Gabriel's Regret: Book 1 (The Medlov Men Series 2) (6 page)

“You’re always reading.”  Gabriel reminded Ivan of Dmitry in that way.  When they were younger, he always had his head in a book. 

“Evidently, I’m a beta male even though I come from an alpha male dominated family.”  His voice cracked in pubescent displeasure.  His brow furrowed.  “I’m like a born loser or something.”

“Beta male, huh?” Ivan’s voice was calm and even.  “This means you don’t rock the boat, right?”

“Obviously,” Gabriel said, rubbing a hand through his hair. “I could be having fun, but I’m here, because I’m too afraid to get in trouble and piss anyone off.”

Ivan chuckled.    He liked that about Gabriel.  It meant that the boy was still innocent, something that he had never been.

“What?” Gabriel asked.  “How is that funny?”

“Enjoy it.  It won’t last…this
beta thing
that has you so worked up.  It’s just a phase. Like when you used to piss sitting down as a baby.  It was because your dick was too short. That’s all.  Eventually, it grew.  Eventually, you will grow.”

Gabriel cringed at the comparison.  “You don’t just stop being a beta one day, Dad.  It’s a lifetime curse.  I’ll always be just a yes man, one of those people who go with the flow and never do anything adventurous or courageous.”

“Look, you might know books, but I know my family line. I know where we come from and there is no room for beta boys in it.  Give yourself time. One day, you’ll wake up and the time for reason will be gone.  You’ll strike first and ask questions later.  Eventually, you will be the alpha male in the room.”

“Does this metamorphosis happen soon?” Gabriel joked.

“I’m no scientist. I can only tell you that it will happen…eventually.”  Ivan’s cell phone rang.  Pulling it out, he looked at the number and threw the phone over to Gabriel.

“Who is it?” Gabriel asked, holding the phone.

“It’s your mother,” Ivan said, popping three oxycodone for the pain and taking a swig of the water on the table.  “What?  You thought she forgot?” He snickered.  “She never forgets.”

***

Pulling himself from thoughts of his dead father and his unremarkable youth, Gabriel snapped to attention as the large iron gates to the Medlov compound opened and the armed security waved the convoy inside.  The processional broke off, with the bikes and other vehicles veering off toward the garages, while his vehicle moved toward the circular drive in front of the palatial white mansion where two armed guards stood on each side of the large limestone porch.   

Life was odd.  He had spent his youth thinking that Dmitry Medlov was the devil incarnate.  Now, he was a surrogate to him and the men responsible for his father’s death. How was that being
the alpha male in the room
?  If his father could see him now, he’d probably roll right over in his grave.  But that was a thought for another time, when he was not here.  He couldn’t think about it all too much, living in the same place that his father had been killed, swearing allegiance to the man who was once married to his grandmother.  It brought up too many emotions and made him feel too distant from everyone around him.

The SUV stopped in front of the mountain of steps that led up to the front doors, and Boris quickly jumped out and opened Gabriel’s door, but he sat in the back seat, eyes frozen on the entryway.

Oblivious to Gabriel’s melancholy mood, Boris cleared his throat.  “You okay, boss?” he asked with a frown, waiting for him to get out of the truck. He looked back at the house to see if there was something wrong. 

“I’m fine,” Gabriel said, locking his emotions away.  Inhaling a deep breath, he stepped out onto the cobblestone drive and straightened his suit.  “Take my things up to my room.”  Handing off his computer, he made his way up the steps and in through the large entryway.

As he approached the doors, they opened and a maid stepped out of his way and dipped her head to greet him.

“Welcome home,” she said in a Hispanic accent.

“Gracias,” Gabriel said, whisking past her.  His feet echoed on the marble floor as he crossed the foyer and was met by the butler.

“Boss Anatoly would like for you to read this first,” the butler said, passing him a note.

“Really?”  Gabriel took it and opened the small piece of paper.  IF THE SHIPMENT IS JACKED, WE HAVE TO COVER THE COST AND HAND DELIVER A NEW SHIPMENT TO UKRAINE.

