Page 44 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

I crave to go after my woman and trap her quickly in this marriage so no fucker will go around thinking he has some claim on her.

The other part of me, the rational, sane part that still thinks several steps ahead, knows I can’t ignore our rules and act out, because my action, especially my marriage, would affect the little peace we have with a certain brotherhood.

Ten minutes.

They can vote in ten minutes, and I will either have their support or go rogue on this mission.

Either way, by the end of tomorrow, Amalia will wear my ring.

The ride downstairs is quiet, although the silent judgment in Octavius’s stare drills a hole in me, and Santiago snatches a cigarette from his back pocket, lighting it up. We get out and enter the spacious meeting room, which has a huge, round table with four chairs, a TV hanging on the wall, laptops, and four tablets.

And a gold bowl right in the middle of the table is where we throw our rings when making important decisions.

I shut the door and ask, “Where is Florian?”

Despite how Octavius loves to act, we don’t have leaders in our dark brotherhood; each of us holds equal power. That’s the only reason that with our difficult characters, we’ve managed to stay a unit for such a long time.

Which means despite my complicated relationship with Florian, considering our past history, we cannot decide shit without him.

“He’s on his way. Something kept him downstairs.” Octavius flicks the whiskey bottle and pours it into a glass before dropping a few ice cubes in too. “You know him.”

Santiago chuckles, exhaling smoke all around us. “Women.”

Right.

What else interests Florian in this world besides jewelry and women?

Except Santiago would be surprised who occupied our friend’s mind for the last three years and how not everything is as it seems.

God help us all then, because Santiago would kill him.

“You’ve been obsessed with Amalia all these years yet never claimed her,” Octavius says, and tension rises in the air, so thick and heavy you can almost touch it. “What do you really want from her, Remi?”

“I want her.”

“Lachlan considers her a little sister. He stayed civil until you salivated after her from a distance, but he warned us all. She has gotten engaged to someone else. And now you’ve fucking touched her and plan to what? Kidnap her?” He takes a large sip from his drink. “The woman made her choice. Respect it.” By the distaste lacing his tone when he speaks about her though, it’s clear he doesn’t respect her.

Then again, Octavius has a high sense of morality, and any infidelity in his eyes is a crime that could never be forgiven.

I snap my teeth just at the reminder of her engagement.

The news broke a few months ago. Apparently, she fell in love with a famous violinist during one of his tours, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Truth be told, I couldn’t give less of a fuck if I tried. Amalia presented no interest to me back then, except for her family name.

So all I wanted to do was borrow her just for a while, not harm or touch a hair on her body, and then return her safely to Lachlan.

However, after tonight, when I felt what it was like when such a woman belongs to me, fucked her so hard and deep all she could do was chant my name… I will not let her go or give her back to a fucking violinist.

Although her “brother” does present a little complication for me.

Lachlan Scott is the underground king of New York, one of the most skilled serial killers we’ve ever known, and we know so many we could build a fucking stadium filled with them. He rules his protégés with an iron fist, and his reputation precedes him. Everyone knows not to fuck with him or his city, because consequences for it are severe.

Our net worth is about the same though, so we don’t give a fuck on most days about his desires or stupid rules. However, we do have to play nice, because we don’t want him to show up in Chicago and try to claim our territory. Not to mention he is several years older than us, and his experience in torture could either be admired, or well… yeah.

So we respect him on most days, although his orders have annoyed me to no end in recent years, even though I understood.

None of his protégés had an easy life, so him being protective of Amalia impressed me, but we all knew one thing.

To get her, we would have to declare war on him, a bloody and cruel war where no one would show mercy or compassion to one another. Alliances and friendships would be tested, and there could be only one winner, ever.

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