Doukas by Demetra Georgiou

Chapter 14

 

“How long will you keep working here?” I ask Harmonia.

It’s been a week since she came here, and now she’s about to start her fourth afternoon shift. I’ve been meaning to talk to her, but I only got the chance today. It’s been raining all morning, so foot traffic is light.

“As long as you need me, Ria,” she announces, holding my gaze. “The moment you hire some new people, we’ll fire the cheerleaders.”

A giggle escapes me. The trouble with that girl is that she says everything so seriously, and it usually takes you a moment to realize that she’s joking. In truth, I’m grateful for her help because she’s the reason people believe in miracles, but I bet she has better things to do with her time.

“Why the cheerleaders?”

“We’ve got a bet going on about who’s going to stay here the longest. The winner is going to play the body in a short film project.”

“The winner?” I ask, confused, and she nods. Laughing, I shake my head at her. “Rich kids and their problems.”

“It’s sickening. Unless I lose.”

“You don’t fool me, you know. Why are you doing this? I know you like me, and trust me, the feeling is mutual, but why?”

Harmonia looks down at her hands, and I note two red spots appearing on her cheeks. “Because here, Ria, people like me for me. They don’t care about my family. To them, I’m not the daughter or a sister of a Lord. It doesn’t matter what my net worth is or if I have connections. I’m just…Harmonia.”

“Your worth can never be measured in money. No one who really matters will pay attention to that. There are assholes everywhere, but you’re clever enough to see through them. Don’t ever forget this.”

Harmonia smiles, and I know she understands what I’m talking about.

“Is there anybody here?” a familiar voice asks just outside of my office, and I stand as Veta appears at the door. “Hello, Ria. Boy, it’s been a while. I’ve been hearing the most wonderful news about your taverna.”

“Hello stranger, I’ve been calling you. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Thrasos had some errands to run, and I popped in. He’ll come to meet you.”

“Veta, let me introduce you to Ha—”

“What a pretty little thing you are! You’re the new help, aren’t you? Bring me a coffee, doll. Milk, no sugar.”

“Veta?!” I exclaim.

“No, it’s ok, boss,” comes Harmonia’s sugary voice as she gets up and promptly leaves my office with a sly smile on her face.

I have a feeling that Veta won’t be getting her coffee after all.

Once alone, I sit behind my desk, with Veta in tow.

“So…you and Doukas Tremes? I thought you’d be smarter than that. Thrasos saw you and expressed his concerns to me.”

“Oh, did he?”

“Apparently, he knows of your infamous boyfriend even though he doesn’t have dealings with him. He saw you with Doukas together and recognized you from a photo I have of us together. And after what my brother told us, it was a no-brainer.”

Her words irritate me. Friends or not, she doesn’t know Doukas and hasn’t heard my take on things. She shouldn’t be talking to me like that. I can understand her trepidation, but there’s a huge difference between apprehension and insensitivity.

“He makes me happy,” I affirm. And that’s the absolute truth.

Plus, he’s the only one who’s been by my side, no questions asked.

Veta raises her hands in surrender, and I find that gesture very tacky. Frankly, I’m quite appalled by her behavior, considering that I’ve always dropped everything to go and deal with her little crises. Granted, all people don’t act the same, and I didn’t expect her to give the same level of support, but some sensitivity—or interest—wouldn’t hurt.

“So, what can I do for you?” I ask with a fake smile.

“Can’t I come and visit my friend?”

“Of course you can, but I have been calling and texting you for so long.”

Veta sighs. “I know things have been a bit crazy.”

“With Akis?”

“No, Akis will be fine. Thrasos surprised me with a trip to Paris. As you can imagine, I’ve been busy.”

Oh, I get it, she’s had her hands full. Still, when I texted and told her that I needed a friend, it seems her life was too hectic to pick up the damn phone. As if on cue, something pings, and she hurries to open her purse as if it’s on fire. Immediately, she springs up.

“Thrasos is here,” she announces and hurries out of the office.

“Don’t mind me, I have all the time in the world to meet your boyfriend,” I murmur to the empty room.

Thankfully, I don’t have to wait for long. Veta enters, followed by a relatively short and stocky man. He’s rather muscular, and I know my friend is crazy about that type. But something in the way he moves and looks around seems off about him. Certainly doesn’t fit the profile of the savvy entrepreneur Veta has described him to be.

“Thrasos, this is Ria. She owns the taverna.”

“So I see. It’s a charming little place you have here,” Thrasos says dispassionately.

I grin widely. “Nice to meet you, too.”

As they take their seats opposite me, I notice movement behind them and see Harmonia holding a small tray. She’s frowning, obviously troubled by something.

“Veta tells me you’re on the verge of financial ruin,” Thrasos says, and I cross tact off of his redeeming qualities.

“Not really. I’m getting by.” I might be lying, but for the first time in my whole life, I feel confident about what lies ahead.

“Still, this place has potential.”

“Thank you, I think so too.” Glancing over at my friend, she’s looking at her boyfriend as if he’s holding the secret to eternal youth.

“Listen, as I’m sure Veta has mentioned, I like to invest in failing businesses, and I’d love to do it here. The only thing that worries me is your ties with organized crime.”

