by Beth Abbott
“Hi Hannah. Sorry to bother you so late.” Kellen glanced at his watch and noticed it was almost ten o’clock.
Hannah chuckled.
“Hey, I might be an old married lady, but we have been known to stay up past sundown, y’know.” She snorted. “What can I do for you?”
“You know Hollywood was taking Niko out on their ‘date night’ tonight?” Kellen asked. “Well, I’m afraid it didn’t go quite as planned.”
“No?” Hannah sounded disappointed. “That’s a shame. Hollywood was so excited that he’d picked the perfect restaurant. What went wrong?”
Kellen explained briefly what had happened, and that Niko was waiting for surgery.
“Shit! You’re kidding me, right?” Hannah sounded concerned as he’d known she would.
“Honey, I wish I was.” Kellen sighed. “Hollywood is holding it together for Niko’s sake, but I think he’s barely hanging on by a thread.”
“I never thought I’d see the day, but Hollywood has fallen hard and fast for Niko.” Hannah sighed. “When we were chatting yesterday about their date, he made it sound like he already had their future together mapped out. Marriage, more kids, white picket fence… the works. This must be breaking his heart.”
“You’re not wrong.” Kellen kept his gaze on his friend who was glaring at anyone who went through the curtain into Niko’s cubicle. “Luckily it seems to be reciprocated. Since Niko’s started to accept that she’s no longer controlled by Ilya and having to live in his world, she’s been able to shuck the mask, and that hard shell she had to encase herself in, and a much softer, sweeter Niko has emerged. She’s always been like that with Roman, but since she’s allowed Hollywood in, the guy’s absolutely glowing. Niko adores him, and she’s not been shy in showing him how she feels.”
“Aww, it’s so lovely.” Hannah sniffed. “And now, after everything she’s been through, Niko’s got this to contend with. It’s so unfair.”
“Tell me about it.” Kellen agreed. “So, anyway, apart from letting you know what was going on, Hollywood was worried about whether Niko is covered by health insurance. She hasn’t actually started working for the Guardians yet.”
“No, but she signed her employment contract with us almost three weeks ago.” Hannah confirmed. “Her medical benefits would have started from then, so you can tell Hollywood that there’s nothing at all to worry about. If she’s in the Chelsea and Westminster, then they’ll look after her as well as anywhere. But if she needs to be moved somewhere to recuperate afterwards, then the insurance will pay for her to go somewhere private, where she’ll get whatever care she needs.”
“I’ll pass that onto Hollywood when I speak to him.” Kellen breathed a bit easier. “Luke was kind enough to say he’d cover the cost if the insurance didn’t cover it, but I didn’t want the guy to leave his family short of cash.”
Hannah’s snort of laughter almost popped his eardrum.
“You’ve no need to worry about Luke, Kellen.” She chuckled. “I doubt if he would have had to dip into his last half a billion pounds.”
Kellen wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.
“Did you just say that Luke has a half a billion pounds?” He repeated. “As in five hundred million pounds?”
“At least.” Hannah chuckled. “His grandparents owned a huge international publishing company, and they were lucky to cash in just before the .com world exploded. He and his brother inherited the lot, and, of course, when Casey was killed, Luke inherited his share as well. He’s made some exceptionally good investments over the years, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his wealth was up to six or seven hundred million by now, even allowing for all the money he and Alice have put into her charity.”
“Alice is rich as well?” Kellen’s mouth was going dry. He knew there was a lot of money around these guys, but he had no idea it was this much.
“She’s not quite as rich as Luke, but there’s not much difference.” Hannah confirmed. “When you take JT’s wealth into account, they’re pretty close.”
“I didn’t realise…” Kellen’s voice trailed off.
“Kellen, if you took everyone in the Alpha Company family and added their combined wealth together, you’d probably be looking at more than a billion and a half pounds, and that’s after you deduct all the money we’ve given to our charities.” Hannah explained. “But that doesn’t change who we are. We’re still normal people.”
Kellen couldn’t argue with that.
