Page 27 of The Seller

“Get to your exit points now!” I grab the walkie talkie which is attached to the front strap of the go bag, and locked to our emergency channel and issue the order.

There’s crackling and gun fire as a few of my men respond. Jesus. This is fucking awful. Everyone I hired to work for me is ex-special forces, I don’t fuck around - but still, being caught off guard like they must have been… how did nobody notice a fucking armored vehicle slamming up the garden path?

There are too many questions, and there’s no fucking answers to them right now, like, who the hell authorized a full scale attack on my home? Athens law enforcement turns a blind eye to a lot of organized criminal activity, but even they can’t pretend they don’t notice a house on fire, exploding with gun shots in the middle of one of the most affluent suburbs of the city. This is going to send ripples across the entire city. This is going to get tongues wagging and tensions rising. People are already dead, but more are going to die before this is over. I can feel that in the air.

“What is this!?” Siri gasps in surprise as we land in the ancient tunnel below my home.

“Getting out of dodge has been fashionable for a long time,” I tell her. I’m keeping as calm as I can. She doesn’t need me to start freaking out. She needs me to keep my head about me and get the pair of us to safety.

We’re already getting ahead of the game. The distinct lack of armed men in the tunnel tells me it is still secret. These tunnels aren’t connected to the popular Athenian catacombs which all the tourists know about. They’re smaller, more private. My house may be modern, but it sits on a site which has been occupied by housing since before the time of Christ. Many rich, corrupt men have lived where I now live, and have fled where we now flee. Most of them didn’t have a jet boat waiting at the private bay we’ll emerge into shortly, but their little ships would have served the same purpose.

As we run, Siri scurrying along by my side, keeping up the pace impressively well, I’m mentally going over the images I saw on the security screens. It looked to me like there were police, military, and if I’m not mistaken, mafia on the ground. Someone influential wanted what I had inside my house tonight, the girl who is at my side right now, cursing softly under her breath like a mantra.

Panting for breath, we finally get to the bay where the jet boat is waiting just as it should be. This is one of several escape craft I have dotted about the city. It gets checked once a week, re-stocked with supplies, just like the rest of the cars and boats I have. Until now, these were the actions of a paranoid man, but being paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you.

I toss Siri into a seat and slow throttle into open waters. Now is not the time to get caught because our craft looks like it’s manned by people panicking and fleeing. The slow pace of escape gives me a chance to think.

She’s been warning me since we got to Athens that it wasn’t safe. She was vague about it, and I didn’t pay any attention to her warnings, but she has my attention now.

“Siri,” I say, idling the throttle and letting the boat dance lightly on the water. “Who were those people?”

She gives a little shrug. Her nipples are hard underneath the sheer slip of fabric which passes for her clothing. It’s going to be damn hard staying incognito with a girl like this on board. Under the moonlight, she’s a stunning nymph, all curves and sin.

“You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell me?”

She shrugs again. My blood is still rife with adrenaline, and I am not in the mood to be defied. The world is shifting beneath my feet, just like this damn boat swaying on the water. I prefer to be on dry land. I like things to be certain, but she’s denying me the knowledge which would explain it all.

“Siri, now is not the time to fuck around,” I say, giving her a hard look.

“I told you we should get out of Athens,” she says casually.

What the hell does that mean? It’s not an answer. It’s almost a threat. It’s definitely a smug statement which gets me nowhere.

“Who the FUCK are you!?”

I rarely lose my composure, but I’ve lost it now for sure. I scream the question like a mad man, my voice deep and resonant with anger, my entire body fraught with strain. It has to be terrifying, but she doesn’t even blink.

Siri

There is no way I ever tell him who I am. The moment I do that, I lose everything. He can yell, scream, beat the shit out of me if he wants to, that’s not a question I’m going to answer.

His fists are clenched, but he’s not threatening me. His anger is directed at the people who invaded his home, stole his sense of security and superiority in gunfire. I guess he doesn’t like to feel vulnerable, or weak, or be at the mercy of unknown forces. I’d point the irony out to him, but something tells me he’s already aware of it.

“You should sell me,” I tell him. “Virtual auction. No pictures. Highest bidder wins.”

“What? Why?”

I can’t help the pitying tone which sneaks into my voice. He really thought he was in control. Men always do. With their big muscles, and their hard cocks, and their total lack of morals, they think they rule the world, turning women into products. In the end, they’re nothing more than tools.

“Why? Because that’s what you do,” I say. “You sell women. And it’s time I found a buyer.”

I see him tensing up. He doesn’t like this. He’s confused. He’s off balance. He’s not used to being on the back foot and I can see how much he hates it. That’s why I’m giving him an out.

“Get rid of me. Make your money and be done with me. I’m betting there’s already an offer waiting for you.”

He kills the engine completely and just lets the boat drift. There’s no lights in this thing. There’s not even a below deck. We’re completely exposed, and drifting further out into the ocean all the time. I hope he’s as good a sailor as he is a pilot, or he’s going to get us both killed when we hit open water and face the wrath of Poseidon.

“What do you think you’re doing, Siri?” His voice is calm and dangerous.

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