Gabriel's Regret: Book 1 (The Medlov Men Series 2) (16 page)

“My judgment is not clouded,” Valeriya said, standing above him.  Sitting down on the edge of the dock with her feet dangling off the side, she planted her hands beside her.  “The people are happy, Olek.  Why can’t you see that?  Look at what we’ve been able to do in just one day.  Normally, we are done delivering packages by noon.  Today, we all had to do two shifts.  People were able to eat tonight, to take a clean bath, to take medicines that they’d been without.  Our men and women have guns.”  Her face tightened. “We are in a position to fight again.”

Olek scratched his head, itching from dirt and debris.  “We were never supposed to fight – not outright.  The Revolution was about protecting our people, not leading children to slaughter.”

“Well, things have changed.  The bombings are ruining our city. The children are dying anyway.  We can’t just sit back and watch.  We must encourage the people to rise up and fight.  But they are scared. They need a show of force first – that force must come from us.  We have to speak with more people, make a cry for more help, and demand more from our government.  Most of all, we cannot accept the crumbs and the excuses that they give us.” 

Olek rolled his neck and growled. “You are not a military leader.”

“Neither are you.  We both were handed a different course in life before all of this.” She could feel the anger boiling up again. 
How dare he remind her of the life that she had lost.

“So what do you want to do? Take on the Russian separatists with our pitiful 600 men and women.  There are thousands of them.  There are very few of us.  We have no tanks; we have no drones.  We have no army.”

Valeriya frowned at him. “What happened to the man who used to lead the conversations with the people about rising up?  What happened to the man who used to actively go out and recruit for the resistance?  Now, you sound like whipped dog.” 

Olek raised a hand. “Do not put that on me.” He bit down and stepped away from her, throwing her hands up.  “You’re impossible.  All you want to do is fight and lead other people to their deaths just because your brother was killed.”  It was harsh, but true and she needed to hear it as far as he was concerned.

Valeriya’s voice rose.  “He cannot have died in vain.  It has to mean something not just for me but for everyone who has lost someone. We must take up arms.”

Olek understood her pain, but he could see very clearly where Faddei was right.  “All I want is for you to be safe.  All I want is what is best for you.”  His voice was broken with pain. 

“And you know what’s best for me, do you?” Valeriya wasn’t convinced. “I see your ambition, Olek.  Behind every sweet, caring word there is a man who is only patronizing me to get one step closer to his own goals.  That’s the reason that you and I didn’t work the first time.  You want to lead and you want me to follow.”

“Is that what you see when you look at me?  Is that all that you see?  Fucking ambition?”  He turned around and glared at her.  Even in the dark, he could see her face twisted into a scowl under the streetlights. “Because I see the same thing every time Gabriel looks at you, but you can’t believe it because he brought you something that you should have had already if he had just made the deal the right way the first time.  But his money and his resources make it a little harder for you to see what he really is?  A salesman.  A pimp.  A rich man who only wants our money.”

Valeriya didn’t want to be reminded at that moment of what Gabriel could be. “I don’t know what I see?  I don’t know you anymore.  But what I do know is that Gabriel has done more for this resistance then you give him credit for and it’s all because you’re jealous.”  Standing up, she wiped her jeans off and turned to walk back inside. “I can’t argue with you right now. I have work to do.”

“Valeriya,” Olek called out. 

But she did not stop.  Barreling through the door, she slammed it behind her, leaving him alone with his thoughts.  Olek was furious, not only with her but at himself.  How could he not see it before?  Valeriya was never going to be the woman that he wanted her to be, and he was never going to be good enough for her.  He would always be what he was – her faithful sidekick – unless he did something about it.  And for him that stopped now.

***

Gabriel found a way to make himself useful.  His MacBook Air had a 100 movies downloaded on it, most of them not for underage consumption.  Using a bare wall in one of the meeting rooms, he connected a projector from the conference room and showed the children a Pixar movie – one of the few in his collection of children’s stories that he actually enjoyed.  His cousin, Anya, loved the movie, Brave, so he had downloaded it for her to watch on his computer when she traveled with them on the jet. 

