Chapter 134: "Maybe it was a bit blunt."
Andrew tried to focus on the road as they drove back to Malibu, but his mind was racing with a jumble of different thoughts and feelings.
The most important thing was his overwhelming relief that Kim was out of surgery and seemed okay. Andrew had known that he was worried earlier in the day, but he was shocked by just how relieved he felt when he saw Kim afterwards. Now they just had to wait and see if the transplant worked.
But that was hardly all that was on his mind. He still had to puzzle out the mystery of the gang members who had attacked him and Shivaughn. After the police and Bo's interrogations, Andrew had called a colleague in the ISA's research department, who promised to see what they had on file about Philip Collier and Sam Vincent. Maybe with that information, Andrew could figure out what was going on.
And then there was Shivaughn. He glanced out the corner of his eye to the passenger seat, and saw that she was watching him intently. It was hard not to keep thinking about how she had kissed him after the fight. That kiss had been like raw energy and from the look on Shivaughn's face, he had a feeling that she had every intention of following up on it when they got home.
"Ahem," came Jeannie's voice from the backseat. "If I may interrupt the eye-fucking for a moment--"
Andrew felt his face flush. "Bloody hell, Sis," he said, mortified. "Could you be any more rude?" He looked at Shivaughn, who appeared to be as embarrassed as he was. The main difference was that her dark skin had not turned bright red like his.
"Yes, well, sorry about that," Jeannie said. "Maybe that was a bit blunt."
"A bit?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Okay . . . but that's not important right now. What I want to know is why you didn't mention that the British Army had invaded our home."
"They what?" Shivaughn sounded surprised.
"Oh, right, you were with Andy when Marlena told Bo about that." Jeannie paused. "So, big brother, are you going to tell me why you didn't tell me?"
Andrew tried to think fast. "I was going to tell you after we got home," he lied. "With everything with Mum, I didn't think you needed to worry about it. But Marlena was freaked out because she couldn't get a line on John, so I told her." He waited, wondering if that would mollify Jeanie.
It seemed to work. She sat back in her seat. "Go back to what you were doing up there," she said, her tone only partially teasing. "I'll just sit here and remind myself I could have driven back with the others."
Andrew just shook his head. Jeannie's sarcastic/humorous side sometimes eluded him. He glanced again at Shivaughn, but she seemed to be making an effort to stare straight ahead and not look at him. In silence, they drove the rest of the way back to Kim's house.
Once there, Andrew excused himself and headed to his room. A few minutes later, he had entered his security codes and accessed the ISA network. His friend had come through with a couple of files on Sam Vincent, but said he could find nothing on Phillip Collier.
"Guess I've got to go on what I have," Andrew muttered, as he opened the first file and began reading about Sam Vincent. His eyes widened as he learned that Vincent was the son of Salvatore De Vicenzo, former Don of the De Vicenzo family. His production and distribution company was the perfect vehicle to launder mob money from drugs, gun-running, and all sorts of illicit activity. The money came in as "investments" and went out as legitimate profits paid to investors.
The second file was an overview of the ISA's recent operation. The De Vicenzo family had been pretty much decimated by the arrests. Those occurred just days before Sam Vincent's suicide.
Andrew sat back and tried to put the pieces together. From what the gang members said, Phillip was somehow involved with Vincent. If Vincent laundered money through his production and distribution company, Phillip's films probably played a role. But that did not explain the gang members focus on Phillip. They had said that Phillip's "road" was theirs.
Distribution.
It suddenly hit Andrew. Phillip's movies were distributed on DVD and sent all over the world. That could provide cover for just about anything.
And I was sleeping with a mob princess, Andrew thought. The son of the ISA chief in bed with the daughter of a drug trafficker. That would have made for a hell of a scandal.
Andrew sat back in his chair and thought. How could Father not have known about this? There was no way he would have let Andrew and Jeannie be raised by someone with mob connections.
Or maybe he did know. Andrew remembered how he was unceremoniously shipped back to England by Phillip. Shane had barely asked any questions upon his return. Had Phillip said something?
But if Father knew about Phillip's connections, why wouldn't he have told Kim or insisted on Jeannie leaving California? It made no sense that he would just sit by and do nothing. That just was not Shane Donovan.
I'm missing something, Andrew thought. There has to be some explanation.
He picked up his phone and dialed his ISA superior. Despite the conflicts they had over his coming to California and the issues surrounding John and Hope, Captain Davies might have some thoughts. The call went through and Andrew asked for the Captain.
"Davies here," came in a brusque tone of Andrew's superior.
"It's Donovan," Andrew said. He then laid out the events of the day and what he had put together from the Vincent file. After explaining his suspicions about Phillip, Andrew said, "It looks like these gang members want to use Collier's distribution network. Maybe I can get involved, since they already think I'm part of it."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Good, he's thinking about it, Andrew thought. He waited for Davies' answer.
