Page 56 of Remi's War (Four Dark Horsemen 2)

“Yes. We’ve had a decade-long, pent-up hatred toward each other, and you just gave them a reason to finally release it.”

None of this makes sense to me.

Do they belong to some kind of mafia, and they crossed one another in the past, or what? Granted, kidnapping me doesn’t paint them in the best of lights, but wealthy people do some weird-ass shit like that all the time to establish power.

There have been rumors about the Four Dark Horsemen and their various deeds, although no one has had any proof to charge them, so I just considered it all an urban legend.

Was there some merit to it, after all?

This adds to the swirling panic in my stomach, making me nauseous as the gory picture painted in my mind creates horrific prospects for me in the future.

“I don’t understand.”

“My God, how did I miss you coming here?” Amalia mutters under her breath, adding more gasoline to the fire destroying me from the inside, while my mind desperately tries to find a solution to this mess.

I just want to go home now and find solace in my father’s arms. He will find a way to fix it all. “If you’d reached out to me and told me you didn’t want to see me, I wouldn’t have come.” A beat passes, and I ask, “Why didn’t you?”

She stills at this and releases me, going to the bar and snatching a whiskey bottle. She pours a generous amount in a glass, takes a large sip, and in this moment I truly see how miles apart from each other we are.

And it’s not just because we have grown up in different circumstances. Amalia put a barrier like a brick wall between us, one that can’t be broken.

“What was the point? You’d never understand the hell I lived through. After all, you were our uncle’s ray of sunshine, while our aunt made it her mission to tear me apart. I lived in a never-ending nightmare while you thrived.”

Her bitterness and pain—hidden behind the harsh exterior—stab my heart deep. I clench my fist, wanting to run to her and hug her close, give her comfort from the nightmares I have no idea about.

Yet I know she lived through them, because I felt her hurt from a distance, waking up from horrific pictures with hollowness in my chest, and nothing could calm me down.

They say the connection between twins is legendary, and I don’t know if it’s true for most people, but for me… it is.

This is one of the reasons I’ve never given up on finding her and showering her with the love my family has in abundance.

But I misjudged it.

Sometimes love is akin to torture to those who have never had it. It reminds them of what destiny stole from them, and they cannot look past it.

And to Amalia, I’m a living and breathing representation of what she could have had.

“We’re twins,” I say, and it earns me another chuckle, this time more vicious and colder than the previous one.

“Only by blood. Turns out, though, blood is not thicker than water.” I jerk under her harsh tone and almost whimper in hopelessness as she leaves no doubt about her emotions. “Get a hint, Penelope. We grew up separated from each other, and our lives couldn’t be more different if we’d tried. What did you expect anyway? A reunion with unicorns and rainbows?”

I open my mouth to answer her, but then gunshots reverberate through the walls, awakening fear within me as terror slowly sinks its claws into me.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, running to the window, but in the darkness of night, I can’t see anything, just small flashes of light accompanied by the gunshot sounds. “We need to do something.” If Remi arrived all alone to claim Amalia, then it means he is outnumbered, and just the idea of him hurting makes me want to save him and protect him from any harm.

He might not want me, but for me, he’ll always be special, even though it’s stupid.

Amalia takes another sip and then drums her fingers on the glass while my pulse speeds. My palms become wet, sweat breaking on my back as more shots are fired. “They are going to kill each other.”

If she doesn’t care about Remi, she should think about Lachlan, who has a wife and child.

Shouldn’t she do something about it? I’m sure a man like him doesn’t operate alone.

The energy changes in the room, becoming more electrified, and I zero my focus on Amalia again as she takes another sip before dropping the glass on the desk.

A smile curves her mouth, ruthless in its nature, that almost tells a story alone of what she is capable. She comes closer to me, an unreadable expression settling on her features while her blue eyes glint in anticipation.

“Do you really want to fix it?” She swirls her finger in the air. “Atone for all the trouble you’ve brought on my family’s head?”

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