Anatoly Medlov (30 page)

Briggy closed her eyes and relaxed her body. Feeling Gabriel harden inside of her, she released a gasp. He was so amazingly huge until it was obscene. And he demanded so much of her. Every inch. He kissed her, licked her, pleased her with no end in sight. Lying on her back with her core locked to his lap, she forgot about breakfast and enjoyed making love to her perfect lover.

***

Dmitry couldn’t sleep. He sat by the fireplace in his robe reading his newspaper while Royal snored lightly in the bed across from him. She’d only recently started to snore. Oddly, she only did it in the second and third trimester of her pregnancies. The doct couldn’t explain it, and he tried not to make a big deal out of it, because she was so emotional. Nonetheless, it often made nights unbearable, because he never could sleep with an ounce of noise in the room.

However, something else wasn’t right. He could feel it, only he couldn’t place where the problem actually was.

Checking his watch, he realized that it was already six in the morning. Unfortunately, he’d been up since four going over in his mind every intricacy of his life. Finances. Relationships. Business deals. He’d thought about it all.

He knew that it was imperative also that he send Gabriel to Anatoly soon. And while he appreciated young love, he knew also that he’d have to separate Gabriel and Briggy for a while.

It was strange to actually have Royal approve of anyone on her staff dating a family member, but she genuinely accepted Gabriel and Briggy. It could have been that once he told her about his role in the boy’s life that she felt he deserved a great deal more leeway. It could have also been that she saw their own relationship in the young couple. Whatever it was, once she gave her stamp of approval on the two, Gabriel and Briggy had been inseparable.

In a way, he knew that it was also his doing. Many months ago, when Briggy was invariably torn apart by his son’s quick dismissal of her after a short love affair, he had told her to find someone who wasn’t ashamed of her. Ironically, she had found that in Gabriel. He took her out in public, treated her to nice gifts and always acknowledged her.

If Briggy was in the room, Gabriel could not keep his eyes off of her. If she was busy working, he’d offer to help. He’d disappear as soon as it was time for her to get off of work, and she hadn’t spent a night in her room since their first date.

Dmitry thought they’d fallen in love, and he was sure of it after last night. At dinner, they had sat beside each other talking quietly as if no one else was in the room. After dinner, they’d disappeared up to his guest room. It was the way that young lovers behaved, he knew that. But he was worried. How would his young Briggy recover when soon her bliss was cut short? The tables would definitely turn and the women of the house would expect for him to do something about it, especially the one snoring in the bed.

There were also the many conversations between him and Gabriel to consider. The boy was growing on him. He was no longer a stranger. They had discussed in detail his childhood and college years. And it had all checked out with the Intel he’d gathered from his private investigators in New York.

At first, Dmitry did not trust the boy. But each day, he found himself growing closer to him. Maybe it was that he looked a great deal like his mother and in his mind he was mending relationships that had no other way of being fixed.

After all, Emma Hutton had long since passed and so had Ivan. There was no way to go back and help either one of them. But maybe he could help himself heal wounds that he secretly nursed for all three of them – four of them, counting Gabriel.

Royal had noticed their relationship. She too worried at first. However, over the last week, her conversations with him had eased her suspicions as well.
I like him
, she had said.
He’s a good boy
, she had vouched.
You can trust him
, she had promised. And while his wife’s opinion meant everything to him, he knew that it must come down to what he felt. Only, he didn’t know how he felt about the boy anymore. It disturbed him that he approved of him. It disturbed him that he admired him. It disturbed him that he saw things in him that he wished for his own son to have, like true integrity, like passion.

It was ironic that Ivan’s son had turned out to be so graceful. He was intelligent, creative and hard working. He saw himself in Gabriel. And what of it? Could he really hold back a man who was his own blood and so much like him?

He knew the answer to that question. No, he could not hold the boy back, and the only way to allow him to thrive in their organization was to send him to his son.

He smirked to himself. That would be tricky. While the people here liked him, cared for him. Gabriel would truly start to cut his teeth in Memphis with Anatoly. And that would not be easy. His son was more like Ivan than he cared to admit. Anatoly was quick to kill, but it took him forever to feel for someone. He was always slow on emotions, unless it was hate. Anatoly could hate with the best of them. But he had to let men be men. He could not coddle Gabriel.

Excusing himself from the bedroom, he walked down the long corridor and opened Anya’s door to find her sleeping. After sneaking in to kiss her on her forehead, he headed down to his office.

When he got there, a fresh pot of coffee and juice sat on his table in a tray. Evidently, Briggy was up and as always diligently working. He was proud of her. While it was small, it was very important to him that the people around him always remembered first their obligations.

Pouring a cup of coffee, he sat behind his desk, hit the button to open his blinds and called his son.

Anatoly picked up on the first ring.

“Hello,” he said gravely.

“You sound like shit,” Dmitry said, sipping out of his favorite mug.

“I’m alright.” Anatoly put down his glass of vodka. “What’s up, papa. It’s barely six there. Why are you already about?”

“I’ve decided it’s time to send Gabriel to you.”

“So, you’ve seen what you need to see?”

“
Da
, he’s a good boy.”

“Where in this organization can I use a good boy?” Anatoly asked angrily. “I need men. I need killers. I don’t need good boys.” He sat in dedce behind his desk brooding alone.

“How do you think that you started? I saw a good boy when you came to my door step. I didn’t see killer or even a
man
. I saw a young boy who had potential.”

Anatoly was silent.

“So, I’m sending him to you. He’s agreed to set aside his obligations in New York. There are a few men who can run things there for him while he learns the ropes from you,” Dmitry said, turning on his television to watch the news. He controlled his anger.

