A Price Above Rubies

Chapter Seventeen

Leon takes a quick breath before he slams his elbow into the man's stomach and whirls around the second the man bends double and with his free hand, Leon disarms him. Hooking a foot around the man's leg, knocking him off his feet and to the ground, he points the gun at the would be assassin. 

Leon freezes in stunned recognition when the eye patch the man wears gives away his identity. 

"Alcon," he exhales in surprise.

The older man smiles up at him from the ground. "I'm impressed, Captain. Your reflexes have gotten better." He extends his hand to be pulled up and Leon is too stunned to do anything at first. He jerks out of his surprise and helps the man to his feet. 

"What in God's name are you doing in Greece?" Leon asks. After his help during the war, Leon imagines the target on this man's back is as big as the one on his own.

"The same thing you are, I imagine," Alcon replies. 

Leon says nothing to confirm the man's suspicion. 

Alcon looks down the alley to make sure there are no prying eyes. "Let's walk."

He leads Leon to a hotel in the city where he has a room. 

"So you're just out in the open like this?" Leon asks as Alcon pours him a drink. 

"And you being the commander's son?" Alcon counters. 

"Most of my regiment is dead," Leon points out, a sad pang in his chest for some who were his friends. 

"And I spent most of the war behind the scenes. Here I am nothing more than a business man." 

"With a rather distinctive feature," Leon says, pointing to the eye patch.

"A war injury, fighting the good fight for Greece against those evil Turks," Alcon says with a wink of his uninjured eye. "Not as distinctive as you would think as injuries go among a few other soldiers. Lost eyes, lost limbs. I even heard of one soldier who got his cock blown off. Though that was likely the result of an angry husband coming home early rather than a battle wound."

Leon laughs into his vodka. 

"Now, to the business at hand. Do you know what the GJD is?"

Leon shakes his head. 

"The Greek Justice Directorate. A branch of the Greek Security Directorate. The GSD, officially.The GJD do the GSD's dirty work. Unofficially," Alcon explains. 

"Rounding up Greek's who betrayed the cause by helping the Turks during the war," Leon says watching Alcon carefully. He likes the man and thinks he can trust him but one can never be too certain, and Leon hasn't survived all these years by taking everything at face value. Leon is relieved to see that Alcon seems to be sizing him up as well. 

"You know what they're called," Leon says. "That's more than I've been able to find out."

"That's about all I've been able to dig up so far. No idea yet on who's running the fucking thing." Alcon sighs. "So what happened to you after the war? Wasn't their a girl? Pretty Turkish tiny thing, if I remember correctly?"

Leon can't help the small smile that threatens to break through. "Hilal. My wife. We have two children. A boy and a girl." 

"Good for you!" Alcon says, raising his glass. "I almost got married a few times. First girl I ever loved. She was killed. The other times...this job just doesn't work for those who want happily ever after." He shrugs. "So you have that. Kid, what are you even doing here? You have a woman to warm your bed, children who probably look at you like your their biggest hero. Probably even have a fucking white picket fence too." 

"It's pink, actually," Leon says with a chuckle. "My daughter's idea." He grows serious. "I'm here because the GSD...or...well, like you said now, the GJD took my brother and have him locked in one of their secret prisons. I'm here to find out where that is and get him out." 

"Who's your brother? Wait… Lady Veronika… Ah shit. Ali Kemal is your brother? I never made the connection." 

Leon straightens in his seat. "You know him?" 

"Not personally but… Leon, if they find out your here and make the connection between you and Ali Kemal… Christ, couldn't you have sent someone else?" 

"No, he's my brother. But I am not alone on this. And now I have you and you're going to help me as well." 

"Oh am I?" Alcon asks with a laugh. 

After telling Alcon about Vecihi and exchanging more information, Leon heads back to his apartment. He remembers his pink picket fence and aches to get back to his happily ever after. 

The next day, Leon is driving one of the prison trucks when he gets an idea. Two trucks are used and every night they are refilled with gas, ready for the morning shift, to prevent the danger of ever running out of gas during transport. The route to and from the prison is the same so the amount of fuel used in a day is the same, as would be the cost of topping it up every night. 

Or at least it should be. 

Records are kept for expenses and Leon takes a peek at the other driver's logs for the past few days, sneaking in a bit earlier one morning so no one will catch him snooping. The amounts all match and there are no records of longer travel times. Shit, Leon thinks, disappointed. But then he wonders if any extra top ups would be kept off the records and decides he's going to check out the fueling station later. 

Okan, the attendant who likes the special cigarettes Leon brings him, tells him that there is one guy who always comes fill up twice.

Lieutenant Maxim Otrav. Leon bites back the urge to throw his fist in the air in triumph. He thinks Otrav is an asshole but made sure to never let on. He had to make sure he got along with everyone so that he aroused no suspicions and could get close to his target when he got the chance. 

Otrav had never served with him and wasn't in Istanbul during the war. He knew Andreas Akis only through what his jerk friends said about him, having never read his articles himself. He thinks Andreas Akis is a soft heart, but doesn't seem to hate him. Leon laughs at his stupid, offensive jokes but in his mind he's picturing Hilal's reaction to the things this idiot says and it helps keep up the laughter. 

He's waiting for Maxim Otrav when he finishes his latest shift. "How'd you like to go out for a drink before we head home?" Leon asks.