Quiet and still with popcorn and candy, the kids curled up in blankets and marveled at the storyline and the brilliant imagery.  He found the story fitting for the audience, especially since many of the children living in this hotel because of their displacement were girls. 

Relaxing in the back of the room, he propped his feet up and watched the movie with the kids while his cell phone lit up over and over again as message after message came in from Briggy.

She was mad about something, but he refused to even read her texts.  If she was sick, his family would tend to her.  If she needed something, his family would tend to her.  If he never came back, his family would tend to her.  What could he do from thousands of miles away, except worry or be worried?  Life was too short for that.

Stepping into the room, Valeriya caught his eye as she closed the door and walked over to him.  Sitting beside him, she whispered. “Thank you for this.”

“Thank you for dinner,” he said, rubbing his stomach.  “It was good.”

“I’m glad,” she said, looking out at the children as they laughed at the movie playing on the wall.  “In a world with so much to offer, it’s amazing that something so small can bring so much joy to so many.”  Her eyes were locked on the little girls huddled together, happy for a change.  In light of her fight with Olek, it was good to see someone else have a little joy. 

Gabriel had taken his eyes off the movie and now looked at her.  He knew that the clock was ticking.  In just a day and a half, he’d be gone from her, and it was a good chance that he’d never see her again or tell her how much this experience had meant to him on a personal level. “They have a chance to be successful in this world because of you, Valeriya.  You bring them hope.  You just have to remember that when times get hard.  It will keep you going.” 

Valeriya knew that Gabriel didn’t know that she had just had a completely different discussion with Olek. She knew that he could not possibly understand how much his words meant to her, still she turned and looked at him with such appreciation for his words that her eyes watered.  “Thank you for that. You have no idea how much I needed it.”

You have no idea how much I need you,
Gabriel thought to himself.  Shrugging, he smiled coolly. “I have a knack for words…sometimes.”

She quickly tried to bat her tears away. Never having been one to be so emotional, she figured it was because she had just lost her brother and was doing everything possible to hold on to the only one she had left.  “I have to go and get things packed and ready.  Get some rest. We’ll start again tomorrow early.”

Gabriel didn’t want her to leave, especially when he could feel that she was starting to trust him.  “Do you want me to come and help?” he asked, ready to leave the kids and follow her – until the ends of the earth if he had to.

She smiled but took a minute to answer. Glancing at the children, she patted his shoulder. “No, I need some time alone.  Stay here and enjoy the movie.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He wouldn’t push her. If she said that she needed time, then she needed time.  His voice was lackluster but he made himself accept her decision.  “Sure thing.  See you in the morning.” 

Nodding, she smiled and left the room quickly.  As she closed the door behind her, her composure quickly fell away and she leaned, emotionally drained, against the wall and took a deep breath.  It felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.  Why could she not have that kind of support from the men who were around her, who had been around her, who knew her and knew all that she had lost and most importantly fought for?  She knew that in that room just a second ago, he could see right through her and she wanted him to. 

“You okay?” Andriy asked as he rounded the corner to go in and watch the movie as well.

Valeriya jerked herself up and took a deep breath. “Just tired,” she said, shaking her head.  “It was a tough day.”

Andriy didn’t buy it. He had seen his sister work a lot harder than that for a lot longer than that.  He put his hand on the door to open it and looked at her, visibly a mess and not the kind of mess that came from too much physical excursion.  “For what it’s worth, I think he likes you too, but for women like you,
the aggressive type
, you sort of have to make the first move.”  Opening the door, he left her alone to further contemplate the situation.

“Likes me too,” Valeriya mumbled as she walked slowly down the hall. 
Was it that obvious?
 

