Anatoly's Retribution

by Latrivia Welch

  Renee smiled and played with his fingers. “I imagine that would have been unsettling for the other men to witness, especially your father.”

  “Maybe not Anil.”

  Renee shook her head. She knew that was coming when she saw the way he looked at him in the living room. “He’s just a boy, Ana.”

  Anatoly snorted. “Oh yeah. A seven-foot boy with a 275-pound build. Come on. He’s a man. And I think he has a crush on you.” He wasn’t exactly jealous, just amused.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” She pushed her small feet up against him. The sound of rain beating against the windows lulled her into a state of calm. “The whole world is looking for you, Ana. You have to be careful tomorrow.”

  “I’ll do what I need to do.”

  “What if I had a suggestion?” She flipped over and looked up at him.

  Anatoly rubbed her cheek. “I’m listening.”

  “What if we cut your hair and dyed it. Put you on some different clothes. A suit, maybe?”

  “A suit?” He shook his head and cocked a knee up. His heavy member flopped over on his thigh. “Do you know how hard it is to kick someone’s ass in a suit?”

  “Just listen to me.” She propped herself up on her elbow. “The cops are looking for a blonde man with tattoos, who looks…rugged.” It was the best description she could find for his style of dress.

  Anatoly cut his eyes at her, but said nothing.

  “Stay with me. What if you changed your appearance for a few days, hid the tattoos, took on the appearance of someone more refined? You would be much harder to spot. The police wouldn’t even look at you twice if you were a brunette in a nice suit.” She had been toying with the idea all day and more and more it was starting to be the best possible option.

  “I heard the suit part the first time,” Anatoly groaned.

  Renee laughed. “Trust me, Ana. For once, please.”

  “I’d rather walk around naked than wear a suit.”

  “I’m being serious. The suit, the haircut, it’s a perfect disguise. And I’m sorry, but walking around naked is not exactly an option.”

  “Says who?”

  “Ana, you’re not going to walk around naked. Now, will you just try out my idea, please? Let me be a part of this.”

  “Alright,” he said, giving up. “What do I have to lose? I can always grow my hair back after I am forced to shave it off.”

  “You might like being a brunette.”

  “I might, but I most certainly won’t like the suit.” Leaning over her, he kissed her nipple. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved.” She rubbed her stomach. “We’d love a bite.”

  “Let’s go just like this. Butt ass naked. Live a little”

  Renee laughed. “We have a house full of people.”

  “So, what? Let them stare.”

  Renee threw her head back on the pillow. “You’re silly.”

  “I’m not kidding.” He rolled over off the bed and stood up. “You only live once, right?”

  “Yeah.” She watched him with heavy eyes and yawned. “But Ana, people will always remember your cock and balls flapping out for all to see while you bend over in the refrigerator, even long after you’re dead.” Laughing, she imagined the scenario herself. “It’s a sight you can’t unsee, okay.”

  “Then let them see,” Anatoly said with a grin on his face.

  Renee was glad to see him happy, even if it was just for a minute. “I’m not going out there with you.”

  “Fine. Don’t live.” He walked to the door and grabbed the knob.

  Renee sat up in the bed. Her hair fell over her bare shoulders. Hitting the pillow, she waved him back. “You are not going out there like that, now. Send for something; have them bring it up to you.”

  “No, it’s my house, and if I want to walk around naked, then I’ll do it.” He opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

  “He’s lost his mind.” Shocked, Renee got out of bed and grabbed her robe. Before she could put it on, Anatoly walked back through the door and closed it shut.

  “I knew you couldn’t go through with it,” she said, crossing her hands over her chest.

  Anatoly cut his eyes at her. Walking over to the edge of the bed, he bent down. “I forgot my shoes,” he said, slipping them on and waltzing back out the door in his full glory.

  Bursting out in laughter, Renee fell over on the bed. “You’re INSANE!”

