Gabriel's Regret: Book Two (The Medlov Men 3)

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Gabriel's Regret: Book Two (The Medlov Men 3) Page 24

by Latrivia Welch


  “No shit, it’s wrong.” Gabriel rubbed his head. “You got some balls coming in here and telling me this.”

  “It’s the right thing to do,” he said, lowering his head.

  Gabriel got out of bed and walked over to Nadei. “You’re right,” he said, putting his hand on his shoulder and nodding at him. “It is the right thing to do.” Reaching back, he punched Nadei square in the gut, making him drop to his knees.

  Valeriya stepped out of the bathroom just in time to see their confrontation. Gabriel looked back at her and pointed his finger toward her. “Go back in there.”

  Hearing the bathroom door close shut, he turned back to look at Nadei. “I should kill you right here.” Pulling the gun from the holster on his hip. He pointed the muzzle at Nadei’s head and cocked it. “I should blow your fucking brains out all over my carpet for fucking my no-good, wretched whore of a girlfriend and possibly getting her pregnant.”

  Nadei looked up at him without fear. “You’re right. You should. And if that will make this better, please do. But at least you’ll know the truth, eh?”

  Gabriel put his finger on the trigger, seriously debating if he should just pull it and get this over with. “Someone has to die for this, Nadei. It’s either you or her.”

  “Take your pick. Neither one of us is worthy. Kill both of us if you must, just after the baby is born. It’s not the child’s fault.” Nadei’s body didn’t tremble, his eyes didn’t blink. Instead, he waited.

  Gabriel licked his lips and pulled the gun away. “Then let us see which one of you is least worthy and which one of you motherfuckers is going to die.” Without putting on his shoes, he opened the door. “Walk with me.”

  ***

  Briggy had quietly watched from her window as the family had gathered at the front door. It made her sick to her stomach to watch Gabriel and Valeriya, locked hand-in-hand, make their way to the house from the helicopter, but such was life. All that mattered to her now was making sure that she carved out a life for her and her child. It was horrible that things had come this far, but Gabriel was as much to blame as she was. Only, she was stupid enough to get pregnant.

  Nadei came to mind every single time that she thought about her child. There was no doubt that he was the father. Gabriel had always been much too careful, or much too drunk or just much too preoccupied.

  Desperate, she had slipped Nadei a mickey in the hopes that a night with him while she was ovulating might result in a reason to keep her and Gabriel together. He was virile, sexy, good looking and completely detached, in essence the personal candidate. What she had not expected was to fall asleep after the deed and to allow Nadei to beat her to waking up. He had done so with quite a start, nearly hyperventilating when he pushed her off of his naked body.

  The first thing out of his mouth had been, “What have we done?”

  Idiot. Like she would have ever allowed him to touch her under any other circumstance. She had played the part, acted surprised and then threatened him with death, and just like she expected, he had tucked tail and run.

  Hopefully the threats would be enough to simply make him stay away. It was not like Gabriel would ever do a DNA test. He wasn’t the sort. As long as she promised to stay out of his hair so that he could play house with his new little twat, he would give her a nice home, a nice car, a good allowance and whatever else she wanted. And she wanted it all. Served him right for not treating her with any respect and running around with all of his whores. Now, he’d walk around for 18 long years with egg on his fucking face.

  A booming knock at the door send her from her thoughts. Glaring at the door, she straightened her clothes and cleared her throat. “Come in,” she called out, putting her tea on the nightstand.

  The door opened and Gabriel walked in alone. He looked around the room, at the less than accommodating space and then gave her a smile. “How are you?” he asked, voice soft.

  Briggy was shocked at the state of his face. He was all bruised and battered, like he had been in a boxing match. “I’m fine,” she said, getting off the bed. “How are you?” She went to him quickly.

  “Fine,” Gabriel said, hiding his contempt. He even joked with her. “Why would you ask how I am?”