"Under absolutely no circumstances, Agent Donovan," Davies said. "Do I make myself clear?"
The most important thing was his overwhelming relief that Kim was out of surgery and seemed okay. Andrew had known that he was worried earlier in the day, but he was shocked by just how relieved he felt when he saw Kim afterwards. Now they just had to wait and see if the transplant worked.
But that was hardly all that was on his mind. He still had to puzzle out the mystery of the gang members who had attacked him and Shivaughn. After the police and Bo's interrogations, Andrew had called a colleague in the ISA's research department, who promised to see what they had on file about Philip Collier and Sam Vincent. Maybe with that information, Andrew could figure out what was going on.
And then there was Shivaughn. He glanced out the corner of his eye to the passenger seat, and saw that she was watching him intently. It was hard not to keep thinking about how she had kissed him after the fight. That kiss had been like raw energy and from the look on Shivaughn's face, he had a feeling that she had every intention of following up on it when they got home.
"Ahem," came Jeannie's voice from the backseat. "If I may interrupt the eye-fucking for a moment--"
Andrew felt his face flush. "Bloody hell, Sis," he said, mortified. "Could you be any more rude?" He looked at Shivaughn, who appeared to be as embarrassed as he was. The main difference was that her dark skin had not turned bright red like his.
"Yes, well, sorry about that," Jeannie said. "Maybe that was a bit blunt."
"A bit?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Okay . . . but that's not important right now. What I want to know is why you didn't mention that the British Army had invaded our home."
"They what?" Shivaughn sounded surprised.
"Oh, right, you were with Andy when Marlena told Bo about that." Jeannie paused. "So, big brother, are you going to tell me why you didn't tell me?"
Andrew tried to think fast. "I was going to tell you after we got home," he lied. "With everything with Mum, I didn't think you needed to worry about it. But Marlena was freaked out because she couldn't get a line on John, so I told her." He waited, wondering if that would mollify Jeanie.
It seemed to work. She sat back in her seat. "Go back to what you were doing up there," she said, her tone only partially teasing. "I'll just sit here and remind myself I could have driven back with the others."
Andrew just shook his head. Jeannie's sarcastic/humorous side sometimes eluded him. He glanced again at Shivaughn, but she seemed to be making an effort to stare straight ahead and not look at him. In silence, they drove the rest of the way back to Kim's house.
Once there, Andrew excused himself and headed to his room. A few minutes later, he had entered his security codes and accessed the ISA network. His friend had come through with a couple of files on Sam Vincent, but said he could find nothing on Phillip Collier.
"Guess I've got to go on what I have," Andrew muttered, as he opened the first file and began reading about Sam Vincent. His eyes widened as he learned that Vincent was the son of Salvatore De Vicenzo, former Don of the De Vicenzo family. His production and distribution company was the perfect vehicle to launder mob money from drugs, gun-running, and all sorts of illicit activity. The money came in as "investments" and went out as legitimate profits paid to investors.
The second file was an overview of the ISA's recent operation. The De Vicenzo family had been pretty much decimated by the arrests. Those occurred just days before Sam Vincent's suicide.
Andrew sat back and tried to put the pieces together. From what the gang members said, Phillip was somehow involved with Vincent. If Vincent laundered money through his production and distribution company, Phillip's films probably played a role. But that did not explain the gang members focus on Phillip. They had said that Phillip's "road" was theirs.
Distribution.
It suddenly hit Andrew. Phillip's movies were distributed on DVD and sent all over the world. That could provide cover for just about anything.
And I was sleeping with a mob princess, Andrew thought. The son of the ISA chief in bed with the daughter of a drug trafficker. That would have made for a hell of a scandal.
Andrew sat back in his chair and thought. How could Father not have known about this? There was no way he would have let Andrew and Jeannie be raised by someone with mob connections.
Or maybe he did know. Andrew remembered how he was unceremoniously shipped back to England by Phillip. Shane had barely asked any questions upon his return. Had Phillip said something?
But if Father knew about Phillip's connections, why wouldn't he have told Kim or insisted on Jeannie leaving California? It made no sense that he would just sit by and do nothing. That just was not Shane Donovan.
I'm missing something, Andrew thought. There has to be some explanation.
He picked up his phone and dialed his ISA superior. Despite the conflicts they had over his coming to California and the issues surrounding John and Hope, Captain Davies might have some thoughts. The call went through and Andrew asked for the Captain.
"Davies here," came in a brusque tone of Andrew's superior.
"It's Donovan," Andrew said. He then laid out the events of the day and what he had put together from the Vincent file. After explaining his suspicions about Phillip, Andrew said, "It looks like these gang members want to use Collier's distribution network. Maybe I can get involved, since they already think I'm part of it."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Good, he's thinking about it, Andrew thought. He waited for Davies' answer.
"Under absolutely no circumstances, Agent Donovan," Davies said. "Do I make myself clear?"