  Chapter Ten

  Purpose…

  B efore dawn could breach the horizon, Dmitry crawled out of bed, careful not to wake his sleeping wife, and slipped on his jogging suit. Today was going to be long and arduous, he needed something to keep him going, something to spike the adrenaline. Sneaking out of the bedroom, he was met by his night guard, who was returning to his designated chair outside of their bedroom, after grabbing coffee and a bite to eat from the kitchen. His eyes grew to the size of walnuts when Dmitry stepped out into the dimly lit hallway of the guest wing.

  “Morning, Boss,” the guard muttered, sitting down. He placed coffee on the floor beside his chair and tried to swallow down the strawberry crepe in his mouth.

  Dmitry rolled his neck, barely looking at the man. “Good morning.” He did, however, notice the food. “Breakfast has already been set out?” He was starving from the night before, and had come down to fix a sandwich, but when his son came into the kitchen butt ass naked with slippers on, Dmitry decided food could wait. He turned on a dime and headed back up to his room with a rumbling stomach.

  “The chef just finished, boss. Would you like me to get you something?” He raised up, embarrassed that he had been caught with food in his mouth. Everyone knew Boss Dmitry demanded professionalism at all times.

  “No,” Dmitry said, motioning for him to sit back down. Normally, he would have reprimanded him, but today, he just felt like letting things slide. “I’ll get it after my run. Just finish your breakfast.”

  Making his way downstairs, he heard a chorus of male voices gathered in the foyer. They sounded chipper for 5:00 in the morning. To his surprise as the ruckus came into view, Boris and Marat were being picked on by the other men because of their very official looking uniforms. He walked up to them, intrigued with the creativity that went into their outfits. “So, this is Vasily’s idea on how to get the videos? Smart.” He nodded toward Vasily, who was laughing himself.

  “This cost us a pretty penny. There is a major in the southwest precinct who is tired of paying alimony and child support. We will now foot the bill. In exchange, we get three hours to get into the evidence locker and retrieve the footage.”

  Dmitry was impressed. “Won’t the guy at the locker recognize two faces he’s never seen before as a possible red flag?”

  Vasily cracked a smile. “That’s the thing. He is the guy at the fucking evidence locker. Sits there day in and day out trying to balance his bills while watching his credit score plummet. When we approached him, he damned near creamed in his pants. He got us the uniforms, the badges, the car and the access. All he wants is to not die broke and alone because the ex-wife took him for everything he has. If you ask me, it’s a pretty sweet deal.”

  Dmitry loved it. They could always count on human greed. “Whatever we’re paying this guy, double it.”

  Marat was proud of the uniform. He had been arrested a thousand times, which gave him plenty of experience, but he’d never been allowed to be one for a day. “It’s the real deal. There is even a cruiser waiting out front.” He put a foot out to model the taupe-colored get up, complete with brown slacks, shiny black boots and a gold badge. “I make this shit look good, eh?”

  “This fucking sucks,” Boris pouted. He didn’t enjoy pretending to be a police officer at all. Even though it clung to his large muscular frame perfectly, he felt embarrassed. “Let’s just get this over with, so we can get out of these clothes. I look like fifty shades of shit.” Pulling at the collar, he snatched away as the other men heckled him.

  “If
it were not irresponsible, I’d take a picture of you,” Dmitry taunted. “But you know, no witnesses, no proof.” He touched the sergeant’s stripes on Boris’s sleeve. “Go on. Say something police-like.”

  The other men laughed aloud, hitting each other and jeering him as they circled around like bullies on a playground. Boris rolled his eyes and put his hand on his gun belt. Taking a deep breath and sticking his chest out, he put on a Southern American accent. “May I see your license and registration, sir?”

  Laughter erupted again.

  What a treat? “No, you may not.” Dmitry smirked, barely able to keep a straight face. When the laughter died down, he slapped Boris on the shoulder, appreciating his soldier’s willingness to be the butt of a good joke. “I think you would be an excellent cop, Boris. You should pick up an application while you’re down there. Just don’t forget to get all the video surveillance from the club and bring it back to me.”

