Page 50

No more games, no more ignoring the truth. We’re on different sides of the board—enemies and not lovers, kill or be killed.

By the time Enzo returns, he can’t tell that I am slowly dying inside because now I must kill him.

In our conference room, Mika and I sit at a round table, the tension between us palpable. Neither of us has spoken yet and every second that ticks by, drips with upheaval.

I’ve made up my mind, and I will do whatever it takes to get what I want. He knows it. I know it. I should care more about my brother’s concerns, but I can’t find it in me. What I will ask of him is something he doesn’t want to do, but for the sake of our bond, he will support me.

“I want her,” I say, the weight of my words crashing between us with the force of a thunderbolt.

He grumbles. His eyes narrow, and he places his forearms on the mahogany table, steepling his fingers. Mika is a reactive person. That he stays quiet reinforces my belief that he’s trying to keep his emotions at bay.

“You want her.” It’s not a question but a statement woven with disbelief and a heap of worry.

“I do. Only her.” It’s more than want though, it’s need mixed with obsession. Every inhale and exhale is infused with my desire for this woman. I love her.

“From all the fucking women, it has to be her.”

I know what we’ll have to face. He opens his mouth, surely to reiterate what I am up against, loving to remind me as if I am behaving like a damn child who wants something and not caring if it’s good for him.

“This means war. So, let’s start a fucking war, but is she worth it?”

She’s worth it all. Whatever the costs. I’ll pay it all—if it’s my empire, my blood, or even with my soul. I don’t care.

He must notice my determined look because he exhales loudly, the sound disgruntled. “And you think Augustus won’t want his favorite toy back?”

“Don’t call her that,” I say through gritted teeth.

If she’s something, then mine. But his words hit the intended mark. While she loves me, she’s fucking loyal to him. I haven’t even discussed the logistics with her.

I am so convinced that she wants to stay with me, I haven’t asked about her wishes. There’s this nagging feeling that if she goes back, she’ll slip through my fingers like a river you can’t hold on to, forever flowing and impossible to stop, and I will lose her. I can’t have that. Whether she wants it or not, she’s not leaving me.

He sighs. “Let her go, Enzo. We need time to prepare for this and an alliance with the Syndicate to pull this shit off. I am still undecided if I want to become an associate.”

“They know they can’t control us. It will be a win for both parties.”

“She must fuck you well enough for you to spout this fucking positive bullshit.”

Anger claws through my insides, and I stand up, marching in his face. I only see red and the need to remind him that no one disrespects my woman.

He doesn’t even flinch when I land a right hook to his cheek.

“Never speak of her like that. No one disrespects my woman. Not even you, brother.”

He doesn’t reciprocate, just spits the blood on the floor between us. At the visual, I remember vividly when we swore an oath, cutting our palms. No one gets between us. Our joined families come first, before everything else. I guess she trumps that.

He shakes his head, jaw set in a hard line. “She doesn’t deserve the trust you put in her. Enzo, my friend, my brother, she won’t choose you.”

I refuse to even entertain that thought.

“All I care is if you are with me or against me on this?” I ask harshly.

He stands up, putting a palm on my shoulder. “Always, but it won’t be worth it.”

It is. It will be. If he had someone he’s crazy about, he would understand.

“You hit like a girl,” he says, bringing some much-needed levity in our talk.

Cocking my head, I arch a brow. “Your bloody mouth seems to disagree.”