Saving Anya

by Nelson, Latrivia

  Anatoly frowned and then replied, “No.”

  “Why not?” Dmitry asked, clenching his large fists together. His temper was barely under control at the moment.

  Gabriel shifted quietly in his seat.

  “After we left Upheil, we went straight to the guy’s penthouse and found that someone had already done the job for us,” Anatoly answered a lot calmer than his cousin. He had seen his father angry before and while it was not pretty, he also knew that Dmitry was more than reasonable.

  Dmitry eased back down in his chair and shook his head. “It’s a bit ironic that he would show up dead now. Someone knew that we were coming for him or they killed him just in case we did.” He sipped more coffee and thought again. “Fine. There is nothing we can do about that. On to what you don’t know.”

  “Got it all on record,” Gabriel said, pulling out his recorder. “And we took Upheil’s computer. Maybe one of your guys can hack into it and find what we couldn’t.”

  Dmitry was pleased. “Good. Drop it off with them once you leave. Now, I got a visit this morning before you arrived from an acquaintance in the CIA who delivered some very sensitive information.”

  “The CIA?” Gabriel gawked. It continued to amaze him how deeply his uncle’s ties actually went.

  Dmitry put up a finger to silence them. “It seems that Vladimir Sidorov is still alive.”

  Gabriel was lost. Why was this important? Who was Vladimir Sidorov?

  Anatoly squinted. “Wasn’t that Khalid’s son?” Vladimir had been killed prior to him joining the family, but he had heard the stories about the man’s misdeeds against the council and more specifically against Dmitry, which had led to his assassination.

  Dmitry turned up his mouth. “It’s more than likely that Vladimir, this Balthazar character and a woman named Manon are in on this together.”

  “We couldn’t locate any information on Balthazar yet,” Gabriel huffed at his incompetence regarding the matter. “But I’m working on it. Most of my contacts at the DEA won’t come within a mile of me, but a few are a bit more understanding. I should have something soon. In fact, I’ll call again after I leave here.”

  “Well, the CIA is a little faster. They dropped a file by with everything that we need on Balthazar except his current location.”

  “How do we get that?” Gabriel asked.

  “Use the file,” Anatoly said, knowing exactly what his father wanted him to do. “Now who is this Manon bitch?”

  “That’s where this gets a little more complicated.” Dmitry stood up from behind the desk and walked over to the door. Locking it behind him, he wiped his hand over his face and growled. “I think that this woman is my sister.”

  Both Gabriel and Anatoly bucked their eyes.

  “This family has more fucking secrets,” Anatoly scoffed. “Is this your mother’s daughter?”

  “No, I’m not even sure, but I think that she’s my father’s daughter.” Dmitry looked at his son. “I never told you about your grandfather, because the story is as fucked up as it possibly can get. But now, it’s time to tell you because in order for you to get why this is personal, you need to know who you’re up against.”

  “Can we get some breakfast while you break down the family tree?” Anatoly asked, standing up and yawning.

  It had been a long night and in truth, Anatoly wasn’t sure if he could even take anymore. He just needed a moment. He needed to put his hands around everything that was going on. His girl was pregnant and pissed. His sister had been kidnapped by his possible aunt and his cousin – a man who was once a federal agent – was gearing up to be a Vor. Everything was upside down right now and in order for him not to lose his mind in the process, he simply had to get some rest himself, something to eat and some peace and quiet.

  Dmitry looked down at his son and realized that Anatoly was on the verge. Putting his hand on his shoulder, he nodded. “Go see Renee, get something to eat and we’ll meet back here in…” he looked down at his watch. “…two hours. How about that?” Dmitry felt as though he could go all night but he also knew that his men needed their rest.

  “Spasiba, papa,” Anatoly said, relieved. He looked back at Gabriel and nodded. “You did well tonight.”

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said, genuinely happy he had pleased his cousin.

