It was around one in the morning in Italy when Cam Duy was being questioned, but Ben made sure to fill Max in on what happened 3pm Sunday (1am Monday in Italy) Johnny/Ben interrogating Cam Duy. That was around 8am for Max, just as he was getting ready to meet with the liaison who would be introducing him to the extended Drakos clan. The information would definitely serve useful.
Lucy already knew Max had plans that day, so she had arranged to visit some of the smaller museums and less known attractions that she knew he wouldn't be as interested in. They parted ways at the exit to the hotel. Even though Max knew that guards would be following her, he still felt uneasy about letting Lucy out of his sight. He took a deep breath and entered the black car that was waiting for him.
He was taken to a hole-in-the-wall type of café where he met with his liaison, Greg. After ordering coffee and some chit-chat, the two got down to business.
Greg started, "I cannot stress enough the importance of the privacy of the people you are to meet today."
"Of course," Max nodded in assurance. He pulled a large envelope from his brief case and handed it over to Greg. "Here is the signed non-disclosure agreement. As we discussed, this matter concerns the Drakon family name, and we are just looking for some confirmation of our suspicions. In exchange, we will share what we know as well."
"Good," was all Greg said as he took the envelope and then inspected the documents inside. After he was satisfied, he took out a similar envelope and handed it to Max. It was the same agreement signed by those he was about to meet with. Three signatures.
"Our appointment is not for another hour, so let's enjoy this coffee, and some pastries, while we wait for the cars," Greg suggested.
The two did just that for about fifteen minutes until Greg's phone buzzed. "It's time," he said. They both stood up and exited the café. Greg got inside one of the cars, while Max entered the other. Max had a fleeting moment of fear until he remembered he would be followed by his own guards.
The cars went in different directions but both eventually arrived at the same point, at a gatehouse that was the end point of a long, gated driveway. With the trees and other foliage, it was impossible to see where the driveway led.
Greg's car was already there, and as soon as the driver got out and confirmed that Max was the only one in the other car, the gate opened and both cars set out.
It was indeed the longest driveway Max had ever seen. And it ended in a round-about in front of a huge mansion with Corinthian columns. Max felt that he had arrived at the home of the gods on Mount Olympus and could not help but stare at the splendor around him.
One of the guards standing watch by the huge doors of the home knocked and a few moments later, a woman answered the door wearing the garb of a maid or housekeeper. Max couldn't tell as it was an old-fashioned looking, long dress type outfit.
The woman led them through the entry way, passed a huge living room and into a relatively smaller room that looked to be another living room. Greg invited Max to sit and then took his leave. Max was left alone as a male servant brought refreshments. Not knowing what to do, he decided to wait for his hosts. He didn't have to wait long as two men and a woman entered.
They greeted each other and that is when Max learned that the older man was Lukas, while the younger man was his son Andres. The woman was Lukas's wife and Andres's mother Josephine.
"I have asked for my oldest son to be present as this concerns our family's honor. My wife is here as she is my partner in everything," Lukas explained, giving his wife a small smile.
Max replied, "I have no problem with whoever you think should be present at this meeting."
"Then let us get down to business," Lukas nodded. "First of all, you may or may not be aware of our family history. I will skip over irrelevant parts, but let us just say that we are not surprised at where this so-called Drakos family has ended up after Georgios was kicked out."
"So you can confirm that Georgios Drakos was in fact part of the Drakon family?," Max asked, trying to keep his face from showing any emotion.
Lukas gave a stiff nod, "Unfortunately, yes. He was the third son of the family. From my understanding, he was spoiled and always up to no good. I will not air our dirty laundry but suffice it to say that there were disagreements regarding inheritance. He disowned his family and left for America to start his 'new and important' life as he called it. His whereabouts were unknown to us until this Drakos Group started playing in international waters. Drakos Group? Drakon International? Could it be coincidence? The elders did not think so and they were right. How dare he disown a name and then use it to conduct business." The man's face became redder with each sentence until he was speaking very loudly toward the end of the story.
"Honey, remember your blood pressure," Josephine reminded her husband as she patted his arm.
"My apologies, Mr. Savio," Andres spoke up for the first time. "What we have learned about the current Drakos family has been very upsetting for our family as it sheds a poor light on our own. As a family who can trace lineage back to ancient times, this is very serious."
Max could not feel the importance in the same way as the Drakon family, but he could surely understand how important one's name was in the world of the nobility. His expression showed this understanding as he queried, "I can definitely understand and please don't worry as I took no offense. But, I am wondering how it could be that a family that broke away from yours could still harm you?"
Lukas answered, "They are still blood-related after all. And here, blood matters. They are like what you Americans call the black sheep of our family so even if we had kicked them out they would still be considered as related."
"I see," Max said, "That's too bad. And, unfortunately, we have reason to believe it is worse than what you may even know."
Andres shook his head, "We are aware of the organized crime."
"But are you aware of the specific crimes?," Max asked, raising one eyebrow.
The Drakon family all looked at each other with worried faces as Lukas said, "Continue."
Max did so, "Before I go on and give you what I've brought, I'm a little concerned given what you all shared about the connection to your family. If we choose to use any or all of the information against the Drakos family in a court of law, won't that harm your family's reputation further?"
"We have discussed the potential consequences of whatever it was you would share and considered that your group would be seeking to put Victor and perhaps even other members of his family behind bars," Lukas responded. "However, getting them out of business, quite literally and figuratively, so they don't do more damage is what is most important. Also, we are not a mob family. We do not want others hurt using our family's name."
Max gave a gentle smile, "That is reassuring to hear." He did not think they were lying and he was good at reading people.
"Okay," Max sighed, "Here it is." He handed over an envelope that had some information on what Victor and Demetrios had been up to over the last few years. They had decided not to name Selene or Peter, for safety reasons, and left out some parts, but overall it was a pretty exhaustive list of various unethical and at times illegal activities.
"Oh my," Josephine exclaimed several times as she read the papers along with her family. The two men were silent.
After they were all done, Lukas took a deep breath and thanked Max, "Since you have shared with us this information, we also have some things to share." He looked at Andres who nodded.
Andres pulled out big plastic envelope that contained several documents inside. He handed it to Max and said, "I think what's inside can help you."