Chapter Twelve

A Change of Heart…

Memphis, TN

The Medlov Compound

Sitting at the head of the conference table, Royal looked around at her lawyers and PR team in disgust.  She wasn’t exactly disappointed with them, just the mediocre findings from their thorough report.  They had just broken the news to her that because of her lengthy history in Memphis, the fact that to the world Royal Medlov was dead and because her husband’s lengthy international criminal history, resurfacing under the name of Chloe Medlov to run her company would be career suicide. 

Their final summation was this: In an effort to contain any collateral damage the only Medlov who could possibly take the reins of the Magna Carta project, a new weapons manufacturing business on the industrialized President’s Island, was Gabriel Medlov. 

Gabriel
Fucking
Medlov.

Royal’s silence was the loudest thing in the room at the moment.  Flipping her long, black hair off her shoulder, she closed her file and sat back in her leather chair with a scowl on her face that chilled the blood of even the most seasoned professional.  

“This new business was supposed to be a statement for women,
specifically women of color
.”  Royal’s eyes trailed over to her head of PR, Ivy Winters, who nodded and then gave a sympathetic smile.  She wanted answers now and wouldn’t settle for anything less. 

Ivy and Royal were both African-American women, but with very different backgrounds.  However, over the last year, they had become extremely close and had worked hard to develop a legacy worthy of their daughters. 

Ivy slid her long nails over the top of her laptop and closed it.  Everyone in the room turned their attention to her, hoping that her words would redeem them all. “We will have to find other ways of making women of color and other minorities a major proponent of this project.  And, Royal, there are many creative ways we can do that and still make an impact.  However, if we go to the Economic Development Growth Engine with a profile of dead or criminalized Russian mafia figureheads, the media will kill us, and the project will be dead in the water. Trust me, these findings brings me no happiness. However, it’s important at this point to think of the end game.  Twenty years from now, if we play our cards right, Anya can take over.  If we don’t, we’ll never see this dream realized as anything more than a failure.”

Royal looked down the table at her husband, Dmitry, who watched her carefully, silently, like a hunter did to his prey.  He knew his wife knew business if she didn’t know anything else. She had built Dmitry’s Closet from the ground up, but Magna Carta was a different animal and she’d have to rely not on her business savvy, but on the professional insight of others.  

The idea of not leaving a company to her daughter was unthinkable to Royal.  “So we have to sacrifice.  We have to present ourselves with a good American-pie type?  An educated, rich white man?”  Royal said the words like at any moment she would vomit on her own table. 

“Believe me, it doesn’t exactly make me jump for joy considering how hard we have lobbied to make you the first African-American woman to lead something like this in this industry, but our circle is small and there are no people that we can vet
and trust
at the same time to lead this.”  Ivy looked down at Dmitry for him to co-sign on her findings.    “Gabriel is our only choice. So where is he?”

Dmitry raised a brow. “Indisposed at the moment.”

“Can you speak for him, sir?  Is he willing to take this on?” Ivy asked.

“He doesn’t have a choice.”  Dmitry straightened his black tie.  “So using him per your professional opinion, how long before we can present something to the EDGE board and get approval to move forward with the build and the tax exemption?”

Ivy shrugged and looked over at the company lawyer. “Six months…max.”

Royal wasn’t pleased, but she refused to let all of her hard work be in vain.  “Fine.  Gabriel it is.”

There was a
but
. Ivy picked up her glass of water. “We’ll need him back here, wherever he is.

Ivy couldn’t let them off the hook that easily.  She had read Gabriel Medlov’s extensive resume, one that included everything from a degree from NYU to a curious resignation from the DEA.  “There is a lot of prep that will need to take place before we can properly present him.  He’ll need media training and a thousand other things to prepare him.”

No one was in the dark on that. 

Royal nodded at her husband. “He’ll be back soon.  A week at most.”  Standing up, she ended the meeting.  “Thank you all for your time.  I think that this is enough to digest for today. We’ll resume our meeting in 48 hours.  I’ll give you time to develop a preliminary plan of next steps.”

The entire team of eight white men, mostly lawyers, and one Black woman, Ivy Winters, stood up and excused themselves quickly.

