We wouldn't call on him for help. He had to make this go at the Olympics now, while he was in top form. The more he delayed, the harder it would be. I liked having him around, because he was a sweet kid and had a cheery disposition, even in the worst of times. But he had to try for the Olympics. I would never want to deny him that.
I agreed to run a security detail for my uncle's nightclubs, providing twenty-four-hour protection for their various locations. John relied on my expertise in that area, for Donny had been the one to run the clubs. So, not only would I be taking over the gym and franchises, I'd be taking over Donny's clubs. He had three, all in Boston. I hadn't seen the books, or any of the details of the businesses, but I knew that once I did, I'd learn a lot more about my uncle's ties to the mob.
I leaned back in my chair and shook my head at my situation. For most of my life, I had done everything in my power to avoid my family's criminal ties. Now here I was, back in the middle of everything.
I hated it, but I had decided to work toward one goal.
Bring down the Romanov family, especially Sergei Romanov—the bastard who had his tentacles wrapped around my family, and who was ultimately responsible for my brother's death.
I was just biding my time until I had what I needed to take them down.
If I had my way, I'd set Sergei Romanov's empire on fire so I could watch it burn, just the way my grandfather had burned to death on a lonely road outside of Boston two dozen years ago when I was only six, just as I'd watched my brother get shot and die because of my family's inability to get out of Romanov's clutches.
They had tried, but the Romanovs’ power was just too great, and both my father and uncle had failed.
I wouldn't.
Chapter 4: Hunter
Present Day
The pretty nurse with tired blue eyes looked at me with skepticism when I arrived after visiting hours. I was determined to see Graham, so I turned on my charm, and leaned over the counter.
"I'm looking for Graham Parker's room."
"Are you immediate family?" she asked, her eyes moving over me questioningly.
I made a face of confusion. "What's immediate? I'm a cousin. I've been out of town and only just got back in." It was a lie but there was really no reason why I shouldn’t be able to see him.
She shook her head and gave me an impatient look. "Visiting hours are over," she said, pointing to the sign on the wall. "Only immediate family can come in after hours."
"If I promise to just pop in for a minute? Pretty please?" I said, laying on the sad puppy eyes. I even held my hands up in mock prayer. "Sixty seconds? I came all this way from the airport, and my taxi already left…"
She rolled her eyes and smiled reluctantly. "Okay, but only a minute. He's sleeping right now."
"I won't wake him. How is he?"
"He's stable, but his condition is still guarded."
"Okay," I said, nodding in understanding. "I'll just pop in quickly, just to see how he's doing."
She pointed down the hallway to Graham's room and I smiled.
"Thanks so much. I really appreciate this."
She smiled back and I felt her eyes on me as I walked down the hall to Graham's room. Being able to lay on the charm was a skill that I never let go to waste.
As I passed the rooms on my left and right, I realized how easy it would be for someone to get inside and hurt Graham. When Celia had texted me the last time, indicating Graham was in Mass General and it was a matter of life and death, I gave in and called the hospital to see what had happened.
A doctor had answered my questions when I’d said I was Graham's business partner and needed to know how long he'd be out of commission, giving him a story about a meeting regarding financing a new venture. The doc was reluctant to talk, but did acknowledge that Hunter had been beaten up pretty badly. I called over to Graham's office and spoke to Mark, who told me that the police had been by to question Graham and he'd insisted he was mugged in a back alley, but Mark let it slip he thought it was because Graham owed money to a loan shark.
That was my domain, so I called in a few markers and found out through the grapevine that Graham had been beaten up by one of the lower-level sharks in the Romanov universe.
Small-time hoods, but they were Russian and were always trying to make a name for themselves by how nasty they could be. I'd found that out only too well since I took over Donny's side of the business. It filtered down to me that Graham had failed to pay back the interest on a loan on time and they'd roughed him up to give him an incentive to pay up.
Given the lax security on the ward, I knew that if I didn’t pay Graham's debt, he could easily be killed.
I'd seen a lot in my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, but when I saw Graham, even I was shocked. His face was bruised, his eyes swollen tight, his lip cut and stitched, his head wrapped in bandages. His leg and arm were in casts and he looked deathly pale.