“I want to marry you because never in my life have I been with a woman who makes me feel so alive, so aware, so fucking invincible.” He looked at her short haircut, turned on by how nothing cosmetic would ever define her. “I want to marry you because there isn’t a woman stronger, a woman more beautiful or a woman more perfect for me. And I won’t be complete without you.”
“And I’ll never be complete without you,” she said, tears running down her face. “That’s why I’ll never let anyone come between us again.”
He smiled, knowing full well her strength. “That’s supposed to be my line, you know.”
Valeriya laughed. “There is plenty of time to make up our lines. A whole lifetime.”
“So you’ll marry me despite I’m asking with no ring, no huge dinner, or a symphony behind me? A man that you’ve barely know? A man with no experience in being completely honest, completely sincere. You’ll spend the rest of your natural life being my wife and teaching me how to be a better man?” He needed her more than he could ever say. She was the one part of his life that made complete sense. Without her, he knew that he’d forever be damaged, but just possibly with her, he could heal.
“I’ll not only marry you, my little deviant, I’ll raise you one.”
Gabriel’s brows furrowed. “Raise me one?”
“Da, the one I’m carrying inside of me right now. Your child. Another Medlov in the making.” She took his free hand in her own and laced their fingers together. “Up until now, it seemed wrong to tell you, with everything that you were dealing with. But it’s true. You might have lost the possibility with Briggy, but you still have the child you rightfully made with me.” She watched him swallow hard, shock crossing his face and then pride. “Are you happy?” Please, God, let him be, she prayed.
He pulled her into him and kissed her passionately. “Nothing could make me happier.” If he had any more tears, he would have cried. She had made him happier than he ever thought that he could be.
Valeriya hid her fear well, but inside, beneath the bravado, she was trembling like a child. She worried that he might not want the entire package. Marriage was a commitment of two people; a family was a commitment of so much more.
“A wife and a baby,” Gabriel said, overwhelmed. He smiled. “It suits us. I mean, we’re well-adjusted people right?”
Valeriya laughed. “Yeah. Sure. The model family.”
With the walls finally down, there was only one more thing that could make this perfect.
“It feels like it’s been forever,” she whispered, twisting his black curly locks in her long, thin fingers.
Resting a hand on her firm bottom, he slid his palm lower and settled his fingers right on the lips of her sex. “It has been forever, but we’re going to do something about that, right now.” Looking into her galactic brown eyes, holding the entire universe in her thoughts, he slipped his tongue inside of her mouth and the same time pressing his fingers inside of her. “Make love to me,” he whispered as she moaned.
“Meet you half way,” she said, closing her eyes.
***
Royal rolled over in bed to find Dmitry gone. Pulling on her robe, she slipped out of their bedroom and closed the door.
“Where is Dmitry?” she asked the guard.
He nodded toward her. “Good morning, ma’am. He’s down in his office with the little miss. She slipped in earlier and woke him up while you were sleeping.”
Royal smiled and pulled a wild strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, she’s up early.”
“Earlier every day,” he grinned.
Wrapping her long robe around her body a little tighter, she made her way down the long carpeted hall with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her bunny slippers peeking from under her satin gown. Speaking to the workers, who moved along as quietly as possible cleaning up and readying the house for the morning and all of its activities, she stopped by the nursery to find the boys playing with their toys and watching television. They were so busy with one another; they didn’t even notice that she looked over them.
The nanny smiled at Royal and turned her attention back to the twin boys.
Gently closing the door before she could rally their attention, she headed to Dmitry’s office on the first floor.
Before she could get to the door, she heard him playing his violin. The beautiful melody of his strokes against the chords sent chills down her spine. Watching him play made her think about the first day that they had met many years ago, and it was a real treat, while not often, that he pulled his violin out to make it sing for her and their children.
The guards opened the door to let Royal in and she found her husband perched on the side of his desk playing for Anya. She sat in his chair behind the desk in her pink fluffy robe with her hair in two ponytails with a wide smile on her face.
