Valeriya wanted to come back with a smart statement; she wanted to refute his logic, but it was ironclad. Pursing her lips together, she rolled her eyes. “Go back to your room,” she said, feeling defeated.
***
The Arrival …
During the early morning hours before the sun broke the horizon, helicopters began to land in front of the Medlov Compound. The sound of whirling winds and powerful engines echoing against the front of the mansion woke everyone who was not already up, including Valeriya and Andriy.
Looking out of the window of the bedroom with her brother, she watched from behind the large curtains as an entourage of people was escorted out of the helicopters into the house by guards who surrounded the perimeter. The first wave was women and children. The second wave was guards and staff. The process went on for nearly two hours as more and more people were escorted onto the property, preparing for what she assumed to be the final assault to get Gabriel back.
In between helicopter drops, fleets of black SUVs with their low beams shining pulled into the long winding driveway and parked along the side and in front of the mansion.
Hordes of men in black tactical gear with guns and backpacks got out and headed inside the home or out to an adjacent building. Later, four 18-wheelers came pulling in and took the service road to a building in the distance.
These people were going to war for the man that she loved, and she wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. She owed at least that to him and there was no doubt that she had inside knowledge of the country.
Andriy was extremely excited. Unable to take his eyes off the window, he commentated from the window like it was a televised event. “What do you think is going to happen next?”
“Eventually, they will come for me,” she said, tired of watching the procession.
“What do they want from you? Looks like they have everything that they need,” Andriy said casually. “Maybe we are just here to stay protected until this is all over.”
Already showered and dressed, she paced the bedroom impatiently waiting for an introduction and practicing what she would say. She had listened to the stories that Gabriel had told her in their short time together. It was clear that her biggest battle would be trying to get the Medlov men to see the value in allowing her to help them. There was Dmitry Medlov and Anatoly Medlov that she needed to sway.
Her mind tried to recall Gabriel’s long list of friends. There was also a man named Vasily, who could potentially be an ally. According to Gabriel, each of them had married Black women. Maybe for once in her life, her complexion might come as an advantage.
“I won’t just sit around and wait,” Valeriya said, slipping her boots back on. “I’m going back to get him.”
***
Dmitry had slept enough on his long flight over from America. If he didn’t sleep another wink until Gabriel was home, that would be fine by him. As soon as his feet hit the ground in front of his home in Prague, he was ready to work. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, he stretched his aching body.
With his men behind him on his flanks, he traveled up the stairs to his home past the guards as the doors were opened for him by his staff, who stood waiting to receive their illustrious master.
Home sweet home.
Giving his coat to his butler as he entered into the elaborate foyer, he was met by Nadei who stood frozen in place at the sight of him.
Failure was never rewarded. A failure of this magnitude would surely be penalized.
Nadei was deathly afraid of what his boss might do to him after his inability to protect Gabriel. It wasn’t clear what the repercussions of such a grave mistake would be. Still, he had not cowered from his error or his responsibility to serve his boss until the last breath had left his body, even if it were Dmitry’s will to take it.
Vasily, Boris and the men behind Dmitry stopped, circling around the area like hungry vultures. Anatoly stepped out from beyond the men and stood a few feet behind Dmitry. Although Nadei was a friend and a brother to most of them, this wasn’t their call. They were simply there to wait and receive instruction.
Crossing the marble floor of the airy foyer lit up by the crystal chandelier hanging above them, Dmitry eyed Nadei with a stoic, unreadable face.
“Welcome, Boss,” Nadei said, dropping his eyes to the floor.
“Spasiba,” Dmitry answered, voice grave. Rolling up the sleeves of his black silk shirt past the intricate tattoos on his elbows, he tilted his head and looked down at Nadei, nearly a foot shorter than him. Inhaling a breath that seemed to suck the air out the room, Dmitry intentionally exhaled down the man’s neck. “You fucked up, Nadei.”
