38. Ethan
Chapter 38
Ethan
“ I feel like you should’ve stayed home,” Sebastian murmurs from the corner of his mouth.
I adjust my shirt cuff for the third time since getting out of the cab, as if a pristine suit will calm my nerves. It hasn’t worked so far, but I’m not a quitter. I also mustn’t be keen on having a strong heartbeat because I’m at Ranger Luxe’s wedding.
“She invited us,” I say. “It would be rude to turn her down.”
“You’re a man who agreed to help the cops spy on a known gangster.” Sebastian throws his thumb in the direction of the room. “And you’re in a room full of gangsters.”
I tug on my cuff. That’s true. But I want to see Denver, and I want to check if Axel has landed safely. I figured it was a conversation best had in person. “Denver wouldn’t have asked us to come if she thought we were in danger.”
I hope.
I haven’t slept since dropping Axel off at the airport. I also haven’t told a soul what I did, not even Sebastian, and it’s only the second secret I’ve kept from my oldest friend. The first being that Denver Luxe is unequivocally guilty.
“The people in the true crime group chat are never gonna believe me,” Ace whispers, the chandelier reflecting in his wide eyes. “This is so fucking cool.”
Sebastian slaps Ace up the back of the head. “This is not cool. This is murderers under one roof, and they’ll take one look at you and eat you.”
Ace rubs the spot Sebastian hit. “I like bad boys.”
Zeke scans the room. “Maybe I can get myself a Mafia princess. Ethan, you’re good at picking dangerous women. Point one out to me.”
I scowl. “Go and get a fucking drink.”
“I wouldn’t drink a thing from here,” Archer says as he seems to glide into the room, stopping at Sebastian’s side. “I hate that you know this woman.”
“I hate that you’re convinced she’s guilty when she’s not,” Sebastian claps back. I turn my attention to the room, my neck prickling.
“That’s why I’m the cop, and you’re not,” Archer says.
Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Your face is a cop.”
“Very mature.”
I sigh. “Can we not act like twelve-year-olds tonight?”
Sebastian scowls at his brother. “I canceled on a date to bring you, Archer, so don’t ruin my evening.”
I spot Denver. She’s on the dancefloor with Ranger, looking over her shoulder at me. Her silk, ivory gown dips to her lower back and hugs her curves, and when she turns, her cowl neckline scoops low enough to appear sultry but classy. She wears what looks like a diamond-encrusted choker, a matching clip slid through her red locks to hold back part of her hair.
She looks beyond beautiful.
And not mine.
Ranger says something to her and walks away, and she spins on her heel and makes her way over to us.
“You came!” Denver cries happily, clapping her hands, her smile sweetening when she spots Archer. “Are you here on official business, detective? Or can I get you drunk?”
Archer eyes her with disdain. “I’m not touching a thing you’re serving.”
Her eye twitches. “Then why don’t you get the fuck?—”
“Stop,” Sebastian whispers between them like they’re bickering teenagers. “We’re here for a nice evening.” He kisses Denver’s cheek. “Congratulations, Denver.”
She rolls her shoulders and crosses her arms. “Thank you.”
Ace and Zeke congratulate her, too, and I wait until my friends have disappeared before stepping forward.
“You look beautiful,” I say, dipping my hands into my pockets, my fingers folding around the plastic item I brought with me.
She smiles. “Thank you.” Glancing over her shoulder, she says. “Can we talk?”
I nod and follow her out onto a balcony. The floor-to-ceiling glass doors remain open as we step into the cool air, the noise of the party close enough to muffle our conversation.
Denver stands by the balcony wall, her hands resting on the stone as I take my place by her side.
“Did he arrive okay?” I ask quietly.
Denver nods. “He did. I spoke to him not long ago.”
“And he’s all right?”
Her smile is tight. “As well as he can be, I suppose. But at least he’s far away from here.” She glances into the room, where guests are dancing and music plays, a celebration for a wedding that I prayed would never take place.
“He rambled a lot on the drive to the airport,” I say. “Said you’d play a game together where you’d talk about make-believe futures.” I pause, swallowing the thickness in my throat. “What would ours be?”
Denver’s gray eyes shine in the dark, the lights and stars reflecting on tarnished silver as she smiles up at me. She takes a shaky breath. “Dog walks every day, but longer on Sundays. Movie nights, but I get to pick what we watch.”
I smile. “You do?”
“Of course,” she says and grins. “Double dates with Sebastian and whoever is lucky enough to have him. You bringing home another dog because you have too good a heart.” Her voice breaks, her lips tremble, and I want to kiss her. I want to save her, be with her, give her everything she just said, and more.
But even I know by now that she belongs with Ranger, and anything less than being a Luxe will never be enough.
I blink back tears and face her, the warmth of the party at my back. I then fish the item from my pocket and hold it out to her.
She laughs, her eyes still sparkling as she takes the guitar pick. Its yellow has faded over the years, the edges scratched, and “TRIFECTA” is scribbled across it in Sharpie.
“Something to remember us by.” I grin. “Ranger won’t know what it means, but you will.”
She twists the pick in her fingers. “Well, I’ll?—”
Someone drops a glass, and I blink. I frown as my gaze lands on a spatter of red across ivory silk. “Denver, your dress.”
Denver’s eyes widen, and her lips part. “Ethan.”
The floor meets my knees. Pressure builds in my chest. Did I spill a drink? There’s so much red.
“Ethan,” Denver cries. “Ethan, Ethan?—”
Her voice becomes an echo, and someone is screaming; everyone is screaming. White curls from the edges of my vision, so bright, too bright?—
“Can’t you feel it, Ethan?”
I look at my brother. The train is getting closer, but I don’t run this time. I stare into the blinding lights until they no longer hurt my eyes.
James takes my hand.
I take a breath. “I can feel it.”
Denver calls my name again, and the world becomes light.