Saving Anya (6 page)

In the darkness, they stood face-to-face.

Anatoly leaned over and whispered into his man’s ear. “Anya has been kidnapped.”

Vasily was not expecting that. His gaze narrowed as he listened further.

Anatoly hit Vasily on the chest as he talked. “Look. Get that fucker, Toni, out of here. And make sure someone gets him his shit on time. We’ve got bigger things to handle now. Get my fastest jet ready to go in two hours. We leave tonight for Prague. You. Me. And Renee.” Anatoly looked down the hall to make sure that no one was listening. “And call up my personal team. I want them ready when I call. I don’t know if she’s here in the states, but if she is, then I’ll need them to be mobile and ready.”

“
Da, da, boss. I’m on it,” Vasily said, turning around. He tried to conceal his shock as he walked off, but in honesty he was flabbergasted. Anya Medlov?! Who would be so stupid? He heard his boss’s voice at his back.

“
And V… don’t trust anyone,” Anatoly said frowning.

“
I never do.” Vasily nodded and disappeared back into the closed dining room.

Chapter 4

When Dmitry told Gabriel nearly a year ago to find a country to live where the US did not have an active extradition treaty, he never thought the old man would send him to Africa, but that was where he and Brigitte ended up.

Cape Verde to be exact
.

It seemed that Dmitry had deep ties in Angola and Cape Verde, and owned a sprawling mansion in the hills of Mindelo. When they arrived, the place was deserted with only a few workers to tend the land and keep the home clean. But it was a safe haven, somewhere no one would ever look for Gabriel and his new girlfriend.

Although he had never laid eyes on this small group of islands off the west coast of Africa, the government knew his last name well. He was immediately given a job at the
Instituto Superior de Engenharias e Ciências do Mar
(Institute of Marine Sciences and Engineering) as a professor and welcomed into the community as something of a super star.

Life was great, or at least it was better than his life had ever been before. He had short working hours, no more deception and drama and plenty of time to spend with Briggy. He referred to it as his permanent vacation, and it was all courtesy of Dmitry Medlov.

The beautiful coastal city of Mindelo was fantasy land, if you had the right amount of money. It was a tropical paradise with all the normal trappings of an exotic locale – unique customs, bizarre wildlife, an abundance of palm trees, beaches and fishermen and unbelievable serenity.

From the outside, it could have easily passed for the Caribbean, but this obscure little place that most had never heard of was the home to many retired crime bosses and the meeting ground for billionaire bad asses like his uncle.

On the other hand, the locals were very poor with thousand-year old customs and superstitions and steered clear of the foreigners, only coming into contact with them if they worked in their houses or on their land, which created large gaps in socioeconomic groups.

Cape Verde didn’t get much press on the news and had very little to offer the larger world. So it was a quiet place where those who did not want to be found could go successfully undetected.

But hidden among the vast hillsides and lush jungles were many mansions and many different types of people from all over the world. There were Russians, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Americans, Australians, Armenians and even a few Israelis. They all moved about the small island doing their business uninterrupted. It had been the perfect choice for a Medlov man.

Here money truly talked and the more money you had the more invisible to the outside world you could be, regardless of who you used to be – a drug lord, a war lord, a crime boss, an assassin or even a defunct American special agent.

Though he was far from home, Gabriel was rich beyond his dreams, and everyday was calm and relaxing, full of the enjoyments of luxurious imports and frequent travels in their family plane. Even Brigitte, whom he was at first worried would go stir crazy in such a small locale, had fallen in love with their new home.

In fact, this very evening the Medlov’s were having dinner with the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, an old friend of Dmitry’s, who wanted to make sure that they were still enjoying themselves in his little paradise.

Running in from a late class, Gabriel jumped out of his black Hummer at the front of the circular drive in front of his white, colonial mansion with large pillar-like columns and ran inside past the maid, who waited patiently at the front door for him.

“
Evening Patu,” he said as he ran up the stairs. “Babe, are you getting dressed?” he screamed out to Briggy as he hiked the staircase. “Fuck! Sorry, I’m late. The class was later than I expected.”

Since Gabriel had left the service of the country as a special agent for the DEA, he had grown accustomed to his new life of relaxation and making acquaintances with very questionable characters. He had also lost his since of time. Never having to check in or be held accountable to anyone made him less rigid about his schedule. He often referred to it as
don’t give a fuck syndrome
but enjoyed it immensely.

As he rounded the corner and headed down the corridor to his master bedroom, Brigitte stepped out in a simple black evening gown with her golden blonde hair pulled up in a curly tendrils. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

“
How do I look?” she asked in a thick French accent.

Gabriel stopped in his tracks. “Like…” he walked up to her and kissed her lips. “Thirty-five million dollars.” He ran his hand down her side and created goose bumps.

She licked her lips at his quiet proposition. “I missed you today.”

“
Well, I missed you, too.” Walking into the bedroom, he looked out of their bay windows at the storm in the distance, darkening the clouds and rocking the tall palm trees. “Looks like we’ve got trouble coming tonight of
all nights
. I hate the storms here. It’s the only thing that makes this place unbearable.” He threw down his backpack and kicked off his shoes.

