Chapter 24 Enzo
TWENTY-FOUR
ENZO
Iwiped the blood off my face and stormed out of the warehouse. None of these leads led us anywhere but to more dead ends. I’d killed so many fucking Russian Bratva members that they couldn’t have had many more left.
I’d declared war openly on them.
They returned in kind by shooting up my clubs and making it impossible for me and my men to breathe without ducking.
But fuck them.
I knew they had something to do with the engagement party. All leads pointed to them.
We were losing men on both sides.
We’d just returned home after a night of killing, and I needed a drink.
Cole had immediately gone upstairs to Rosalie. I expected her to be sleeping. When I texted Colten earlier in the night, he said Jamie had gone in and lay in bed with her until she fell asleep.
I was grateful for Colten and Jamie. Them sticking around made shit easier since Anson was seemingly working on shit from his angle. All that was left was me and Cole, and we couldn’t look for the guys and watch Rosalie.
I felt like a rotten partner, though.
I’d been ignoring her, but it wasn’t because I didn’t love her. Quite the opposite.
I sat in my chair in the office, my shirt unbuttoned and a drink in my hands. The fireplace crackled beside me, and I closed my eyes, reliving the nightmare of the engagement party.
I can’t do this. Fuck. Mom and Dad. And Emilio? What the fuck?
I breathed in a lungful of fresh air, knowing I should be inside. I could deal with this mess later.
It was the gunshots ringing out that brought me back inside. The screams. The smoke as I rushed to find Rosalie, my mind on getting to her.
I pulled my gun out and shot at whoever was in a mask. It was E that I spotted first, having a meltdown next to one of the hotel staff who was clearly dead.
“E! E!” I shouted, shaking him to try to pull him out of his panic. “Fucking listen! We need to find Rosalie. Have you seen Rosalie?”
“I-I can’t find her. She was over there, and now she’s gone. Fuck. FUCK!”
I shook him again. “You need to get it together. You can do this. Focus, brother. Please. I need you, man. Come on—”
A burning ache went through my arm, sending me to my ass.
E surged forward, trying to drag me away, his body shaking violently, his eyes wild. Tears flooded his cheeks. He got us behind a table.
I winced and reached for him, cradling his face.
“It’s just my arm. I’m fine. I’ve been shot before. Nothing big. Focus, E. Come on. You can do this. I believe in you. We need to find Rosalie and the guys. Focus, brother. Please.”
E nodded. “O-OK. Find Rosalie. The guys. OK.”
“I love you.”
“I love you,” he answered, breathing in a shaky breath.
“Straight to an exit. Watch your surroundings. Don’t stop until you get out. If you find Rosalie or the guys, leave with them. Got it?”
He nodded, his eyes still wild and tears still flooding his cheeks.
Fuck, I didn’t want to leave him, but Rosalie…
I got to my feet, gun in hand, and forced myself through the crowd, screaming Rosalie’s name.
And that’s when I watched my father aim at one of the ski-masked men. That man wasn’t the issue. It was the one who approached from behind. I shouted for my father, my gun raised. I pulled the trigger to stop the man from murdering my dad.
It was too late. The shot from the other ski-masked man rang out, red blooming over my father’s chest.
I shot that man too, raced forward, and caught my father as he fell and tugged him behind an overturned table.
“Dad,” I choked. “Fuck. Dad!”
He let out a wheeze, his eyelids fluttering.
“Get… Mom…”
“Dad.” I wiped at my eyes, my hand over his chest.
“Lorenzo…”
“Dad,” I rasped. “Please…”
“Let Rosalie go… You… have to. Vander Veer. Marry…T-Take over. Kill t-them.”
“Don’t go. Don’t leave me. I can’t do this—”
“I l-love you,” he choked out, clinging to me. “P-Proud of you, my… boy. My s-son. S-So proud. S-Save M-Mom.”
“I love you.” My tears dripped onto him as he stilled, his eyes fixed on a point far away.
FUCK!
“Dad. DAD!” I screamed on repeat, rocking his body against mine, his blood soaking my white shirt. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t fucking happening!
I had to go. I knew there was nothing else I could do.
I clung to him for a moment before kissing his forehead. Finally, I got to my feet, his blood covering me, and went to find my mom.
But it was too late. Emilio was already clinging to her, rocking her body in his arms as he sobbed.
I fell to my knees next to him and took her hand in mine.
“Mom,” I rasped. “Mama.”
I reached out and traced my fingers along her pretty face, my heart shattering. They’d killed my parents. My family. How had this even happened? Goddamnit! My mother was a good person. The sweetest, kindest mother in the world. FUCK.
“You have to kill them all, Lorenzo. All of them,” Emilio said fiercely, his voice trembling. “I-I can’t leave her. I-I can’t. Not my baby… Fuck, Mars, I love you. I love you….”
“Enzo, man. Come on!” Cole shouted, sliding in next to me and trying to drag me away. “Please! We need to find Rosalie and the guys!”
I nodded without a word before getting to my feet, shooting at the ski-masked men indiscriminately. I was confused about why I’d catch a glimpse of white masks through the smoke, but I figured they had to be the leaders of the group, so I shot at them too when I could.
But I’d never have enough bullets for all these fucking monsters. They deserved to eat them for eternity.
