Chapter 37 Ethan
ETHAN
Ifollowed Evan out of Church’s mansion. He went out to the gardens and stopped near some white roses.
“It’s nice out,” I commented.
He grunted and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket before lighting one up.
I stared interestedly at him. This entire time, I just felt like I knew him.
He pulled his gator down and took a hit off the cigarette. I noted a jagged scar running down the side of his face. He had some scruff going on, and the scar disappeared into the hair on his jaw. He definitely had a history I was interested in learning about.
He offered me the cigarette, and I took it, taking a deep hit. I wasn’t much of a cigarette smoker, but I wanted to bond with the guy.
“Smooth,” I said amid a cough as I handed it back to him.
He chuckled softly at that and took another hit and blew out the smoke.
“So, uh, I heard you do martial arts.”
He nodded and smoked more.
“I looked up Silat. That’s some insane stuff. How long have you been doing it for?”
“Long time,” he said, blowing out his hit.
Fuck, the guy wasn’t much of a conversationalist.
“Rosalie said you guys met in Colorado. How long did you date before you asked her to marry you?”
He slowly looked over at me.
“Less than a day.”
I blinked rapidly at his answer. His voice was so raspy and throaty. And deep. It was an interesting sound. I bet he could sing, although he didn’t look to be the type.
“You only knew her for a day?”
He nodded and looked away from me as he pulled his gator back over his face. It muffled his voice. I’d like to get a good look at his face with the gator and sunglasses completely gone. If I had to guess, he wore the mask to hide the nasty scar on his face.
“Wow,” I murmured. “That doesn’t sound like Rosalie.”
He grunted, not elaborating on anything. Fuck, how did she even talk to him?
“She told me you write. That’s cool. Do you go by your name or a pen name?”
“Evans Zablecraft,” he muttered, blowing out more smoke.
“And a movie? That’s really exciting.”
He nodded again.
I looked away from him, not knowing how I’d ever create a friendship with the guy. It seemed like he and Anson were close. He clearly spoke other languages. But what the fuck could I even say to get a reaction out of him?
I swallowed, deciding I’d just go for it and see if I could get something from the guy. I wanted to know him, and if it meant I got punched in the face, so be it. He’d taken down his gator a bit to take another hit from his cigarette.
“Does Rosalie still do that thing with her hips when she fucks?”
He stiffened before looking over at me. He blew out his smoke after a moment before dropping the butt onto the ground.
“The one where she grinds down on your cock and rubs her tits as she moans your name? Well, my name now.”
I winced at his brash words. “Yeah.”
“I’ve taught her a few things since you were fucking her.”
I chuckled softly at that. “I will be honest with you. You’re not her type, man. Anson says you’re a good dude, but you seem like a real dickhead.”
“No offense, Ethan, but you’re the one asking me how my wife fucks,” he said softly, his voice holding an edge of danger to it. “So maybe I’m not the problem here.”
“I want to get along with you, but I want to make sure you’re treating her right,” I said, staring him down.
He stepped into my space, but I didn’t back down.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I think it’s Ro’s decision on what she wants. What she likes. And who she wants to fuck. If she wanted to fuck you, she would have the night you were with her.”
I laughed softly at that, deciding to push it. “I kissed your wife, Evan. I’m pretty sure I could have taken her home with me, too.”
He let out a soft, dangerous laugh. “Be careful. I understand you’re testing me, but I advise you to stop while you’re ahead.
Don’t talk about my wife like that. She’s not an easy piece of ass.
If she kissed you, it’s because she cares about you.
Not because she wanted cock. Trust me, I have enough cock to fill her for eternity.
I just want her to be happy, so I let her love others.
If you ever want your cock to be near her, I suggest you watch the words you let come out of your mouth.
We are not enemies. Yet. Don’t try to make me one.
” He backed away from me, and I watched him go as he turned around and left me standing there.
I didn’t follow him.
I figured his next move was going to be to bury me in Church’s begonias.
He definitely wasn’t Rosalie’s type, though.
