Page 72 of Under Control

Ifeel heavy and sluggish, and that’s the only damn reason I let Anton drive.

“You should still be in the hospital,” he complains as the car rolls through Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood. It’s right on the inner harbor and a bustling series of skyscrapers, hotels, bars, and high-end restaurants.

“I spent a night there, and that was enough.” I resist the urge to scratch at the burn on my arm. It’s still healing and it drives me fucking crazy. “At least Karine’s still there watching over her mother and not running off after me again.”

“I’m shocked you let that happen.”

“I didn’t want to argue with her, not when her mother’s house was burning to the ground.” I lean my head back against the seat. “In retrospect, I should’ve done more to protect her from that mess.”

Anton says nothing as he guides the car down an alley. There’s enough space to park at the very end, and he kills the engine. Night floods in around us with only lights from the tall buildingsfiltering down and lighting the puddle-drenched old stone street.

I climb out and he follows. The sound of laughter and loud talking echoes out from a nearby door. It’s closed now, but I can feel the pounding pulse of a club beat in the ground.

Even though this is one of the best spots in the whole city, Baltimore is still an old town and filled with back alleys, blind turns, and dangerous little corners.

Just like this one.

We lean up against the hood of the car. I check my gun’s magazine, mostly just to give myself something to do. Anton scrolls on his phone, ignoring me as he checks his messages and fires off a few texts.

“You’re sure this is the place?” he asks after a while. I can tell he’s impatient.

“Our contacts with the McNally family say he comes here almost every night and leaves out the back way.” I check the time and gaze over at the door. “It won’t be long.”

Every part of me aches. My skull, my chest, even my arms feel like I tried to lift a thousand-pound boulder over my head. It’s the smoke inhalation, and the doctor said I was lucky that I got out of that fire without too much damage, but that I’d be feeling the effects for a while.

And it was worth it.

The look on Karine’s face when she found out that her mother was going to wake up soon was worth all the pain and the risk.

Because I’m the reason that her mother nearly died, and I would do anything to take that pain away from her.

Now though, I’m driven by revenge, not only for my wife’s mother, but also for poor dead Alexei and the honor of my Bratva.

Aram is under the mistaken belief that he got away with murdering my father.

He thinks I’ll let him roll over me and push my people around.

But it’s time I make him understand that I am not the kind of man he can easily fuck with.

An hour passes. I wait patiently. Anton paces and looks like he’d rather be anywhere else, but he doesn’t have the fire inside of him like I do.

Nothing else matters but hurting the Brotherhood.

When it starts to feel like the McNallys fed me bad info, the door suddenly cracks open. Light spills out followed by the steady, deep pulse of a dance beat. “Come here, what are you acting all shy for?” A man’s voice, low and rumbling. He’s slurring and sounds drunk. “There you go, baby.” He staggers into view, dragging a woman with him.

I don’t know the girl. She’s attractive in a boring way. But the man, I recognize him.

“That’s right, baby, I don’t feel like waiting.” He pins the girl up against the wall and starts mauling her breasts with both hands. She yelps and gives him the most absurdly fake moan I’ve ever heard.

I swear, she rolls her eyes as he starts to dry hump her leg.

“Hello, Edgar.” I walk over to the happy couple and the girl’s eyes go wide as I step into the thin strip of street light that makes it down this dark alley.

“Fuck off,” Edgar mutters, burying his face in the girl’s fake tits.

“Hey, asshole,” she hisses at him, trying to shove him away. “Are you an idiot? This guy looks serious.”

“Edgar,” I say and grab him by the hair. “You should listen to your date.”

---