In a pair of silk pajama bottoms and a white cotton T-shirt, Dmitry played a cheerful tune with the pane glass windows behind them as a breathtaking backdrop.
Royal strode in and sat down behind her daughter and husband, watching them as they bonded in the sweetest and most innocent way. No wonder Anya loved her father so. He worked so hard to keep her happy. He was never too busy for his princess, and never too tired that he couldn’t pull himself from the bed and fix her a big breakfast and play a special little tune for her.
When he was done, Anya clapped her hands together and grinned. “That was wonderful, Papa.” Picking up a piece of fruit from the trey Dmitry had prepared for him, she raised it to him as an offering. “Are you hungry?”
“Just a little,” he said, taking the strawberry from her small hand. “Spasiba, princess.”
Slipping the strawberry into his mouth, he turned and looked at his wife, giving her a devious smile that made her blush.
“Looks like the queen has finally risen from her slumber,” Dmitry said, putting his violin down on the desk.
“I woke up to find my king already gone,” Royal said, nestling into the large leather chair in the corner. She tucked her feet under her and bit her lip.
A maid knocked on the door and interrupted. “Can I bring you all breakfast? It’s ready,” she said, winking at Anya. “I can have it served in here for the three of you.”
“We’ll be in the kitchen directly,” Dmitry said, standing up. “Have the nannies bring down the boys as well.”
“I’ll go with you,” Anya said, jumping down out of the chair. She ran around the desk and straight to the maid to clutch her hand in hers. “I’ll walk with you.”
“That would be very nice,” the maid said, turning to get Royal’s permission.
“It’s fine,” Royal nodded.
“Lock the door behind you,” Dmitry said talking to the maid, but looking at his wife.
When the door closed, she stood up and walked over to her husband. “You know, I don’t think you look better in the morning than a 300 pound, seven-foot man in his pajamas.” She made him bent down and kiss her lips.
“Mmm,” Dmitry growled. “I bet I’d look even better with my head between your legs.”
Royal giggled. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.” Placing her palm on his lower chest, she looked up at him.
“Now you want to talk?” Dmitry frowned. “With this in the way?” he looked down at his one-foot erection lining the side of his pants.
Royal had to admit that it was tempting, but she had been waiting to have this conversation since he returned from Ukraine. “We’ll get to that in a minute.” Walking around the desk, she took a seat at his chair. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how you can make things up to me.”
Dmitry raised a thick blonde brow. “Make things up to you?”
“Yes. The news about me not being able to run Magna Carta even though I worked my ass off to build it. The news about you having another child.”
“Son,” he corrected. “He’s not a child.”
Royal rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of pineapple. Sitt
ing back in the chair, she pursed her lips together. “I can’t just be expected to sit around in expensive clothes, taking care of the family and decorating the house. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to things and the way that I see it, you owe me. I built Magna Carta as much or more than you. But to the world, Royal Medlov is dead – even though you did get things smoothed out with that Langston fellow from the CIA when Anya was taken. But all the smoothing out in the world doesn’t make people forget what happened in Memphis back in 2010. So, running it is simply out of the question. There is simply no resurrecting me. So if I can’t run one of your legal businesses, then I’ll run an illegal operation.
Dmitry is intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”
She shrugged. “Nothing big, but it is meaningful to me and to the women who serve the Vor in our own way. We have more money than we can count, more resources than we ever use. After the life that I have lived, the one thing that I know is that there are too many women who are victimized by men. But I am in a unique position to do something about the Ivan’s of the world.” Swallowing hard, she ran her hand down the desk. I want you to help me get into philanthropy.”
Dmitry didn’t see what the problem in that was. “Who should I write the check to?”
Royal smiled. “Me. For five million to start. I also want five of your men, people who have yet to prove themselves and are hungry to make a name for themselves in your organization. I’m going to use those men to tackle a little human trafficking problem back home in Memphis to start and then maybe branch out.”
