Page 64 of Golden Atonement

“Remi, what about Reaper and me?”

I shrugged. “You let me worry about him. You just take care of my new sister and niece.”

Stepping into the elevator, neither I nor Vladmir said a word until we stepped outside into the night, to the waiting car. Once inside, I sighed.

“How does he do this?”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

March 9, 2024

Remi

A knock at the door woke me.

Grumbling, I rolled out of bed and opened the door to see Maxim standing there. “Sorry to wake you, Remi, but you have visitors.”

“Who?”

“Virginia Stone and her son Dakota.”

Groaning, I nodded and closed the door. After quickly dressing and using the facilities, I walked out of the room at Maxim’s penthouse to find Dakota leaning against the wall as he stared at me, saying nothing. His mother, however, was another story, because the second she saw me, she marched over and slapped me hard across my face.

“You fucking bitch!” the woman seethed. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

Holding my cheek, I slowly turned to look at the angry woman to find several men aiming guns at her head. Maxim himself held his gun against Dakota’s forehead as the man slowly reached for his gun.

“I fucking dare you,” the Bloodletter growled.

Standing to my full height, I looked at the angry woman and smiled. “I know exactly what I did. The question you should ask is if I’m done? Because, lady, from where I stand, you don’t know shit about the man you fucking married. If you did, you would have stayed gone when you left him the first time. Accidents be damned.”

The woman blanched.

“How do you know about that?”

I scoffed, leaning close to her face. “I know everything.”

The woman blinked, then paled as she slowly stepped back, shaking her head. “What are you talking about?”

“Remi, what’s going on?” Dakota seethed. “This isn’t you. You’re not a killer.”

I smirked, then said, “That’s where you are wrong. You only saw the broken me. This is the real me. The woman who will kill anyone who dares harm me or mine. Did you think I would just wilt and fall into your arms? I don’t fucking wilt. I may get knocked down, but I always get back up. Before I took my first breath, bigger, stronger people than your fucking father tried to kill me. I survived them all. I did your fucking family a favor. You should be thanking me.”

“What is she talking about, Mom!” Dakota shouted.

“Go ahead, Virginia.” I grinned. “Tell your dutiful son the truth about his father.”

“Mom?”

Virginia Stone shook her head. “I can’t.”

Taking a step closer to the woman, I threatened, “Then I suggest you make a clean break, because war is coming and you do not want to be on the wrong side. Do you understand what I am saying, Virginia?”

The woman nodded. “I do.”

“Remi, he’s locked down the club,” Vladmir informed.

“Is Delany there?”