Page 24 of Control

I didn’t recognize the number.

Another text came through. This time from Amelia.

Hey. Just a heads-up. I gave Claire your number. She had a rough day.

Followed by another from Amelia.

P.S. Don’t be a dickhead.

I rolled my eyes. I was always adickhead.Didn’t she know that by now?

I opened Claire’s text again to stare at it like it was the holy grail. How could two letters and a punctuation mark make my insides contract with anxiety?

I couldn’t think of a good enough response to text back, so I called her instead. Gripping the phone to my ear, I waited through the rings.

She picked up on the third ring. From what little I knew about her, she had probably been debating whether to even answer.

“Hey.” Her voice cracked from her own nerves.

I willed mine to remain steady even though I felt the same way. “Claire. Are you okay?”

She paused for a moment. “Yeah.” I could tell it was a lie but contacting me was probably emotionally challenging enough for her, judging from the strain in her voice, so I didn’t press.

“Do you want to meet me for a drink?” It was late, but since she was still awake, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to be with her.

“Is anything even open?” I could tell she was smirking on the other end.

“Baby girl, it’s New York. Everything’s open. And if something isn’t, I’ll open it for you.”

“That’s so cheesy,” she replied. I could hear her eyes rolling over the line.

“Isn’t that what women like?” I teased.

“Not this one.”Noted. She was a hard one with an even harder exterior.

“Then help me out here. What doesthiswoman like?” Maybe directness would win me tips on how to approach her.

She sighed. “Is it sad that I don’t even know how to answer that?”

“Not sad. You just need to let someone into the fortress you’ve built around yourself.”

She paused for a moment. “You mean I should letyouin?”

“I mean, sure…if you’re opening the gate to the castle, why not let me in?”

The beautiful sound of her soft laugh on the other end sent goosebumps raising along my skin. “Are you supposed to be a knight in shining armor?”

“No, baby girl, I’m the motherfucking king,” I rumbled.

She laughed again. That was two laughs—I had already deemed this conversation a success. “Again, cheesy. And why do you keep calling me ‘baby girl’?”

“You don’t like it?” My lips perked up into a crooked smile.

“It’s just that I know I’m young, but it makes me feel like I’m even younger.”

A sense of dread filled me. If she wasn’t legal, I was going to lose it. I preferred to keep my criminal activities exclusive to drugs and weapons, not children. “How young?”

“Twenty-one.’Fuck me.She looked young, but I hadn’t thought she was barely the drinking age. I had gotten the impression she was older from the way she carried herself. The depth in her eyes gave her an air of wisdom usually seen in someone older. “How old are you?” she asked.

---