Page 36 of Marcellus: House of Drakos

Although both men were reluctant to do anything, they heeded Alex’s order as Marcellus and Savannah sat back down on one of the two sofas in the room.

Alex and Kari sat on the other one. Oz went to sit in the chair, but as soon as his butt touched down, he popped back up like a jack-in-the-box because of the pain in his ass.

He walked behind the chair, leaned his elbows on the back of the chair with his butt pushed out to give it some air, and stood instead.

Kari and Savannah looked at each other. And both of them had to fight back grins. And in that moment just that look Kari gave her made Savannah feel as if she had an ally. As if, should those warring families ever were to come together, she would be welcomed at least by the wife.

Savannah also noticed that as soon as Marcellus sat down and Alex Drakos sat down, they both crossed their legs and relaxed their hands on their laps at the exact same time and in the exact same manner.

Although Long Hair didn’t seem as if he was any kin to even Alex Drakos, she could see some kind of kindred spirit floating between Marcellus and Alex.

They were related there was no doubt about it.

They even favored each other if you looked at them a certain way.

And although she was certain neither man would ever admit it, there was a connection there.

“You said you had some business you wish to discuss with me,” Alex said to Marcellus.

“That is correct.”

Alex made a weep with his hand. “You have the floor.”

Marcellus seemed hesitant. But then he spoke. “I know we don’t know each other,” he said, “but what I’m about to say will need to be held in strictest confidence. Can I be assured that such will be the case?” He looked from Alex to Oz.

Alex could see the stress in Marcellus’s eyes. A proud man like him didn’t grovel. He would not have been here had he had another way. “You can be assured,” Alex said.

Marcellus and Savannah looked at Oz. “Keep talking,” Oz said. “Your ass don’t deserve it, but it’ll go no further than this room.”

Marcellus nodded. “Thank you.”

Then he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “You heard about the various accidents involving my aircraft?” he asked the two brothers.

“Yes of course,” said Alex. “There’s been too many to ignore.”

Oz snorted.

“But why would airplane crashes be of interest to me?” Alex added.

“My son Nikolas has been involved with some unsavory characters. He has been running ammo for Russian and Greek mobsters, along with some mercenary groups.”

Savannah could tell that as soon as Marcellus mentioned mobsters, Long Hair’s interest piqued. “Okay,” Alex said.

“I know your background. I know that your father, that our father was involved in mob activity and so were you and your brother.”

Alex didn’t respond to that. Oz didn’t either. It was deny everything when it came to such a sore subject. And by someone they didn’t know. “Go on,” Alex said.

“Do you know of anybody in the Greek Mafia specifically that may have any ties to aviation? Or you may have heard someone in that orbit mention my name or my children’s names or my company name? Do you know of anyone that would just have aviation interests or skills?”

“When I left Greece,” said Alex without hesitation, “I left that world behind. On that, I cannot help you.” Then he looked at his brother, who kept his involvement undercover but Alex knew he was still heavily involved in that life.

What Alex didn’t realize was that Oz was now, in fact, the undisputed head of the Greek Mafia. “Odysseus?”

“No,” Oz said without hesitation either. “I don’t know anything about that.”

Marcellus had his people run deep background on both of his brothers. He knew Oz was lying. Alex knew it too, but his loyalty was with his brother so he didn’t say a word.

But Marcellus understood the stakes. He needed answers. “I need to know anything you can recall so that I can prevent any more innocent people from losing their lives. It’s that critical.”

“But why would you automatically believe those air disasters are because of you or your children?” asked Alex.

“All of my children, except for one of them, work for me. The only one that doesn’t, my son Niko, was kidnapped.”

Alex and Oz were shocked. So was Kari. “Kidnapped?” she asked.

“They still have him?” asked a now concerned Oz.

“No. Thank God. Thanks to Miss Richardson picking up what seemed like a minor clue, we were able to go in and get him without law enforcement or even the media knowing he had ever been snatched. But after we recovered him and were at home, that’s when those single engine jets crashed across the street from my Chicago home. ”

“It was awful,” Kari said. “I saw it on the news. Nobody survived.”

“The fact that it occurred across the street from your house, I take it,” Oz said, “was no coincidence?”

“In no way, shape or form,” said Marcellus. “And to prove it, I received a call from the kidnappers just after it happened.”