  “Just a hunch that you might be a little under the weather after your vacation.” She was glad to see that he had not been robbed of his sense of humor. But he did look different. He stood taller and his gaze singed a little as he glared down at her. Stepping back, she offered him a seat. “I’m surprised that you came to see me.”

  “Of course I came to see you.” He pulled a seat and sat down. “You’re carrying my child.” Eyeing her stomach, he pulled his gaze to her lying face. “You haven’t had any problems have you?”

  “No, everyone is taking very good care of me.” Briggy couldn’t help but wonder as calm and sweet as he seemed, if he wasn’t changing his mind about her. Maybe this time away had made him realize how much he loved her. Instantly, she turned on the charm. “I’ve got tea. Would you like for me to fix you some?”

  Gabriel eyed the teapot and thought of the mess that Nadei had landed in by drinking with her. “I better not.” Running his hands down his jeans, he took a deep breath. “So, I came here to talk about your new arrangements.”

  “Oh, I see,” Briggy said, walking over to the nightstand to pick up her teacup.

  “I was hoping we could talk about what you think is fair for the separation.” Gabriel watched her as she poured more tea and wanted to jump up and break her neck. Conniving bitch.

  “Well, what do you think is fair?” She turned back to him and sat in the chair by her desk. The warm glow of the lamp made her even more beautiful. Batting her blue eyes at him, she smiled.

  “We are not married – never have been. Do you think child support would be enough? I could pay a few thousand dollars a month. You could go back to work and start over making a living.”

  Briggy was quietly outraged. Go back to work? A few thousand dollars? Did he think she was a fool? She had spent more than a few thousand dollars a month on lunch.

  “I’m in no shape to work, and I won’t trust anyone with your child after it’s born. I need to stay home and raise the baby properly.” Her voice was sterner now. “No, we were never married, but it’s safe to say that I am accustomed to a certain lifestyle and although I’m willing to downsize a bit, I don’t think it’s unfair to ask for consideration of what I’ve been given.”

  Gabriel sniffled. “So you want me to keep you in the lifestyle that you’ve been in?”

  “In some regards.” Her shoulders relaxed. “You don’t want the baby being raised in some middle class neighborhood. It’s a Medlov.”

  Gabriel blinked fast and smirked. “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. I mean, if it weren’t my kid, then you could just move on and live your life.”

  Briggy frowned. “But it is your child.”

  Gabriel sniffed again. His gaze grew darker. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen,” he scratched the back of his head. “You’re going to take over the residence we have here in Prague in the city. I’ll give you a car and a driver. And a reasonable allowance.”

  “What do you call reasonable?” she asked suspiciously.

  “How much do I give you now?” he asked, licking his lips. He wasn’t even sure anymore of the real number, considering it fluctuated so much. He figured it was somewhere around five thousand.

  “Twenty thousand.” She shrugged. “Sometimes more.”

  Gabriel blew out a breath and reached for the door from his seat. Opening it, he motioned for the guard waiting outside. “Nadei, can you come in here?”

  Nadei walked in and looked in between the two of them. “Yes, Boss.”

  Briggy’s eyes grew big. Had she been found out?

  “I was telling Briggy that we need to make arrangements for the baby. She’ll need a guard, a driver and she’s taking over the condo in Prague. Can you stay with her and see after her until the baby is born?”
>
  Nadei looked up at Gabriel in shock. He had already told him to go along with whatever he said, but he was not expecting this. “Da, da, Boss. Whatever you want.”

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said, waving him off. “You can go.”

  The door closed and Gabriel wiped his forehead. “I’ll give you ten thousand a month until the baby is born.”

  “Fifteen,” Briggy insisted. “I’ll have all sorts of expenses.”

  “You’re really milking this thing, aren’t you?” Gabriel asked, surprised at the gall of the woman.

