by Beth Abbott
“I wouldn’t have known the difference.” Niko admitted, solemnly. “Thank you for explaining that to me.”
Hollywood grinned at her before turning back to the road, leaving her the opportunity to study his profile under the guise of watching her son.
He was film-star handsome, alright. Strong jaw, thick, dark brown hair, and long dark lashes around those warm chocolate brown eyes.
If only he didn’t hate her, Niko thought.
Well, if only he didn’t want to hate her. That might be more accurate.
For reasons she could only assume were connected to her brother’s business, Hollywood really seemed to want to despise her. It was as though he had mixed feelings between what he actually felt, and what he thought he ought to feel towards her.
For the past ten minutes he had been able to have a conversation with her without snarling at her.
Yes, he had raised questions about how she was bringing Roman up, but that had been out of concern for her son, not meant to criticize her as a parent.
Give it another ten minutes though, and thoughts of the women in the back of the truck would re-surface, and he would be treating her like a devil in disguise.
Niko turned and stared out of the window.
There was nothing she could do to influence that, so why should she let it bother her if the guy was acting all mercurial, warm one minute, icy cold the next.
Niko’s phone buzzed, and she saw a reply coming through from Ilya’s phone to her message.
“Drago here. Food sorted – will be delivered on arrival in Bucharest. We’ll have to sort out the provisions for when we arrive at Alba Iulia and Budapest when we meet up later.”
“Thank goodness for that.” She glanced at Hollywood. “I messaged Ilya earlier about the food position, and it looks like Drago has got it sorted. There’ll be a delivery in time for when we arrive in Bucharest, and he said he’ll speak to me later about sourcing food for when we stop near Alba Iulia and then in Budapest. I guess they’re the next two destinations on his new route.”
“Will there be enough for everyone including the women?” Hollywood committed the names of the cities to memory as he asked the question.
“I reckon so.” Niko nodded. “Left up to Ilya, it really could have gone either way. But as Drago responded, I’d like to think he’s used his common sense and bought enough for everyone.”
“He doesn’t seem the sort of guy to be working for an asshole like Ilya. No offence.” Hollywood glanced at Niko to see if he’d upset her at all. “Has he always been around?”
Niko smiled.
“No offence taken. An asshole is probably the nicest thing you can call my brother.” She shook her head. “And no, Drago hasn’t always been around. He started working for my brother a few years ago, and actually saved his life during a drug deal that went bad. Someone tried to stab Ilya, and Drago jumped in the way, and fought the guy off. Got a stab wound to his stomach for his troubles, though thankfully, it wasn’t too serious. Since then, Drago is virtually the only person Ilya trusts.”
“What about you? Do you trust Drago?” Hollywood asked, glancing around to see her reaction to his question.
“I trust him to have my back, when it comes to dealing with Ilya’s men.” Niko explained. “But whether he would have my back if it came to Ilya, I doubt very much. Drago is as smart as he is brave, and I think he’d probably put survival at the top of his wish-list. If you want to survive in Ilya’s world, you act in Ilya’s best interests at all times.”
“Even if that meant he was supporting Ilya at your expense?” Hollywood asked with a frown.
“Drago is… would be… a good man, I think, if circumstances were different.” Niko explained. “I don’t think he actually likes Ilya’s businesses any more than I do. He certainly doesn’t like trafficking women any more than me. But having been given Ilya’s backing, it comes with a price. You have to do what you’re told, when you’re told. I’m not sure of Drago’s background exactly, but I think he had a tough upbringing. At least with Ilya he gets a good wage and some authority. It’s better than what he had, so I guess he thinks the price is worth paying.”
“How much does Ilya pay him?” Hollywood asked.
“I wouldn’t know.” Niko shrugged. “I’ve seen Ilya hand over a bundle of cash from time to time. Like after a big deal has gone down successfully. Maybe twenty or thirty thousand euros?”
