“NIKO!”
Ilya’s shout could probably be heard in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, almost three hundred miles away, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been the tenth time he’d yelled at her in the last thirty minutes.
She resisted the temptation to yell back ‘What now?’.
As her brother stomped around the corner of the truck, Niko stepped from the office out into the yard.
“Ilya, I’m still trying to do the last six things you told me to do ‘urgently’.” She complained. “Am I the only person you can ask to do anything for you?”
“What time will the men from the auctioneer be arriving?” He demanded, like she hadn’t already told him the answer a dozen times.
“The van will pick them up from the airport at around one o’clock, so it will be close to two o’clock by the time they get to the yard.” She explained patiently. “We’ll be on the road by half past, which means that if we don’t run into too much traffic, we’ll be on the outskirts of Istanbul by eight.”
“And they definitely have a driver with the correct credentials?” He pressed. “We don’t want to get fucked over at the border because the driver doesn’t have the right paperwork.”
“Ilya, I’ve told you this, three times already. Their driver has the proper license. Why would they risk the shipment and their share of the profits by sending us someone who wasn’t qualified?”
Ilya seemed far too twitchy for Niko’s liking. Was he high? She glanced at Drago for confirmation.
The big Russian shrugged very slightly.
“Ilya, have you been at the coke, again?” She turned back to her brother, wary of his reaction. He could be volatile when stone cold sober. Drunk or on cocaine, he could be a nightmare.
Instead of throwing a fit, he grinned at her.
“Just got a new product delivered.” He chuckled. “Had to give it a try, didn’t I?”
“Ilya, we’re heading out with a new shipment tomorrow.” She scolded. “Is this really the best way to be getting everything finalised? Getting high?”
Ilya threw his arms out a little too widely, and almost toppled over.
“I’m not high, baby sister. Just buzzing a little bit.” He grinned. “Had to check the product, didn’t I? They could’ve been selling us salt, and nobody would have been any the wiser.”
Niko stared at her brother, trying to keep the annoyance from showing.
“Exactly how much cocaine have you bought, Ilya?” She asked warily. “And what were you planning to do with it?”
“A hundred of the good stuff. We’re taking it with us.” Ilya grinned. “I have a contact who’ll take it off my hands at a huge profit.”
“A hundred kilos of cocaine?” Niko gasped. “And you plan on carrying the drugs in the trucks with the women?”
“Well, I’m not taking it in my car, am I?” Ilya grinned. “What if I got stopped? I’d go down for thirty years.”
Niko couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Ilya…” She began, but he was already moving towards his car.
“I’ll be back by midday tomorrow.” He waved over his shoulder. “Have everything ready to go.”
As Ilya climbed back in his car and sped out of the yard, wheels spinning in the dirt, she noticed that Drago had stayed behind.
The big Russian was staring straight at her, and she wasn’t sure what he was doing there.
“Did he forget you?” She asked. “Or have you had enough of his erratic ways as well?”
Drago smiled slowly, showing his lovely straight white teeth.
“He’s off to see Vanya, having already described to me in graphic detail what he intends to do to her when he gets there.” Drago shrugged. “It’s not something he needs me for.”
“But Vanya’s got Roman today!” Niko looked around for another vehicle she could commandeer. “I have to go and get him before Ilya gets there.”
“Vanya may be a bit flaky, but she lives with her mother, sister and a couple of aunts.” Drago grabbed her arm to stop her. “Roman will be fine, believe me. They’re sensible women who I’m sure know how to look after a little boy between them.”
Niko wasn’t so sure.
“And just so you know, I arranged for a travel cot to be fitted into the back of the truck for you. It’ll be a bit snug, but at least Roman will be able to sleep safely while we’re on the road.” Drago’s announcement surprised her.
Niko could feel herself welling up. That wasn’t something her brother would have thought to do for her, and she couldn’t have afforded to do it herself.
“Thank you.” She said quietly, noticing Drago’s cheeks were slightly pink from embarrassment.
“Look, we need to check that everything is in order and that the women are ready to go, right?” Drago pointed out. “Why don’t we get that done now, so you can go home and spend time with the kid?”
Niko was torn. Looking after Roman’s best interests was all she knew how to do, but if he was right about Vanya’s female relatives, Niko would be better off taking Drago’s advice and getting everything ready for the following day.
She glanced up to see Drago patiently waiting for her to come to the right conclusion and gave herself a mental shake.
“Ok, come on.” She set off across the yard, not needing to look behind her to know that he was following.
Ilya’s men were sitting outside the old office block, either smoking, drinking, or playing cards. Half of them seemed to be doing all three.
“When was the last time you checked on the women?” She demanded.
The guy she had spoken to previously, Bogdan, looked as though he was going to ignore her, but then spotted Drago not six inches from her shoulder.
“We gave them breakfast and lunch.” He shrugged. “They’ll get supper at about eight o’clock.”
“And did you actually go inside the room to make sure they were Ok, or did you just throw the food through the door?” Niko had been around long enough to know how these lazy bastards operated.
The guy looked around at his compatriots for inspiration, but they were all busy examining the dirt on their boots.
“Open the damn door!” She growled.