Briggy agreed quietly. The last storm had ruined all of their outside furniture and turned over the family jeep. With raging winds, golf ball-sized hail, monsoon-type rains and underdeveloped road construction, a storm could put the city out of commission for weeks.

Walking up behind him to look at the darkening clouds, she ran a hand over his muscular back and thought about the bright side. “If all there is to complain about is the weather when you live in a place like this, then there is nothing to complain about, love. Now, get dressed. You’re going to be late. I laid your tux on the bed.”

“
Leave it to you to be a glass-full type of gal,” he said as he pulled off his shirt and threw it on the wicker basket. Turning around, he licked his lips as he watched her as she finished dressing. “I wish we had more time. I’m horny as hell. I just… I want to see you do that pretzel thing again.”

“
There will be time
after
,” she flirted, walking over to her vanity to put on a diamond necklace.

Never in a million years did Brigitte think that she would have a life like Lady Medlov. Now, here she was putting on flawless diamonds, living in a mansion of her own and engaged to the most beautiful man in the world. She looked up at all seven-feet of him and felt eternally grateful. Gabriel had saved her. He had picked her. She could have been back in Prague, still serving as a maid to his family, but he had changed her entire life with a kiss.

Gabriel could see the look of gratitude flash over her face as it often did. He had learned that about her. She found beauty in the smallest of things, and that is why he found so much beauty in her. “Here, let me help you with that,” Gabriel said, taking the necklace out of her hands and snapping the clasps together. He leaned down and looked into her mirror at their reflection; his green eyes sparkled back at her. Suddenly, a naughty thought was inspired. “Maybe we’ll take a bathroom break like at Monsieur Labeau’s home last month.”

The idea made Brigitte clench her thighs together. She knew all too well what her boyfriend was capable of. A month ago during the black tie gala at Labeau’s, Gabriel had realized how bored she was with the other guests and found a way to spice things up a bit. Sneaking up to the second floor, he took her into one of the guest bathrooms and went down on her for nearly thirty mind-blowing minutes. It was so good until she had to stuff a towel in her mouth to muffle the screams.

“
Do you think that we could pull it off again?” she asked, getting turned on herself.

“
Of course,” he said, biting his lip. Just then, Gabriel’s cell phone rang. “Hold that thought,” he said, bending down and kissing her shoulder.

As he looked at his phone, he got an eerie feeling. It was Anatoly. He hadn’t heard from his cousin in months. Raising his brow, he smiled at Brigitte and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“
What’s up, man?” he said.

Anatoly cut through the formalities. “Anya has been kidnapped.”

There was a varying reaction in Gabriel’s face. Leaning over the ivory banister, he looked down at the first floor of his home and heaved a heavy sigh. “When?”

“
Thirty-five, forty-minutes ago,” Anatoly answered quietly. “I just got a call from papa. He didn’t tell me much over the phone.”

“
Where are we meeting?” Gabriel asked as one of his maid’s smiled and walked past him with a hand full of clean towels.

“
Prague. Bring Brigitte. Head out tonight. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”

Gabriel shook his head in understanding of his many directives and chose to ignore his insulting tone. “I’m on the way.”

Closing his phone, he slowly opened the door and walked back into the bedroom. Brigitte was now sitting on the bed, slipping on her shoes. She looked up at him and smiled. “What is it, baby?” she asked curiously.

“
We have to go,” Gabriel said, closing the door behind him and locking it.

“
I’m rushing, and you aren’t even dressed.”

“
No. We have to go to Prague…right now.” He walked to the closet and pulled out their luggage and their weapons.

“
Why?” Briggy asked with a frown. “What has happened?” Her eyes grew bigger.

Gabriel paused for a minute and threw down a bag. Sitting on the bed, he put his hands on his head and took a deep breath. Briggy came to him and slipped in between his legs.

“
Qu'est-ce
?
S'il vous plaît,
ma chérie
, dis-moi
ce qui s'est passé
?
”

Gabriel knew how crazy Briggy was over Anya. She had practically helped Royal raise her during her postpartum depression. An aggrieved sigh escaped him. “Sorry to tell you this, babe, but Anya’s been kidnapped.”

Briggy slumped down on the floor unable to speak. Frowning in confusion, she looked up at him for an explanation. “How?”

“
I don’t know,” he said in a near whisper. “That’s why we have to leave. They need my help.”

Chapter 5

After hearing the news from his father, Anatoly left the restaurant straight away and headed home to make sure that Renee was safe. While he didn’t call her and wake her up to fill her with worry beforehand, he did have Vasily call ahead and make sure that all the bodyguards on site were actively checking the perimeter and on high alert. After all, his father was right. No one was sure if Anya was the last person on the list or the first.

When he pulled up to the black steel gates that protected his home, a camera scanned his car and then the gate quickly opened for him. A stalky security guard in black fatigues with an AR-15 attached to his side stepped out of the shadows to watch him. With a nod, they passed each other and Anatoly proceeded up the long, well-lit drive to the front of his home where two other guards stood on the porch waiting.

The eerie stillness high above the tall oaks trees that towered over the Medlov estate made everything even more ominous. He sat there for a moment in front of his home, thinking of his sister, quietly praying for her. He wondered if she was being treated poorly, if someone had dared hit her or worse.