“Well, I’m not sure I’d call you all normal.” He teased. “I mean, you’d hardly call Danny normal, would you?”
Hannah snorted a laugh.
“My Danny is so far beyond normal, he’s spectacular.” She insisted. “And I won’t allow anyone to say anything different.”
“Fair enough.” Kellen smiled.
“Look, do you want me to come down to the hospital to sit with you guys?” Hannah offered. “Or do you need anyone to look after Roman?”
“Ellen is taking Roman for a sleepover, as we were out with them and their boys this evening already.” Kellen explained. “And there’s nothing you can do here, except lose sleep. I’ll stay with Hollywood if Luke wants to get back to Ellen, and I’ll let you know in the morning how the surgery went.”
“Ok, if you don’t think I can help with anything.” Hannah conceded. “I’ll put a group message out to let the team know. There’s nothing planned for tomorrow, as we haven’t heard back from Drago yet, so y’all may as well take the day off.”
“Sounds good.” Kellen agreed. “I’ll call you in the morning to let you know how Niko is.”
Kellen ended the call just as Luke walked back in carrying a bag.
“Snacks and drinks.” He shrugged. “I figured Hollywood might need something to keep him going seeing as he didn’t get to eat his dinner.”
Luke must have seen the look of disappointment on Kellen’s face, because he immediately burst out laughing.
“I bought enough for all of us, don’t worry.” He snorted. “Ellen warned me that you’re still a growing lad who needs plenty of sustenance.”
“Your wife is fast becoming one of my favourite people.” Kellen grinned.
“From what I can make out, anyone who feeds you is added to your ‘favourite people’ list.” Luke pointed out.
“Yes, but Ellen not only sends your kids down with home-cooked food for me, but she makes sure you bring food as well.” Kellen explained. “That puts her almost at the top of my ‘favourite people’ list.”
“Almost at the top?” Luke feigned surprise. “Who could possibly come higher?”
“Roman.” Kellen grinned. “The kid may not provide me with food, but he just has to give me one of his big smiles and my heart melts. He’s got me wrapped around his little finger.”
“He’s cute, that’s for sure.” Luke smiled.
Kellen turned back to the ward just in time to see the curtain pulled back, and a couple of porters appeared, pushing equipment out of the way to make room for Niko’s bed to be wheeled out.
Hollywood stepped forward and Niko reached for him, her expression one of fear and pain.
Kellen watched his friend say a few words to Niko, before leaning down for a last kiss. Niko smiled nervously and nodded, just as her bed was pushed forward, until Hollywood had no choice but to step back and let her go.
Within seconds Niko had disappeared behind the double doors clearly displaying a ‘Staff Only’ sign.
Hollywood stared after her, almost as if he was undecided whether or not to follow behind.
Kellen approached him and placed a hand on Hollywood’s shoulder.
“Come on, buddy.” He said quietly. “I saw a sign back there for a family room we can wait in.”
Hollywood turned slowly and stared back at Kellen, his expression a mixture of pain and confusion.
“How the fuck did this happen?” He murmured.
“Come on.” Kellen steered Hollywood back towards the door. “Let’s grab a
coffee, have something to eat, and then we can figure out everything that’s wrong with the world.”
Hollywood seemed to be walking in a trance, and Kellen had a feeling that none of them was going to get a lot of sleep tonight, as each of them prayed for a positive outcome.
Chapter 4 – Hannah
Hannah disconnected the call from Kellen and dropped down onto the edge of the bed.
How was it some people had all the good luck, whereas other people seemed to have none at all?
Poor Niko was definitely veering towards the ‘none’ end of the scale. And just as she thought her life was turning around, too.
With a promising future ahead of her with Roman and Hollywood, and her controlling asshole of a brother cooling in his grave, you would have been forgiven for thinking things were finally looking up for Niko.
And now this!
Shit! Shit and fucking more shit!
“Why do you look like you’re ready to pull the head off a Muppet?” Danny stood by the bedroom door frowning at her.
Hannah glanced up at him and couldn’t help but smile.
