17. Enzo
ENZO
“Rosalie,” I murmured, the cold steel of the gun she held pressed firmly to my forehead.
I tended to notice a lot of things. It was how I was raised, trained, and taught to be. In a world like this, you had to be aware of every movement.
In this moment, I knew two things.
One, Rosalie wasn’t playing. Her hand and her voice did not shake.
And two, she was so fucking beautiful like this, it made me want to weep.
“What a pleasant surprise,” I continued softly.
“We need to talk,” she said, her voice still strong.
“We can do that,” I said easily, noting Levin was outside my door.
That pissed me off that he’d brought her here.
Dom told me last night that they weren’t going to choose sides, but I knew then it was a damn lie.
Anson was family. Evan—fucking Fox—was family.
Klaus was family. Of course, they’d side with them.
That was a mess I’d deal with later.
“We can do that when you put the gun down,” I said easily.
“I can talk to a dead man much quicker,” she said.
I chuckled softly at that. As pissed as I was, seeing her this way was doing something to me.
I stepped aside for her, deciding I’d humor her. I doubt she remembered how to use the gun. I’d taught her long ago, but she’d been coddled and out of this life for far too long. Plus, if I knew her like I thought I did, she’d break before she got the first shot off.
She entered the apartment, her gun still pointed at me.
“What is going on?” Jade demanded as she stood from where she’d been sitting on the couch.
She was here to go over things I’d missed since E barely gave her the time of day.
“You need to get the fuck out of here,” Rosalie said, her voice growing colder.
“Enzo, what is this crazy woman doing here?” Jade got up and came to me. She clung to my arm.
“I said get the fuck out,” Rosalie snarled.
“Rosalie—” I started, wanting to tell her to relax and that Jade was just leaving, but I didn’t get the chance.
She raised the gun to the ceiling and pulled the trigger. The shot went off, and I stumbled back with Jade as Rosalie brought the gun down and leveled it at Jade’s face.
“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Rosalie said softly. “If I say it again, Enzo’s men will be hauling you out in a body bag. Understand?”
Jade shook as she continued to hold me.
“Go,” I murmured to Jade. “We’ll speak later.”
“I’m scared—”
“You’re about to be dead,” Rosalie said. “I’d move faster if I were you.”
“Go, Jade,” I said as E and Cole came careening into the room, their weapons drawn. Dmitri pounded on my door. It would be only moments before this place was swarming with my men. I was sure Dmitri had already sounded the alarm.
“Rosalie?” Cole shouted, lowering his gun. “What are you doing?”
“Taking care of a little problem I’m having,” she muttered as I urged Jade to go. Finally, she let go of me and scampered to the door. Dmitri and Levin came in, weapons drawn. I could see more of my men behind them.
“Easy,” I said. “It’s fine in here. Rosalie was just getting something off her chest. Right?”
“Right,” she said tightly.
“All is well. We’re going to talk,” I continued. “Call the men off and leave us.”
No one spoke for a moment before the door closed, leaving just us guys with Rosalie.
“Rosalie,” E said, his gun put away now. “Hey. Look at me.”
“Fuck you, Ethan,” she snapped.
I swallowed hard. I’d never heard her speak to E like that before. Apparently, it surprised him too because he didn’t speak again.
“Sit,” she commanded, clearly speaking to all of us.
I glanced at the guys. They hesitated before going to the couch and sitting.
I took a spot between them as Rosalie stood in front of us.
“Hands on your thighs,” she said.
“Rosalie,” Cole started.
“Cole, I am really not in the fucking mood right now. Hands on your fucking thighs!”
Cole immediately put his hands on his thighs like the rest of us.
“Fuck, this is hot,” he muttered to me.
I’d have laughed if I didn’t think this was serious business. Of course, his crazy ass was turned on.
“You clearly wanted to talk, so talk,” I said calmly.
“I’m here because I heard you want Evan dead.”
“I may have said that,” I replied delicately. I didn’t know who told her that. It could have been the kings or Church. I wasn’t going to ask, though.
“That doesn’t work for me,” she said. “So I’m here to tell you if that’s how you want to play, I’ll pull the trigger now and save us all a lot of time.”
She still had the gun out, and it was definitely pointed at me.
“Rosalie, we both know you’re not going to shoot me,” I said. “So please, put the gun away before you hurt yourself.”
“That was always the problem with you, Enzo. You never thought I could handle shit. It’s why you all lied to me and did what you did.