  Anatoly saw the twinkle in Gabriel’s eyes. “Easy. Don’t let it go to your head. There is still a hell of a lot more to do,” he said with a smirk. With one final nod towards his father, he unlocked the door and walked out of the room, leaving the two alone.

  Gabriel, however tired, was too curious to leave just yet. He had a million questions, and many he knew would not get answered for many years. Still, he had to catch up where he could. Getting up to fix a cup of coffee himself, he looked over at his uncle and raised a brow. “So, what do you think that this all comes down to?”

  “I had my father killed in this house twenty years ago. My naiveté lead me to believe that my brother and I were his only children. That evidently isn’t the case. This woman, Manon, asked for 500 million dollars to get Anya back. That’s exactly the sum that I ended up taking from my father in cash. It all made sense when Langston said that she and I looked alike.” Dmitry walked over and took the picture of Manon from the file and passed it to Gabriel.

  The woman’s composite showed her to be a very attractive woman but the familial resemblance was not as pronounced as the Medlov men, who all looked remarkably similar. She was blonde, tall, strikingly beautiful and in her mid-forties.

  She could have easily passed for a former supermodel but the daughter of a Russian underworld Czar was pushing it.

  Gabriel passed the photo back. “So, this is about revenge?”

  “Yes, but why now is the question that plagues me,” Dmitry said, putting his hands into his pockets. He looked out the window and yawned. “The strategy has to change dramatically for us. We have to get Khalid here without tipping him off that we know about his son still being alive. We have to get Balthazar right where we want him, and I want Manon to myself to deal with personally. However, it is also crucial that we capture all three alive in order to make sure that Anya is brought home safely.”

  “I understand,” Gabriel said, tapping his knuckles on the desk. “We’ll do it. But first, get some rest.”

  “Alright,” Dmitry said softly under his breath. “See you back here in two hours. Don’t be late.”

  Chapter 19

  Anatoly had not been to Prague since before the situation in Memphis several months ago. Being back in his father’s house brought back all sorts of memories. As he walked the dark halls sluggishly, fighting the tiredness that wore him down from the inside out, he thought about his dogs. He wanted to go and see them, make sure that they were okay, but he knew that there was someone who needed to see him more.

  Renee wanted his head on a stake by now. He had left her in his room in quite a state, and still after all the hours he had been gone, nothing made sense, even after he tried desperately to see it from many vantage points instead of just his own. Certain questions plagued him tremendously like why was he not as thrilled as the men he had seen before him who had started families? Why did this have to happen now? And why in the hell would Renee even want to have a child by a man like him?

  Now, to say that he had never thought about Renee getting pregnant was a lie, but he just never imagined that it would be so suddenly. He smirked when he thought of what his father would say to that. He could hear Dmitry taunt him in his head. “How else does pregnancy come if not suddenly?”

  The simple truth was that he and Renee had not even been together a year and were still getting to know each other. Now, they were bringing new life into the world and under the worst circumstances that he could imagine. And even if they didn’t work out as a couple, this child would still exist long after they did. No matter what, until the end of time, he would be or have been a father. There was no denying something that had already happened in time and thi
s child had already been conceived. That was a fact. That was the hard truth. And he had to fucking deal with it.

  The sunlight peaked in from the towering windows and the curtains that had been pulled back as the rain stopped pouring outside. It was like a sign from God saying, “Finally, you get it.”

  Placing his foot on the bottom carpeted step, he stopped and looked up the long staircase. Exhaustion willed him to stay put downstairs and find a place down here to get some sleep, but he knew that Renee was up in his room on the second floor waiting for him.

  “Why don’t they have a fucking elevator in this place?” he said aloud. Turning around, he sat down on the stair and put his head in his hands. Hell, he could go to sleep right here if no one bothered him.

  “That’s the same thing I asked,” Renee said from across the foyer. She stood with her arms folded, watching the surprise in his eyes when he saw her. She tried to shrug her shoulders. “Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready.”

