Into the Lion's Den (52 page)

“You're seriously mistaken if you think that I will allow this!” Constantin growled his eyes glowing in a feral way, as he took Guntram by his biceps, making him hiss in pain. “You will return with me in February!”

“I will only stay with Lintorff so he has no excuses to go against you! I'm not a piece of furniture you all can move at will!”

“I created you from nothing. You're mine!”

“I will not come back. Don't plan your strategy thinking that I will be back. Do what you have to do to secure your position and protect your children, Constantin. I will not betray your trust and do all what is in my hands to fulfil my part of the deal.”

“I will recover what is mine, Guntram. Whether you like it or not.”

“Good-bye, my friend.” Guntram stood and walked toward the door. “I will send you the book for your children,” he finished the talk by opening it.

“This is far from over, boy,” Constantin hissed when he passed by his side, but Guntram kept silent, doing his best to control the tears veiling his eyes.

He looked at the entrance hall just to see the butler running to open the door for Constantin and a deep sorrow engulfed him. Ratko was standing there looking at him with a frown. “Good riddance, boy. Best you could have done, but he's far from finished. Talk with Goran; he likes you like his brother. That man is a ferocious beast.”

“I'm no better than him. I broke his heart. He truly loved me.”

“Measure a man by the size of his enemies, my father once told me. You have earned my respect, boy.

Break ups are never easy, but we all survive them.”

Alexei entered the room almost running and checked Guntram's pulse. “Shit! It's very fast. To bed with you!”

“I'm fine Alexei, but I've hurt the kindest man I ever knew! I've tried to tell it hundred times but he never listened to me and now he's in pain!” Guntram said, battling the best as he could to keep his sobs under control while the tears were freely flowing. “He was always wonderful to me but I can't be with him any more! Every time I see him, I remember it! I've should have been stronger and get over it, and did try in Russia, but only when I was here I could start to forget! I'm so selfish!”

Alexei and Ratko were speechless but for different reasons. The first didn't want to say a thing that could render his charge more nervous and couldn't say something good about Repin. Pouring all his hatred of the man was useless and would only hurt the child more. 'Let him keep a good memory of the monster. He doesn't need to hit his head against the wall for being such an idiot to believe his lies.' Ratko, on the other hand, was still pondering if he had heard right: Repin… kind? The boy was crazier than anyone thought and he was sincere because he was now crying openly while Alexei did his best to calm him down. He hated nervous breakdowns. On the other hand, Repin had behaved very civilly when normally he would have stabbed, strangled, shot or drown the boy leaving him. That's why he had run from the control room the minute he had heard the boy sending him to hell. He had enough for one day.

Time to return to the kitchen, call Goran and ask what he wanted to do with the security tapes.

“Alexei, take him to his room and call the doctor. Pavicevic will kill us if he has another heart attack,” he growled while the Russian gently coaxed Guntram to climb up the stairs.

Both men had been watching the recording in the late afternoon. When it finished, Konrad closed his laptop with a dry thump. “Well Ferdinand, what do you think?”

“We might have a problem. He told Repin that he will not get back his main incentive to pay us back.”

“Please Ferdinand, if Repin returns the money or not, it will have nothing to do with Guntram. He knows what I can do to collect my debts.”

“Yes, but he has the perfect excuse to refuse to pay. We didn't return the boy.”

“I will return the boy, Ferdinand. Repin can come here or send someone and, after we had verified that the transfer has reached us, the boy will be free to leave. If Guntram does not move, it's his problem, not mine.”

“Do you think he's going to be so stupid? Then what? Do we give the boy ten Francs for the bus?”

“We'll find out next February. In a way I would love that he does not pay me so I can end this threat for once and all. Guntram has burned down all his ships now.”

“And you love it. Now the boy has to do what you want if he wants to survive Repin's wrath after February. The minute that child—yes child, because his reaction to all this proves me that he's still a child—leaves your office, the whole Russian Mafia will jump after his throat to return him to Repin for a good price. Does he really believe that he can walk away?”