When Bogdan looked set to argue with her, Drago leaned forward imperceptibly.
“Don’t make the lady repeat herself.” He warned, apparently having no need to add the words… ‘or else!’.
Seconds later, the door was unlocked, and she was stepping into the dimly lit room.
She looked around at the dozens of women barely stirring themselves from the floor, where they were lying down on old mattresses. It was stiflingly hot, and there was little or no fresh air getting into the room.
She turned to one of the assholes kicking his heels by the door.
“I want fresh bottled water brought in, now.” She instructed. “At least a hundred two-litre bottles. Every woman is to be given a bottle of her own.”
This time Bogdan didn’t even begin to argue. Yelling to several of the men, they went scurrying to the back of a refrigerated truck, coming back with packs of half a dozen bottles at a time.
“These were supposed to be given to the women every morning.” Niko growled, furious that they were still sitting in the truck. “I gave strict instructions that they were supposed to be fed well and kept properly hydrated with a fresh bottle of water each every day. Can’t you follow simple instructions.”
“We… we thought the water was for us while we’re on the road.” The guy shrugged. “We’ll need plenty for the men.”
“The men will get what water we can spare, or they can find their own.” Drago barked, looking scary as hell. “The women come first, do you understand?”
Even as they were still dragging packs of bottled water from the back of the truck, Ilya’s men were nodding in agreement with Drago.
Niko had to admit, the guy was intimidating as all hell, and if she hadn’t known him for a couple of years and seen more than just the one side of his personality, she might be quaking in her boots right now, just like the men around them.
Drago could look like the most ferocious, aggressive giant of a man, yet he’d never raised his voice with her.
Even as he watched the men unload the water from the van, he beckoned another man over.
“Take two men to the wholesalers and get more water.” He pulled a bundle of notes out of his wallet. “Take the van and fill it.”
“Yes, boss.” The guy waved over a couple of men and they headed out without delay.
Niko’s shoulders fell. How easy it was for Drago to get people to do what he wanted. She was the boss’s sister, and even she couldn’t always get them to comply with her commands.
“You’re a woman.” Drago said quietly in response to her unspoken complaint.
“What?” She couldn’t believe how easily he’d read her expression.
“It’s nothing personal, but the sort of men who work for your brother, they’ve been raised to treat women as though they were nothing.” He shrugged, but she could see he was trying to be sympathetic. “The only reason they listen to you at all is because they’re scared shitless of Ilya.”
“Or you.” She pointed out.
Drago chuckled.
“Or me.” He conceded.
“Yet you don’t treat me like they do.” She pointed out. “Nor do you hit on me, either. Which leaves me wondering exactly what you see when you look at me.”
“I wasn’t raised the same way they were. I was brought up to respect women. It’s not a lesson I’m prepared to unlearn.” Drago glanced towards the warehouse, and she could tell he was thinking about the women they were trafficking. “And as for hitting on you… You’re about a decade younger than me. And besides, I have twin sisters the same age as you, and I’m still convinced they aren’t old enough to date yet. What sort of hypocrite would it make me if I suddenly started looking at you that way?”
“A big ugly one?” Niko offered, half a smile on her face.
Drago laughed, a full-on, throaty guffaw, and Niko grinned wider, happy to have amused him.
“I like you, Niko.” He shook his head. “Not in a sexual way, don’t get me wrong, but you have balls. You’re not afraid to fight for what’s right, even when it means sticking your head up for someone to knock back down. I have a lot of respect for you.”
“Thanks, I think.” She smiled. “It’s nice to know not everyone hates me.”
“I’ll be coming with you on the road this week.” Drago nodded. “I’ll have your back whenever I can, whenever I’m not at Ilya’s beck and call.”
“Can you keep an eye on him?” She frowned. “I’ve never known him to use coke like he did today, especially on the eve of a big operation like this.”
Drago shook his head.
“Ilya was just showing off to the distributor, making out the coke wouldn’t affect him.” He explained. “He was only supposed to be taking a tiny amount to test, but he went too far. Luckily, the deal was done before Ilya started showing signs of being high.”
“Just make sure he doesn’t take anything with him for the trip, Ok?” Niko asked. “He can be volatile and unpredictable when he’s high, and he could easily fuck up this whole deal if nobody keeps him in check.”
“And you think he’s going to listen to me?” Drago laughed. “Now I think you’re the one who’s high. Nobody tells Ilya what to do, especially if it means spoiling his fun. Trust me, I’ve seen people try, and it always ends badly.”
“Then if you can’t persuade him to do the right thing, can you at least try and steer him away from getting into too much trouble?” She pleaded. “And don’t let him near any of the women. He likes his women compliant and enthusiastic, and he’s been known to beat women who don’t embrace what he wants. If he goes after the cargo, it could get very bloody very quickly, and we would lose a lot of money.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I think Vanya is our best ally there. As long as she keeps him happy, everything should go smoothly.” Drago shrugged.
Which meant that Niko might have to drop everything at a minute’s notice to watch out for Roman, if Ilya decided he needed Vanya’s services elsewhere.
Shit! For the first time, possibly ever, she found herself wishing that Noni was around to look after Roman.