  Her voice was soothing to his ears.

  Anatoly looked over at her and instantly felt relief for some strange reason even though his thoughts had him mentally crippled. Her warm eyes engulfed him and at that moment all he wanted was to put his head in her bosom and rest in her arms.

  Feeling his need, she walked over and stood in front of him. He looked down at her painted toes and smiled. “Country girl, where are your shoes?” he asked playfully in his thick Russian accent.

  “I thought you liked us barefoot and pregnant,” she poked fun at him.

  “No all of you. It appears just you.” He reached out and pulled her closer. The smell of her perfume tickled his nose. Putting his head on her stomach, he groaned. “How’s the baby?”

  “Fine,” Renee said, touching the top of his curly locks. His hair felt like cotton. She bent down to kiss the crown of his head and smelled his familiar aroma. “I was worried to death about you, Ana. You don’t do this anymore remember? That’s what you have Vasily for.”

  “You were worried about me even after I was a complete ass to you?” He looked up at her under tired eyes.

  Renee blinked. “Even after…” She knew that there was no need to finish her statement.

  Anatoly was relieved beyond words. “I’m sorry about the way that I behaved. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

  “I know,” she said, thinking of Langston earlier. “I tell you what…let’s just do us…okay. Let’s not make this about how other people handle having a baby. Let’s do it our way…whatever way that is. If we don’t set expectations made by other people, then we won’t disappoint each other. Besides, we’ve never done things the normal way. Why start now?”

  Anatoly stood up and grabbed her hand. “I’ve two hours,” he said, kissing her lips. “Let me make up for two days of putting you through hell.”

  His idea sounded like heaven, but she knew that he needed more than sex right now. Fighting against her own desires, she led him by his hand to the kitchen. “Not until you have had some breakfast.”

  Anatoly followed without any fight. He was starving, exhausted, and in need of everything that she could and would provide him. Watching her sway her wide voluptuous hips in front of him, oblivious to his thoughts, he thought of something else he was in need of. He needed to tell Royal about the girls he had stuffed in his father’s library down the hall before she found them on her own.

  They walked into the kitchen to find a large group gathered at the table eating. Royal poured juice in over twenty glasses, and Briggy stood at the stove with boxes of eggs to make more omelets. She looked up at him as he walked through the door and felt her heart constrict. As usual, his blue eyes sparkled like prisms, and his carved, angelic face carried a grave seriousness. Briggy smiled at him as he passed, and he - in his own way- spoke to her through a nod.

  “Anatoly,” Royal said, passing him a glass of juice. “Good morning.”

  “Dobroe utro,” he said, pulling out a seat for Renee at the table. “Sit down, baby. I’ll fix you a plate.”

  Briggy paused for a nanosecond. Anatoly had never once offered to cook for her or remotely make a kind gesture like pulling a chair out for her. She couldn’t help but look on in amusement.

  “Why don’t you both sit down, and we’ll fix you both a plate,” Royal said, pointing at the table. “You want a little of everything?” she asked Anatoly.

  “Da, I’m starving,” he said, sitting beside Renee. He propped his large elbows on the table and looked over at Vasily. “Anything new?”

  Vasily shook his head no.

  Anatoly rolled his eyes. He felt like they were standing still even though they were making progress. It was just too slow for him.

  Briggy brought over plates to the table and lowered her gaze to not meet his again. Even without looking at her he could feel the tension in her stance and wondered for a minute why now she seemed so uncomfortable with him when she had been in his home back in Memphis nearly a year ago and seemed to have had no feelings at all. Women. They always were looking for something to nag about. He looked over at Renee and smirked. If she only knew what he was thinking, she’d be nagging him right damn now.

  Briggy could still smell the familiar scent of his cologne as she reached past him to put down his food. The clink of the porcelain plates hitting the table only added more discomfort for them both. How many times had she served him in this exact manner before? She could not even count anymore. But it was odd now, serving him and his significant other. It was even odder that she was dating his cousin - moreover his equal. Life was odd, but Anatoly was odder.