Fucking great
, he thought to himself. More complications.  Crumpling the paper in his hand, he stuffed it in his pocket with a balled up fist.  “Where is Anatoly?” Gabriel asked, nostrils flaring.

“Outside with the others on the veranda, sir.”  He saw the sweat forming on Gabriel’s forehead.  “Shall I take your coat for your and fetch you a glass of water?”

“I need something a little stronger than water, Aesop.  Thank you.”  Easing it off, Gabriel passed his suit jacket to the butler and headed for the back yard to see Anatoly and find out why suddenly they were responsible for a free shipment of $2,000,000s’ worth of product with an $8,000,000 profit.  If he had known that, he would have agreed to the private escort in the beginning with Allan Roman.  After all, he was trying to cut the work for them, not create more.

***

Gabriel heard a jolly commotion as he approached the sun room that led out to the back yard.  Stopping at the sliding glass doors, he watched his family for a minute in their happy bliss.  They looked like something out of Southern Living ad, minus the armed guards. 

Out on the large veranda overlooking the manicured grounds and the Olympic size swimming pool, the party had been going for quite some time even though it was only a quarter past one in the afternoon.  With the Isley Brothers’
Summer Breeze
playing on the stereo, beverages flowing and finger foods lining the picnic tables, the grill out unfolded.

Royal sat in her lawn chair in a black sarong and black one-piece swimming suit watching on bemused as her twin boys played together under the large patio fans on the specially-laid soft flooring. Renee sat beside her in a white halter dress that contrasted with her dark brown skin rocking her baby girl in her arms, and Briggy sat on the end in the sun in a hot pink two-piece, working on her tan.  

As usual, Anatoly was at the grill, flipping burgers and drinking beer.  Dmitry was on his stomach, sprawled out playing with his sons.  And Vasily, their former head security man and now member of the council, was sitting down by the pool with his wife watching the older kids swim. 

It was all tranquil enough.  So much so that he hesitated to even interrupt, knowing exactly how his presence would polarize everything.  However, he couldn’t just avoid his family.  He might as well crash and burn the party.  

Pulling open the door, he stepped outside, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention.  “Hey,” he said, walking past a guard, who stood just out of view.  

Anatoly waved him over.  “Good. You’re here.  Come get a beer with me.”

Royal turned and smiled at Gabriel, glad to see him back.  “You’re missing the cookout, man.” 

“I see,” Gabriel said, nodding at Dmitry.  “What got into you guys?”

“It’s a nice day,” Dmitry answered, eyes still on his sons.  “Why spend it inside?”

Going rigid as soon as she saw him, Briggy took off her shades as Gabriel approached her.  Sitting up, she mouthed hello and pushed her blonde hair off her shoulders. 

Kneeling beside her lawn chair, Gabriel looked down at her slightly bulging stomach.  “How are you…two?” 

“The doctor says that we’re fine,” she said, rubbing her stomach.  “All the blood work and ultrasound came back normal.”

Gabriel noticed that she was glowing, no doubt because of her condition.  Despite their conflict, pregnancy suited her. “Good.  I’m glad to hear it.” His brow furrowed when he noticed that she had repaired the diamond bracelet that she had broken during their argument and put it back on her wrist.  That had to mean something. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it back in time.  Work sort of went longer than expected.” 

“That’s okay.”  Briggy’s eyes, judgmental with every blink, said that she didn’t believe him, but for once she didn’t verbalize it.  Instead, she tried to stay positive. “There is always the next appointment next month and the month after that.”  Her voice trailed off. 

“I will do my best to make it.” Gabriel felt awkward, having nothing more to say, but over the last few months, he had talked himself to death.  Besides, the tension was already thick enough between them to cut with a knife. There was no reason to push their limits with excess conversation that would more than likely lead to an argument. He stood back up and looked over at Anatoly.  “Let me go over here and make sure that he isn’t burning up anything.”

