Chapter 17
ETHAN
“What are you doing?” I asked Cole as he rummaged through my drawers in my office.
“I-I need something for pain,” he muttered.
“Why?”
“Because I have a fucking headache,” he said, opening another drawer. “Which strain of sugar helps with pain?”
“This one.” I nodded to one of the sugar sticks on my desk, which contained a natural sedative that had proven to work miracles on pain receptors. I’d had an order for them from a pain management center, and was boxing them up.
I’d spent the day working on fixing the dick stick, as Cole had dubbed it, so we didn’t have another Enzo situation. Next to the pain sticks, the dick sticks sat.
I’d had one of our guys come in and test it.
He’d definitely gotten hard, but he was so high and lovey, that I knew it was working.
He’d left to go see his girl, and had reported back no major side effects, so I gave it to five other men, who said nothing happened and they’d had the best sex they’d ever had.
I’d given Anson the message earlier from Rosalie and had poured myself into work while Ann took care of Laz for me. Knowing Rosalie was hurting somewhere made me sick, but hearing her voice let me know she was still OK wherever she was.
Anson had practically wept when I’d called him with what I knew. He questioned me for ten minutes, but I told him everything I knew before he hung up to reach out to Ryder.
I was still trying to deal with the fact that Fox was alive.
My world had been turned upside down. It was no wonder Rosalie told me not to visit his grave. To let him go.
Because the son of a bitch was still alive and had run off without us to be with Rosalie. He’d married her.
I knew I shouldn’t be pissed at him, but I spent years hurting over missing him. And Enzo? Fuck, he beat himself up daily over Fox’s death.
He and Cole would be devastated when they learned Fox had faked the entire thing just to get away from us.
It broke my fucking heart and made me angry.
But hurt. I was more hurt than anything else.
“Do you have more?” Cole asked.
He was agitated and in a hurry. Something was definitely up with him.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, separating a few into a smaller pile for him. I watched him pace the room.
“Do you want to talk?” I asked after a few minutes.
“Do you?” he asked, turning to look at me.
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t really have anything to talk about.”
“Enzo said you broke up with Emily.”
“Uh, yeah,” I muttered. “That’s over, I guess.”
“You said nothing was happening with her.”
I shrugged. “Nothing did happen, as is evident by her not being my girl.”
“What was it like?” He stopped pacing and stared at me.
“What was what like?”
“Kissing someone. Touching someone. Fucking someone. New. Who wasn’t Rosalie?” His voice wobbled.
I licked my lips. “I-I don’t want to talk about this with you, Cole.”
His bottom lip trembled. “Did you get off, E? Did she make you come like your sweetheart used to?”
“Cole,” I said softly. “Why do you do this to yourself?”
“Because it seems to me that I’m the only one who still loves our girl, and it breaks my fucking heart.”
“Enzo and I both still love her. We’re just in a different place—”
“And that place is some other bitch’s pussy. You’ve been with another woman. It’s only a matter of time before Enzo follows. And me? Nope. I’m holding out. I’m going to get her back.”
“You’re fucking delusional,” I said, shaking my head at him.
“I’m fucking serious, E. I’m going to bring her home to us.”
I breathed out, saying things I knew were true. “I don’t doubt you. I really do think you and Rosalie will be forever connected to one another.”
He blinked at me. “Y-You do?”
I nodded. “Yeah, man. I do. I-I think you should reach out to her once she comes back. I think it would be good for both of you. I-I do think you can win her over if you stop acting insane.”
“Yeah?” His expression softened.
“Yeah. Really.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I-I want that.”
“I know, brother. I want that for you.”
“What about for you?”
“I’m OK. I promise,” I whispered. “Let’s just worry about you right now.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Us, E. Always us. I.. Enzo told me you want to take my place on Church’s contract. No. I won’t let you.”
“You can’t stop me, Cole. Enzo already submitted it to him. I feel like he will let this happen.”
“I won’t let it happen.”
“You won’t have a choice, just like I didn’t get one five years ago on anything.”
He stiffened at my words. “E, I’m not letting you do this. She’s our girl. The horsemen’s. I’m going to fix it. I-I am.”
“I know,” I said, knowing he was so dedicated that she’d eventually give in to him, especially with Ellis in the picture.
He just needed to relax. His time was coming.
I was sure of it. I knew Church loved Rosalie and Ellis.