“A Muppet?” She snorted. “Since when did I ever have anything against Muppets?”
Danny shrugged.
“You always said that Miss Piggy was a manipulative tart.” He reminded her.
“Well, she is.” Hannah pouted. “But that’s entirely beside the point.”
“So, what’s put that growly scowl on your face, then?” Danny walked into the bedroom and sat on the floor in front of Hannah, taking her feet in his hands. “You were happy when you came upstairs.”
Hannah wiggled her toes as Danny ran his thumb along the instep.
“Kellen just called from the hospital.” She sighed. “Niko’s had an accident and is being taken into surgery as we speak.”
Danny’s hands stilled as he stared up at her.
“What sort of accident?” He asked. “Are we talking about a car crash?”
“No, we’re talking about a table crash!” She snorted. “Niko was knocked over in the restaurant and then one of those high tables tipped over and landed on top of her, exactly where she’s already got fractured ribs. She’s going into surgery now as a couple of them have snapped completely, and they’re pressing into her lungs.”
“Shit!” Danny hissed. “What a freak accident!”
“Yeah, but the poor girl has already had such a tough life.” Hannah sniffed. “Things had really started to turn a corner for her, what with meeting and falling in love with Hollywood, and having the new job to look forward to. And now she’s in surgery having an operation for a life-threatening injury. It’s just not fair.”
“Sometimes life isn’t fair.” Danny pointed out reasonably, earning himself a Hannah glare. “Honey, you know it’s true. How many of the women in our family have been through things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy? Hmm? Including you, I’d say it was most of them. But as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“Yeah, well I doubt if that’s much consolation to Hollywood right now.” Hannah reminded him. “For the first time in his life he’s actually met a wonderful woman and fallen in love with her, and now he’s sitting in a waiting room, wondering if she’s even going to make it through the operation.”
Danny gave Hannah’s feet a shake.
“Honey, I think you’re getting a bit overly dramatic, don’t you?” He pointed out. “It’s serious, yes, but she should come through the surgery well. She’s young and otherwise fairly healthy.”
“Yes, but things can go wrong on the operating table.” Hannah pouted.
“But not today!” Danny insisted, tugging Hannah forward so she slid off the bed and onto his lap.
“No, not today.” Hannah repeated, still not feeling very positive.
“How’s Hollywood coping?” Danny wondered, and Hannah guessed he was imagining himself in the big American’s shoes.
“Kellen said he was just about holding it together, but that was while he was still waiting for her to go to theatre.” Hannah frowned. “I’m not sure how well he’ll hold it together once she’s taken away.”
“What’s happening with Roman?” Danny frowned. “Would it help if he came and stayed with us for a few days? Adam would be thrilled to have his new pal come for a sleepover.”
“I think he’s with Ellen tonight, as they were out bowling with Kellen and Roman earlier. They’re up in town for a few days anyway as the kids are off school for the holidays.” Hannah explained. “But I’ll check in with her tomorrow to see what their plans are, and I’ll offer to have him here if that helps free up Hollywood to stay with Niko.”
“Ok, then will you stop worrying so much about everyone?” Danny took her face in his hands. “Niko will be fine, Hollywood will be fine, and Roman will be fine. You, on the other hand, will wear yourself to a frazzle worrying about all of them.”
Hannah saw the concern in her husband’s face and knew she was being unfair on him.
Danny always worried about her far more than he ought to, and he was so alive to her every mood. Even when she was just having an off day, he would go out of his way to cheer her up, just because he hated to see her upset.
She gave herself a mental shake.
“You’re right.” Hannah leaned in for a slow kiss, loving the way Danny immediately pulled her closer so she was flush against his body.
“I am?” Danny smiled against her lips. “That’s a first.”
Hannah leaned back and grinned at him.
“You’re always right when you’re talking me down off the edge.” She admitted. “When something family related winds me up, you always have that calm voice of reason that gets through the fog and makes me think clearly again.”
Danny smiled suggestively.
“I thought you preferred it when I did something to make your brain go all fuzzy.” He pulled her closer still, ensuring her crotch was rubbing hard against his groin.
