Page 69 of Under Control

I lean back, eyes wide. “Seriously?”

He barks a laugh and ends up coughing. “No, of course not. I’m sorry, that was a dark joke.”

I pat his face and kiss him. “I forgive you. Mostly because I still feel guilty.”

“Stop then, what’s done is done. How’s she doing?”

I look back at Mama and go quiet for a few moments. “The doctor says she’s in bad shape. They think she could wake up on her own, but they’re keeping her under for a while until her burns heal some more.”

“That bad then? I’m sorry. I wasn’t fast enough.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

He lets out a low rumble. “Speaking of fault.” He pulls me into him. “I’m going to find them.”

“Don’t start talking like that,” I whisper, not sure if I can handle the thought of him out there risking his life for me again.

“I’m going to find them,” he repeats anyway. “We both know this was your uncle, and I’m going to make sure I hunt down all the men responsible, and I am going to kill them nice and slowly. I promise you that,malishka. They will suffer.”

“Valentin—”

“This isn’t only about you,” he says, a sharp anger bleeding into his voice. “This is about sending a message. The Brotherhood killed two of my men. They burned your mother’s house to the ground and nearly killed her too. That’s unacceptable. There has to be a response.”

“I feel like I got a second chance with you.” I lean back for a moment and study his face. His hard, masculine jaw and full lips. His light eyes and sharp chin. He’s so damn handsome, it kills me.

“This is important.” He touches my cheek softly. His knuckles brush down to my mouth and I kiss them. “I have to take care of my business.”

“I know you do. I know, I just—” I let out a long, shuddering breath. “I’m just afraid.”

He hugs me close against his chest. I feel bad, dumping my emotions on him—Valentin doesn’t need my stress on top of all his other responsibilities—but I can’t help myself. He’s the only person in the world that might understand what I’m going through, and I’m desperate to make sense of it all.

Until recently, I didn’t even know I had an uncle.

Now I find out he’s the head of a vicious Armenian crime family, and it turns out they’re trying to shake down my mother for the money she borrowed from them.

Oh, and my husband wants to slaughter them all.

This isn’t the world I grew up in. My father was a kind, quiet man, and my mother was a strong and independent woman. We were normal people.

And now, we’re in the middle of a war.

There’s a knock and the door opens.

I stare as my older brother, Luka, enters the room.

In all the excitement, I forgot about him. I should have called or texted, but it just didn’t occur to me, and now?—

“Karine?” he asks, frowning from me to Valentin.

I hurriedly get out of Valentin’s lap. I can tell he doesn’t like that. “Luka, shit, I meant to call.”

“What’s going on?” He looks over to Mama and his face pales. “It’s seriously true? Mr. Papazian called to say there was a fire at home, and I had to ask a few people I know working at the hospitals if they knew anything, and now—” He drifts to Mama’s bed. “How bad?”

I tell him everything I know as he flips through Mama’s chart. Luka’s taller than me and looks exactly like Papa. He’s got dark hair and bushy eyebrows, and it’s like he’s never able to shave enough. He’s skinnier than I remember and he looks exhausted, and I’m guessing medical school hasn’t been easy.

“I’ll talk with her doctor,” he says when I’m finished. “Maybe they’ll tell me more if there’s anything else to say. But god, this is crazy, I can’t believe—” He stops himself, swallowing hard, and looks at Valentin. “Sorry, who are you?”

Valentin pushes himself to his feet. I walk to his side, heart racing, not sure what to say. Clearly, Luka doesn’t know about my relationship.

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