  “Thanks, Boss. I will,” Boris said, walking to the door. He opened it and looked out at the thick early morning fog. The rain had subsided for the moment, but they knew it was only the calm before the storm. The police cruiser was waiting for him and his partner to load into and head downtown to the evidence locker.

  Marat followed behind Boris with less of a chip on his shoulder. Cradling a bag of donuts and a cup of coffee, he flipped the bird to his friends and slammed the door.

  The men quickly disbursed after their fun, leaving Dmitry alone as he sat on the stairs, tying his gym shoes before he ran a few miles.

  Anil walked to the entryway when everyone had gone and tapped on the wall to get his father’s attention. “You, uh, going for a run too?” He wrung his hands, still a little nervous around his father. Dmitry was the first man he had ever met who was more imposing than he was. It was a hard adjustment.

  Dmitry inclined his head and caught a glimpse of Anil. “I try to get it in when I can. Makes my day go better.” He stood up and noticed Anil was in running clothes as well. “I see we have something else in common.”

  “Mind if I join you?” Anil asked, sporting red basketball trunks, a gray Nike T-shirt with cut off sleeves, a baseball cap turned to the back and running shoes.

  “I would enjoy that,” Dmitry said, bending down. He pulled off his ankle strap loaded with a gun and passed it to Anil. “Put it on.”

  Anil looked at the gun in his father’s hand, face creasing into a frown. “Don’t you need it more than me?”

  “No,” Dmitry insisted, pushing it toward him. “I need to know you’re safe. But don’t worry, there will be a car trailing us. Always is.” It was part of the protocols he had put in place after Anya’s kidnapping.

  Anil had a question, but he hoped he wouldn’t offend him. “Doesn’t it get stifling always living in a state of life or death.” He had quietly watched the men since he arrived, and the one thing that remained ever constant was their over-arching need to protect themselves. Always living with their heads on a swivel had to be exhausting, if not downright depressing.

  Dmitry found his question odd, considering the boy’s sought-after profession. “You’re going to be a doctor, right?”

  “Hopefully.” The verdict was still out on that. But he hoped to be one day.

  “So, your business will revolve around life or death. Every day, your job is about prolonging mortality?” Dmitry put the gun in his hand.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Your job will be to sustain life. My job is to take it. That’s essentially what arms dealing boils down to without all the frilly little words. Bullets and guns kill men. I kill men.” Dmitry could see Anil start to connect the dots in his mind. “We aren’t very different, really. I’m just on the far end of the spectrum.”

  Anil had never thought of it that way. “Good point, but doctors don’t normally worry about someone killing them while they’re just taking a run or hanging around the house. You can’t even go outside without worrying about someone snuffing you out.”

  Dmitry found Anil’s naivete to be charming. “Tell that to the abortion doctors that have become my clients through the years. Tell that to the doctors in third-world countries who give little girls birth control. Tell that to doctors who want to give women their independence through true control over their bodies. American doctors are not the only doctors in the world. Many of them live day to day wondering if someone will take them out.” When they had more time, he’d tell him about his dearly departed step-daughter, who was also Gabriel’s mother. She was a freedom fighter for women’s rights who parlayed with the best of the third-world scum.

  “So, you don’t just work with bad guys?” Anil asked, feeling like every moment he spent with his father was also spent learning.

  Dmitry laughed. “Many times, I’m the only bad guy in the equation.” Opening the door, he motioned for his son to follow. “Let’s take a run. Put your money where your mouth is.”

  ***

  Anatoly didn’t recognize himself in the mirror. He knew Renee knew her way around a bathroom, but he had no idea she was a stylist. After coming back from his naked run to the kitchen and serving her a late-night feast, she fought sleep and cut his hair, dyed it, shaved his face and turned him into a completely different man.

  When she was done, she pulled out a box of contacts she had sent for to hide his beautiful blue eyes behind brilliant brown lenses that transformed him from Anatoly Medlov to this new creature.

  Walking into the bathroom, Renee stopped in her tracks. For so many years, she was used to waking up to her blonde-haired, blue-eyed monster, but looking at him now was remarkable. His dark hair, brown eyes, tanned skin decorated with hard-earned tattoos, the fiery rage that radiated off his body, it was all a testament to the inner beauty that he possessed. No matter what he put on, no matter what he took off, he was still her Ana.

