Page 6 of Under His Control
I force myself to breathe. The name Smirnov is enough to make any Vegas resident shudder. They’re rumored to be deeply entangled in every shadowy corner of the city, from illegal gambling rings to arms trafficking.
They also frequent the casinoHospitium, at the lavish hotel where I work.
I’ve never gotten close enough to see them act out the criminal rumors that shadow their reputation, but with Chris now mixed up with them, that all could change.
“Chris. What the hell?”
“I wasn’t doing anything that serious, alright?” he says quickly, defending himself. “Just small, low-level stuff. Moving product. Nothing major.”
“Product? What kind of product, Chris?”
“Drugs,” he says quietly.
I press the heel of my hand into my forehead. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be permanent,” he mutters. “I was just trying to make some fast money. I had a debt. They offered me a way to pay it off. It was supposed to be simple, you know?”
“Chris. What the fuckhappened?”
He exhales heavily. “I was supposed to make a drop a couple nights ago. Some guy was supposed to meet me and buy the whole batch, but he never showed. So, I kind of partied instead.”
I stop cold. “What does that even mean?”
“It means I took it back to my buddy Travis’s place, and a few of us…Look, we just figured we’d blow off steam while we waited to hear from them. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, there was a big party happening. So yeah, we used it, all of it.”
I stare at the wall unblinkingly. “How much is all of it?”
He groans. “I don’t know the exact amount, but it was a lot. Maybe sixty, seventy grand street value?”
My heart hammers against my ribs. “You used $70,000 worth of Bratva product?”
“It wasn’t all me.”
“Oh, sorry, let me correct myself. You and your dumb assfriends used it.”
“Come on.”
“Oh my God, Chris.” I run my hand through my hair. “Why the hell didn’t you call me the second it happened?”
“I thought I could fix it!” he snaps. “I figured I’d get another batch, flip it fast, and be able to pay them back before they ever noticed.”
“Before they—Chris, they’re the fuckingBratva! They’re not going to overlook seventy grand!”
“I know that now!” His voice breaks. “They already showed up at Travis’s place. Beat the shit out of him, told him there’s worse in store. Said I’ve got three days, or they’ll make an example out of me next.”
My knees go weak, and I sink into the nearest chair. “Jesus Christ.”
“I don’t know what to do, Tay.” He sounds helpless, like he’s twelve years old again, begging me to fix something he broke. “I thought maybe…I don’t know. Maybe you could loan me the money or something.”
I let out a stunned laugh. “Loan you $70,000? Chris, I work in hotel management. I don’t have that kind of money.”
“Okay, okay, I just…Shit, I didn’t know who else to call.”
I close my eyes. “Have you tried talking to them? Reasoning?”
He’s silent for a beat too long.
“Chris, tell me the truth.”
