Page 61 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
“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 reasonI’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--”
