As he turned around, he saw Boris enter the room with his gun. Nicola knew that he was out of bullets and it was too late to grab the weapon that Ivy had set down. His heart constricted in fear for his family.
Before Nicola could say a word, Boris put up a hand. “The boss sent us,” he said, sucking his teeth. He looked at the large family in confusion. Why was this man so important to the Medlov organization?
Nicola’s shoulders relaxed. Tension eased out and the reality set in that Dmitry Medlov had actually saved his life. “I need you to help me get them out,” he said, looking over at Ivy, who was totally confused.
“Who are these men?” Ivy asked Nicola.
Nicola didn’t respond. An explanation at this point would take too long. Shaking his head, he walked towards the door with his family in tow. Clutching his children, he nodded towards Boris. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
“Thank my boss,” Boris said flatly.
Pulling the comforter off the bed, Boris passed it to Ivy. He could sense her fear, see her visible trembling. “Cover up. We have to go now.” There was a slight warmness in his voice, though he tried to cover it as quickly as the words left his lips.
27
Ivy held her sleeping children tight as she rode silently in the back of the mysterious Russian man’s Land Rover. All four of her boys had been so frightened during the fire fight until they passed out as soon as they got inside the SUV. But were they safe? Even she couldn’t really answer that question. Looking down at them pooled around her, all fighting for a piece of her lap to lay their small heads on, she felt incredibly helpless.
Her poor babies.
She was certain that they’d be scarred for life by the shoot-out. And then there was the fire. The sight of her dream home going up in flames as they drove off made her feel nauseated again. Wiping tears, she tried not to recall each memory made in her home. Every laugh. Every smile. Every birth. Every celebration. They were all gone. Nicola had urged her not to look back as he carried her and the children to the truck, to forget it all. But how could anyone forget what she had just been through? Then another thought hit her, one adding a little more clarity to the situation. At least, everyone was still alive. That Carmen girl was dead now simply because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Unsure of where she was going or who she was even with, she trusted her husband only to protect them. It was clear that she could not after huddling in a corner in the dark frightened out of her mind for what felt like hours.
Nicola had warned her.
No matter how she tried to oppress the thought, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was all her fault, if breaking her silence had caused the attack. However, asking outright for an answer, she knew would give her no closure. Nicola would never tell her even if her suspicions were correct. He wasn’t that cruel.
Riding behind him now, she kept her eyes on her husband. Nicola said nothing the entire drive. He sat in the passenger seat, looking out of the window in deep thought and occasionally looking back to check on them. She was only sane right now because he was. He didn’t seem to be afraid at all by everything that happened.
Maybe you are in your element, she thought. Maybe there is another side of you that I just don’t know. After all, he had called her naive, but naive to what?
The drive to their disclosed destination was short to her surprise. They pulled up to a huge mansion fortified by a bricked gate. Only the high peaks of the roof could be seen from the street and that was only because of the powerful lights strategically placed all over the lawn.
Guards were at the doors of the gate, carrying weapons like soldiers in front of an embassy. They looked inside and under the truck, flashing their lights, brandishing their intimidating weapons. She grabbed her children tighter to protect them. Where were they? Who had sent for them?
Boris spoke in Russian to the guard nearest the window then was allowed to pass through the entry. As the iron gate creaked opened, she saw the massive three-story house in full view. It looked out of place, like it didn’t belong in Memphis.
The Land Rover pulled up the wide circular drive past the mansion and parked in the multi-care side garage. Turning off the SUV, Boris sent a text and waited for an answer. When he received a reply, he stepped out of the truck and motioned for Nicola to follow.
“Where are we?” she asked Nicola before he could get out.
“Safe,” Nicola promised, getting out of the truck also. He opened the back door for her and picked up two of his sons out of her lap. They barely stirred, but even in their sleep, they whimpered. Clinging to their father, they nestled into his large muscular arms and fell back asleep.
Boris opened the other back door and picked up the other two children. Instinctively, Ivy reached out to stop him, but Nicola grabbed her. “Hey, it will be alright,” he assured, rubbing her arm. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” He would have picked her up too, if he could have managed to carry all three of them. He had never seen his wife so afraid in her entire life, and the thought that he had not adequately protected them bothered him more than she could have known.
Ivy wanted to ask a million questions, but she knew that now was not the time. Pulling herself out of the truck, she followed her husband and Boris to a side door of the mansion.
Another blond guard opened the door and stepped to the side. This one was not wearing black fatigues. Instead, he wore a pair of slacks and a golf shirt. However, he did have guns holstered and visible and like the other men, he was big, tattooed and brooding. Eyeing Ivy and Nicola as they passed, the man pressed his earpiece with his finger and spoke in Russian to someone else, someone watching them.
Ivy stayed close to her husband, wondering what he had gotten them involved in now. She could only think of one person who had this much money and was Russian in Memphis, and he was no law enforcement officer.
Her husband had spent nearly the whole of his career chasing Dmitry Medlov, and if she was now at his home, then she was also now lost in what her husband really did for a living.