  She blinked fast and turned up her nose. “Fifteen thousand a month is reasonable, Gabriel,” she said again. There was no way he was going to low ball her. He had that much money every month in a splurge account.

  “Fine, fifteen thousand a month until the baby is born,” he said, standing up. She did drive a hard bargain.

  “And after the baby is born?” Briggy asked. He wasn’t going to get away that easy.

  Gabriel gave a smile. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s best to just focus on the pregnancy. Unless, you want to wipe the whole slate clean and just walk out with what you’ve got now…go make a life on your own without dragging me into it.”

  “You drug yourself into it,” Briggy said coldly. “And no, I don’t want that at all. I’d rather not be relegated back to cleaning toilets for the rest of my life.”

  Gabriel looked around the room at all the Louis Vuitton bags, Chanel shoes, purses, so much crap he couldn’t name it all and sighed reluctantly. “Good. Well, the maids will help you get your things together and you can head there tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Her chest swelled and mouth flew open. “It’s nearly ten o’clock in the evening. You actually expect me to leave now?”

  “Where do you have to be in the morning? It’s not like you’ve got a job,” Gabriel said with a grin. “Nadei will go with you. And he’ll stay with you every day. He’ll be responsible for getting you the money I send and the driver will get you around the city wherever you want to go. Life will be what you asked for.”

  “Do you really think that’s enough protection for me while I’m carrying your child? Do you really think Nadei is the right person for the job?” She scoffed. “He’s a brute. He’s a borderline idiot.”

  “That he is. I will agree with you there, but yes, he’s the perfect person for the job. So get your shit and get ready to get out.” He caught himself and quickly corrected. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’ve had a very, very bad few weeks. What I mean to say is this time away has made me realize that I am very much like my father. You were right. I am calculating and cruel. But I’m also very much like my mother. You know. I care about the kids.” His smile was facetious. “So somewhere in between, I’m going to figure this thing out. And we’re going to start with you getting off the property and making sure that I never see you again. That also means to lose my number.”

  Briggy frowned. “Where is this coming from? What about when the child is born, are you not going to be there?”

  “It depends,” Gabriel said, flatly.

  “On what?” she asked.

  Gabriel walked over to her and took her hands. “On if the baby is mine and not Nadei’s.”

  Her hands began to tremble. He did know. This entire time, he was just playing her. “I don’t…why would you say something like that?”

  “I listened to you. I gave you the opportunity to be honest. And you failed miserably. So, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you everything that you asked for…everything, until that baby is born. And if he’s not a Medlov, then I’m going to kill you. Not Nadei. Not Dmitry. Not Renee, although I know she’d love to, I am going to do it, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.” He lifted her hands and kissed them.

  “Gabriel, please,” she said with tears in her eyes. “If you could just let me explain.”

  “No need to explain. You made a decision, you laid out a plan; it may or may not work. We will all just have to see. For now, enjoy your life, kid. Make the most of it. From what I’ve heard, it could be very short.” He winked at her and walked out of the door.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Closure…

  Two Day Later

  Medlov Compound

  Prague, Czech Republic

  While the gleaming morning dew veiled the plush green lawn around the Medlov Compound, the birds chirped in the trees and sun tinged the horizon with its beautiful glow, the ladies and gentlemen of the house rested in their peaceful slumber, save one.

  Gabriel laid beside Valeriya in his bed, holding her naked in his arms against his bare skin, brushing his fingers through the curls of her short hair while she slept. For the last few days since his arrival, he had been healing up from his wounds both mentally and physically. It had been a long hard battle to pull himself from the depths of his budding depression. Even being free from the holds of that place had not been enough to break him from his mental cage. Every morning, he woke up at first thinking that he was back in that cell on its cold bed among the smell of old blood, urine and feces only to find himself here in the safety of his home around the people that loved him and the people that he loved.

