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BEFORE
Harrison
Six Months Earlier…
A call came in the middle of the night.
I’m lying in a darkened hotel room, visiting Virginia for a meeting with a client, and when I wake, I’m not sure at first where I am.
I check my cell and see it’s 3:40 AM.
What the hell?
I check the call display and see that it’s from my father’s main bodyguard, Clarence. A big bear of a man with a shaved head and biceps the size of my thigh, he’s formidable. Never smiles.
“Mr. O’Connor, this is Clarence. I’ll hand the cell to your father.”
“Okay,” I say and sit up, my heart pounding. Why the hell is my father calling at 3:40AM? “Dad, what’s the matter? Are you okay?”
I hear him sob. “It’s Liam,” he says, and I can hear the slur in his words from his stroke. “That bastard, Sergei. Because of him, Liam overdosed. They airlifted him to a hospital. But it was too late…” He sobs out loud at that, and I feel my eyes brim with tears. “He died…”
“What?” I’m dumbstruck for a moment, rubbing my forehead, trying to figure out what he just said. My kid brother Liam is dead? “Who did this? What hospital?”
“The Russian,” my father adds. “Sergei. His father is Yuri Andropov. He’s one of Sidorov’s enforcers. The police say he gave Liam and his friend the drugs. Not only alcohol but also drugs, like cocaine and maybe fentanyl. Here,” he says with a sob and hands the cell back to Clarence.
“Clarence, what can you tell me?”
Clarence clears his throat. “Liam and a friend were with Mr. Andropov at an exclusive club called Nuage. Later, while at Mr. Andropov’s residence, he passed out. He was pronounced dead after being transported via helicopter to NYP-Langone Medical Center. He passed away on route. The police just came to the house to tell your father. As you can imagine, he’s having a hard time. He wants you here, right away.”
“Okay,” I say and switch on the lamp at the side of the bed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll catch the first flight back.”
“He can send a plane to pick you up,” Clarence says. “There’s one that can be in the air in fifteen. It should be at the nearest airport near you in under two hours. Let me know.”
I glance at my watch. Probably the first commercial flight I could get wouldn’t be until the morning. Having a wealthy parent with his own private jet is a bonus, even if he is a mobster.
“Okay. I’m currently in Norfolk for a meeting with clients.”
“The jet is located at Teterboro and can be at Norfolk International in ninety minutes after takeoff.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good. He’ll be here when you arrive, as will the rest of the family.”
I say goodbye and lie back against the bed, emotions overtaking me, the grief so severe, I can barely catch my breath.
I cover my eyes. My baby brother is dead… From an overdose? He’s only nineteen. What the hell was he doing with Vladislav Andropov?
As I hold my head in my hands and give in to my grief, I think about my brother and his involvement with my family. This is why I warned my father to stop doing business with the Russians as fast as possible. If he had accepted my advice in the first place, Liam would still be alive.
When I’m more in control, I have a shower, dress and pack up my belongings. Then I head out. It’s 4:15AM when I check out, handing my keys in.
“Sorry to see you leave so soon Mr. O’Connor. Was there a problem with your accommodations?”
“No,” I say and shake my head. “Family emergency that requires my attendance.”
“Oh, so sorry. I hope we see you again soon.”
I nod and accept the receipt, then leave the hotel lobby, making my way to the front drive where my limo is waiting to take me to the airport.
