Page 63 of Under Control

Now it’s obvious though. This place was like a second home. And ever since I married Valentin, I haven’t been able to come back, mostly because he wants to keep me under house arrest.

I’m about to ask for a third wine when I notice Merrick staring at something over my shoulder. His body’s tense and he’s not smiling anymore, and I follow his gaze.

Valentin’s standing near the doorway, staring at me.

“That man canbrood,” Merrick whispers, almost like he’s swooning. “Oh my god, he looks so angry. Is it supposed to be sexy?”

“No, you idiot,” I whisper back but I can see what he means.

Valentin looks like a vengeful god of violence and very rough, very satisfying sex.

He storms over to me. Half the people in the room stare at him, and the other half are too afraid to look. I sit up straight and meet my husband’s glare head-on with a very calm, very polite tilt of my chin.

“You do realize my men are losing their fucking minds over this?” he says instead of greeting me. “What were you thinking,malishka?”

“He has a nickname for you?” Merrick says, almost squealing with delight. “And it’sRussian? My god, I might pass out.”

Valentin’s death stare turns to him. “You should go now, Merrick.”

“Right, yes, of course.” He jumps to his feet.

“Coward,” I hiss at him.

“Guilty.” He throws back his martini. “Valentin, lovely seeing you, please do stop by and look at some of my recent pictures.”

“I will. Go now, Merrick.”

“Good luck,” Merrick mutters at me and hurries off.

Valentin keeps glaring at me like he’s going to grab me by the wrist and drag me outside. Instead, I turn to the bartender, and gesture for that third glass. Ashley looks panicked for a second.

“She’s cut off,” Valentin says.

Ashley clears her throat and looks at me. “I’m sorry, Karine, but you’re cut off.”

“You backstabber,” I say, appalled. “Don’t listen to him.”

“Sorry!” Ashley hurries away and helps some other guests at the far end of the bar.

I turn to my husband, beyond frustrated. “Would you stop scaring off my friends?”

“You need to come home with me now.”

“Why?” I cross my arms. I know I’m being a little dramatic, but I can’t help myself. “I like it here.”

“You aren’t safe.”

“Your shadows are lurking right over there. If anything happens, they’ll protect me.” I gesture at the awkward-looking Russian Bratva thugs squeezed into a tiny booth and looking like they’re waiting outside of a principal’s office for discipline.

“You don’t understand.” He leans in close. I smell his aftershave, a woodsy and musky scent. “It’s bad enough that the Brotherhood wants to exterminate everyone I hold dear. But you’re also putting all the good people of this bar in jeopardy.”

“How’s that?”

“Any man that looks at you wrong, I will break his skull. Do you understand that?”

I laugh sharply and put my hands on his shoulders. I try to push him away, but fail. “You’re such a possessive idiot, you know that?”

“You aremy wife. You are thePakhan’squeen. Don’t you see? You can’t just come into bars like this anymore. You are a representative of my Bratva. But most of all, you aremine.”

---