“And you get fifty euros a week?” Hollywood scowled. “Woman, you need to get the union involved to fight for better terms and conditions for employees.”
Niko turned to face Hollywood, thinking the guy had gone loco, but then she noticed the twinkle in his eyes.
Ok, so maybe he wasn’t hating her right at that minute.
“Which union do you think I should join? There are a few transport unions, but I don’t think they’d like our brand of ‘haulage’.” She smirked.
“How about the Traffickers Union? There’s bound to be one somewhere in the world.” Hollywood smiled.
“I bet there’s a Traffickers, Drug Smugglers and Arms Dealers’ Workers’ Union somewhere if I Google it.” She chuckled. “And if there’s not, then there should be. Why didn’t I think of it before? Oh, wait. Because Ilya would kill me as soon as look at me if I asked for more money. That’s why.”
“We could just drive the truck into the forest, open up the back and let the women go.” Hollywood suggested. “You and Roman could make a break for it and go and make that new life you wanted for the two of you.”
Niko glanced across at him. Was he serious?
“In theory that sounds like a great idea.” She conceded. “But in reality, the trucks are fitted with trackers, so as soon as we moved off the main road they’d know we’ve gone walkabout and would come after us. There are half a dozen small vehicles within a couple of miles of us at any time, so they’d easily catch us. Ilya wouldn’t hesitate to kill me, just to make an example of anyone who tried to take what he believes is his. Where would that leave Roman? Then there’s your employer, who, I’m sure, is also set to make a pretty penny out of this little arrangement. I think they’d be less than impressed with you if we let the women go.”
Hollywood scowled, and she felt a little sympathy for the guy. Having a conscience made living this life so hard.
“But on a positive note… when you get back after this trip, you can always quit, can’t you?” She suggested. “You’re not stuck in this life like I am.”
Hollywood didn’t respond, and she guessed he was re-evaluating. Whatever he was getting paid, and she assumed it was a decent amount, was it really enough to assuage his conscience?
Her phone buzzed again with another message.
“There’s a rest-stop about two miles ahead where you’re supposed to pull in.” She instructed. “It’s probably got no security cameras to pick us up, but even so, when you park, don’t pull in next to the other trucks. Keep a respectable distance, like you want some privacy.”
Hollywood followed her instructions, and as they pulled in, she saw both of their other trucks parked in different areas. She recognised a couple of the vans, and the men sitting on a wall enjoying a cigarette.
“Roman, come with me, baby.” Niko reached into her pack and pulled out some tissues and wet cloth wipes. “There’s a bathroom here, so we can get cleaned up.”
Roman slid off the bed and stepped between the curtains, climbing up on her lap so he could see out of the window.
“Do they have a park with swings?” He asked, seeing the open grass area off to one side.
“I don’t think so.” Niko hated seeing his disappointment. “But once we get where we’re going, I’m sure we’ll be able to find somewhere where you can play on the swings.”
“And a slide, too?” Roman stared up at her hopefully.
“I hope so, baby.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his warm body. “And maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll find a park with one of those roundabout things
too, and I can spin you around and around.”
“Until I’m sick.” Roman giggled.
“Well, maybe we’ll try and stop before that happens, hmm?” Niko kissed his cheek, and as Hollywood brought the truck to a complete halt, she opened the door and carefully climbed down.
“Now come on, let’s head to the bathroom.” She watched as Hollywood lifted Roman down. “We probably haven’t got long before we need to get going, and I don’t know when we’ll get the chance to stop again.”
As she walked across to the bathroom, she pulled out her phone and started typing.
“Bucharest tonight, a site near Alba Iulia tomorrow and Budapest the day after. Suggest Budapest interception would be preferable. Will provide exact location as soon as confirmed.”
Niko hadn’t walked another ten paces before the reply came back.
“Green light on Budapest in two days.”
Her heart raced a mile a minute. Finally, things were about to change!
Chapter 43 – Hollywood
Hollywood pushed the door open and climbed down the steps, watching Niko walk her son across the parking lot to the bathrooms.
