Page 112 of Desperate Games

Julio smirks again. Like he’s already won.

That’s when it hits me.

This fucker doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.

I lean back, keeping my face blank for the judge, but inside I’m a storm.

Julio thinks this is about paperwork and court dates. He thinks a few rehab certificates and staged volunteer photos are enough to erase years of abandonment.

But the thing is, I don’t buy it. I don’t think this piece of shit wants Callie. Not really. There’s something else in his gaze.

It’s dark and greedy. I’m sure he thinks I can’t tell, but I see it. The discontent. The malice he thinks he hides so well.

Julio doesn’t get it. He doesn’t know me.

When we walk out of this courthouse, he’ll still be grinning.

But soon? That smile will fade.

Because I’ll burn every resource, call in every favor, and unleash every weapon in my arsenal to make sure Callie stays where she belongs—safe with me and Andrea.

Julio wants a war?

Good.

I’ve fought worse and won.

And this time, I’ve got everything to lose. Which means I’ll fight like a man with nothing left to fear.

After court, Andrea is quiet beside me in the car, her fingers knotted together in her lap like she’s trying to hold herself together.

We swing by her parents’ estate to pick up Callie.

The second we step into the house, I’m beckoned into Andres’ office.

“Remy.”

That single word carries the weight of a thousand unspoken things.

I glance at Andrea, who’s busy scooping Callie into her arms, and nod before following her father down the long hall.

When I step inside, it’s like walking into a lion’s den.

Andres is behind his massive desk.

Adrik Volkov sits in one of the large side chairs.

Nico Fury is leaning against a wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

Angel Fury with a cigar between his fingers, though it’s not lit.

Luc Batiste perched on the arm of a chair like a coiled viper.

Josef Aziz, too, seated with the same cool, lethal calm I’ve seen in the office.

Connor Callahan, Liam O’Doyle, Sammy Ramirez, and Nico Fury Jr., are all there too.

And my lawyer—already here.