“Oh?” Hannah smiled innocently. “What sort of thing did you have in mind?”
“The thing where…” Danny stopped abruptly as Hannah’s phone began to ring again.
Hannah reached back onto the bed for her phone, frowning when she saw who was calling. She hit the speaker button.
“Drago? You’re on speaker and I’m here with Danny. Is everything Ok?” She answered as quickly as she could, knowing seconds could sometimes be vital.
Danny lifted her up reluctantly and set her back on the bed.
“Hey, Hannah, yeah, everything’s fine.” Drago’s voice was deep and mellow, making her wonder if he could sing well. “I just wanted to let you have a progress report.”
“Hopefully you have some good news?” Hannah crossed her fingers.
“Well, yeah, kind of.” He hedged. “I’ve linked up with one of Ilya’s business associates, a guy called Orlov, and after a weekend of partying and extremely heavy drinking, I think I’ve got him convinced that I’ve taken over what was left of Ilya’s crew. He’s agreed to get a meeting arranged with one of the big Russian arms dealers next week. The dealer’s name is Sergei Lebedev, and he’s well known to my superiors at the Kremlin.”
“Wow, that was quick.” Hannah was impressed at the speed with which Drago had made the right contacts. “How did you pull that off?”
“It wasn’t too difficult.” Drago snorted. “I deliberately dropped a quarter of a million euros at one of the guy’s casinos, and then proceeded to party as though it wasn’t going to cause me a minute of lost sleep.”
“You gambled away a quarter of a million euros?” Hannah gasped, Danny’s face a mask of shock as he waited patiently in front of her. “Does David know about that yet?”
“Hannah, stop worrying.” Drago chuckled. “There’s nothing for David to worry about. I’m using Ilya’s money.”
“I thought the Hungarian’s confiscated Ilya’s drug money.” Hannah frowned. “It was part of the sweetener to get them to help us.”
�
�They got the money he made on the final run, but the money Ilya had already stashed away was still waiting for me to recover when I got back to Moscow.” Drago explained. “That’s the good thing about being right hand man to someone like Ilya. They have to trust someone to know where all the money is hidden, and that someone was me.”
“Did David know about the money?” Hannah wondered aloud.
“No, I thought I’d keep Ilya’s ill-gotten gains for myself, to help pay for that crack habit I’m thinking of acquiring.” Drago snorted. “Yes, of course, David knows about everything. But it was agreed that the best use for Ilya’s drug money was to get us to the next level. It’s all about climbing the ladder, and you need money to burn to do that, or the snake at the top will get you, and you end up sliding down lower than you were when you started.”
“Snakes and ladders?” Danny snorted. “I like the analogy.”
“So, what happens next?” Hannah asked. “You think this Lebedev can be persuaded to meet with you?”
“Not for nothing, no.” Drago explained. “He’s a bit of a freak and likes to task people with providing him with something out of the ordinary. Something he can’t easily get for himself.”
“What sort of thing are we talking about?” Danny asked. “Obviously something money alone can’t get.”
“Exactly right.” Drago confirmed. “Apparently his last few requests have included a prize-winning Arabian stallion, and the latest model Aston Martin.”
“Wow! He doesn’t like to make it easy, does he?” Hannah whistled. “Do we have any idea what he’ll ask you to source for him?”
“None whatsoever.” Drago admitted. “But whatever it is, apparently you only get one chance to please the guy. If you don’t deliver what he wants, then it’s game over. There are always people willing to do whatever it takes to step into your shoes.”
“Great.” Hannah snorted. “When will you know whether or not the meeting will go ahead?”
“Apparently, there’s a party at his casino in Moscow on Saturday.” Drago confirmed. “I’m to go along with my contact, and if I’m invited up to the VIP area, then I’ll know he’s checking me out. If I pass his inspection, then I’ll be told what my test is, and how long I’ve got to come up with whatever it is he wants. It could be a day, or it could be a month. I guess it depends on how difficult it is to source.”