36. Enzo
THIRTY-SIX
ENZO
I finished a bottle of bourbon and stared into the fireplace, watching as the flames licked the logs. Everything really was fucked. Quickly, I wiped at a tear that slid down my cheek before I looked at Rosalie’s engagement ring in my hand.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew I deserved to lose her because she was right.
My priorities had gone askew. I should have been more concerned about E’s comfort than the situation with Celeste and her old man.
In the big scheme of things, I guess I just assumed Fox would handle it so I could carry on with business.
Continuing to stare down at the gem in my hand, I let the tears fall, the memory of being alone with Celeste plaguing me.
“Why can’t I have him?” She stomped and stared at me in the club’s office.
“Because he’s not yours to have,” I shot back, shaking my head.
She huffed and puffed for a moment, clearly not used to being told no, before she finally continued.
“I want someone, Enzo. If I can’t have him, then I want you.” She made to run her hand up my chest, but I wrapped my hand around her wrist tightly.
“Neither of us are available to you, nor will we ever be. You need to understand that,” I said, pushing her away.
“I think you need to understand I’m not just Daddy’s little girl. I have connections that would make you weep.” She glared up at me, the sexy pout she’d tried on me now gone. She wasn’t a sweet daddy’s girl. She was a vicious snake.
“I’m sure you do.”
“You either make Ethan happen for me, or I’ll take you. Either way, one of you will be mine.”
“I’m not the sort of man you threaten,” I answered, staring her down.
“It’s not a threat. It’s a damn promise. I always get what I want. I’m going to be your queen whether you like it or not. You’ll be pushing your big cock into me every night, or your sugar daddy will. Either way, I’ll win.”
I ground my teeth at her words, knowing she was the same type of bitch we’d leave at the bottom of a lake. Her thinking she had a shot with any of us sickened me.
“What will it take for you to go away?” I asked, stepping past her and going to the bar in the room. She sauntered behind me as I poured a glass of whiskey. With so much confidence that it was sickening, she ran a hand around the front of my waist and grabbed my cock over my pants.
I froze at her touch, so many violent thoughts flying through my head that I wasn’t able to focus on which one to go with first.
“Fuck me right here and now, and I’ll leave Ethan alone. We don’t have to tell anyone it happened. I can make you come so good. My pussy is wet just thinking about your big, fat cock sliding deep inside me.” She let out a soft moan and gripped me harder.
I snapped out of my stupor and grasped her wrist again. This time, I didn’t pull my punch. I twisted until she released me and cried out, going to her knees. Her face contorted in the agony I was inflicting on her.
“Do you know what it means when a man is untouchable?” I snarled down at her. She let out a whimper, tears streaming down her cheeks. I gave her a vicious shake, making her cry out for mercy.
“Let me educate you. In all things, you do not. Fucking. Touch. I am not yours. I have no desire to be yours, nor will I ever belong to you. Ethan will never be yours. Cole, should you decide to pursue that, would sooner kill you than fuck you. Is that what you want, Celeste? To die? You wouldn’t be the first woman we killed for offering her pussy up to us when we have a perfect woman already. ”
“What about Fox?” she asked through her tears.
She was un-fucking-believable.
“Never.” I gave her another shake, which made her cry out again.
I released her, then turned back to the bar and slammed down my drink before pouring another.
I was beyond disgusted and pissed off. She was lucky I didn’t just kill her.
I already would have if I didn’t need the weapons deal with Vander Veer.
I needed him on our side. If I fucked any part of this up, he’d dart off to fucking Ivanov.
“You think you’re so smart,” she called out in a trembling voice. “You think yourself a king.”
I turned and faced her, taking in how distraught she looked, with her mascara smeared from her tears and her hair a mess from my shaking her.
“I am not a king,” I said. “I’m a fucking god.”
“You’re a fool who signed his death warrant.”
“Are you threatening me again? With my own fucking death?” I glared at her. Maybe I would just kill her.
