Sons of Sparta: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger Page B

He breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm himself.
    “Are you, okay?” said Petro.
    “Yes, thanks.”
    “I heard the shots and when I came around the corner I saw that bastard aiming at you.”
    “He pulled the trigger.”
    “You’re damn lucky his gun jammed or he was out of ammo.”
    Andreas shut his eyes and nodded. “Tell me about it.”
    “What happened?”
    “No idea, but in this neighborhood at this hour, my guess would be drugs.”
    “You don’t think it was a hit meant for you?”
    Andreas gestured no. “Not the way this was done.” He fluttered out a long breath. The adrenaline was still there. “I shouldn’t have gone ballistic. But I was so angry at myself for not picking up on what was going down, I took it out on him.”
    “I don’t think he’ll be expecting an apology.”
    Andreas laughed and patted Petro on the shoulder. “There was another guy running away from the shooter.”
    “Yeah, I got a look at him.”
    “Do you mind dealing with the blue-and-whites on this? I’d like to get home. If they need anything from me, they can find me in my office.”
    “Sure, no problem. Besides, I think you’re right about this being over drugs.” He pointed at the dead man. “He’s a dealer from another neighborhood. Locals don’t like outsiders cutting in on their territory.”
    Just like Orestes and his friends.
    ***
    At 5:17 a.m. Andreas crawled into bed. Lila lay on her belly under the covers.
    A millisecond later he heard, “So?”
    “I was hoping you’d be asleep.”
    “So was I.”
    “It was a long night.”
    “I can tell.”
    “No sex,” said Andreas.
    “Are you asking for some or confessing to none?”
    Andreas laughed. “I spent the night at El Malaga being hustled by Orestes and his buddies. Let me sleep and I promise to tell you everything when I wake up.” He shut his eyes.
    “Are you talking about the Orestes who asked me to marry him before I met you?”
    Andreas opened his eyes. “I never heard about that.”
    “There was never any reason to tell you. It was all before we met. Which Orestes are you talking about?”
    Andreas told her.
    Lila lifted her hand and patted him on his back. “Yep, same one.”
    “You’re just saying that to wind me up and get me to talk.”
    “Why would I do that? You said you’d tell me everything when you woke up. I can wait.”
    Andreas stared into the dark for a moment, sat up, and turned on the light. “But I can’t. Tell me about him.”
    Lila didn’t budge or open her eyes. “What do you want to know?”
    “Start with the good parts.”
    “There weren’t any. He was an arrogant political opportunist, looking for a socially prominent wife to complement his career.”
    “With money?”
    “For him that wasn’t as important as social standing.”
    “That explains why he kept trying to hook me up with the women at the next table.”
    Lila opened her eyes. “What women?”
    “An assortment of hotties.”
    “And?”
    “And nothing. They were there when I got there. No doubt provided by Orestes as company for his guests.”
    “That’s a nice way to put it.”
    “He kept trying to pair me up with them. Now I understand why.”
    “Please share.”
    “Have you ever heard the expression, ‘A husband who cheats on his wife becomes her pimp’?”
    “No.”
    “It means that a man who cheats on his wife gets other men to thinking it’s okay to take a shot at her.”
    Lila laughed.
    “What’s so funny about that?”
    “If you’re suggesting Orestes was trying to get you to cheat on me, I can assure you it wouldn’t be for the hope of my later having sex with him. Perhaps to get back at me for turning him down. Or even to blackmail you with threats of telling me if you had gone with one of those…what did you call them…‘hotties.’ But sex, no.”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    “He’s gay.”
    “What?”
    “Okay, maybe bisexual, but definitely gay. I can’t believe you didn’t pick up on