I’d gone back to my mother’s body after everything and kissed her goodbye. Seeing her that way…
I drank deeply, hating everything in this fucking world.
We’d made it out, but E, Fox, and Rosalie were gone. Anson had come in, guns blazing, looking like the fucking devil himself. Had the moment not been so heartbreaking and terrifying, I may have been in awe of the man.
Anson Beyers—Alessandro De Santis—was the real deal. He was a man who should be feared, and the one who had saved Rosalie when I couldn’t.
My arm wasn’t too bad. Neither was my leg.
I had to be treated at the hospital. A few minor bullet removals and a night in the hospital.
They wanted me to stay longer, but I tore out my IV and stormed through the front doors, ready to find my guys.
Cole had already started working on it and had sent a mass of men out while he stayed at my side, for once opting to give Anson time with Rosalie without a fight, at least at first. He’d eventually had him kicked out once I was free, and we’d sent Elijah and his men to sit outside her door.
They’d proved themselves time and time again to me over the last few weeks.
I trusted them. It killed me to leave Rosalie alone during this time, but I had to find Fox and E.
I’d already buried my parents. Just me, Cole, Emilio, and some of our men gathered. They deserved to have a big gathering, but I knew my father would tell me no.
So I didn’t because, for better or worse, he was the voice inside my head.
Now, I was fully in charge of everything. Emilio was struggling, and I’d told him he was free, but he refused his freedom and said he was going to find out who had done this and kill them. I hadn’t seen him since his proclamation, but I knew Emilio. He was working hard.
I’d been killing pretty much anything with a Russian name as of late, but there was simply no information. I was under the impression that Ivanov didn’t even know this shit had happened until news broke on all the channels.
Either he had no clue and hadn’t ordered the attack, or they were really fucking good actors.
I drank until my head was fuzzy and my body was numb.
All I could think about was Fox and E. I had no leads.
Nothing to go on when it came to finding them.
Anson had spoken to me several times on the phone and had no information.
He’d been close to Fox. He was frantic and had taken to the streets, the Archangel, once again, a name whispered in fear.
And still… nothing.
I got to my feet and stumbled upstairs. Noises came from Colten’s room, but he was a fucking night owl, so I ignored them and continued to Rosalie’s room.
I’d been distancing myself from her because it hurt too fucking much to look at her and know I failed us all. It was my fault Fox and E were gone. I’d been too cocky. Too confident.
She’d been shot. She’d had surgery to remove the bullet and patch up the muscles and surrounding damage.
I threw up all of last week over it. It made me sick. I couldn’t even be with her…
Damnit…
I opened her door and staggered into her bedroom to find Cole sleeping next to her, his hand clutching hers.
He was a fucking mess, too. I knew he was beyond stressed, but he was holding shit together like a boss.
I could always count on Cole.
I wanted to give him the world. He deserved it. He took charge immediately after gathering himself at the hospital. Had men out, looking for Fox and E. Collecting Russian Bratva. He really was the perfect second in command.
He took care of Rosalie when I couldn’t.
He barely slept.
It was nice to see him resting.
I stood over Rosalie and stared down at her. She was beautiful. She was always beautiful, but she was haunted. She’d not been eating. My Sunshine was fading because I’d failed her.
I promised her, and I’d broken that promise.
Having Dominic take care of my woman when I wasn’t able to made my stomach twist.
I was failing her in so many ways. These feelings were eating me alive.
I brushed my lips softly against hers.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered against her lips before pulling away. She mumbled my name in her sleep.
Then Fox’s. E’s. Cole’s.
A tear slid down her cheek as she shook with tears from her nightmare.
A nightmare I’d brought to our doorsteps.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Fuck. It wasn’t. Everything was falling apart.
She cried out, her body jerking beneath the nightmare.
I didn’t want her to wake Cole. He was dead on his feet as it was.
Carefully, I lifted her out of bed, her hand falling away from his, and carried her to my room, where I placed her on my mattress.
I prayed the nightmare wouldn’t come, but the prayer was short-lived because she cried out louder, begging for Fox and E, her body thrashing.
“Rosalie.” I shook her. “Rosalie.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she stared up at me, her chest heaving.
“E-Enzo…”
“Just a bad dream.”
Tears slid from her eyes. “Why can’t I wake from it?”
My throat tightened as I tried to keep my own tears at bay.
“You will. Someday. I’m trying.”
She reached for me, but I backed away from her.
“Sleep, Rosalie. You need to rest.”
“I need you,” she choked out. “Enzo…”
“No. You need sleep. Close your eyes for me.” It took everything I had not to go to her. I took a step back.
“Enzo,” she called out, the tears still falling.
“Sleep, Rosalie.”
I watched her bottom lip tremble. I hated this. Fuck, I hated this! Holding her and telling her everything was going to be OK was a fucking lie. Nothing was OK. It might not ever be again. I didn’t want to lie to her. I didn’t want to shatter her world.
“Sleep,” I repeated softly as I watched her cry. “Please, sleep for me.”
I moved to the chair in my room and sat, watching her as much as she watched me.
I thought she’d talk. She didn’t.
What could she even say to me that I hadn’t screamed at myself already? That I was a failure? I fucked up and should have listened? That all of this was my fault?
Her lashes eventually fluttered closed, and she slept once more. I managed to doze off in my chair, my nightmares the same as hers.
At least we still had that.