Page 26 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
“Yes, but . . .” Savannah scrunched up her face.
Kalayna could see that she still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t understand why you won’t take yes for an answer, Miss Richardson. Niko is fine. He’s made that clear every time my oldest brother spoke with him, and he made it clear to the family just now. There’s truly nothing for you to worry about.”
But it was as if Kalayna had not said a word. “When you spoke with him, was he on a videocall? Did you see his face?”
Now Kalayna was beginning to see why her father was annoyed with her. “Yes, Miss Richardson, we saw his face. He’s fine.”
“But could you please phone him again and put him on video? If I see his face, his eyes, then I’ll leave it alone.”
Kalayna could not believe this woman. She wanted to tell her ass enough was enough, but that look in her eyes stopped her from totally dismissing her. This woman was genuinely concerned for Niko!
Although Kalayna knew she was wanted upstairs to handle their true family crisis, and she was too busy in her own right to be appeasing some fired secretary, and Niko was going to cuss her out for bothering him again, she knew that a black woman like Savannah didn’t show up all concerned about some white boy like Niko just for the hell of it. Kalayna called Niko’s phone.
To Savannah’s delight, Niko answered the call right away. But to her surprise, he answered with an attitude. “Why do you guys keep bothering me? I told you I’m fine! Why are you bothering me again, Kalayna?”
“Because your secretary keeps bothering us,” said Kalayna. “Could you please do a videocall just to satisfy her?”
“Why would I care about satisfying her? I fired her ass!”
Kalayna glanced at Savannah. She could see a sense of sadness come over her face as if she had never known Niko’s true colors. Here she was all concerned for his well-being, even to the point of badgering his family over it, and he was speaking of her as if she meant nothing to him. But maybe that tough love was the very thing this woman needed to move on with her life.
But when Savannah said, “Put him on videocall,” as if she was still undaunted, Kalayna shook her head. The woman needed undeniable proof. That was the only way, she realized, that she was going to ever let it be. “Just do it, Niko,” she said to her brother. “Show your face.”
There was more objections from Niko and then a pause, but then he came up on video again. “Satisfied?” he said to his kid sister. “Damn.”
Kalayna allowed Savannah to get a good look at him too. “Are you truly okay, Niko?” Savannah asked him.
Although the pause was so slight that Kalayna didn’t catch it, Savannah caught it. She knew the young man staring back at her better than his own sister knew him. But then he spoke up. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sick and tired of telling everybody I’m fine. I fired your ass because you wouldn’t let well enough alone. Stop bothering my family and leave me alone! And I mean it!” Then he ended the call.
Savannah felt like a fool and Kalayna could see her embarrassment. Her heart went out to her. “You wasn’t wrongto check on him,” she said. “But as you can see, he doesn’t deserve your concern. He’s fine.”
“Yes I can see that,” Savannah said. “Thanks for letting me see him for myself.”
“No problem,” Kalayna said and smiled. “Have a good day, Miss Richardson,” she added, and left the lobby.
“Oh Miss Drakos?”
Kalayna rolled her eyes, but she turned and looked at her. “Yes?”
Savannah had thought to ask if her father was okay, but she knew that would be too intrusive. Those people were tired of her. “His father saw him on that videocall too, right?”
Kalayna thought that was an odd question. “Yes. Why would you ask that?”
“I’m sure he was worried about his son.”
Not all that worried, Kalayna wanted to say. “Have a nice day,” she said instead.
“You too,” Savannah said and Kalayna turned back around and briskly walked away.
Although Savannah left the building, she still couldn’t shake that unshakable feeling that despite what she just saw, and the vile words he had just spoken to her, something was wrong with Niko.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It had been a long day and nothing had been accomplished. Their engineers were working feverishly to get answers and their investigators were on the scene with the NTSB trying their best, despite governmental limitations, to investigate too. Work was being done. But Marcellus was as dissatisfied as he had been when he first sat behind his desk hours ago.
And his children took the brunt of that dissatisfaction. Especially Olivier and Freddy. Kalayna was still in the office, too, but she was on the phone with Logistics trying to coordinate how to get more of their own people on the ground. Whenever there was a plane crash, the FAA was in charge. But they needed far more of their own engineers and investigators there too.
“This is what’s going to happen,” Marcellus said to his two sons that stood in front of his desk. “Within twenty-four hours I want to know the how, the why, and what we can do to change it and change it expeditiously. And I want names of anybody who may be sabotaging my planes. Because that’s what this is beginning to feel like. Do you understand me, Ollie?”