What the actual fuck? “Excuse me?”

“Veta’s brother told me about your boyfriend. I’m a businessman. If I’m going to help you, then I have to have some insurance. How about instead of fifty-fifty partners, we become seventy-thirty for two years, and then we’ll review the terms again?”

I smile, making sure to fix them with my best triumphant glare. “Let’s get something straight. Doukas Tremes is a financial genius well-versed in everything he does. I can understand how success can generate fear in poorly accomplished people, but certainly, a lowly criminal like Akis shouldn’t even have an opinion.” Veta gasps, but frankly, I don’t give a fuck. “Thank you for your willingness to help, but the suggestion is highly inappropriate and totally unwanted.”

Thrasos stands, and Veta follows suit. “This is the best offer you’ll ever get. I have a hard time believing you’re not even tempted. I’ll leave you some time to contemplate my proposal, but know that it won’t stand for long, Ria,” he announces, and with that, he storms out.

Yeah, the best offer I’ll ever get.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re one step from begging on the streets, and you play hard to get?” Veta yells.

“What is wrong with me? That’s some nerve. You have no right telling strangers about my business and accusing people you don’t even know.”

“You’re ungrateful and—”

Harmonia rushes inside my office, out of breath. “Ria, we need you. There’s an emergency.” She seems panicky, and I’m instantly alarmed.

“Ria, I’m talking to you.”

I stop following Harmonia out and spin to let her have it. “What part of there’s an emergency don’t you understand?”

Veta opens her mouth to speak, but then her boyfriend calls her name, and she hurries out like a loyal lapdog.

 

 

The moment Veta is out of sight, Harmonia takes my arm and all but shoves me out of my office. Once she has visual contact with the front door, she pauses to examine her surroundings. In the small courtyard outside my taverna, Thrasos is talking with two or three men.

“Everything’s going to be all right. I’ve already texted my brothers.”

Before I have the time to question her peculiar behavior, she opens her jacket to reveal a holster with two handguns.

“What the hell?” I hiss.

Harmonia ignores me and draws out one of her guns. “We’ll leave from the back exit.”

Once again, she clasps my arm and shoves me towards the kitchen.

“Harmonia, what’s going on?” I ask slowly as we enter the kitchen.

My staff is staring at us, zeroing in on Harmonia and the gun in her hand.

“We’re getting the hell out of here,” she tells me with a low voice and turns to my staff. “You will all remain calm. One by one, I want you to head for the emergency exit by the bar. Do not make eye contact with the front door. Once out, head for the black SUV and my bodyguard. Discretion is key. I don’t want any hysterics.”

My people follow her orders, milling out of the kitchen, but I’ve had enough. She tries to grab my arm once again, but I stop, refusing to move one more centimeter.

“Harmonia, I’m not taking one step until you explain why you’re behaving so strangely and—most importantly—why you’re upsetting my staff.”

God knows what I’ve gone through to hire some new ones.

“The man who’s just left is Fanaris’s councilor, Thrasos Alepoudis. I don’t know the others outside, but I can imagine what they’re here for. My bodyguard reported that our other three men don’t answer his calls, so I expect things to get ugly.”

Honestly, I don’t know how she can be so calm during times like this. And what about the guns? I don’t know how I feel about this. Doukas is always armed, and I suspect his brothers are as well, but I wouldn’t expect it from a sweet and fragile creature like Harmonia. The fact that she came to protect me is remarkable, but I can’t endanger her any longer. If the men Doukas put to protect me are missing, Harmonia and I won’t stand a chance.

“Go, Harmonia, follow the others out,” I say as I hear the signature creaking of my taverna door opening. We’ve got company.

“You don’t get it, do you?” She hisses and heads for the back exit. “You’re one of us, and we look after our own. So please, Ria, just shut up, and follow me.”

She opens the heavy door but immediately pulls it shut and locks it from the inside, pocketing the key.

“There’s a delivery truck parked at the entrance of the alley. It might be nothing, but we won’t risk it.”

She starts running again towards the pantry. “Where are you going? Harmonia, it’s a dead end.”

I wonder how long we’ve got. Once in the pantry, we move towards the back as she looks all around her.

“Come on,” she urges me as she jumps on a crate and climbs on top of the freezer.

I want to question her actions, but when I hear something—possibly a table—scraping on the marble floor close to the kitchen, I rush after her, hoping she knows what she’s doing. She tries to open the window, but it doesn’t give. Since we use ladders to access the rooftop from the outside, we don’t open this window often.

Harmonia doesn’t seem deterred. Removing something from her jeans’ pocket, she proceeds to attach what I assume to be a silencer to her gun. With what looks like a well-practiced efficiency, she aims her gun at the roof window and fires at its latch.

Once her intention is clear, I get on my hands and knees and help her to open the skylight leading to the rooftop.

“Hurry,” she whispers harshly, helping me up.

For a petite girl, she’s deceptively strong, but I don’t wait for her to say anything else, and I follow her command. Every moment we waste, I put her life in danger. If what Doukas has told me is right, Harmonia is more of a wanted person than I am.

