“
Don’t cry, Briggy. We’re going to get her back,” he said sincerely.
“
You have to,” she said sniffling. “Or none of us will ever be the same again.”
“
I know,” Gabriel answered softly. “But you, I doubt that we’ll ever be the same anyway.”
After seeing Royal so destroyed by the caller and how Anatoly had picked her up and held her, he knew that she was loved. But for some reason, he felt awfully responsible for her situation. There was still guilt lingering every time he saw her over what his father had done to her many years ago. He had raped her, his own sister-in-law in his brother’s house and attempted to kill her. Yet, this family embraced him as one of their own. Of course, he’d never be the same. He was a lot better person now than he was before. In fact, he owed them a debt of gratitude and he would use this time to repay them for their constant forgiveness. He would help get Anya back.
***
This was Renee’s first travel to Prague and she had been entranced by the city since the moment she stepped off Anatoly’s jet. It was just too bad that this visit,
an indefinite one as Anatoly had put it
, was for such a horrid purpose.
Still, even in the midst of such tragedy, she couldn’t help but take in the pure opulence of the Medlov lifestyle.
Being carted off from the airport via helicopter to a sprawling chateau on a farm deep in a valley lined by a large sparkling lake and beautiful trees was just the beginning. Upon entering the home was when she really began to marvel.
Never in her entire life had she seen such splendid design, such regal use of woods, limestone, crystal and gold to make a home more beautiful.
Every room was a testament to Dmitry’s wealth and Royal’s devotion to making this ancient house a modern home. For the first time, she had even bigger ideas of what she and Anatoly could be together. Besides, there was nothing that Dmitry had that they couldn’t have themselves. But then that knife cut both ways, and she damned sure didn’t want her baby stolen.
Renee had just put Royal to bed and went into her own room to settle in for the night when she finally saw Anatoly for the first time since they had arrived. He came slowly into the room, dressed in black fatigues just like Gabriel and looking like he was up to no good. However, unlike Briggy, she was not surprised.
Sitting on the end of the large canopy bed pulling off her shoes, she rubbed her aching feet and stared at him for an explanation of what he was doing.
“
I’m going to kill a couple of people,” he said condescendingly as he ran his hand over his black tactical pants. “Don’t I look the part?”
“
You had better be kidding, Ana,” Renee snarled. “Now’s not the time to go out and get yourself killed. You have a baby to raise with me.”
Anatoly cracked a small grin and walked over to her. Kneeling down by her on the bed, he put his hand on her stomach. “I told Papa.”
“
Really?” Renee was surprised that he had chosen to do it so soon. “How did he take it, considering everything that is going on?”
“
In stride. He said he would be
celebrating
right now for us, if he weren’t in the middle of trying to get Anya back.” He thought of his sister and became infuriated all over again. “You know shit is going to get weird around here until we get her back, right?”
“
I figured that much.” Renee ran a hand through Anatoly’s blonde curls and made him raise his face up to her. Black circles hung under his normally bright eyes. A gloomy dimness hung over his entire demeanor. It was then that she began to worry. No matter what had happened in the past, Anatoly had never really let much bother him. She looked at him quietly for a minute and then put her forehead on his. “We can handle this, right?” she asked, swallowing hard. Her voice strained as she held his face.
Anatoly shrugged his shoulders. His mind was far away right now, skimming the world for his sister, working through his father’s plan, preparing to go and kill yet again in his family’s name. He knew that Anya could be anywhere, but he was hoping that one of the people that his father had put a hit on would reveal some information about where. He hoped that Anya knew that they would not give up until they had her back. But one thing that his mind wasn’t on at the moment was the woman standing before him.
“
That wasn’t very optimistic,” Renee said, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“
Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind,” he said, standing up in front of her. “Maybe with all three of you women being here, you can take care of each other while we’re gone,
eh
?” He thought of the children.
His child in particular.
The reality of that fact was finally starting to sink in, and it scared him witless, even more so than what he was about to do.
At least he was used to this existence, but a child was something completely different. It was a world unfamiliar to him, a world he had purposefully denied himself before this, because of the code and because of his own life pursuits.
“
You’re just happy that you found someone to pawn me off on,” Renee said, turning around. Without knowing, she had yanked him from his thoughts. Wrinkling her nose at him, she continued with their conversation. “Unzip me, will you,” she ordered as she lifted her long, thick hair for him to catch the top of her dress.
Sultry brown eyes turned to look back at him as she twisted on the bed, flirting with him as she stuck out her rear end. Unfortunately, she did not get the response that she was expecting. Normally, he would have read her cues well and immediately come to bed, even if it was just for a quickie.
Anatoly was known for quickies but tonight he was indifferent.
Hesitantly, Anatoly moved to her and without thought unzipped her dress quickly, before stepping back.
Renee was unimpressed.
“
What’s
really
with you?” she asked as she stood up off the bed to push down and step out of her black dress. Her feet snuggled down into the cushy Venetian rug, and suddenly she was much shorter than him, just the way that he liked her. With all the other people in his family being so much taller than him, he couldn’t take a girlfriend who was taller than him too.
“
You know what’s
with me
,” he said, sucking his bottom lip. His eyes would not meet hers.
“
It’s something more than that.” Renee narrowed her eyes on him, locking him into her sights. “You seem…distant. You have been ever since I told you about…the baby.” She had not been able to pinpoint the exact emotion that she was getting from him until right then. It hit her like a ton of bricks.
