Russian Roulette - Family secrets - Draft version!

Ch. 77: Spread out. Stay alert

It was not really a meeting. It was a comfortable gathering at The Mansion. There were about 30 of Gareth's men there, they had all eaten together and were watching a game on the massive flatscreen tv enjoying a few drinks.

Ok, a lot of drinks.

Gareth and Cracker had returned from Switzerland the day before. Both Gareth and Cracker felt confident that they had made a good impression on Niehauser. The way Niehauser and Cracker had hit it off had been entertaining for Gareth to watch. They were both numbers people and had had quite a few over the head jokes going all the time.

Since Mackenzie had gone to visit her mother, Gareth had not felt the need to slow down. He had called a meeting and gotten up to speed on what had been going on the week he had been gone.

It had been an uneventful meeting.

Phoenix had updated him on the companies and a few minor things with permits for building ventures and different licenses for his clubs. Vasili had nothing much to tell. They had tracked Grychenko in one of Gareth's clubs, but he had left without incident and vanished like always.

All their attempts at getting a meeting with him had gone unanswered so far.

They had been keeping an eye on how many women had disappeared lately and it was an alarming number. Vasili and Jace hand been hard at work with their informants bribing them to tell them anything and keep them informed if they heard or saw something.

Gareth had been gone for 5 days and he knew he had an excellent crew. All he needed was the confirmation that they had stayed on top of everything and nothing had gone down the crapper while he had been away, not that he had expected it.

A relaxing boy's night was nice for a Saturday evening. A few drinks and yelling at the tv. What more could he want when he could not be with Mackenzie?

He had sent her a text a day since she had left. Nothing that demanded her attention or a reply. Just a little hi and wishes of her having a nice time with her mother.

He missed her.

Pathetic, but true.

He missed her smile and just the soothing effect she had on him.

The apartment had felt empty and that feeling he got, when he came home and the whole place smelled of her delicious food mixed with her alluring perfume, had not been there. That was the reason he had decided to stay at The Mansion until she came back.

The apartment was not his anymore.

It was theirs.

"I'm guessing you're in Italy and not here with us?" Jace plonked down next to Gareth with a cheeky grin.
"Da." Gareth saw no point in lying to Jace who knew how he felt about Mackenzie. Ok, in all fairness probably most of his people did.

Even the ones in other cities.

So far, he had stayed clear of his mother being informed.

"You miss her?" Jace glanced at Phoenix who were talking with Oleksander, one of their weapons experts, across the room.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, yes. But you're doing well. You've not mentioned her name since dinner." Jace smiled crookedly. "It's ok to miss her."
"The mighty dragon fell from the sky because of an angel. How's that for irony," Gareth laughed humorlessly.
"If we're being poetic, then I can say that I don't agree. The dragon didn't fall. It found somebody to soar even higher for because only then could she see his magnificence from heaven."