Alex was surprised. “They claimed responsibility?”

“Gleefully so. The caller said he can do anything he wants to do to me. That’s when I was certain there was a connection between Niko’s kidnapping and my aircraft disasters. He, in fact, said so.”

Alex uncrossed his legs too. He, Oz, and Kari seemed floored. “Now that’s a new one on me,” Oz said. “How the hell could he do that? And with so many different planes?”

Marcellus let out a frustrated exhale and ran both hands across his face.

“The truth is we don’t know. But there’s been a major infiltration and I can’t get to the bottom of it.

When my son Nikolas said that his kidnapper kept mentioning the Greek Mafia, I remembered that our father used to run the most vicious one and you and Alex were actively involved once upon a time.

So I came here. I had nowhere else to turn. ”

Alex and Oz both knew the severity of what Marcellus was saying. Somebody could crash Drakos planes at will? At will? They couldn’t even wrap their brains around such a thought.

But Oz had one question in particular. “How would you know about our involvement in our father’s organization? That wasn’t public knowledge.”

“I have always kept myself informed,” Marcellus replied.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Oz asked.

“It means he follows your every move,” Kari said. “Just like you and Alex follow his every move. Isn’t it obvious?”

Not one of the three men would admit it, but it was obvious to Savannah too.

“I’m just trying to prevent more innocent souls from perishing,” said a distressed Marcellus, “that’s the only reason I’m here.

Because the way that caller was talking?

It was personal. It was all about me. And he didn’t care how many people died just as long as he’s toying with me.

So if there’s anybody anywhere that you think could be involved, I need to know. ”

Alex knew of no one. “Is there anything you can do about it? Have guards at every airline? Doublecheck every plane before takeoff?”

“We’re doing all of that and more. That was instituted weeks ago when it was obvious something was going on. I’ve even asked the FAA to ground all planes manufactured by Drakos Aeronautics.”

“Shit,” said Oz. “That’s a lot of planes.”

“Over ten thousand are actively engaged, yes.”

“What did the FAA say?” asked Alex.

“A bunch of pushback. It’s too drastic for them. It would involve too many airlines. Too many planes, like Oz said. They want more details.”

“In other words they aren’t gonna do shit about it,” said Kari.

“Bingo,” said Savannah.

“So that’s where we are,” said Marcellus.

“The National Transportation Safety Board, the NTSB, is already investigating every single one of those crashes. They have boots on the ground everywhere, as do I. But nothing’s happening.

I feel like a sitting duck just waiting for the next disaster to occur. ”

“I know the FAA is involved,” said Alex, “but what about the CIA? This could be worldwide.”

“The kidnappers’ words exactly. He’s worldwide, he said.”

“Oh my,” said Kari as she looked at Alex. “We’ve got to help!”

But Savannah could see that Alex Drakos was hesitant.

Oz was downright suspicious, but even she knew the final word wouldn’t come from him.

It would come from his big brother. Alex was concerned, she could tell, but she also could tell that he needed more skin in the game.

“It’s been all commercial planes so far,” she decided to say, “but what’s to stop them from sabotaging private planes too?

Like your planes? They may not be built by Drakos Aeronautics, but they may know that a Drakos owns them.

And flies on them. This could reach everybody. ”

Alex, Kari, and Oz all considered Savannah.

They’d never met a girlfriend so unafraid to speak her mind about matters that would appear to be above her pay grade.

But Marcellus didn’t seem to have any problem with it whatsoever.

Which endeared him to Kari right away. “But what can we do about it?” Kari asked.

“I know I’m grappling with straws,” said Marcellus, “but my gut is telling me that the mob connection is key. I don’t know how it’s key other than what my son is telling me, but it is. So if you can think of anything, or anybody that may have any kind of beef with me or--”

“You mean other than Alex and me?” asked Oz.

It came so out of nowhere that Kari and Savannah couldn’t help it. They laughed. Alex and Marcellus smiled. “Other than you guys, Oz, yes. I figured you wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Why not?” Oz asked him as he stared daggers at him.

Marcellus was discomfited. Savannah wanted to take his hand, but she resisted. “I wouldn’t do it if the shoe was on the other foot,” he said, “and I have far more to complain about than you ever had.”

Oz frowned. “You have more to complain about?”

“Careful Oz,” said Kari.