He didn’t want this baby.
Anatoly slipped his fists down deep into his pockets when he realized that he had been found out. His muscular horseshoe triceps bulged as they locked. Shrugging his wide shoulders, he finally looked at her.
“
What?” he asked with an attitude.
She crossed her little arms across her chest and lifted her chin at his shrug. “Don’t
what
me, Ana. It’s the baby, isn’t it?” she asked with her full lips pursed together.
“
It’s everything,” he lied, bending down to pick up her dress. He knew that she had to be angry. Normally, she picked up after him, not the other way around.
“
Tell me the truth, Ana.” Her voice broke. “I know you too well for these games. You
at least
owe me the truth about this.” Her voice was strained as she pleaded.
Anatoly turned his back to her and went over to put her dress on the chaise lounge chair. The heat warmed his body from the fireplace. Staring down into the embers, he waited. He could feel her eyes boring through him, begging him to tell her how he truly felt, but he wanted so badly to avoid this for now. “What do you want me to say, Renee?” He asked even though he already knew the answer. His last line of defense.
“
I know that this might not be a good time to talk about it, but it may be the
only time
we have to talk. And with everything that has been going on in the last day, unfortunately something this life altering for the both of us hasn’t even received the proper attention.
Even though it should have
.”
She couldn’t help but resent the situation while at the same time feeling horrible for his family. They were supposed to be back in Memphis celebrating their new addition instead of here about to go to war. And Anya should have been safely at home celebrating the birth of her brothers. It was misfortune all the way around.
“
Renee,” he stopped her without turning around.
She could see the swell in his back but still she continued. “No, I want to hear you say it.” She walked up behind him and put her hand on his back. “Ana, tell me the truth.” Her voice was sincere and barely above a whisper.
He turned to her and looked down into her eyes once more. They watered with salty tears that spilled over onto her soft cheeks.
Anatoly scratched his head and bit his lip nervously like he always did before they got into a heated argument. “Don’t make me talk about this right now,” he begged, wiping the tears from her face. “It’s not going to be what you want to hear.”
Her mouth parted in disbelief. “You could have used protection, if you didn’t want this,” she muttered in disbelief.
“
You were on the pill. I didn’t think that I had to,” he answered, meeting her frantic gaze.
“
Well, that’s mature,” her mouth quivered.
One of Anatoly’s fair brows shot up. “You are right
. Now
is not the time. We’ll talk about this when I get back, when this situation is handled.”
“
What if you don’t come back?” She hated to say it, but it was a fact. And even as the words escaped her mouth, she wanted to take them back.
Anatoly’s expression was indecipherable. “Then what I think right now won’t be important anymore anyway.” He stepped back from her and looked at his watch. “I gotta go.”
Renee was lost for words. Holding back tears, she swallowed hard. “Well then
go
…just be safe.” Even angry, she couldn’t help but worry about him.
Walking to the door, he opened it and looked back once more. He could see the pain in her eyes and feel her need begging him to stay and continue their conversation, but what could he do at this point? There were other things to do and other people to take care of than Renee. She’d just have to deal with it.
She wanted the truth, and regrettably, he had given it to her. He wished that he could have stayed and explained fully, because he knew that when he returned things would only be worse.
However, he had a responsibility to his family and the council also and if she were in this situation, she would want him to give her abduction the same attention. Plus, if he and Gabriel carried this out the right way, then no one in their right mind would ever consider such a thing again, and ultimately, Renee and their child would be a lot safer in the future.
Yes
, he had to stay focused, even though it killed him to know that he was killing her in the process. He only wished that she could understand.
Leaving Renee in his bedroom, Anatoly closed the door quietly behind him. Gabriel was already waiting down the hall. Pushing her and the baby out of his thoughts, he focused on what lay ahead and not what was behind him.
Renee sat back on the bed when he had gone with a blank stare on her face. She simply couldn’t take her eyes off the door, even though she tried. Some part of her hoped that he might walk back in with his arms wide and his attitude changed, but she knew better. She knew Ana.
He wasn’t just a bastard sometimes. He was a bastard twenty-four hours a day.
Tears ran freely down her face as she drifted off in deep, dark thought. The fireplace directly across from the large bed crackled in the background, fire begging to be stoked on the spit.
Money can’t buy you love
, she thought to herself as she looked around the bedroom.
Can’t even buy you peace.
Chapter 13
The name that Dmitry had given Anatoly on the piece of paper after the kidnappers called was former military colonel Upeil Kalensko of the Ukraine, who had in the last few years moved to Austria, since he had retired from war mongering and taken up his new profession as a high-rolling human trafficker, specializing in everything from kids to little old ladies.
While Dmitry and Upeil had had absolutely no interaction thus far, Dmitry knew about his underground business and considered it to be a viable threat to his daughter’s existence. There would be droves of men -
and women for that matter
-who would bid on his daughter if she were ever put on the market. So, considering that Upeil was the biggest broker in the eastern and western hemisphere, he had to send a message to everyone.
Anya Medlov was off limits.
Gabriel had read about Upeil in many Interpol and interagency reports during his time at the DEA, because he used drugs to fund his organization, but the U.S. had not been able to put their hands on him, even though he was responsible for upwards of 7.5% of American domestic abductions. He was an elusive villain, hiding behind his billions of dollars and hundreds of paramilitary forces, behind a fortress of a mansion outside the banks of Austria and his former upstanding title, but with everything that he had, he could not hide from Dmitry Medlov.