Dmitry growled. “I don’t know. This is a bit much, Royal.” There was no way he was just going to allow herself to be put in harm’s way just because she was rich and bored.
“A bit much. You mean like wives you forgot to tell me about for years, children that keep popping up, crazy brothers, secret lives?” Royal took a breath. “Like I said, you owe me, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“So you want men and money to end human trafficking. That’s impossible.”
“I know it’s impossible to completely eradicate. Men have been subjecting women to sexual violence since the beginning of time. I’m not naïve. I want to marginally disrupt things back at home. There are girls in shelters in Memphis that I fund. I want their problems to go away and I need professionals to do it. You can help, and it won’t even be a stretch for you.”
“Royal, if you haven’t noticed, I’m in the business of creating criminal enterprises not destroying them.” He picked up a shiny green apple and bit it.
Seeing he wasn’t quite convinced yet, she pushed harder. “Think of your mother. My sister. What happened to me for goodness sake. The list goes on. We can make a difference and we can do it without anyone ever knowing it was us.”
Dmitry knew that he could not just say no, because she was right, he did owe her, but this was definitely not what he expected of her. “I don’t like this. One hiccup and I pull the plug on the entire thing. But okay. Five million dollars. A five-man team temporarily and only a test basis. I get the final say on each case, and I am privy to all operations.
Royal stood up and offered her hand. “Deal,” she said, proud of herself. It had been a lot easier than she had first expected. Maybe he was just still tired from the Ukraine situation and her timing was perfect. And maybe, he agreed that this kind of organization was needed. Either way, she planned to fully capitalize on the situation before Dmitry got his wits about himself.
Just beyond the windows behind Royal, Dmitry saw Gabriel making his way slowly across the back lawn to the barn in a determined stride with a Glock clenched in his right hand. Evidently, the time had finally come. He was up out of the bed and feeling more like himself, and now there was a few loose ends that needed to be tied up for good. Any man who had been in that situation knew that with more clarity came more retribution.
Royal turned around to follow Dmitry’s gaze and saw Gabriel. “What in the hell is he doing?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Dmitry already knew without verification. “Getting closure,” he said, sucking his teeth. He took his eyes off the window and grabbed his wife by the hand. “Come on little Czarina. Let’s go have breakfast before you run off to conquer the world.”
***
Valeriya had said yes to marriage, but Gabriel knew as he looked at her while she laid out asleep after he had made love to her this morning that he’d never be able to rest unless he got rid of anyone who might be a threat to her. He could never take the risk of her being stolen from him again, or for that matter his child growing in her womb being put in the situation either of them had been in. So, he headed across the lawn to the barn where Dmitry told him Faddei was being held.
The large metal, motorized doors swung open and filled the large space with fresh air and sunlight.
“Close it,” Gabriel said to the guard who followed him inside. Striding over to the cage where Faddei sat in a pair of pajama bottoms and a torn shirt.
Kneeling to the cage, Gabriel looked in at Faddei and had a flashback of the cell he had been in. “Remember me?” he asked the prisoner.
Faddei had been left alone since the day that Dmitry and his men had tortured him to the point of a true confession. It had been the most depressing and depraved day of his entire life. Now, he just sat in here day in and day out alone in the dark, praying for death. He pushed back against the back of the cage and eyed Gabriel’s gun. “Yes, I remember you.”
“Good,” Gabriel said, inhaling a pungent breath. “I came here to talk to you face-to-face.”
“And kill me,” Faddei sneered. “Just get it over with and stop all of the theatrics.”
“Very well,” Gabriel said, standing up. “Get him out of there.” He waved his gun toward Faddei. “I’m not just going to shoot him like a caged rat. Give the man a little dignity.”
The guard unlocked the cage and pulled a weak, bloody Faddei out, then placed him forcefully in a chair. His feet were red with blisters and his face still swollen and beaten. Scratching his chest, he looked across at Gabriel and smirked.
