Page 1 of Control

Prologue

Jai

Ihated Russia. It was cold. It was dreary. And the people I had to meet with were intolerable. I could get along with the most withdrawn and difficult of personalities—my brother was proof of that. But the Bratva was the most disagreeable organization I had been forced to deal with. It had a history of having members with extremely combative personalities, and lately, that had only gotten worse.

Shyam and I had built a relationship with the former leader. Granted, it hadn’t been a perfect relationship, because the Russians weren’t ones to have amicable relationships with anyone. But the relationship had been clear. Boundaries had been obvious, and roles defined. However, with new leadership came new rules—many of which I wouldn’t abide by.

The heels of an army of snow boots belonging to my men slapped against the uneven rock bed of the cave. The pathway was narrow, cluttered with mounded stalagmites growing from the ground. I did my best to duck my head to avoid being impaled by protruding rock as I walked. The only light we had to guide us was the fire from the torch that one of my men carried. The eeriness of the tunnel was the only reprieve from the unforgiving blizzard outside. This was why I had dreaded coming here. Both options for a meeting place were equally abysmal.

My jaw tightened upon seeing the stocky figure of the conniving tyrant as I approached him. Everything about him looked foul. His buzzed-cut hair was a sandy-blond color that didn’t look clean and the unkempt scruff on his face added to his dirty appearance. The only feature that looked clear and somewhat pure was his eyes—they were the brightest shade of green. Too bad he even managed to make his best feature appear maniacal with the way his eyelids squinted, as if he were in the middle of planning out his next sinister move.

The gold from the fillings in his mouth glinted in the firelight, making his devious smile difficult to miss. His band of equally diabolical Brothers surrounded him, looking for any excuse to draw blood. His ogre of a cousin and right-hand man, Igor, stood closest to him, whispering something in his ear that elicited a gut-curdling chuckle.

Leonid Petrov. Head of the Russian Brotherhood. He had earned that title in the most dishonorable of ways.

“Leonid.” I nodded, coming to a stop with my own men flanking my sides. Everyone was packing ammo, but that was standard procedure when doing any sort of business with the Bratva. Guns were required, not optional.

He stared me down, staying still as he sized us up. In one quick move, he invaded my space, grabbing my hand. My men reacted quickly and drew their guns, aiming them at him. In response, his men followed suit.

He rested his chest against my frame and grabbed my shoulder with his free hand, pulling me in closer. “Welcome back, brother,” he said as if we were old friends reuniting, but I knew better. He was instigating shit, praying for a fight.

I pulled away from him, revolted by his proximity.

“There’s no need for weapons with family,” he warned, eyeing the barricade of rifles before him.

“Cut the shit, Leonid.” If he thought I would back down, he was wrong.

The corner of one side of his mouth perked up into a crooked smile.

From my periphery, I could see my informant, Mikhail. He was my inside window to the goings-on of the Bratva. My eyes never fully flicked to him to avoid drawing attention to any semblance of recognition. Leonid’s eyes were already hungry—hungry for any reason to kill.

“I want my money.” The force of my voice caused it to echo off the walls of the cave, invading listening ears from all angles. I had delivered my services to him, supplying enough product for distribution and for his own personal whims, but hadn’t received payment for my last shipment, over a month ago.

His gaze fell to his feet as he chuckled to himself, as if laughing at some joke only he could hear. His men all followed their leader, snickering as if they were in on this imaginary joke too.

His neon eyes snapped back to mine—all humor vanished. “No.”

I didn’t react to his acerbity, mostly because he yearned for my fear and uncertainty.

My expression remained flat and unreadable. “Then I have no choice but to terminate service.”

He scoffed. “No, you won’t. We owe you nothing. You stole that bitch from us when she was rightfully ours.”

I clenched my fist so tightly against my side that I felt the band of my family ring dig into my flesh at the mention of my sister. “That deal was settled with your lastPakhan.”Boss.

“I am the newPakhanand I see no need to keep my end of deals if you do not do the same,” he smirked.

I hadn’t been running this empire for so long by giving my product away for free, and I wouldn’t start doing it for the likes of scum like Leonid.

I moved in closer, towering over his short frame. “You underestimate me,” I said, keeping my voice low so that only he could hear. “You’d do well to keep me happy. I won’t be as easy to take down as your father.”

His eyes widened at my revelation. He hadn’t thought anyone else knew. I almost hadn’t figured it out, but unlike the unrightful bossof the Brotherhood, I had access to all secrets in the underworld. My skills at hacking were unmatched, even by the Russians. I was a damn near tech genius. Anything I ever needed to know was at my fingertips, as well as things that I wasn’t meant to know.

For once, Leonid was at a loss for words, so I continued speaking for his ears only. “Let’s see how your Brothers react to hearing the truth of who really killed their formerPakhan. I imagine they won’t fare too well finding out they were duped by one of their own.” My tone was threatening enough to force him to shuffle backward to evade the knife that was my tongue.

I straightened up and redirected my gaze to the band of Brothers before me. I was certain none of them had heard what had transpired between their boss and myself, judging from the puzzled looks on their faces. The only one who looked worried was Igor, and rightfully so since he was just as guilty as Leonid.

I glanced back over to Leonid, who’s eyes were now full of bane. Satisfied with the outcome, I nodded to him. “Dasvidaniya.”Until we meet again.

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