Without a word and quite swiftly to be carrying two small children, Boris led the Agosto family through the palatial mansion, past rooms of people socializing, past artwork and sculptures that Ivy couldn’t help but admire, past rooms that were decorated with such detail until she could barely take it all in in one glance, past crystal chandeliers and Persian rugs and elaborate bouquets and decadent luxury furniture to the east wing of the house.
When they came to a back row of marble stairs that led up to another long hallway, Boris stopped abruptly. “Is she alright to make it?” he asked Nicola while looking at Ivy. He could see the loss of color in her face, like at any minute she would be sick.
Nicola turned to Ivy. “Are you alright?” He wouldn’t answer for her. She had been through so much, until she might have very well been sick now.
Ivy held on to the wooden banister. “I’ll be fine,” she said, ready to get wherever he was taking them.
The walked seemed longer to get up the staircase to the long hallway with limestone flooring and 20-foot, arched ceilings, then it did to get across the length of the mansion. Ivy realized when she got to the top why Boris had asked. Out of breath and shaking, she kept her composure but prayed to God for a place to sit soon. Even Nicola and Boris seemed a little out of breath with the children in their arms. They had moved quickly but carefully not to wake them, a thing that Ivy knew would have been impossible for her to do.
Midway of the elaborate hallway, Boris opened a door that led into a very large, very well-decorated bedroom with plush egg-shell white walls and matching carpet, a fireplace rumbling low, a towering king-sized sleigh bed, a 60-inch television mounted to the wall, a large wooden desk in the far corner and fine rugs and linen. In the corner was a gigantic flower arrangement of vibrant pink and white roses and above the bed was a painting so beautiful of the Mississippi River that she had to stop and gawk at it. The room smelled of fresh linen and jasmin
e and felt like a mid-summer’s night dream. It took her out of her current hysteria and instantly soothed her.
Boris walked what Ivy thought was the closet and opened the door, which led into a smaller bedroom. It was far less elaborate but still extremely nice. Two twin-sized beds fit inside it with a small television and nightstands.
“Boss says for you to stay here tonight. The children can sleep in this smaller room,” he said, laying both children in his arms on the bed carefully. They curled up together under the sheets already pulled out by the maid staff. He admired them for a minute without intending to and then turned back as he caught himself. “There is no outside door to this room. The only way in is through your bedroom, so they are safe.” He pointed around the room so that they could see for themselves. He yawned in exhaustion and watched as Nicola laid Madison and Adamo in the other bed.
“Thank you,” Ivy said quietly, “for saving our lives.” She could barely look at the man. He made her uncomfortable with his rough, gravelly voice and menacing stare. Yet, something told her that he meant well.
Boris didn’t like the attention any more than Ivy liked giving it. He blinked hard involuntarily. “You’re welcome…I guess.” He glanced over at Agosto and quickly changed the subject. “Food will be sent up. The boss will call on you when he’s ready. Right now, he has things to do. My suggestion would be to get some rest. There is a bathroom connected to the larger bedroom. You’re basically in this wing by yourselves. But a word of caution. You are not allowed to use the phones, internet…nothing. As a guest of Boss Medlov’s home, I’m sure you can follow these rules, not make trouble, da?”
Nicola answered by offering his hand. “Thanks. Tell Dmitry that I appreciate it. We’ll adhere to his wishes.”
Boris shook Nicola’s hand, but pulled away quickly. That was the first time that he’d ever touched a cop without killing him. It felt strange. This all did. Their boss never sent them on jobs like this, where people actually lived.
“Well,” he said in a huff, “I’ll leave you to your privacy now.” Walking to the door, he opened it and paused. “Don’t forget. No phones.”
“No phones,” Ivy said, feeling as though Boris needed to hear her say it as well.
Nodding, he closed the door and left them alone.
As soon as Ivy was certain that no one would interrupt them, she went back to look at the children in the adjoining room. Leaning against the doorway, she shook her head. “Nicola, tell me what’s going on?” her voice was as wispy as feather. She didn’t have the strength to argue, but she hoped that it wouldn't take that to get the truth.
Nicola walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was so happy to still have his family, so blessed. Kissing her shoulder, he pulled her long wavy hair behind her ear and whispered. “I’m doing what I have to do.”
She struggled to turn around in his arms. Looking up into his eyes, she asked seriously, “What does that mean, Nicola?”
“Just what I said.” His expression was terse. He held her shoulders. “I know you. You want to ask questions, you want answers. And you deserve them. But this is just one of those times that you’re going to have to trust me.”
“I do trust you,” she said sincerely. “I’m sorry that I didn’t before. I feel like this is all my fault. If I had just…”
Nicola frowned as he interrupted. “This is not your fault. Is that what you thought?”
“Well, yeah. The interview must have alerted the people looking for you,” Ivy said, wiping tears.
Nicola held her tight, despite the odor coming from both of them of smoke and soot. “Baby, what happened tonight would have happened whether you did or did not do that interview. Listen to me. None of this is your fault. But I promise you this; I’m going to fix it. You will never worry about your safety or the children’s safety again. And the people responsible for this are going to pay.”
“Nicky, I don’t want you to put yourself in anymore danger. It was different when I thought that you were just going to be solving a case, but people are trying to kill you.”
