Page 164 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

“I won’t tell you unless you give me what I want. But the longer we stand here, the less chance she has to survive.” His words send a chill knifing into me, fear fighting for dominance. The coldness does its best to ignore his threats and stay calm. “Both of you.” He looks behind my shoulder, and I know Amalia stands next to me, holding her gun pointed at him, while hatred flashes on her face.

“I knew you’d come for her. She is the weak link.” I growl at what he calls my woman, and Amalia tenses. “She grew up in love, unlike either of you. She loves you. To save her, one of you must die.” My brows furrow at this. The old man has lost his mind if he thinks we will allow this. “You both should have been dead a long time ago.” He focuses his gaze on Amalia. “Kill him, and you will save Penelope. Think about it.” A beat passes. “I killed your parents. And he is my grandson.” Fuck, the gun in Amalia’s hand wavers at finding out this truth. “Do you want your twin to be with my offspring?”

The old man is an idiot if he thinks he will get out of this alive. Amalia won’t let him live long enough to utter his regrets.

Then why is he spilling all this?

Through the gun shots and screams echoing behind us and even grandfather’s annoying voice, there is something nagging at my mind, something that demands my attention, but I can’t figure out what it is.

Amalia fires a bullet by his feet, making him jump and drop the whiskey bottle, and he curses under his breath. “Tell me where my twin is, or I’m gonna shoot at that damned mouth so you’ll finally shut up.”

“Unless one of you kills the other, I won’t say a thing.”

That’s how I know for sure Duke is prepared to die rather than live in a society that shuns him.

Which means all this is a trap to punish us, and he’s just stalling.

Finally, the disturbing sound pierces through the fog. Water is falling rapidly, the sound different from the fountains, and I pinpoint the noise, my heart stopping when I realize there is a pool.

“Penelope,” I whisper. I fire a bullet into his stomach, and he cries out, falling on his knees while I race to the pool, Amalia hot on my heels.

My lungs burn for air, but I ignore them, focusing only on the goal in the distance, running with all my might to save my woman. More men appear from the sides, shooting at us. Complete chaos surrounds me, and yet in a second, they are dead as my best friends run right alongside me, Santiago shouting, “The pool! Fuck!” And with this, I speed up, practically not feeling my legs. I reach the side to see a body on the bottom of the pool, more than half filled with water.

“Penelope!” Amalia screams as I jump into the water, diving deep, getting to her quickly and trying to lift her up. But the damn bag attached to her prevents me.

Amalia and Santiago swim right to me. My best friend dives deeper, removing the knife from his mouth and cutting the rope, while I count the seconds in my head, wondering how long she has been without oxygen.

If more than three minutes…. If she dies, then my life has no meaning at all, and the monster urging me to lose my head will win, sending me into the dark abyss of despair.

Santiago frees her, and we drag her upward until we push through the surface and all gulp for breath.

Octavius and Florian grab her and gently place her nearby. I roar at the sight of a deep wound on her head and her arm twisted in a weird position. They must have broken it.

I came too late.

“Penelope,” I call her name. Amalia settles next to me by her head as we watch Octavius perform chest compressions. There is no pulse.

“Please, chérie,” I whisper. Santiago grips my shoulder hard just in case I decide to push Octavius away while he tries harder and harder but with no results. “Wake up, darling.”

All my whispers are unheard, though, as she grows paler and paler as if life is slowly slipping away from her.

“Please, darling.”

If there is justice in this world… if there is destiny… then I paid all my dues and deserve happiness.

I always worked hard for everything I had in this life. Never begged anyone no matter the circumstances.

Right now, though, I beg.

I beg fate, who has been nothing but cruel to me, to save my wife.

Chapter Nineteen

“Love and accept my darkness, ma chérie.

It won’t ever hurt you, but it will cherish you in ways you never expect.

For I can’t live without you in it.”

---