As I climb to the roof, all my muscles are protesting, but I don’t dwell on it. The moment my feet land on the ground, I return to help Harmonia. She doesn’t have as hard of a time as me. It’s as if it’s every day she climbs on rooftops.

Smiling, she looks around with a calculating gleam. “Over here.”

“Harmonia, shouldn’t we move towards the window to keep a closer eye on it?” I ask as we hide behind the industrial chimneys of my taverna.

Thank God they’re huge and can offer us some cover.

“It doesn’t matter, Ria,” she says as she shakes her head. “Whatever pokes from that window gets shot.”

I search her face, trying to understand if she’s joking, but I don’t think she is. For a long time, nothing happens, and that stillness drives me crazy. I don’t know what’s happening, and I hate being in the dark.

My ringing phone startles me, but I’m too slow in locating it.

“Turn it off, Ria, please!”

Praying that it’s Doukas, calling to tell us to come down, I take the phone from my slacks. Veta’s picture appears on the screen, and I immediately reject the call.

“Fuck,” I curse as I close the phone. “Do you think they heard us?”

Something shuffles towards the skylight, and I have my answer.

“Please, stay low,” Harmonia instructs as she bends down and removes a small—almost decorative—gun from her calf. “If something happens to me, don’t hesitate. Aim for the abdomen and if you hit the balls, consider it a bonus.”

I bet it is.

“Harmonia, if we move on the other side, we can jump on the trashcans.”

I’ve seen it in a movie, and it’s the only thing I got. We’re in a relatively low building, and if luck’s on our side and the trashcans are closed, they’ll cushion our fall.

“I’m not sure. Our people are outside. We just need to ascertain how many men Thrasos has here. For fuck’s sake,” she curses suddenly as she reaches for her jeans, producing her phone. “Victoras?” she asks, and it’s the first time I hear her voice trembling. Victoras says something to her, and from the look on her face it’s unwelcome news. “Meet us by the trashcans.”

She ends the call and squats low once again. I don’t like the look on her face. It’s a mix of worry and fear, and it doesn’t feel good on her.

Heading to the other side of the roof, she exposes us completely. “Thrasos and your friend are gone. Our men managed to corner all five of Fanaris’s men.”

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” I ask, eyeing the trashcans.

Why did I ever think that was a good idea? I’m somewhat relieved that the truck no longer blocks the alley entryway.

“Not so much. They’re cornered in the kitchen and the pantry. On three. One…”

“No, Harmonia, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“It was your idea. Two...”

But we never get to three. She clasps my arm and takes me down with her.

I don’t know what I expected, but for a moment, it was as if the lights went out. The pain never comes, only a violent jerk.

“Ria? Are you all right?”

I nod and observe how unscathed she seems.

“Please, it’s almost over,” she pleads and tries to help me up, but I won’t have it. I should be protecting her, not the other way around.

I scramble to my feet and get down from the trashcan as expertly as I can, even though I suspect that I look like an awkward monkey.

By the time I’m on my feet, Harmonia aims her guns at the roof, taking small and calculated steps back.

“Ria,” Doukas yells, and I could cry at the sound of his voice.

He rushes to me, followed by Victoras and Icarus. Clasping Harmonia’s jacket, I try to get her behind Doukas, but she doesn’t budge.

Doukas comes in front of us, raises his guns to the roof, and starts shooting. I didn’t even see them coming. I don’t know much about shootouts, but I don’t think we have the advantage here. We’re practically out in the open. Someone falls down, missing the trashcan by a meter. That won’t be a fatal fall, but recuperation won’t be fun.

Harmonia’s guns go off too, and I watch her profile as her eyes turn into slits, entirely focused on what she’s doing. I can hear grunts overhead, and I think we have a good chance of weathering this.

“Harmonia, get the fuck away,” Victoras growls, and she glares at him.

“Sod off,” she says and turns her head at him.

A loud cry comes from the roof, and a few seconds later, someone jumps off with two guns pointing straight at us. Doukas tackles his sister and me to the ground, and from my prone position, I can see Icarus’s back as he kneels in front of us.

I can’t watch it anymore. Instinctively I lower my head, trying to touch my Doukas to make sure he’s here with me.

The ringing in my ears stops, and everything is quiet once more as if I’ve imagined the whole thing.

“Is everyone ok?” Alcaeus’s voice comes from the heavens, followed by a loud thud on the trashcans.

“Get off me,” Harmonia breathes heavily. “Did Alcaeus jump? How did he land?”

Doukas helps me up as Victoras kneels by his sister’s side. “No, but he jumped someone.”

Looking up, I watch as Alcaeus bows at us, and despite everything that went down, I smile.

“Let me look at you, baby,” Doukas draws my attention.

His voice is so gentle that I can’t help it. I feel a tear rolling down my cheek, followed by another. “I thought I’d die, Doukas,” I whisper and clutch him to me. “She was my best friend. I thought I’d never see your face again.”

I kiss his pursed lips over and over again, trying to calm my pounding heart.

“Nothing on this earth can separate us, Ria. I’ll kill even death himself if he tries to keep us apart.”