Not one of you assholes believed I was strong enough.
” She approached in that fucking short skirt of hers, her long, sexy legs on display, and shoved the gun under my chin.
My breath caught as she put her lips against my ear.
“I was never weak. I was kind. There is a difference,” she whispered in my ear. “And right now, I have no fucking problem pulling this trigger.”
She pulled away from me, and I let out the breath I’d been holding, my pulse roaring in my ears.
“You already told me how you feel about me,” she continued, back to standing in front of us. “And right now, the feeling is mutual.”
“What feelings?” Cole demanded. “What did he say?”
“Tell him,” Rosalie said softly. “May as well. All secrets are on the table now.”
I breathed out. Her hand still didn’t shake.
Fuck, she’d become a force.
“I hate you,” I repeated, my voice soft. “That’s what I said.”
“What?” Cole snarled, turning to glare at me.
I said nothing as I ground my teeth together. The truth was, I didn’t know what I felt. I was angry. Hurt. Pissed. But at the end of all of it, I was confused. Conflicted. I didn’t know shit right now except that I’d mourned my best friend for five years and had lost my girl for no fucking reason.
She wasn’t my girl anymore. I knew that as I stared down the barrel of the gun she had pointed at me.
I’d give Evan and her guys credit. They’d clearly been training her, something I should have done years ago for her.
But I’d always wanted to keep her sweet and innocent. Untainted by the ugly in this world.
“Is it true?” Cole demanded. “What you said?”
I swallowed and continued to stare at Rosalie.
“I don’t give a fuck what his feelings are for me. I’m more concerned with my daughter and him threatening to take her dad from her. Threatening to ruin anything you’ll even have with her.” She looked at Cole when she said it.
“What?” He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Do you think I’d let some motherfucker who is threatening my daughter have his friend come around?
” Rosalie asked. “If I can’t trust him, then I can’t trust you.
This is a message I came to deliver. I am not the weak girl you left crying in a living room.
That girl died with Fox. I am what’s left, and I won’t deal with your mafia bullshit.
You left me because you didn’t trust me.
” She looked directly at E, who stared back at her, tears in his eyes.
“You didn’t trust me with the truth, even though I always stood by you, even during the worst times of our lives.
I was there. I never would have left you had I known what happened.
The fact that you didn’t know that hurts me.
You thought I was weak. That you couldn’t trust me with your worst truths.
I don’t like to fail at things, and you made me feel like a failure.
Like I didn’t prove enough to you my love for all of you.
Instead, you tossed me away. I understand Fox asked for you to let me go, but a simple fuck you would have sufficed, not this load of fucking bullshit!
” she shouted, her green eyes flashing. “Five fucking years, horsemen! Five years, I hated every single one of you because I thought you cheated on me. Got someone pregnant. Created a life without me because I wasn’t good enough. ”
She exhaled, a tear falling down her cheek. My heart cracked as I stared at her.
“When in reality, it was you who weren’t good enough for me,” she finished softly.
“Rosalie,” E choked out. “I’m sorry.”
“I know, Ethan. I know you’re sorry,” she said, looking at him.
“I don’t blame you for your decisions. I knew you were hurt and trying to work through things.
But you’re an adult now. A father. We all have lives separate from one another.
This is me telling you that you hurt me.
That you betrayed me, my love, my trust. You should have just had the same faith in me that I always had in you.
I-I was willing to let Anson go because I loved you all so much.
In a way, I am thankful you were all such idiots because I got the world in return.
Without your idiocy, I’d never have what I have now.
So, thank you for that. I only wanted to come and tell you that if you try to take away from me what you so freely gave to me, there will be consequences.
I am strong now, but I also have an army, and I will fight.
This empire that you’ve built?” She looked directly at me.
“I will burn it to the fucking ground,” she said, her voice even, her tears gone now. “With you inside its tower. Don’t fuck with my family.” She lowered her gun, finally.
I stared back at a fierce queen. In that moment, I realized how much of a mistake I’d made all those years ago when I underestimated her.
I’d worked hard to maintain her innocence, but Rosalie Bishop wasn’t that type of woman.
Her destiny was always to be strong. She was an Ivanov, for fuck’s sake.
It was in her blood to be violent and take no prisoners.
She did have an army, which I knew. A war with the underground, and likely with the kings, wasn’t one I wanted to take on, especially while I was dealing with the Virelli’s.