“I know, Boss.” Nadei said, not bothering to offer excuses or apologies. It didn’t matter that he had followed Gabriel’s orders or saved the girl’s life. It didn’t matter that he brought back Faddei. What did matter was that he had failed. Keeping his hands down and to his sides, he swallowed hard and braced for impact. “Do with me what you will.”
The room was deathly silent. All eyes watched as Nadei’s fate was sealed. Anatoly gripped the suppressed pistol that he held in his right hand, wanting five minutes alone with Nadei himself. Conversely, Vasily watched on with pity, thinking of a time when he was one focal point of the room with a boss much less deserving.
Imposing in his large stature, Dmitry leaned and bent to Nadei’s ear where no one else could hear him. “If I were a younger man, you would be a dead man. But wisdom comes with age. You have been a good soldier up until now. So, I want you to go back with me to Ukraine and get Gabriel, where you left him.” He placed a large hand on Nadei’s shoulder to comfort him and stood back up straight. “It’s time to prove yourself.”
Nadei looked up at his boss, into his eyes, with the utmost sincerity. They watered as he spoke, voice trembling. “I am ready, Boss. And I will never let you down again.”
There was a long pause. For a moment, Dmitry thought about his daughter Anya and how even as her father, he had allowed his child to be plucked from his arms just a few years before in this very place. His best friend died only a few miles from this house trying to save her life – many men had died trying to save her and even more had died trying to keep her. What he had learned from that experience was no one was untouchable and no one was perfect.
“I know you won’t,” Dmitry said, eyes full of warning. There was nothing more that he needed to say to the man. He knew Nadei could read between the lines. One mistake. One chance to redeem himself. Taking his hand off Nadei, he slipped his fists into his pockets, hiding the anger that boiled beneath the surface. “Bring me the girl,” he said, over his shoulder to Nadei, sidestepping the trembling man to get to his study.
Vasily and Anatoly followed shortly behind Dmitry to the study. While Vasily kept moving, Anatoly stopped in front of Nadei, blocking his way to the stairwell leading up to Valeriya.
He looked him up and down and then reached back and punched Nadei square in the mouth. The sound of knuckles slamming into bone rocked the room and echoed through the foyer. On impact, Nadei dropped to one knee, holding his jaw and spitting thick red blood on the shiny limestone floor.
Anatoly kneeled over him and pulled his chin up to make him look him in the eyes. “Maybe the old man’s just soft,” he said, sucking his teeth. His nostrils flared. “I would have killed you where you stood.”
Pointing at the top of Nadei’s head, he clenched his jaw. “You ever come back to my home without my family again, I will kill you,” he said, clenching his jaw. “You serve this family until death. It doesn’t serve you. Tell me you understand that you fucked up.”
“Yes, Boss,” Nadei said, expecting nothing less. This wasn’t the boy scouts. This was the Russian mafia. It was simply grace that had prevented him from being dead right now. He counted the small consequence a blessing.
Anatoly nodded and stood back up, fist still balled up and arm flexed. “Now you can go get the woman.”
Walk
ing off, Anatoly shook his head in disgust. Nadei was one of his best men and in many ways a friend, but this egregious error could not be overlooked because of familial bonds. Every one of these men were not only responsible for Gabriel, they were responsible for Anastasia and Renee. And if he had to threaten life and limb to keep them safe, he would.
***
Standing in front of a bunch of brooding men in a confined space was nothing new for Valeriya. Over the years, she had been summoned to a hundred meetings by a hundred angry men, but none of them had been Russian and none of them had been mafia.
Still, she did not lose her cool, not even when Nadei showed up with a bloody mouth, a foul demeanor and two guards on his flank to her bedroom door where he demanded that she follow him to see the “boss” immediately.
Without hesitation, she followed Nadei across the massive mansion in complete silence, keeping her eyes straight, refusing to make eye contact with the maids who stopped what they were doing to watch her walk past. She was certain that she was the talk of the mansion, but who she really knew would be trouble were the women who filed in earlier.
