Page 58 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
“Hello,” Alex said to the bodyguard.
“Hello, Mr. Drakos, how are you, sir?”
“I’m well, thank you. Will you let your employer know that I’m here to see him?”
“Right away, sir,” the bodyguard said as he quickly entered the suite.
“We have to wait for him on our own property?” asked Oz. “This is batshit nuts.”
Alex looked at his brother.
“Okay okay. I’ll zip it.” Then he added, beneath his breath: “For now.”
It took only seconds before the double doors were open, the bodyguard stepped aside, and Alex, pulling Kari in front of him, and with Oz behind him, all entered the suite. The bodyguard stepped out and closed the doors behind them.
Marcellus and Savannah stood up from the sofa as the threesome walked toward them. Savannah still had on her red dress and heels, and Marcellus wore another one of his dark, tailored suits.
But even though Marcellus looked the part, his heart was hammering. It was the first time he’d ever been in the same room with his half-brothers. They were privileged growing up, and he was penniless. His mother hated them so he hated themtoo. And his hate, and bitterness, only grew when his mother died penniless and alone.
They say sex was a mighty Aphrodite, but for Marcellus hate was. It embedded itself deep inside of him, and every time he thought about his mother and how she struggled so, and how his so-called father, with just a snap of his fingers, could have helped her so tremendously but he wouldn’t even do that, it ate at him. And just seeing the two of them in all of their magnificence brought it all back. It still ate at him.
But he was a businessman first and last. His first impression of Alex Drakos,his baggage aside, which was a tall order, was actually a positive one. He always seemed like a decent fellow whenever he saw him on television or over the internet. Alex the person didn’t compute with the hatred he felt for him. But Odysseus, on the other hand . . . computed perfectly with that hate.
But he put that aside too. He wasn’t here to unite a family that never was a family. He was there for help.
Savannah didn’t know why she was there. She offered to go into the bedroom while he handled his business with his “brothers,” but he insisted she remain by his side. He even looked her in the eyes. “Ineedyou to stay,” he’d said to her. And loyal as she always was, that was all she needed to hear. She wasn’t about to leave after that.
She’d heard about Alex Drakos for years, and knew his face from the tabloids and other news reports of his various exploits. She even asked Niko once if they were related, since Drakos wasn’t an everyday name, but he said they weren’t. And that was all he ever said about it.
Marcellus explained to her on the plane about the bad blood between the Drakos family of France versus the Drakos family of Greece, and she then understood why Niko didn’t want to claim any connection. But seeing the two titans of industrytogether in one room, and the heightened tension it immediately provoked, was an unnerving sight to behold. Would they fight it out or talk it out? She was ready either way. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was out of her depth. She felt like an interloper at a time when it should have only been Marcellus and his brothers. Although Alex Drakos’s wife was there too.
Now that was an impressive woman, Savannah thought. Some news outlets used to describe her as if she was to Alex Drakos what Eleanor Roosevelt was to FDR. In other words, more useful than attractive. But they had her all wrong. She was a powerhouse alright, but she was a beauty too. In her own, unique way she had that “it” factor in spades. She was most impressive.
The other man, however, the younger one, was very good looking, but kind of oddish too. With that long hair and that big hat and that long coat although the weather was mild, she didn’t know what to make of him. Didn’t know much about him either.
But if there was any adult in that very tense room, her money was on Alex Drakos. He was older than Marcellus and the guy she decided to refer to as Long Hair, and he had an aura about him that not unlike the aura Marcellus had, that made clear he was not about the nonsense. And when Alex Drakos walked up to Marcellus and extended his hand, it only confirmed her suspicion. “Welcome to The Drakos,” he said to his half-brother. Marcellus shook his hand.
When their hands touched for the first time in their lives, and they were face to face in the same room together, both of them felt something ignite between them. It was as if they never believed they were truly related even though they knew they were. But they were so far from each other in every way, and had never been in any rooms together ever, that it always seemed more surreal than real. When their hands touched, it felt real.
“I’m Alex,” Alex said as they removed their hands. “This is my wife Karena.”
Kari smiled. She knew from the picture she saw of Marcellus Drakos online, when Alex finally mentioned that he had a half-brother, that he was a very attractive man. But that photo didn’t do him justice at all. He was beyond gorgeous. He could give Tommy Gabrini a run for his money in the looks department, and that was saying something. “I’m Kari, hi.”
“Hello Kari.”
“And this is my younger brother Odysseus,” Alex said. “He’s known as Oz.”
That fit, Savannah thought.
“Hello Oz,” Marcellus said.
“Why are you here?” Oz asked him. It was obvious to Marcellus and Savannah both that he wasn’t going to even pretend to get along. He didn’t want them there.
“I’m here to speak with your brother.”
“What about?”
“That’s none of your business.”