Left alone, Royal unbuttoned her double breasted suit jacket and pulled it from her body.  “This is not what we agreed upon.  Why even push this if Gabriel has to be in charge of it?  I mean, he can’t even handle his own relationships and we’re going to put him in charge of a multi-billion dollar enterprise?” 

Dmitry stayed seated. “You have your concerns.  I have mine.”  He rolled his eyes.  “I worry that with Gabriel, the Hutton Industry Enterprise legacy that I worked my ass off to bury will suddenly rise from the dead.  What I’m not worried about is his ability to carry it.  He’ll do just fine. He had years of experience, breeding and business.  I ran a multi-billion dollar business right out of prison.” 

That might have brought Royal some closure if she thought that Gabriel was half the man that her husband was, but in her eyes, he was not. 

Throwing her suit jacket on the table, she walked down to her husband on the other end of the long table and slid her hands over his broad shoulders.  The diamond bracelet on her wrist reflected in the sunlight and glimmered in the mirror on the opposing wall.  Massaging his tight muscles, she bent to his ear and whispered, “Do you believe that Gabriel can handle this?  It’s your name on the line, yet again.”

He put his hand on hers and turned his face toward her.  His Russian accent was thick as he spoke. “If I didn’t, I would have already told you.” 

Royal smiled.  What else could she say?  “Then there is nothing to worry about. I have every faith in you, Dmitry.  All we have to do is bring him home and prep him like Ivy said.”  That led to another question.  “So, where is he?”

Dmitry never told.  It was better for her never to know.  “He’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” Dmitry said, pulling her by her hand to his lap.  “He’s handling Medlov business.  That’s all that you need to know.” 

There had always been and would always be a clear line in the sand between legitimate business and Vory v Zakone business.  Royal understood this and never pressed the issue.  These were law and codes that she would never understand and in truth didn’t want to understand.  As long as her husband and her king felt that everything would work out, all she had to do was be there for the details. 

She sat down in his embrace and kissed his lips. He was a stubborn man, but she loved that about him.   “All work and no play makes the wife a little cranky,” she reminded.  

Dmitry slid a hand up her thigh, past her black thigh highs and under her skirt.  “I can do something about that.”  Slipping a digit into her panties, he paused a finger on her pulsating clitoris, “but I need you to do something for me also.”  His minty breath teased her.  Kissing her bottom lip, he drew her in closer. 

Royal eyes closed wanting him to take her right then.  “Name it.”

“I need you to talk to Briggy.” He waited for his wife to retreat, and she didn’t let him down.

Growling, she rolled her shoulders.   “Are you serious?”

“The key to good business is keeping the home life in order.  You and I both know that if Gabriel is going to keep his head in the game and make Magna Carta successful, then this little problem of his has to go away.  It’s small to us.  It’s major to him.  What we have to do is move all the obstacles out of the way, because as Ivy said, this is about leaving something for Anya.”

“It’s hard to make a pregnant woman go away,” Royal said, rolling her eyes. How many times had she warned the boys that this was a bad idea?  And now they wanted her to fix it?    “This has become a mess of massive proportions.  Renee can’t stand the sight of her, and every time that I broach a conversation with Briggy, it’s always about how downtrodden she is.  Gabriel walks around here like he’s one step from impaling himself on our gate, and Anatoly gives me the feeling that he wants to kill her himself.”  Royal huffed.  “It’s not that I don’t understand your logic, I’m just asking for a way to execute your will…husband.”

“Well, I spoke with Anatoly and I know that it has grown beyond Gabriel’s control, which is why he wants me to handle it.  I fear that neither one of them wants to deal with her.” 

Royal chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly.  The boys are used to dealing with gangster not drama queens.  The idea of her falling out and throwing a fit left them both feeling inadequate.”