But hell, what did I know? He had to be doing something right to steal her from Anson in only a damn day.
“Speak,” Evan growled, holding his bat.
“Fuck you.” Donny Jones was an idiot.
We’d heard rumors that Donny Jones was bragging to anyone who would listen that he’d been fucking Rosalie after doing a good job for the Virelli family. His prize for trying to break into one of Enzo’s warehouses was a night with her.
So, we tracked him down and questioned him.
Anson and Klaus had already beaten him to piss and back, but the guy wouldn’t talk.
“Then die,” Evan whispered, taking a step back, his bat in hand.
I didn’t think he’d do it. I thought he was bluffing to get the guy to speak, but he didn’t pull the hit as he swung the bat.
It made a sickening crack along Donny’s head, sending bits of his face and skull splintering apart.
I looked away, and I wasn’t one to get squeamish these days.
Klaus and Anson didn’t look away, though. They simply stood back and watched Evan use Donny as a human pinata.
It was probably the man’s eye landing on my shoe that did me in, though.
“What the fuck,” I hissed out, kicking it off my Italian leather. It hit Klaus on the cheek.
He frowned and shot me an irritated look.
“Don’t kick eyes at me,” he said sternly before he turned his attention back to the gory scene.
I blinked. I felt like I was living inside of a fucking flashback trip from all the drugs I used to do. All that was missing was a dancing fucking goat in a dress.
“You good?” Evan asked as he walked past me.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, watching as he walked away. Anson was already calling Church to get a clean-up.
Klaus said nothing as he followed Evan out of the old warehouse. I sighed.
“He’s rough around the edges,” Anson said, coming to stand next to me.
“He’s fucked up,” I muttered, shaking my head. “He just…snapped.”
“That’s Evan.”
“I don’t like it. If he can snap that fast, then who’s to say Rosalie and Ellis are safe with him around—”
Anson rested his hand on my shoulder. “E. Man. Listen. Evan loves Rosalie. He has since the moment he saw her. And Ellis is his world. I promise he’s good for her. You just need to get to know him.”
I scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
He clapped me on the back. “Trust me. She’s safe with him.”
I grumbled and followed him out of the warehouse to see that Evan was smoking with Klaus, and the bat was put away.
My phone buzzed, and I saw Enzo’s name on the screen.
I’d been dodging his calls all day, hell, all week, but I knew I needed to pick up.
I’d spent this last week out almost all hours and had only dropped in long enough to check on Laz and grab a shower before heading out again. Plus, I didn’t go home last night.
I stepped away from the guys and answered.
“Hey,” I said.
“What the fuck are you doing out in Virelli territory?” Enzo demanded.
I blew out a breath. “Well, I am out here with a few guys, and I just watched one of them beat a man to death with a bat. We didn’t get answers on Rosalie, but it’s a fucking mess inside.”
“Get home, E. Now.”
“No offense, Enzo, but you’re not my fucking boss. I am out here looking for Rosalie—”
“What do you think is going to happen if someone catches you, a horseman, out there? Huh? Do you think Roberto Virelli is going to just look past it? He’s looking for a reason to fuck with us more. I am trying not to kill his entire family. You are not safe there. Come home.”
I sighed. “We have a few more things to do tonight—”
“Just come home,” Enzo whispered. “Please.”
I frowned at the note of desperation in his voice.
“What’s wrong?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t like that you’re where you are.
I had this epiphany today: you’ve been out all week trying to find Rosalie.
I want her found, too, but Virelli isn’t a terribly small fish.
We have this city under control. I don’t want to fuck with it.
Plus, you’re with Anson. Klaus. Two fucking men who took Rosalie.
One married her. The other fucked her. The fact they’re playing nice with one another makes me uneasy. ”
I closed my eyes. I knew he deserved to know the truth, but I couldn’t say it.
For one, I promised. And two, while Enzo acted like he didn’t give a damn, I knew he did.
He tried to bury it with work, violence, and too much alcohol.
Telling him she had a different husband and a whole new harem would likely take us nowhere good.
“Where’s Cole?” I asked.