  Anatoly spit in the sink after brushing his teeth and rinsed his mouth with the water in the cup. Turning to her, in only his pajama bottoms, he shrugged. “What do you think?” he asked, hoping for even the slightest of approval. “Is this what you envisioned when you were building your Frankenstein monster in your mind?”

  Renee walked over to him and ran her hands through his crew cut. “You look completely different,” she said, proud of her work. “The police won’t give you a second glance.”

  “Unrecognizable?” Anatoly asked, feeling like a fish out of water.

  “Just as beautiful as ever, but yes, unrecognizable.” She trailed a hand down to his chest. “It’s only for a short while. Once you get her back, you can grow it back.” It was inconceivable the lengths a man would go to in order to protect his family.

  Renee only hoped after all of this, Anastaysia would finally accept Anatoly for what he was willing to put on the line to protect her.

  Anatoly grabbed her hand, holding it in his own. Biting his lip, he tried to smile, despite the pain in his heart. “I have to get her back, Renee. She’s my responsibility. She’s counting on me. No matter what she thinks of me, I still love her.” He clenched his jaw tight. “She has no one else. If I don’t save her, no one else will.”

  Renee knew despite his efforts to hide it, that her husband was afraid – not of dying but losing Anastaysia forever.

  Her beautiful, arrogant man.

  Underneath all those layers of bravado, he was still just a big brother trying to protect the women in his life. His entire existence was centered around the decisions he had made to protect others.

  “Please tell me that I can do this,” Anatoly said, just above a whisper.

  Kissing his hand, she trailed her gaze up to meet his troubled eyes. “There are few men in this world like you, Ana. You are strong, resilient…” She shook her head to fight back the need to sob and fall apart. If he only knew how much she loved him, he might be afraid. “You are why God made alpha men. I believe in my heart that you will bring her home safely, or you’ll die trying.” Tears burned the sides of her eyes. If he died, she’d die as well. Life wa
s not worth living without him. Bating the tears away, she took a deep breath. “It’s not right that you have to continually be placed in this position. But I have to believe that God made you special, baby. He made you for a purpose. Don’t second guess yourself today. Don’t second guess yourself tomorrow. If there is anyone at all who could pull this off, it’s you. As long as you believe that, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.”

  “Do you think me selfish for doing this?” He had to know.

  “No, baby. You are doing what you are supposed to do.” She knew he needed her approval, and she was more than willing to give it. “We don’t let people hurt us. We don’t turn the other cheek. She’s your sister, your blood. I pray that if anything ever happened to Alexandria, she’d have someone who loved her the way you love your sister. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Anatoly leaned in and kissed her. Perfect little princess of his with her kind words and sweet soul. He didn’t deserve her, but since she had chosen him, he would value her to the day he died. He inhaled her scent and held it in his lungs. God, she was his everything. “What would I do without you?” he asked, wiping her tears. If this situation had shown him anything, it was that Renee was truly his soul mate.

  “You’ll never have to know.” Finding her inner strength, she managed to smile despite all the fears. Remembering Royal’s decree, she tried her best to uplift him.

  “Make them pay, Ana. Make them all pay for it all. Don’t hold back; don’t you dare show them an ounce of mercy.”

  Anatoly had never heard his wife be so certain about anything before, especially death. But hearing her defend him gave him the strength that he needed and calmed his fears. He was baffled by her powers over him, baffled by this new-found relationship they had developed. He prayed it wasn’t the end, that this wasn’t some great epiphany before falling into the depths of hell, but the look in her face told him different. The look was of a promise, a truth that only she knew. He could do this. He could really do this.

  Pulling her to him, he kissed her lips passionately, sucking in her breath and the taste of her sweet lush mouth. There was never a woman made more perfect for him. Everything about her was flawless, from the crown of her head to the souls of her feet. She was his wife, the mother of his children, including the baby she protected in her precious womb.