  His words were few, not so merry and not so cheerful anymore. With each day his cheeky jokes became an annoyance to him – a defense mechanism to protect his feelings from the world. Beyond the layers of skin, he felt down in his soul, deep in the cells, he had changed. He was a darker man now – angry and vengeful – yet on the outside, he had the beauty to mask who he really was.

  The old Gabriel Medlov was gone. His spirit had died somewhere in the many torture sessions facilitated by Yuri Danko. A new man had emerged from the ashes like a Phoenix – one who did not really care how he was seen or what others thought, one who detested approval. This new man was colder, harder, and stronger than his predecessor ever thought about being. Self-actualization in that damned wretched place had brought him into a new state of being – a being where Medlov trumped all.

  Valeriya rolled over on him and looked up into his green eyes. He appeared better to her now, healthier and stronger than the night they had collected him. She prayed that he was. Beaten and broken, they had not been able to make love yet.

  But there was something in his eyes that said he was over that now. The man she had been waiting for had finally arrived, just this morning.

  Running a hand down the smooth surface of her skin, he trailed a line from the back of her shoulder up to the neck. “Good morning,” he whispered.

  “Good morning,” she replied, feeling him stir below their sheets. A smile crossed her lips. “How are you feeling?”

  Gabriel licked his lips. “Hungry.”

  She crawled up on his body to meet his lips and slowly kissed their warmth. How sweet his mouth was against her own – hot hisses of breath crossed her own. He smelled of sandalwood and cocoa butter. He felt like satin heat. Hard body flexing as he positioned her on top of him.

  “Does that hurt?” she asked, pulling her mouth away. Before when she rested directly on top of him, it hurt his ribs.

  “No,” he lied. “It aches,” he said, speaking of his steely erection, prodding between her brown, ripe thighs. “It’s dying to be inside of you as I am.”

  His words toyed with her and created an instant wetness between her thighs. She had been waiting for him to come alive, waiting to have every inch of him inside of her once again. But she knew how fragile he was and didn’t want to push him beyond his depths. Love would allow her to wait a month, a year if needed.

  “Do you still want me?” he asked sincerely. “Do you still want us?”

  Valeriya could not lie to him. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I can’t see myself without you anymore.” She blushed. “It’s all very maudlin, I know, but I swear to God himself, it is the truth.”

  Gabriel pushed his head back in the comfort of the plush pillow. “I love you, Valeriya. I know that I’v
e said it a thousand times since you and I were reunited, but it is my sincerest truth.” He bit his lip. “I never want to be without you again.”

  “You don’t have to,” Valeriya said, unsure of just how long she could hold her little secret from him.

  “I’m not asking for you to be my girlfriend,” Gabriel said firmly. He cast a gaze from her lips to her eyes. “I’ve had a lot of them over the years, and they are not really what they are cracked up to be. I need someone stronger than that, someone more meaningful.”

  “I’m not interested in being your girlfriend,” Valeriya said without a smile. She had seen how well those types of women did in this house and in these men’s lives. They need absolute loyalty, the kind that could never be bought or swayed. They needed what she needed.

  Gabriel smirked, still stroking the softness of her lower lips. “Some people would say that we are absolutely mad. We’ve only known each other a short time, and yet here we are at the crossroads many people don’t reach for years.”

  “Some people would say that we were mad anyway.”

  “Will you marry me?” he asked, heart beating against her chest. And there it was, the big question that every man dreaded asking for fear of rejection. But he had just laid it out there and with it every bit of his pride. The ball was now in her court and either answer would change his life forever.

  Valeriya’s mouth parted. Eyes darting, she tried to find the words. “Yes…yes…Gabriel.”

  “I hear a but,” he said, watching her eyes. God, if she was about to turn him down, then he literally might die in this bed beside her.

  She took a deep breath. “But I want to know why you want to marry me first.” She prayed that he had not found out about the baby and felt a responsibility to it. After he had told her in confidence about Briggy, she had chosen to hold on to her own little discovery for a while until that situation cooled down.

 

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