Page 24 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
“Call him now,” Marcellus ordered.
Olivier frowned. “You know how he is, Pop. He has the same reclusive bug you have sometimes. He disappears. He don’t want to be bothered. That’s Niko.”
Marcellus looked at Olivier. “What did I say?”
Olivier was upset. Their empire was crumbling, and once again they had to worry about Niko. But when his father ordered him, he knew he had to do it. He phoned Niko yet again.
And just like the other times, Niko answered in typical Niko fashion. “Why do you keep calling me for crying out loud? I told you to leave me alone!”
“Pop is here, and Freddy and Kalayna. Savannah’s downstairs claiming you’re in danger.”
“In danger?” He sounded shocked. “What is wrong with that woman? She knows what I’m doing. She knows I’m making these Saudi connections for a merger. And why would she care anyway? I told you I fired her ass.”
“Okay, no worries. Pop and Freddy wanted to make sure.”
“I’m fine. How many ways can I tell you I’m fine?”
Olivier motioned his phone toward his father, to see if he wanted to ask Niko any questions.
Marcellus knew it was his son’s voice. But he also remembered Savannah as a straight shooter. Something didn’t jive. “Put him on video.”
“Pop!”
Marcellus gave him that look again.
“Pop wants you on video,” he said to Niko.
“Video?What for?”
“Because I said so!” Marcellus yelled out.
There was an audible sigh. Then the sound of rumblings. And then there he was, on Olivier’s screen, walking with the phone to his face. “Satisfied?” he asked him.
Olivier showed the phone to his father. Freddy and Kalayna looked too. Niko looked perfectly fine. Just like Niko.
“So you aren’t in danger?” Kalayna asked him.
“No, Kalayna damn.”
“Where are you?” Kalayna asked.
“None of your damn business. What’s wrong with y’all? I’ll see you when I see you. Now will you please leave me alone?” And then Niko ended the call.
“I hope that’s enough convincing so we can move on,” Olivier said to the family.
“You didn’t tell us she’d been fired,” said Freddy.
But Marcellus pulled up his computer to the lobby monitors downstairs.
“And why would she keep insisting he’s in danger if he’s not?” Freddy added. “Is she some kind of stalker, or some nutjob?”
“She says her gut is telling her something’s not right. That’s all she can tell me.”
“Even after you tell her you’ve spoken with him numerous times?”
Olivier nodded. “Even then.”
Kalayna looked at the monitors too. “Which one is she?” she asked Olivier.