When she got to the double doors that led into Dmitry’s office, she felt her heart twinge and skip a beat, but still she did flinch outwardly. Nadei grasped the knobs and opened the doors as they creaked on their hinges. Valeriya kept close to Nadei and walked in right behind him. There were at least 20 armed men sitting around, waiting for her, watching her every move, sizing her up. Again, it wasn’t anything that she had not been through before.
As the men spoke in Russian under their breath, she listened to see if they were talking about her, but alas, for the first time, she wasn’t a point of concern. They spoke of other things – breakfast, women, deals. She was all but ignored. Not a good sign. She needed them to take her seriously.
Walking up to Dmitry’s desk, she immediately reached out a hand and offered it. There was no doubt he was the boss of this operation. His presence commanded a certain attention as he sat suited up at dawn in a large wingback chair behind a massive desk with guards all around him.
“Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Medlov,” she said, voice calm.
Being the gentleman that he was, Dmitry stood up and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said in a deep Russian baritone that caught her off guard.
Even though Gabriel had explained that his uncle was larger than life, when Dmitry stood up behind the desk and reached over it to her, it was still unsettling. Were they all beautiful mad men? His hand covered hers, hid it and made her feel infinitely small.
“So you are what all the fuss is about,” Dmitry asked, looking her up and down. She was a frail girl in her early twenties with an innocent face and natural beauty. He saw why Gabriel might have found her attractive, but was she smart?
“No, I’m not the fuss. The war is,” she answered, refusing to be intimidated, though it was getting harder by the minute. She tried to stand her ground.
Dmitry’s brow rose at her naiveté. “So, my nephew sacrificed himself for your war? That’s new to me.”
Valeriya’s eyes twitched. She did not mean to offend him. “No. He was captured trying to save me.” Her shoulders dropped. “Point taken.”
“I brought you here to get a little information. So, let’s begin because the day is long. Did you recognize any of the men who ambushed you?” Dmitry asked, sitting back down. He motioned toward one of the men. “Give her a seat. Have you been fed breakfast, Ms. Nenya? It’s the most important part of the day.”
“The maids brought up a very nice breakfast. Thank you,” she answered.
Valeriya was about to say that she preferred to stand, but the look on Dmitry’s face didn’t make her feel that he cared the least what she wanted. Taking the seat that was quickly pulled behind her, she sat down obediently. So much for standing her ground.
“Who all wants you dead?” Dmitry asked. He threw a pad across the desk and a pen after. “Write their names down and who they are affiliated with.”
Valeriya picked up the pen and paper. “The Neo-Nazis, the Russians and I’m pretty sure that some of the Ukrainian government.” She began to write specific names on the paper.
“Have you ever been ambushed before like this?” Dmitry asked, mind already working.
“No,” she answered with her eyes still glued to the paper. “But my brother was. He was killed just a few days before…ambushed.” She finished writing and put the pen and pad back on the wooden credenza.
“Was there anything similar about the attacks?” Dmitry asked. “Think hard.”
“I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t there before. My brother insisted that I stay back and watch over everything in Donetsk while he traveled to the border. So, I don’t know.” She wondered how much of the information that he was asking, he already knew.
“And the man who is in my barn went with your brother, Alexei, to the border to make the exchange when he was attacked?”
Valeriya paused at her brother’s name. “He did. But he wasn’t with me during the attack. He sent my lieutenant with me…Olek.” She looked past Dmitry to Anatoly, who stood behind his father’s chair, leaning against the window sill watching her with the foulest scowl. Her eyes trailed back to Dmitry. “Olek is dead.”
“So I heard,” Dmitry said absently. He took out his own pad and wrote something down. “Why does Faddei want you dead?”
“Faddei has spoken out against me taking up the position of leader of the Donetsk Revolutionaries, since before the vote was made. He felt my gender and race would be a problem.”
“And when was the vote made to make you leader?” Dmitry’s voice was so calm, so quiet that it almost scared her. What was he getting at?
“A week ago,” she answered.