Dmitry lifted his index finger and used it to pull Royal’s chin to him.  “
Malen'kaya zhenshchina,
I want you to tell her that her time here has come to an end.  I’m going to send her away as soon as the baby is born.  If I do it before, then Gabriel’s legacy could be at risk and I can’t bring myself to do that to him.  Tell her that it’s time to start preparing.”  His blue eyes didn’t blink.  “It’s either this or other measures.” He didn’t want to even consider it, but to say that he hadn’t would be a lie.  If she did not agree to play ball, then he would be forced to put her under 24-hour surveillance in a villa in Russia where her happiness would be the last thing on his agenda.  If he had any choice, he would want her to see the benefit in leaving of her volition.

Royal was surprisingly calm about it.  “Good.  I will tell her.”

“
Good
as in you’ll do this for me or good as in you want her out of the picture?”  Dmitry’s voice was low and calm. 

Royal stuck out her lips.  “
Good
as in this has to end one way or the other.  Hopefully, if she’s smart, it ends with her simply going away after the baby is born and starting her life over.”

Dmitry shrugged.  “I don’t think it would be wise for this news to come from me, da.  You can tell her that I demand it, but maybe coming from a woman, she might take it better.  Plus, I don’t have the patience to deal with a whining, crying pregnant girlfriend right now.  I might lose my composure.”

“It’s done,” Royal said, reassuringly.  “I’ll talk to her today.”

Dmitry was pleased. He could always count on his wife to see things his way, at least at this point in their marriage.  But there was one thing that vexed him.   “You sound relieved.”

“I am.  This is my home before it’s anything else and no one likes turmoil in her home.  Since the moment that Renee found out that Anatoly had slept with Briggy, it has been a problem.  Now, I do want the child taken care of…”

“It will be,” Dmitry said flatly. “It’s a Medlov.”

Royal raised a pointed finger in protest of his definition of
taken care of
, “But I don’t want her coddled.  No mansions.  No jets.  No ridiculous spending limits.  Give her something that is in a safe place, accessible to good doctors and good schools and anything more than that in life, she’ll have to work for. I’m sick of watching her just lay around on her ass.  If I don’t do it, I don’t want anyone else doing it.”              

Dmitry couldn’t agree more.  It had been the mantra that he had made his boys live by.  “I have something like that in mind.”

“Excellent.  Sounds like we’re on the same page.” Royal stood up and straightened her A-line black Armani skirt.  “Now, what else do we have planned for the day?”

Dmitry gave a crooked grin. All this negotiating had only turned him on more.  He loved when she talked business.   “I plan on fucking you, my dear.”  His eyes roamed her body, loving how her hips and thighs looked in her sexy ensemble. 

“Fucking me?”  Royal put her hands on her hips, intrigued by his lewd position.  She tilted her head. She frowned.  “Where?”

Dmitry stood up, towering over her, and pushed the loose papers off the table onto the floor.  Pulling off his black tailored suit jacket, he grabbed her roughly by her waist and put her on the table with one hand.  “Here,” he said gruffly.  With one hand on his belt, he quickly unbuckled and moved in between her thighs.

“I now call this meeting to order,” Royal whispered, biting her lip. 

***

An hour after a hard-core sex session on her conference table in the middle of the day, Royal emerged from her office suite fully dressed and exhausted with one directive on her mind.  She and her husband had an understanding.  If outside people asked them for something, it could wait, but if they asked each other for a favor, it had to be done immediately. 

So Briggy was her new priority. 

There was a certain joy inside of her thinking about ending the fiasco that had become her home life.  It was no secret that she was close to Renee, and they shared their most intimate of secrets with each other.  So watching her friend live in a state of misery brought her no happiness.  And then there was the matter of making themselves useful.  Everyone in this compound had a job, and they focused on doing that job well.  And in Briggy’s defense, when she was a maid, she was a great maid who was capable and always dependable. However, after becoming Gabriel’s live-in girlfriend, her ideas about life changed.  Suddenly, she was only focused on being catered to no matter at whose expense.  So, this wake-up call, however inconvenient, would be a reason for Briggy to stop living as though everyone owed her something and start to again refocus on what she could work to build in her life.