“Fine. Send him,” Anatoly said shortly.

“I plan to,” Dmitry sighed. “Something else has developed since you left.”

“What?”

“It seems that Gabriel and Briggy have become an item.” Dmitry waited for his son to explode. He’d always had territory issues.

“So, you want her to come too?”

“No. I want you to know this before he comes, so you can deal with your emotions before he arrives. This should be a non-issue, because you and Briggy are a non-issue. Am I making myself clear?”

“Papa, I don’t give a fuck about your maid.” Anatoly rolled his eyes.

“So I take it that you and my
shop girl
, Renee, are doing well then?” Dmitry asked, making his point about one woman’s position over the other. To demean a woman for doing an honest job was like demeaning a priest for being holy - ridiculous. And he wouldn’t have it.

“I haven’t spoken to Renee in a week. She left the shop. She left my home. She left my life.”

Dmitry knew that there was something wrong. And there it was; heart-break. He felt for the boy, but it was only a matter of time before he fell in love with someone. And it was only normal in their occupation that it wouldn’t bode well.

“Give it time,” Dmitry said softly. “I’m sure that you’ll find a way to reach her and talk things over. These things do not fix themselves over night. If they do, they are not real.”
Anatoly couldn’t even bring himself to say anything clever. In fact, just the thought of her brought him pain. “Let us hope, papa.”

“It’s good that you know how to compartmentalize these types of situations. Moving on, when Gabriel arrives, after you’ve introduced him to everyone, I want you to send him to Dallas to speak with Royal’s mother and arrange a meeting in Jamaica for the family.”

“Now, I’m responsible for family reunions? Papa, I’m boss. I’m not travel agent or...”

“I am asking you this favor as your father. Remember alwayswho I am to you and know that my requests are more important than even your biggest business deals.” Dmitry’s voice was harsh.

Anatoly quickly bit his tongue. “Of course, papa. Forgive me. I will arrange as soon as Gabriel arrives.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get on with my day,” Dmitry said, hanging up the phone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gabriel had only been to Memphis once. The first time that he had come, he had imagined pulling up to a rural speck of land with hogs and chickens running wildly about, but it was mildly impressive. The people seemed warm and there was a true appreciation for food, especially pork. Evidently, he’d landed in the Home of The Blues and barbeque.

Downtown Memphis was a busy little spot. Cars and trolleys littered the main thoroughfares. People walked up and down the streets in their suits with their heads attached to their cell phones. Cops stood on the corners. Pockets of homeless people hid in the alleyways, emerging only to beg for a few bucks or get something to eat. It was basically a little Manhattan. He shrugged, maybe not that similar, but the place had its own nice metro vibe.

Anatoly had put him up in the loft above his clothing store,
Dmitry’s Closet
. Evidently, his ex-girl had lived here before him, because while he was unpacking his things and putting them away, he found a letter to Anatoly. The guy had been a complete prick to him until he showed him that little note. He lit up like a Christmas tree, though he tried to conceal it.

Gabriel could understand. He missed Briggy so badly until it literally felt like his heart would fall out of his body. They spoke daily, but it was hard to keep contact, because of the time difference. He knew the time would come when his uncle would send him off, but he was hoping for more time with her. She had cried for two days when he told her that he was leaving. She had said that she would quit and come with him, but he had talked her out of it. Knowing the previous relationship with Anatoly and knowing that he was undercover, there was no way in hell that he was going to drag her into this anymore than he already had.

Today, Gabriel was set to meet the council. This was a big step. He would know all the players in the Medlov crime family, and they would know him. This was by far the riskiest thing that he had done. There was no turning back now.

Vasily knocked on the front door and waited for him. Grabbing his coat, and putting on his guns, Gabriel quickly met him and was escorted over to the restaurant. They convened the meeting in the basement of
Mother Russia
amidst the largest group of heavily armed bodyguards that he’d ever seen. He knew from the briefing with the DEA that there was once a basement to this place, but after the bombings the entire building had been rebuilt and a lot of rooms had been restructured. However, to ching that was wrong in the reports was that the basement no longer existed. It did exist, and it was now heavily reinforced. It would take an army to get down into this place and many causalities to get out of it.

Anatoly evidently had a serious thing for guns and bodyguards, because there were more of them than council members. And none of the council members’ bodyguards were ever allowed inside. They were completely vulnerable, if not under the boss’s protection.

The 15 men sat at a table built from old wood that Gabriel imagined came from Russia considering the organization’s nostalgic demeanor like kings at court. He also noticed that they were all a great deal older than Anatoly. Gabriel imagined that really pissed most of them off. These men were powerful, dangerous and notorious, yet a boy sat at the head of their table, and they had no choice but to either respect him or war with him.

However, Anatoly Medlov was no light-weight. Once Gabriel was seated in the corner, Anatoly came into the room with Vasily and three other men closely behind. He commanded their attention not with theatrics but with a scowl that rivaled Putin’s. He looked ready to kill at any moment. It was obvious that he did not trust them, or at least some of them.

In jeans and a t-shirt, he sat down at the head of the table and looked around. With a sigh, he began the meeting, indicating either his frustration with the men or himself.

“Vasily, check the room, please,” Anatoly said, pouring himself a glass of water.

Vasily quickly checked the room for bugs then nodded at his boss to begin.

“I have brought you all here to meet a very important member of my family,” Anatoly said slowly, irritated. He gritted his teeth as he talked. “My father has blessed the...
existence
of my cousin Gabriel Medlov, who is the son of Ivan Medlov.”