara, who'd been sitting behind him.

Alex got out onto the sidewalk and looked around, a habit that might have been mistaken for sightseeing but was actually a form of precautionary reconnaissance—another trick he'd picked up from Sean.

Tara and Dimitris joined him on the sidewalk, and he led the way up three steps to the entrance of the apartment building.

The place looked pretty much like all the other buildings in the city. Sprawl had taken over Greece long ago, but diversity in architecture had resigned itself to the suburbs, government buildings, and of course, the ancient ruins that dotted the landscape. Only a few of the apartment and condo buildings were over four stories tall, and most of them looked the same, making it easy to believe the tales of tourists getting lost and turned around in Athens.

Dimitris unlocked the front door and held it open for his guests. As they walked in, he glanced out the entryway again, pausing on a shadow he thought wasn't there a moment before. The shadow didn't waver, and he shook it off, attributing the sight to paranoia. He closed the door behind him, stepped over to the elevator, and pressed the button. It dinged a second later, and the three crammed into the tiny lift.

At the top, they followed Dimitris to the end of the hall, where he stopped at a black door. He unlocked it and stepped inside, motioning for the other two to enter. Inside, the small apartment was clean and tidy. The entire space took up around four hundred square feet, with a bedroom to the right, a modest kitchen to the left, and the living room straight ahead with a breakfast nook merging with the kitchen space. It was impossible to ignore the touch of Swedish décor. IKEA, it seemed, was something many Greeks appreciated, probably because of the functionality and efficiency of the furnishings.

One thing that Tara immediately noted was the absence of pictures. The walls, tables, countertops, and the desk in the corner were all devoid of pictures of family or friends.

"So," Alex said after looking around, "this is really nice."

"Thank you," Dimitris said. He walked across the room and into the open bedroom. He reemerged a minute later with a subcompact 9mm pistol in one hand and a concealment holster in the other. He tucked the holster inside his belt and then shoved the weapon into it. Even without a jacket on, it was nearly impossible to tell the man was carrying.

"You got a permit for that?" Alex asked, half joking.

"I did," he said frankly. "It may not be good anymore, but I'm not going to stop and ask." He offered a dry grin with the answer.

Alex nodded his appreciation for the rule breaking.

"Do you live here alone?"

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