She let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I would never dare to do such a thing. Instead, watch yourself, Lorenzo. I’m going to tear your fucking world apart. It begins tonight.”
“Bring it, little girl, but so you know, I will fucking rip your heart from your body before I let you hurt my girl.”
She backed away, grinning manically at me. “Don’t worry, baby. You’re going to do that all on your own.”
I closed my hand around Rosalie’s ring, my heart cracking more and more as I sat there away from her. My parents were coming in a few days. I imagined my father would be overjoyed that Rosalie had given me back my ring. My mother would be heartbroken because she loved Rosalie like a daughter.
And me.
I would fucking shatter if she didn’t put my ring back on.
I stared down at E, fast asleep in Rosalie’s bed later that night.
She slumbered peacefully beside him, her red hair a tangled mess around her.
Fox and Cole had opted to sleep alone. I hadn’t spoken to Fox since he’d left the club.
Even in the living room, I wouldn’t consider anything in there a conversation.
But I needed to.
First, I needed to be with E, though.
Carefully, I pushed the covers back and slid into bed next to him. He mumbled something in his sleep that sounded like Rosalie’s name. It broke my heart to see him this way. As long as I’d known E, he’d been a fighter. His entire life, he’d fought.
I didn’t want to abandon him when he needed me most.
It was killing me inside. Rosalie’s words were gutting me. My priorities needed to get better aligned. I knew everything I’d been doing had been for my family, but she was right, even though she hadn’t come out and said it.
My priorities were also for me. The selfishness made me sick. I wanted my father to be proud of me. I was all he had for an heir. Letting him down gutted me, too. I wanted to feel accomplished.
Fucking hell, I was living in a nightmare I’d created.
I reached out and cradled E’s face, noticing how sad he looked even in his sleep.
His lashes fluttered momentarily before I was met with the green of his eyes.
“Enzo?” he murmured.
“Hey, E,” I answered softly. “How are you?”
“I’m OK.”
I continued to cradle his face, drinking in the way he looked. Whether the guys knew it or not, in addition to Rosalie, they made up my world. I’d die without them just as much as I’d die without her. We were a unit. Destined to always be with one another.
“I’m sorry about tonight. It was wrong of me to put you in that position. I never should have made you come with us. I’ll never do that to you again. I promise.”
He stared back at me before a tear slid from his eye.
“Really?”
I nodded. “Really, man. I’m so sorry. I lost sight of my priorities. It’s on me. You were right to want to go. I should have left, too.”
“Are you OK?” he whispered, his brows crinkling.
“No,” I choked out, my feelings coming to a head. “Rosalie gave me her ring back.”
His face crumbled. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault?—”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I fucked up. I deserve to feel this pain. This fear. It’s all on me. Nothing about this is your fault, brother, I promise you that.”
“What can I do?” he asked, scooting closer to me. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
I gave a slight shake of my head. “No. I need to earn her trust. I keep bringing her back to me and then screwing it all up. It’s something I need to fix, not you or the guys.
I wanted you to know how much I fucking love you, E, and how sorry I am for tonight and for every night you’ve suffered because of my ideas and plans. ”
“I suffer because of monsters, Enzo. Not because of you.” He scooted even closer and rested his forehead against mine as he hugged me. “I love you, too, brother.”
We clung to one another, both of us sniffling. I didn’t want to let him go. The idea that Celeste was out to get us made me sick, but we’d gone through similar before and had drowned that kitten in the lake. I’d do it again if I had to, arms deal be damned.
“Keep loving her, Enzo,” E whispered to me as we held each other. “Don’t let go.”
“I’ll never let go,” I answered softly, clinging to him tighter. My words meant so many things. I’d never let go of Rosalie Bishop. My family. My best friends. This life I’d fucking conquer for all of us. I’d do it all.
I promised myself on repeat until sleep took me, E and I holding each other.
We both needed this.
I’d talk to Rosalie tomorrow, and hopefully, she’d put my ring back on. Until then, I’d simply dream of her on our wedding day.