Dmitry rolled his neck. “So…you were never truly the leader of the Revolutionaries. You were appointed and Faddei chose to have you taken out before any real decisions could be made.”
Valeriya didn’t like that truth, but... “Yes.”
Dmitry turned his attention to Nadei, who stood behind Valeriya’s seat with his hands behind him. “What did Gabriel have you do while you were there?”
Normally, Nadei would not have been required to tell anything that his captain told him to do based upon the code, but this situation was different. He squared his shoulders and answered. “He had me hit a Nazi stronghold beside an orphanage on the west side of the city. There were casualties. I killed everyone, burned the place down.”
Valeriya turned around and gawked at Nadei. She had no idea. No one had told her. Sitting back in her seat, her eyes fluttered. Gabriel had done that for her? It only made things even harder to bare at the moment.
Anatoly knew that he had to speak up, because he too had a hand in things over there. He stood up from his crouching position. “I hit the Nazi-strong hold in the center of town the night that I arrived with one of those new drones. I wanted to keep them busy and keep their eyes and attention off the convoy.”
So, it was you, Valeriya thought to herself.
Dmitry rolled his eyes. This wasn’t exactly how he did business. “Two hits in less than five days? Well, that’s not obvious, is it? Her brother is murdered. She takes over. One of the other captains is angry that she’s the new boss and two Nazi headquarters are attacked. I’d say that’s enough for an ambush.”
“I didn’t know that Gabriel was going to hit a second time,” Anatoly said, keeping his eyes on Valeriya. He didn’t like her very much. She was too much trouble.
“Is it possible that anyone saw you hit the Nazis, Nadei?” Dmitry asked, moving on with his interrogation.
“No, but I got stabbed first. Some DNA was left, so I burned the place. A girl from the hotel we were staying in helped clean me up. She was the only one outside of the driver and Gabriel who knew anything had happened. I brought the driver back with us. Figured he’d be too much of a target if he stayed.”
“Stabbed?” Dmitry asked, exhaling a breath. “It exp
lains why you weren’t exactly yourself when he was snatched.” He knew Nadei and his background. Under normal circumstances, Gabriel would not have been captured.
It hurt Nadei’s pride to admit it, but it was the truth. “It slowed me down a little, but there is no excuse.” Nadei’s eyes dropped to the floor. “I should have brought my captain back.”
“We’ve covered that,” Dmitry quipped.
Anatoly shifted his weight from one side to the other. He knew that statement by his father was for him, to show him that his previous treatment of Nadei had been short-sided and uncalled for. Still, he couldn’t help his resentment for Gabriel not being there. Putting down his coffee, he walked across the room.
“Well, our men have confirmed that he isn’t with the Russians,” Dmitry said, dropping the hammer on the group. “Vasily and I got a call from the colonel on the flight over. They aren’t holding him and they haven’t seen him.”
“How do you know for sure?” Valeriya asked. “The Russians can’t be trusted.”
Dmitry snapped his eyes to hers. “You mean, the way the Ukrainians can? I know that they don’t have him the same way that I know everything else. Credible Intel from an inside source,” Dmitry said without offering further detail.
“It leads us back to the Nazis,” Anatoly said, shaking his head. It made him sick to his stomach to think that somehow they had brought this on themselves.
“It leads us back to Faddei,” Dmitry said, clearing his throat. “But I’ll get to him later this morning.” He winked at Valeriya. “You are a very popular woman.”
“It’s because of what I know.”
“And what do you know?” Dmitry asked.
“That we can win this war. We can push the Russians back. We can push the Nazi’s out and take our country back. People believe this. They just need someone to help them prove it.”
A roll of his eyes showed that Dmitry wasn’t impressed with her blind patriotism. “And you can do this? Save your people?”
There was no doubt in Valeriya’s voice. She cocked her head up and held his gaze. “Not alone, but with the people, I can.”
Gabriel's Regret: Book Two (The Medlov Men 3) Page 4