“All this proves that Guntram is a good person. His reaction is better than I expected. Can you imagine for a second what would have Roger done if he would have been in his place?”

“Perfectly well. He gets money from you, returns to Repin and makes him fight with you after he gets to be the administrator of his children's fortune. You kill Repin and he gets rid of the little slugs in less than a year.”

“No, he would keep the slugs alive squeezing all the money he can from them.”

“Don't forget the part when he comes back and sells you all what he has from the Russians,” Ferdinand smirked.

“No, that's too straightforward for him. He makes an alliance with the third in power so he annihilates Repin's successor and Olga Fedorovna -let's don't forget she's still the wife and gets fifty percent of the legal money-and gets all for himself,” Konrad snickered.

“Your plan has a hole my friend. Knowing Roger as we do know, he would have done exactly what Guntram has done so he can play the victim later, forcing Repin to eliminate the wife by himself, if he ever wanted to have his angel back,” Ferdinand laughed.

“You're absolutely right, Ferdinand. You see? Guntram looks so much like him that I'm starting to forget what a snake Roger is.”

“A black mamba, my friend. But Guntram is nothing like him. Hear me well Konrad. This boy is not guilty of what his uncle did to you. Don't play with him. He's in mortal danger now.”

“I know, he has proven to me that he's loyal and honest. Some degree of brains and strategic planning ahead would be also desirable, but we can't have everything,” Konrad sighed. “He will be a good companion for me.”

“Just be careful. He's a decent kid; don't hurt him.”

“I'll be as gentle as I can. If not, Friederich will kill me. He has already adopted him as his own. Remind me to tell Antonov that he should keep his paws off the boy. He's mine only,” Konrad finished the talk.

'Poor boy! From a jealous maniac possessive Russian psycho to a jealous possessive German control freak! And don't forget the deranged Serb who thinks that he's his little brother. Protons and electrons, it's like Oblomov said,' Ferdinand thought, but decided to keep it to himself.

“Ferdinand, the third week in July is free?”

“Ask Monika, I'm not your secretary!”

“If you are not nagging me about something, then it's free. I'll take a few days off and go to San Capistrano. I'll fly to Sylt in August. Nice is too sunny and hot for my taste.”

“If you can take Michael with you, then I will have the perfect month,” Ferdinand said with a grin.

“Didn't I tell you? Michael will go with you to China. Cheer up, Ferdinand, it's only two weeks with him. Perhaps you can start to appreciate each other.”

The tall blond Russian couldn't yet decide if he should be furious with the Duke or not. First, the man had ruined all progresses the youth had done in less than twenty minutes. Guntram had flown to London in business class, sporty enduring the crowded VIP's lounge in the airport, taken all his tests with excellent grades, spoken with his former classmates and considered seriously to visit Tate's on his own. Small feats that two months ago were unthinkable.

Nevertheless, the Duke decided to “reward” the boy with an interview with the greatest monster he had ever met, pushing him to his limits. 'Lintorff is responsible that Guntram is a mess now. If he falls sick, it's his fucking fault.'

Alexei didn't know what else to do to get Guntram out of the dark silence he had fallen into after crying almost the whole night after his break up with Repin. 'I simply don't understand him. He does not love him, but still likes him to the point of feeling bad because he 'broke his heart'. As if that wolf could have a heart!' Guntram was again refusing to eat, mute and depressed, only obeying orders because if it were left to him, he wouldn't move a single finger by himself.

He was so sick the morning after the fight that the doctor recommended to postpone the flight for two days. When Alexei finally parked in front of the castle, he felt ten years older and wanted to strangle his employer.

Friederich had been shocked the moment he had seen the pale shadow standing miserably in the foyer; nothing comparable to the vibrant child he had seen good-bye just a week ago. The old man sent Guntram immediately to bed and stayed with him till he fell asleep.