“Do you want me to tie him up?” the guard asked.
“Look at him. He’s too weak to fight,” Gabriel said, taking a seat across from the man. He wasn’t going to beat the man, though he could tell that Faddei was bracing for it. Right now, he just wanted to talk to him.
“Looks like Yuri Danko fucked you up,” Faddei said, happy in that fact. His eyes trailed across the handsome man’s face. “Fucked you up really bad.”
Gabriel took a deep breath. “I’m trying to hold on a shred of my humanity, but you are definitely making that hard for me.”
“Boo-fucking-hoo,” Faddei said, rolling his eyes. “Like I said, just fucking pull the trigger and get on with your life.”
Gabriel cocked his weapon. “We’ll get to that soon enough. For the time being, I wanted to share something with you.” A smile crossed his lips. “Before I left the Ukraine fully, I made sure to have my men perform one last errand.”
Faddei’s face grew weary. “You son of a bitch.”
Gabriel licked his lips and winced at the pain. “Still hurts a little, but I’m going to be okay, just in case you’re wondering. Anyway, I had my men pay a visit to a very promising young man in Kiev. He was a proud member of the Right for Ukraine. Very squared away. Died like a real patriot. Took that bullet to the back of the head like a champ.”
Tears formed in the corner of Faddei’s eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
Gabriel wasn’t convinced. “Oh, you believe me.” He smiled. “I think he really looked up to you, being his big brother and all.” He blew out a breath. “Pity.”
“He was just a boy,” Faddei seethed.
“He was 18. He’s a grown man...was a grown man. Looks like there will be three less Nazis in the world.”
Faddei swallowed hard. “Three?”
“Your other two brothers in Donetsk went down with the ship. My boy Marat blew them up early i
n the attacks on the Neo-Nazi compounds. It was just a stroke of luck really. We didn’t’ realize we had hit pay dirt until after the fact.” Gabriel stood up and stretched. “Don’t look surprised. At some point while being in that cage, you had to blame yourself for all of this. After all, you got the wheels in motion, when you set Valeriya up.”
Faddei laughed aloud. “I blame myself for nothing, you hear me, NOTHING! Not even for Valeriya’s death. As a matter of fact, it is the only thing that gives me solace. You see, no matter how much of a prick you are, no matter how rich you are, you’ll never be able to bring her back from the dead. She’s gone, just like my brothers, just like me soon enough. And just to have that bitch out of the way makes it all worth it.”
Gabriel looked over at his guard and chuckled. “You all didn’t tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Faddei asked.
“Valeriya’s alive,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. “She’s been alive and safe this entire time, right there in that house. And unlike you or any member left of your fucking family, she is going to have a very long, healthy life – her, Andriy, the child she’s carrying of mine – they’re all going to be fine.”
Faddei began to breathe hard making his chest rise and fall as he thought of the idea that no part of his plan had worked, that he had sacrificed everything and everyone around him for nothing. “Go fuck yourself, you son of a bitch,” he spat.
Gabriel pointed the gun to Faddei’s dirty head. “Thank you for helping me shed the very last shred of humanity. It feels good to get that weight off my shoulder.” Pulling the trigger before Faddei could say another word, he blew the man’s brains across the back of the barn. He looked down at the corpse and felt complete peace. This man would never be a threat to Valeriya or her family again.
Faddei’s body fell over into the dirt and Gabriel passed his gun to the guard. “Clean the shit up,” he said, limping back to the door with a grin on his face. “Dumb bastard.”
***
At nightfall after a family dinner with everyone at the main dining hall and the joyous announcement of Gabriel and Valeriya’s engagement, Dmitry called Gabriel into his office alone. The women had retired to Royal’s solarium to talk about her budding, new organization, while the men of the Medlov Crime Family wanted to talk to Gabriel about the rules of their old one.
Gabriel's Regret: Book Two (The Medlov Men 3) Page 25