“Wait.” She reached out and grabbed his hand.  Her eyes pleaded with him not to go, even if it was only a few feet away.   

He looked down at her, but didn’t say a word. 

Briggy swallowed down her nervousness and pride as she looked up at him towering over her.  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what happened between us.”  Her bottom lip trembled, indicating she was close to tears. 

Not already.
 

Gabriel looked around as the alarms started to go off in his head.  This wasn’t exactly the place for this kind of conversation. Although everyone appeared to be talking among themselves and ignoring them all together, he was certain that wasn’t really the case.  “Let’s talk about it later, okay?” He patted her hand.  “I mean, when we are alone.”

“When is that, next week, next month?” she asked, pushing back in her chair. 
Any excuse to get away from me
, she thought to herself.

Gabriel didn’t answer, instead, he stepped back from her. 

Watching him as he walked away, she felt her heart pang.  Despite all of her best efforts, she had lost him, and she wasn’t sure if she could ever get him back.  Since their argument, he was always either coming or going, but never did he stay.

Gabriel could feel Briggy’s eyes burning through his back but he refused to turn around.  She was like looking into the destruction of Sodom and Gomora. Catching a beer as Anatoly tossed it, he walked up to the grill and looked at the fat Angus burgers.  The smell of the food made his mouth water.  “So, I got your message,” he said in a low-pitch sarcastic tone, picking up the bottle opener.  “And what the fuck?”

Anatoly turned his back to his father, who was only a few feet away.  “Let’s just hope that everything goes as planned and the shipment isn’t compromised once they get back to their country.”

Gabriel shook his head in confusion.  “How did we end up agreeing to this is what I want to know?  I mean, that’s a huge pay day for us to cover.  What are the details?  Does he want the cost of inventory only covered at $2,000,000 or the cost of inventory plus the usual profit we make, because that is $10,000,000 in all?”  Just the sound of that blew his mind.  Yes, he had the money, but no he didn’t want to give it to his fucking uncle every quarter.

While Gabriel had his breakdown, Anatoly flipped the meat casually then looked across the yard.  “This is Dmitry Medlov we’re talking about. What do you think he wants 20% or 100%?”

“
What do I think?
  I think we should have just gone on and provided the damn escort like the man asked in the first place.”  Gabriel took a swig of his beer. “I mean, they have the shipment now, but anything could happen between Slovakia and Donetsk.”   He waved his hand. “And I do mean anything.”

Anatoly hated to admit it, but Gabriel was right this time.  However, he didn’t want to tell him that this all stemmed from a bet with his father.  “Try not to make a spectacle, eh?  So how will you know when the shipment arrives in Donetsk? Is there a check in or something?  What was the arrangement?” 

“I can check in with Allan Roman in a few hours just to see what the latest status is.” 

Anatoly had a thought.  “You think that he’d call us if he found out it was jacked?”

“Hell yes.  This guy is very serious about his clients,” Gabriel assured.  “Trust me.  If anything happens, we’ll be the first to know, even if it’s just to let us know this shit is our fault.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“The old man is just waiting for this shit to blow up in our faces.” 

“Why?” Gabriel asked, voice strained.  He turned and caught Briggy still staring at him. 
Shit.
  Quickly, he turned back around.  “Why is this account so important to him?”

“For as long as I’ve known the man, every single solitary account is important to him.  It doesn’t matter if the deal is for one gun or 1,000,000 guns.  That’s how he became a fucking billionaire.  What can I say? He’s anal.” Anatoly wiped his blonde beard.  “Plus, he doesn’t think we provide enough customer service to our clients.  He wants more
finesse
.”

Gabriel almost choked on his beer. “I’m sorry. What?”

Anatoly laughed.  “You heard me.”  He looked past Gabriel at Briggy and lost his train of thought for a moment.  “And I hate to be the barer of bad news on top of everything else, but you have to do something about the fucking elephant in the room.  You know that, right?”  While Anatoly was glad that he had dodged the bullet known as Briggy, she was starting to make things complicated for his home life too.