Page 78 of Prince of Control

Baron crosses his arms over his muscled chest and considers her. “Okay,” he says after a moment. “You’re one of us now. But we’ll have to tattoo one of your fingers.”

Melinda sends a startled look Anders’ way.

He shakes his head. “He’s fucking with you.”

“Oh.” She laughs.

“Only if you commit a crime,” Leo amends.

Melinda smiles. “Does this one count?”

“Do you want it to?” Anders teases.

Baron wraps me up in his arms. “You’re definitely getting a tattoo.” His voice is a low growl meant only for me.

“Yeah?” I pick up on the seductive vibe and purr back. “What is the tattoo for breaking and entering?”

He lifts my left hand between us and peels the glove off. He twists the wedding ring over my ring finger. “It’s my name, right across here.” He brushes his lips over the knuckle of my fourth finger.

I give him a husky laugh. “Your name, huh?”

“Mmm hmm. It can be in Cyrillic if you want.”

“Oh, because it’s much better to display the declaration of ownership in my native language?”

Baron laughs and bites my knuckle, holding it between his teeth for a moment before he lets go. “At least you understand you’re owned.”

One piece of me is still offended because it’s literally true, but my body responds as Baron intends, heating for him, my nipples getting hard, my pussy clenching on air. My body adores being owned by him, as much as I half-rebel.

“Keep telling yourself that, husband. We will see who ends up owning whom.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Baron

We wait until Gregory Smith’s shift is over and haul him into an alleyway on his way home. The irony of a member of campus security getting jumped in a back alley is a cherry on top of my revenge sundae.

I brought Alex, Feliks, Leo, Anders, and Anya.

Phoenix, Zoe, Lara, and Melinda opted out, which was good because I don’t want Lara to ever see that side of me. I tried to talk Anya out of it, but she called me sexist again and then said my rules don’t apply because she’s gay, so rather than argue, I let her come. There’s no harm in it–she’ll be perfectly safe with us.

Feliks has Gregory in an arm lock while Alex and Leo take turns punching him.

I make a show out of putting on a pair of brass knuckles. “So, we found the cash, the syringe, and the Rohypnol in your apartment. Do you get off on date-raping women?”

The guy sags in Feliks’ hold, like he’s trying to drop to his knees. “I don’t.” His voice shakes with fear. “I don’t rape women. I swear. I-I-I didn’t rape Melinda Tracy. I just gave her the shot and took her to the hospital. She was totally safe the whole time.”

“You have a different definition of safe than I do.” Anders isn’t usually into violence the way we bratva heirs are, but this time is different. He punches Gregory in the jaw with a solid right hook. “She’s feeling anything but safe after the guy who gets paid to protect her actually assaulted her.” Anders throws an uppercut and Gregory’s head flies back.

His head lolls for a moment before he recovers.

I’d better step in before Anders gets carried away. “Who paid you? I want names.”

He sobs. “It was the Titans. They said they’d let me in the house if I did it.”

This svoloch didn’t even do it for the money. He did it to get into a goddamn house. This is the reason I had to make my own. Thornecroft is a fucking cesspool of old money influence and elitism.

“Names,” I snarl, wrapping my fingers around his meaty throat and punching his ribs with the brass knuckles.