He felt Kellen behind him rather than saw him and turned to see his friend watching Niko with a strange look on his face.
“What’s up, bro?” He asked, praying Kellen wasn’t going to declare any sort of attraction to Niko.
“I reckon she’s the one who’s been communicating with Hannah.” Kellen informed him. “I was listening to you two talking earlier, and she hates what she does. She’s not the hard-hearted bitch you’ve tried to make her out to be.”
Hollywood so wanted to believe that.
“Niko says she wants to do something about it. She says she wants to get out. But what does she actually do about it, Kellen? Nothing at all, that’s what.” Hollywood shook his head. “I offered her a way out, and she turned me down flat.”
“Ok, firstly, if everything she said about the vehicles being tracked is true, then it wouldn’t take Ilya’s men more than half an hour to find her and drag her back to face the music.” Kellen pointed out. “If that is the case, then I can see why she’d be reluctant to go with you. Besides, maybe she doesn’t find you particularly attractive? Would you want to run away with a guy if you thought he was a troll, hmm?”
“Very funny.” Hollywood pretended to be bored. “I just can’t understand why she doesn’t run away. They’re always travelling, and she’s rarely in the same vehicle as Ilya. There’s the perfect opportunity on almost every trip.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, pal.” Kellen shook his head. “Roman doesn’t normally come with her on these trips. He stays with their old nanny from when Ilya and Niko were kids.”
“Noni?” Hollywood asked. “She mentioned someone called Noni looking after Roman while she worked.”
“That’s her, and from what I’ve been able to gather, Noni is in Ilya’s pocket and does whatever the guy tells her.” Kellen scowled. “By all accounts, Niko hates her with a vengeance.”
“So, why is Roman here with us this time?” Hollywood kept his eyes on the bathroom they’d gone into.
“Because it looks as though Noni has been rushed to hospital with appendicitis. The only person available to look after Roman when Niko is busy is Ilya’s fuck-buddy, Vanya.” Kellen snorted. “And as he wasn’t prepared to travel without Vanya, Roman had to come with them as well.”
“So, this is the first time he’s travelled with her?” Hollywood was starting to feel a touch of sympathy that her circumstances weren’t exactly what they’d seemed to be.
“The first time for a very long time, yes.” Kellen nodded. “There’s never been an opportunity for her to get out before now.”
“I’ll check in with Hannah and see if she wants me to try and verify your suspicions.” Hollywood muttered. “Keep an eye on the bathroom to make sure none of those assholes get anywhere near her or the kid.”
He stepped away from the truck and wandered over to a shabby bench and table set, far enough away from the trucks that nobody would hear him. Sitting down, Hollywood pulled out his phone, plugged in his earphones and leaned his arms casually on the table so he could prop the phone up to see the screen.
He called up Hannah’s details and hit dial.
“H? Is everything Ok?” Hannah answered before he heard the first ringtone, and he was suddenly staring at her worried face.
“Everything’s good, we’ve just stopped for a comfort break.” He confirmed. “I’m just calling to pass on some intel and run something by you.”
“Ok, well your timing is good because I have some news for you too.” Hannah smiled. “But you go first.”
“Ok, well I’ve found out where we’re going to be for the next few days.” Hollywood confirmed. “Bucharest, followed by…”
“Alba Iulia and Budapest?” Hannah chuckled. “Yeah, I just got that from my informant, too. That was going to be my news.”
“Well, that could link in to the next part.” Hollywood frowned. “Kellen reckons that Niko is your informant, and I just wanted to know what you want me to do about it. She’s actually the one that gave me the names of those three cities.”
“Apart from the locations, which could be coincidental, or even widely known among Ilya’s men by now, what is Kellen basing his guess on?” Hannah checked. “Solid evidence or guesswork?”