“You know, when those guys came barreling into the house, I wasn’t worried about dying, but I was scared as hell of the thought of not protecting you and my kids. A man’s job, his most important purpose in this life, is to protect his family from all hurt, harm and danger. He ceases to exist as a man if he can’t or won’t do that. Me going after these people is not just about revenge, it’s about my duty. It’s about my purpose.”
How could Ivy argue with him? Tucking her head into his chest, she closed her eyes. “Just remember that not only do you have a family to protect but also to raise. So, you had better come back to me.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said, rocking her slowly. “Hey, let me run you a bath. You stink.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, well you do too.”
“We might as well take advantage of the Boss’s amenities, right?” He walked to the bathroom and opened the door. “Wow, get a load of this place. The tub in here is big enough for three people.” He walked inside and turned on the light to illuminate yet another decade, luxurious room.
Ivy stuck her head inside and watched him sit on the end of the bathtub and run her water. She could tell that he was putting on a façade for her, trying to make her feel better and not worry. But it was not working. “Nicky, you’re entire career has been about doing the right thing, the hones thing, and upholding justice. Are you going to throw it all away now?”
Nicola looked down into the tub and wade his fingers through the stream of hot water. “You can spend your entire life doing the right thing and not making a damn bit of difference in the lives of people who need you. Or you can do the wrong thing and change people’s lives for the better for the rest of their lives. The hardest part of that kind of decision is to make it.”
“And you've made it?” Ivy asked quietly.
Nicola didn’t answer. Standing up, he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a large towel. “Let me ask you a question?” He closed the cabinet back and walked with the towel over to her. “Do you feel safe right now?”
“Do I feel safe?” she asked, confused.
“At this moment, are you afraid for your life?” he asked.
Ivy shrugged. “Yes, I feel safe. No, I’m not afraid for my life at this moment.”
Nicola pulled her shirt up above her head and took it off. Her long hair spilled over on to her bare shoulders. Looking down at her small, swollen bump of a stomach in sheer wonderment, he cleared his throat and kneeled to kiss her slightly protruding belly button. “All that matters is that you feel safe,” he whispered, kissing her belly button. “Because if you feel safe, then she feels safe.”
Ivy rubbed the top of his head adoringly. Even in the middle of thunderous storm in their life, they still found a minute to be together. As he looked up, brown eyes burning through her, she knew that everything would be okay.
***
The something that Dmitry Medlov was doing that prevented him from receiving the Agosto family when they arrived at his mansion was not entertaining guests or being boss of a multi-national crime organization. He was on foot duty.
On the long sofa in the entertainment gallery of the west wing with the door closed and some sappy love story on the huge television mounted up on the wall across the room, he massaged his wife’s aching feet after being in stilettos all night while she rested back in the nest of pillows and sipped hot tea.
With not a care in the world, they sat quietly under the dim lights, in a near trance as the world moved around them. With his large thumb, he pushed into the middle of her foot and massaged the sides with his fingers. Every once in a while, he would glance down at her perfectly painted toes and make sure that he wasn’t hurting her.
She lay opposite him on the custom-made leather sofa sectional. With her designer cocktail dress pushed up on her thighs and her panty hose on the floor beside them, she fanned her hair
out of its bun and yawned.
“I am happy for Anatoly with the new baby, his engagement to Renee and all of his success, but I’ll be so glad when this wedding is over,” his wife, Royal said, moaning as he hit a tender spot in her manicured foot. “Lower, baby.” Her eyes rolled.
Dmitry obeyed. Moving his hand, he cupped her foot at the heel. “Right there?” he asked, kissing the side of her arch. He didn’t feel the need to comment on her comment, especially since she was such a gracious host to the entire wedding party, but in truth, the traditional wedding hoopla didn’t bother him. He rather liked it, considering that it was so new to his normal way of life. “You just need to be relaxed,” he finally said.
Be relaxed?
Royal raised her head slightly at Dmitry’s suggestive tone. Her pouty mouth covered in the stain of expensive crimson-colored matte lipstick opened, pearly white teeth exposed and another gasp leaped forward. “Yes, right there,” she whispered. Staring down at him, she watched his eyes become hooded, gleaming back at her like light blue crystals. Swallowing hard, she opened her legs a little wider so that he could see her red lace panties under the slip of her crimson-colored dress.
Dmitry wasn’t bashful about his beautiful young wife. Running a hand from her foot down in between her thighs, he found himself aroused by the wetness waiting for him.
She wiggled her foot into the opening of his crisp white dress shirt, ran it over the elaborate star tattoo on his shoulder and placed the ball of her foot over his heart. Feeling it thud, she smiled deviously. The Harry Winston diamond necklace he had given her just a month ago gleamed in the darkness creating a spectrum of brilliant lights across the room.
“I’m sure that I can find a way to make you enjoy your stay here.” Licking his heart-shaped lips, he yanked her body towards his.
“And how do you plan to do that?” Royal asked, sitting up in his lap. She pushed her legs around him and pushed down on his snake-like erection. Raking her hand through his blonde curls mixed with just a hint of grey, she sucked on his bottom lip.
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