“Out. Said he was going to look for her. He just left. He spent the day at the hospital, then came home for a shower before leaving again.”
I sighed. “I’ll come home. I’m tired anyway.”
“I’ll pick you up. Laz is with Ann and Harold.”
“Not here,” I said quickly. “Meet me at Giodi’s on Erie. Twenty minutes.”
“Got it.” He disconnected the call. I returned to the guys just as Church’s men rolled in.
“Inside. It’s a mess,” Anson said.
They were his clean-up crew, not his actual guys, so that was a relief.
I didn’t feel like dealing with Sinclair and Malachi.
It was bad enough I’d sat in Church’s mansion today and seen Sirena.
She was absolutely gorgeous, but she was the first woman to ever terrify me.
Like, truly terrify me. Clearly, that meant she was made for Church and the ghosts of the underground.
Or watchers. Monsters. Devils. Demons. What-the-fuck-ever they wanted to call themselves.
I’d almost asked Church to speak privately about the contract today, but thought better of it and figured finding Rosalie was the top priority right now.
He and I shared some fucked up trauma bond. I owed him my life, but he was the type of guy you could never repay.
So I just aimed to stay away from him as much as I could.
“Hey, I’m needed at home,” I said. “Can you guys drop me at Giodi’s on Erie?”
“Yeah, of course,” Anson said, nodding for me to get into the blacked-out Rivian.
I got into the backseat and watched as Anson talked to Klaus and Evan for a moment. They all looked tired and defeated. I suppose I likely did too.
Anson and Evan seemed exceptionally close to one another. It was almost like Cole and Enzo. I wondered what was going on with that whole thing, but it wasn’t my place. I still didn’t think Evan was safe to be around Rosalie and Ellis, but I’d fight that battle another day.
The guys got into the car. Anson got behind the wheel, Klaus got into the passenger side, and Evan sat in the back with me.
“We can follow up with a few Ivanov stragglers,” Anson said. “If you’re game.”
“Of course,” Klaus said.
“I am,” Evan added.
Good to know they were going to continue well into the night.
“Hey, E, man, thanks for all the help this week,” Anson said. “I know if Rosalie were here, she’d thank you herself.”
“I’ll keep searching,” I said. “She matters to me.”
The topic changed over to their plans for the evening, and I stared out the window at the passing city. When we pulled up to Giodi’s, I saw Enzo’s Escalade waiting. I got out of Anson’s car, bidding them goodbye, but was surprised when Evan followed me out.
“Hey,” he called out to me as I made to go to Enzo.
I stopped and faced him. “What?”
I noted Enzo had stepped out of the Escalade and was watching, Dmitri and Memphis visible in the front seat.
“Why didn’t you come for Ro? It’s been years, and you never came for her.”
I frowned at that. “Why is that even a question?”
“You said you care about her, but you never came for her. I want to know why.”
“It’s none of your business,” I said tightly.
“It may not be, but she’d want to know. You broke her heart. You and the guys.”
I swallowed hard at his words.
“Then I suppose that’s a conversation I need to have with her.”
“When I get her back, and I will, you will have that conversation with her. You’ll tell her why. She deserves to know so she can sleep at night.”
I stared at him beneath the street lights.
“You’re not good for her,” I said softly.
He let out a soft, dangerous laugh at my words. “It doesn’t matter if you think that of me. What matters is that my ring is on her finger. She belongs to me.”
“For now,” I said, letting the words out. I didn’t even know what the fuck they meant, but I said them anyway. This guy was rubbing me the wrong goddamn way.
“If you couldn’t come for her in the last five years, I have my doubts you will now. Have a good night, Ethan.” He backed away from me before getting back into the Rivian with the guys. They idled for a moment before pulling away from the curb.
“Who the fuck was that?” Enzo asked, coming to stand next to me.
“Evan,” I said softly.
“And that is?”
“A new fucking problem,” I muttered, watching their taillights disappear around a corner.
“Perfect. Just what we need,” Enzo grumbled, going back to the Escalade.
I followed. He was right.
Fucking perfect.