“Not so solid evidence and a lot of guesswork.” Hollywood shrugged. “She’s said a few things about Ilya’s business activities, and she obviously hates what he does. She’d do something about it in a heartbeat, but she feels trapped, and worries for the safety of her kid. She claims her brother pays her fifty euros a week, if you can believe that.”
“Actually, that’s not so surprising.” Hannah nodded. “When I was looking into her background, I couldn’t find any trace of her having any sort of credit history. No bank accounts or credit cards, no property registered to her, not even a phone contract in her own name. Everything comes to her from her brother. Does he strike you as the kind of guy that would hand over wads of cash to his sister?”
“Not exactly, no.” Hollywood admitted. “So, what do you want us to do about it.”
“Have you been able to engage her in conversation at all?” Hannah asked. “When you’re alone with her in the truck, I mean.”
“I’ve had a few conversations with her.” Hollywood tried to keep his expression neutral, but something in his voice must have given him away.
Damn HRH for being so observant.
“What sort of conversations, Hollywood? The chatty, ‘what do you think of the weather?’ kind of conversations, or the ‘why don’t you do something to stop your brother trafficking women?’ kind of conversations?” Hannah’s scowl was visible even on his small screen.
“Erm, a bit of both, I guess.” He admitted.
“Hollywood!” Hannah dropped her head in her hands. “After all the shit that we went through with Logan’s attitude, what the hell were you thinking? We can’t alienate the woman, or worse, have her running to her brother complaining about you. You know how volatile he’s reputed to be, right?”
“Yeah, we’ve kinda witnessed that first hand.” Hollywood nodded. “Look, I know I wasn’t supposed to say anything to her, but she got me kinda worked up, and then confused between which Niko was the real one. I guess I was testing to see what I’d find.”
“Hold up… go back to the part where she got you ‘kinda worked up’.” Hannah was grinning. “Exactly what kind of ‘worked up’ are we talking about?”
Hollywood could feel the colour rising up his neck.
“The usual kind.” He tried to hide a smile. “First of all, she threw herself on me at the airport, crushing her chest into mine in an attempt to distract the airport security guys who were watching her suspiciously. It’s hard not to respond to someone when they’re rubbing themselves all over you.”
“Really?” Hannah snorted.
“And then, wh
en we were in the back of the van going from the airport to the hanger, we got thrown around when the asshole driver took a corner too fast, and I swear the woman grabbed my cock to stop from falling over.” Hollywood grinned sheepishly. “It wasn’t my fault if he was still remembering her chest and standing to attention at the time.”
Hannah groaned.
“Please tell me this is another of your infamous tall stories.” She shook her head. “You’re winding me up, right?”
“Honey, I only wish I was.” Hollywood sighed. “Plus, there’s also the small matter that the woman is absolutely stunning. I mean catwalk model gorgeous. How did I not spot that when we were studying the photos back at the office?”
“Hollywood, you weren’t seeing her as a real human being back then. You were seeing her as someone caught up in the trafficking business.” Hannah pointed out. “And I’m guessing that’s the cause of all the strife between the two of you. There’s an attraction that you’re not comfortable with, because if you like someone that flawed, what sort of person does that make you? Does that sound close?”
“Too close for comfort.” Hollywood admitted.
“And is the attraction reciprocated?” Hannah asked.
“Not likely.” Hollywood laughed. “At the moment, I think I’m just an annoyance to her because I’ve made her look at how she’s living her life and it doesn’t make pretty viewing.”
“Well, just be careful you don’t push her too far, Ok?” Hannah frowned. “She still may not be my informant. And if she’s not and you push her too far, she may still go running back to Ilya. Don’t forget, she might actually believe you’re some kind of spy that Ilya has planted to report back on her. She might complain to him about you, just to make sure she gets in first.”
Shit! He hadn’t thought about that.
“Look, why don’t you tease her out by using the contact name ‘Angel’.” Hannah suggested. “If she recognises it, she’s hopefully going to open up to you. If not, then you’ve ruled out one of our limited number of options.”