Much to Alexei's satisfaction, Friederich had rebuked the Duke for his “incredible lack of vision, if we are to believe that you were acting in good faith.” He forbade him also to enter in the boy's room: “don't come to me now and tell that you regret your actions. Your duty was to protect him and the first thing you do is forcing him to face this monster! Did you even considered his health? No, you probably were looking for a way to weaken your enemy!”

Friederich soft voice could be heard through the thick walls when needed.

The Duke had tried to defend his position but the old man, Tutor, simply had ordered him to be quiet and reflect upon his actions “against a poor soul who never lifted a finger against you! You're a wolf circling the lambs and this is where I draw the line, boy! Guntram is the only person totally innocent in this game you've devised! Stay away from him!”

“Are you done, Elsässer? I'm taking him on July 12th to San Capistrano. The fresh air will do him good,”

Konrad finished the discussion.

Guntram de Lisle's Diary.

July 1st

I'm feeling much better since the fever is gone. After I returned from London, I caught the flu in the
middle of the summer. One morning, I woke up running a very high fever and had to remain in bed for five days per
the doctor's orders. I was terribly tired and sad that I was partly glad to be put out of hassle.

I was very surprised yesterday morning when I found Konrad sitting on the couch in front of my bed.

“How are you feeling?” he greeted me and I replied that I was much better than before.

“I'm glad. The flu can be very treacherous.” He checked my temperature by placing his hand on my
forehead. “You're still warm. You were really sick last night. Wagemann considered seriously to take you to the
hospital, but in the last minute, you reacted to the medications,” he told me affably.

“I don't remember it.”

“With 39º C, you should not remember much. You gave us quite a fright, Guntram.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry. I was thinking to fly for a few days to Rome, to San Capistrano for holidays and take you
with me. You would like the property. It's in the Lazio and harbours most of our Renaissance collection. You will love
it.”

I smiled at him tiredly and he sat on the bed, next to me. “It's very quiet, sunny and you could draw there
in peace.” He told me in a gentle voice. “You're also very stressed and a change of air might do you well.”

“I broke up with Constantin,” I confessed. “I was very nasty to him.”

“Tell me one thing,” he told me very seriously and I looked at him expectantly. “Did your talk take place
in the music room?” I nodded. “All right. There's a set of porcelain figures over the mantelpiece. They're from Fulda;
a gift from the Bishop to our family, well to a Guttenberg Sachsen married to a Griffin. Did they survive?”

“Of course! I didn't throw anything!” I shouted, shocked.

“Then you were not nasty to him. To make Repin understand something, you have to hit him very hard. I
know it by experience,” he said very kindly while he took my hand and lightly squeezed it.

“He still loves me and I kicked him out. He did everything he could for me and I repaid him with
treason. I'm a very bad person.”

“There's nothing like a protocol for breaking up, Guntram. One part always turns out grieved and the
worst you can say is “let's be friends” because the relationship never truly ends and that person thinks they might
have a chance. A clear break is the best you can do. After all, no one dies on the eve, as the Spanish say. And let's do
not lie to each other, sex and friendship don't mix well together.”

“But I don't want be the cause of further problems for Constantin!”

“This is very different from being friends. You don't want to feel responsible for his actions and why
should you be? Do you really think he will calculate his next moves against me based on you? You're just an excuse to
attack me. How we further continue our war is our sole concern.”

“I'm afraid he takes unnecessary risks on my behalf.”

“Repin is a worthy adversary Guntram. Concern yourself that he does something rushed to get you back
against your wishes. Wouldn't be the first time he takes a lover against his will. Massaiev takes care of the selection
process,” he sighed, still holding my hand. “I can only offer you my protection, Guntram, but you will have to remain
with me.”

“I will return to Argentina after this year is finished,” I said clearly and withdrew my hand from his. Did
he look upset for a second?

“You can't. The minute you step a foot outside this house or away from my protection, Repin will kidnap
you and do whatever he wants with you, exactly as before, when you were living in London. If you're nice to him, you
will get a golden cage and perhaps some freedom but if you refuse him, he will make your life or other people you
care about lives miserable.”