  “Just so you know, Royal, we have more guests,” Anatoly said, pulling his thoughts away from Briggy before Renee picked up on them.

  “Guests?” Royal repeated, baffled. She turned away from the stove and looked over at him for an explanation.

  “There were some girls who had been abused by the guy that we had a visit with last night. We couldn’t leave them there, so we brought them with,” he said, looking over at Renee.

  “Abused how,” Renee asked, concerned.

  “Sex slaves from what we could tell. All of them are underage and most don’t speak English. We’ll figure what to do with them afterwards, but for now they have to stay here,” Anatoly said, looking over at Vasily. “Keep an eye on them, will you?”

  “Of course, boss,” Vasily said, getting up to go and check out the situation.

  The idea that the girls had been raped hit a raw nerve with Royal. Even now, every once in a while she had a nightmare about her own rape. “They are more than welcomed here,” she said softly. “Stepan, will you prepare more food and make sure that they get some. They can stay on the third floor in the quarters farthest from the men.”

  “Yes, madam,” Stepan answered.

  “And will you make sure that the men know to leave them alone,” Royal added.

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Anatoly assured.

  “Does this mean that this is the type of person who has stolen my child…a child rapist?” Royal asked, shaking.

  “No,” Anatoly answered sternly. “No. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I promise you.”

  Renee felt proud of her boyfriend for what he had done. Touching his hand, she smiled at him.

  He cracked an uncomfortable smile before stabbing his food with his knife.

  Royal fixed a large plate for her husband and put it on a tray. “Is Dmitry still in his study?” she asked, looking at her watch. She knew that the kidnappers would be calling soon and she wanted to talk to Dmitry about meeting their demands.

  “Da, he’s still in there,” Anatoly said, sticking a fork in his sausage. “The old man won’t rest. Maybe you can talk him into it. On sobiraet·sya skhoditʹ s uma , yesli on ne spit (He’s going to go crazy if he doesn’t get some sleep),” he said, worried about his father. His thoughts switched when he looked at Renee’s stomach. “Before you go, where are my brothers? I haven’t seen them yet.”

 
; “Up in their rooms resting,” Royal said, passing him a baby monitor. “When you go up to your room, stop and check on them. We’ve got two bodyguards outside of the door on post, just in case.”

  “Royal, I promise you that you’re absolutely safe in your own home,” Anatoly said, seeing the worry in her face. “Nothing is going to happen to them.”

  Royal nodded. “I know,” she lied.

  “Where’s Gabriel?” Briggy asked Anatoly still without looking at him.

  “With Dmitry I suppose,” Anatoly said quickly. He looked down at his food. “I’m sure he’ll be in here to see after you soon. We only have two hours before we’re off again.”

  Renee groaned at the thought. “Eat fast,” she urged. “You still could take a little cat nap, if you hurry.”

  His team looked up from their foods and moaned collectively. They only had a moment to rest now. For some reason, they had hoped for more. But Dmitry was relentless. He would not stop until he had what he wanted.

  “Two hours,” Briggy gasped. “But you’ve been gone all night.”

  “I’ll send him out when I take Dmitry his breakfast,” Royal promised Briggy. “Don’t worry. He’ll come to you before he leaves again. It’s just that there is so much for him to catch up on.” She quieted herself in front of the hired men. Smiling at Briggy, Royal picked up her tray and walked to the door. “Oh and Anatoly…”

  “Da,” he said, turning to his stepmother with a warm gaze.

  “Congrats,” she said with a proud smile. “If I had known, I would have told you earlier.”

  He looked over at Renee and cracked a grin, despite himself. “Thanks.”

  ***

  Royal found Dmitry alone in his study when she arrived with his breakfast. Knocking on the door before she entered, she carried in the large silver tray and closed the door behind her.