Page 110 of Delirium
“You’re very possessive of her,” Casimir stated, placing his cup on top of the table. “I like it.”
“Stop fucking talking about her,” I gritted out.
“Cas,” Ash warned from the other side of the booth, looking at the menu. “I’m not going to repeat myself again. Stop it.”
“It’s just curiosity, that’s all.” Casimir smirked. “I have never seen a couple so much in love as the two of you. It’s interesting, fascinating even.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Ophelia bellowed, turning everyone’s attention to her. She grabbed the knife from the table that the waitress placed earlier and pointed it at him. “Listen to me very carefully,Cas.” She mocked his nickname. “I’m tired, sleepy, pregnant, and I am one pissed-off lady. I had to go to the toilet three times in under an hour. Three fucking times! So cut the crap and tell us why we’re here so that I can go and cuddle my man without you hovering around.”
“Fire.” Casimir grinned. “I like it. See, Ash,” he leaned over the table to look at Ash, who was sitting next to Atlas, “I told you I would like her.”
“Yeah, you did,” Ash grumbled, while Atlas’s eyes kept growing wider and wider, sitting between the two of them. “Now you can stop trying to provoke her. She won’t hesitate to stab you.”
I probably wouldn’t.
“You’re really not very interesting today, are you?” Casimir pouted like a little kid and leaned back into his seat, looking at us. “Fine.” He huffed. “I’m going to stop, but I’m not going to apologize for goading you. Ophelia.” He looked at me, while Storm growled under his breath. “I knew Nikolai, and what a piece of shit that man was.”
Seriously?
“And because I knew him and knew what he was capable of, I wanted to meet you as well, to see if the stories are true.”
“What stories?”
“That you aren’t his daughter, and I don’t mean only by blood. That fire in you…” he chuckled. “That’s Lazar. That fury living inside your veins, that’s your real dad, and I like it. I like it a lot.”
“Why?” I asked. “You have nothing to gain from knowing me.”
“But I do,” he answered somberly. “I understand that you all now know who I am and what it is that I do.” He looked at all of us, his eyes flicking from one person to another. “Then you also know that we need allies, now more than ever.”
“No,” I simply said, pressing my shoulder against Ophelia. “We’re not doing this, Cas.”
“You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”
“Whatever it is would mean us getting entangled with your organization, and I don’t like it.”
“No, Storm, I wouldn’t want us to do that, but…” he trailed off. “I want us to make an alliance. The MC’s, the Syndicate,” he looked at Ophelia, “The Outfit.” His eyes bore into Cillian. “And the Italians.”
“We’re not interested,” I gritted out.
“Just think about it,” Casimir pushed. “You don’t have to give me an answer now but think about it. It could be good for all of us.”
“Why?” Ophelia asked. “You have nothing to gain from this. Why would you want to create an alliance between the families?”
“Have you ever heard of Entente Powers and Central Powers from World War I?” Casimir asked her.
“Of course I have,” Ophelia said. “Two opposing sides, with a lot more countries joining Entente or Allied Powers, versus the Central Powers.”
“And who won?” Casimir smirked.
“Entente Powers,” Ophelia grumbled. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“The Russian Bratva, several families in the Mexican Cartel, and the Colombians, are creating an alliance. Hell, I think they already have created it, and the Albanians are joining them.”
Fuck, that wasn’t good.
“I don’t have to tell you how bad it would be for all of us if they decide to attack. You think this whole situation with Belladonna is bad?” Casimir grumbled. “Well, think again. If we have the entire South America against us, what are you going to do? Run? Where?”
“But they might not be targeting us,” Ophelia countered. “It could be only for their business—”