I’d seen it on his face the day I’d met Ellis.
He would do anything for them. And the anything I was asking for was to take Cole’s place so he could be the father Ellis had been asking for.
He nodded. “I’ll save us all.”
I gave him a sad smile. “Just work on your happiness. Enzo and I will figure ours out.”
“I don’t fucking accept that. We’re a family. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make this happen for us. Rosalie is coming home.” He grabbed the drugs off the table and stormed out of the room.
I sighed and followed him out. I nearly crashed into him as I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs.
“What the fuck?” he snarled, storming forward as Enzo released Jade where they’d very obviously been bidding one another goodbye. She’d definitely been in Enzo’s arms.
I raced to get in front of Cole, but he was fast. He shoved Enzo hard, making Jade squeal.
“Stop. Stop,” I shouted, getting between the pair.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Enzo demanded.
“What the fuck is yours? This basic fucking bitch? Really?”
“Excuse me?” Jade yelled, storming forward.
“Oh, back the fuck up, bitch,” Cole said.
“Cole, not fucking happening. You don’t speak to my guests like that,” Enzo snarled.
“This is done,” Cole said, his chest heaving. “Enzo and you? Not fucking happening.”
“You don’t speak for him,” she said, glaring.
“Cole, relax,” I said gently. “You’re tired. You have a headache. You need to rest. We can talk about this—”
Cole swooped forward and crushed his lips against Enzo’s in a deep kiss.
Jade’s mouth opened wide before he released Enzo and came to me.
His mouth met mine, kissing me just as deeply as he’d kissed Enzo.
He broke it off and turned to Jade.
“They belong to me. Don’t fuck with what belongs to me. Get the fuck out of my house,” Cole said in a soft, dangerous voice. “Or I will fucking shoot you in the head and piss on your corpse.” He drew his gun and pressed it to the center of her forehead.
She shook, tears streaming down her face.
“Cole. Cole!” Enzo shouted as I watched the scene unfold.
“I am fucking tired of worthless, gold-digging, status-seeking whores trying to ruin my fucking family. Get. The. Fuck. Out,” he said, each word clipped with venom.
“Jade, just go,” Enzo said gently. “We’ll talk later.”
“You fucking won’t. If you do, I’ll fucking end your life. Get out. GET FUCKING OUT!” Cole roared.
She jumped, blubbering and crying, before she ran out the front door.
We were all quiet as we stood staring at him.
Cole blew out a deep breath and tucked his gun away.
“I have a headache, and I have a fucking meeting. I expect you two pricks to stop trying to fuck new women. I really will fucking kill them.” He looked over at Enzo, a look of controlled fury on his face. “Don’t fucking try me. I’m going to get our family back if you just fucking trust in me.”
Enzo said nothing as he and Cole stood staring at one another.
“Stop fucking disappointing me,” Cole whispered. “Please.”
Enzo said nothing, and Cole backed away.
“E, the same goes for you. Get your fucking shit together. Both of you. You made me promises. No one breaks a fucking promise to me. Got it?”
“Got it,” I murmured thickly. Enzo nodded.
“Good. I’ll see you later.” Cole left through the front door, and Enzo looked at me.
“Did you fuck her?” I asked.
He looked away.
“Enzo?”
“No,” he answered. “I didn’t fuck her.”
I nodded. “I suppose you have that going for you.”
“I suppose I do.”
“I’m worried about him,” I murmured.
“Me too,” Enzo said. “Did you get the message to Anson?”
“I did. He’s handling it.”
“Then I guess we take the night to pray, brother. For Rosalie. For Cole. For us. Maybe Fox answers prayers.”
I swallowed hard. “Maybe he does.”
Enzo gave me a sad smile and walked past me to go to his office.
I breathed out and returned to mine. It took me a moment to realize Cole had grabbed the wrong sugar.
He took the dick sticks, not the ones for pain. I hadn’t been watching. I’d placed them next to each other. He’d been so passionate in his speech that neither of us was paying attention when he grabbed them and left.
They weren’t going to stop his headache.
They were going to make him horny as hell, and likely make him do the very same thing he was desperate to prevent Enzo and me from doing.
I pulled out my phone and called him, but it went straight to voicemail.
I tried again. Nothing.
I raced out of my office and straight to the parking garage, hoping he was still there and taking a breather, but his G-Wagon was gone.
Fuck.