Hellenic Immortal by Gene Doucette Read Free Book Online

delivers it will be an agent. Probably Ralph, unless his shift is over. And it’ll be Linda who takes the order.”
    “No shit?”
    “I told you; you’re under constant surveillance.”
    “How long has this been going on?” I asked.
    “Since you got into town, except for maybe a few hours there when you switched hotels. Right now they’re trying to figure out how come none of the bugs they planted in here work anymore.”
    “You removed them?”
    “Yeah, while you were asleep.”
    “I suppose there’s a camera in the hallway too?”
    Mike blew out a puff of smoke. “There’s always a camera in the hallway. They just jacked into hotel surveillance. Cheaper. And good news for us; casinos can’t put cameras in the rooms.”
    “Okay. So how’d you get in here without being seen?” I asked.
    “Balcony.”
    I stared at him for a long time because that was just about impossible. The room did have a small balcony, but it was separated from the balcony for the next room by about fifteen feet of air, and from the ground by three stories. Hard to believe he made either jump.
    “You seem to have gone through a whole lot of trouble just to find out I don’t know anything about Ariadne Papos.”
    He smiled. “I already knew that.”
    I fell back onto the bed and surrendered to the notion that none of this was going to be making any sense anytime soon. “You risked your job to enter the room of a guy who your bosses think is a terrorist to ask him a question you already knew the answer to? Tell you what; how about I go back to sleep, you jump out the window, and we’ll pretend this never happened, okay?”
    “I think we can help each other,” he said.
    “Really? What sort of help did you have in mind?”
    “I’m guessing you don’t much care to be under a government eyeball. I know the protocols; I can help you disappear.”
    “I can disappear on my own just fine,” I said.
    “Bet that’s what you thought when you left the island with all that cash,” he said, flicking his cigarette and letting the ashes fall on the floor.
    He had a point. “What can I do for you?”
    “Ariadne is interested in you, so I am too. I think you can help me find her.”
    This had to be one of the more preposterous conversations I’d had in my very, very long life. Mike was either completely lying to me, or he was keeping significant portions of the story to himself, and I wasn’t sure which. All I knew for certain was that the man standing in my bedroom was willing to risk a great deal to find a woman I’d spent all of two minutes with. I mean okay, she was pretty, but really. It just didn’t add up.
    I got up from the bed. “I’m going to take a shower. Then I’m going to order some room service and have a nice, big meal. After that, I’m going to check myself out of this hotel and go on a long vacation somewhere. You can do whatever you want.”
    He stood up as well. “I think you’re underestimating the persistence of a coordinated FBI surveillance team.”  
    “And I think they’re underestimating me . . . as are you.”
    “Maybe so. You’re still making a mistake.” He tilted his head at me in a way not dissimilar to that of a dog who thinks he might have heard his master’s voice but isn’t entirely sure. “What did Ariadne say to you? Aside from her name.”
    “She told me I was being followed.”
    “Why do you think she warned you?”
    “I don’t know. Why did you?”
    “To gain your confidence.”  
    “There you go.” I offered him my hand, which he took. “It’s been weird,” I admitted. “Call ahead next time.”
    “Can’t guarantee that.” He smiled. He obviously thought there was going to be a next time.
    “Guess not,” I said. “I take it you can show yourself out?”
    He glanced over to the balcony. “Sure; not a problem.”
    *   *   *
    In the shower, I reflected on the foolishness of what I’d just done, meaning specifically that I had left an armed man in my hotel