Page 49 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

“I’m going after her,” I announce to them and spin around, dashing to the door, already wondering which of the mansions belongs to Lachlan.

Santiago’s voice stops me with my hand on the handle as he says, “We are a unit.”

Without turning my back and still facing them, I reply, “I stood by you all when you made your choices. Hideous choices that altered our lives.” I look over my shoulder, noticing the muscles in their cheeks twitch. Although otherwise they have no outward reaction to my statement.

Except Octavius.

His dark orbs flash with something akin to regret, but it’s quickly gone with indifference, hiding his true emotions from me. “Never have I shown my judgment or opinion on the matter. Your decisions were enough for me. But maybe that’s the difference between us and our friendship.” I open the door. “After all, I’ve always been a son of a gardener among princes. I don’t have a kingdom to risk.” Before anyone can say anything else, I shut the door behind me and prowl to the elevators, intending to find my woman, everything else be damned.

And if I have to go to war all alone and face Lachlan in his territory while fighting off his protégés?

So be it.

I’ve never lost a battle in my life, and I certainly won’t lose this one.

Penelope

Pain.

That’s the first thing flashing through my mind as I twist my head to the side and groan when the soft cushion dips under me, pain zipping from my neck to my shoulder.

My eyes snap open only to close again when thousands of tickling sensations akin to agony sweep over me, hitting me from every corner as my head spins.

God, did I fall asleep while reading a book again?

I thought I’d outgrown the tendency as a teenager.

Placing my hand on my cheek, I rub it a little before rising on my elbow and groaning in frustration when the pain becomes almost unbearable, my blood running to my numb muscles and awakening them ruthlessly. “What in the hell?” I mutter, opening my eyes again and glancing around, hoping to spot a bottle of water only to blink in shock.

Because the environment greeting me is not one I recognize.

Instead of my purple and white room back in France with the birds chirping from my usually open balcony door, a bare white room comes into view with just a wide leather couch inside and a small desk several feet away.

A huge window covers one of the walls, letting the moonlight slip inside and mix with the crystal chandelier shining brightly above me and emphasizing the emptiness of the room.

Everything about it reeks of coldness, danger, and hopelessness as if no matter how much one tries, his life will always stay blank like this room.

Where am I?

“You’re finally awake.” A deep, husky voice startles me, and I sit up on my seat, my gaze shooting to the right, where a tall blond man wearing a three-piece suit that fits him like a glove stands, twirling a glass in his hand. “I started to wonder if maybe my men used a bit too much sedative in order to bring you here.”

Sedative?

With one word alone, all the events from tonight come crashing down on me—from my disastrous visit to the club where I ended up having sex with a guy enamored with my twin, to the stranger who covered my mouth with a sweet-smelling cloth.

Oh my God.

Someone kidnapped me!

Fear unlike anything I’ve felt before swallows me whole. It’s like a tight rope wrapping around my neck and cutting off all my oxygen supply, urging me to run far, far away from here.

Because even the air itself is saturated with danger and darkness so wicked one must always stay away from it in order to survive.

My eyes dart around the room, searching for a way out and not finding any except the door that is for sure guarded by someone, since he mentioned his men. He would catch me before I took two steps toward it anyway.

“Who are you?” I ask, my voice trembling slightly while my fingers fist the hem of my dress, trying to cover as much of myself as possible.

Only then do my bare feet register in my mind, with no shoes in sight, so they must have removed them, thinking a few steps ahead.

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