Chapter 47 Cole
FORTY-SEVEN
COLE
Ipaced the living room after finding E fast asleep, clearly blitzed out of his mind on sugar.
“What did Dominic say?” I demanded when Enzo hung up.
He’d been talking in Italian rather harshly, so I assumed it wasn’t good.
Coming home to find my girl out with a whole other group of guys pissed me off.
I was already on the edge with everything as it was.
I’d been holding my tongue on Dominic, but this shit wasn’t going to fly.
“Vincent,” Enzo said, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. “He said they took Rosalie to the cemetery to see Fox’s grave. Now they’re taking her out to dinner.”
“The fuck they are,” I snarled, pulling out my phone. I opened the app to locate Rosalie and watched as she moved on the map.
“Cole—”
“Fuck this.” I called Rosalie. Her phone rang with no answer.
“She’s fine. Aren’t those guys your friends?” Colten asked. He came into the room, Jamie trailing behind him.
I shot a scowl at him. “They’re not going to be shit if someone doesn’t bring my girl home.”
“Cole, let it go. She needs this,” Colten said. “She’s been cooped up for weeks. She lost the love of her life--”
“I’m the love of her fucking life!” I shouted, making Jamie jump. “Enzo is. E is. Fox was, and then he left us! She needs to be home with us. With me. Where can she be safe!”
“Let her go,” Enzo murmured. “Colten is right.”
“What if she gets fucking taken? Huh?” I yelled. “Are you prepared to bury our fucking woman next?”
Enzo winced at my words before sighing.
“Cole, go upstairs and check on E,” he said, his voice low. “The kings know what they’re doing. They’re all with her. Vincent swore she was fine and seemed happy to be out of the house. Let her have this. She needs this. It’ll help her.”
“Fuck you. You check on E. I’m going to Rosalie—”
“Go fucking upstairs!” Enzo roared at me, his face red.
I glared at him, my chest heaving. He’d been losing touch with everything since Fox and E were taken. Our lives were falling apart, and I felt like he didn’t give a fuck anymore. Two months ago, Rosalie out with the kings would have made him lose his mind. Now? He didn’t give a fuck.
“If I lose her, I’ll never forgive you,” I snarled softly to him as I walked past him to go upstairs. “She trumps you, Enzo. Know that.”
He said nothing as I ascended the stairs, my chest on fire. I checked on E to find him still asleep before I went straight to her bedroom and lay in her bed, counting down the minutes.
I hadn’t been spending as much time with her as I should. I knew this. It was hard for me, too. I was selfish because it killed me to see her so broken. To save my own heart, I stepped back as a means to keep E and Enzo sane.
In the midst of it all, I was losing my own mind.
After an hour, I opened the app on my phone to check on her. She was in a bar downtown.
A fucking bar.
I ground my teeth and got up. There was no way in hell I was going to sit around at home while my girl was hanging out with a bunch of other dudes at a bar.
Not fucking happening.
I went downstairs, expecting to find Enzo guarding the door, but he wasn’t there. Assuming he was in the office, I went through the living room only to come face-to-face with Colten standing outside near the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing him.
“Smoking,” he muttered, putting out a cigarette.
“When did you start that shit?”
“Only do it when I’m stressed.”
I sighed. “I get it.”
“Where are you going?”
“Out,” I mumbled, moving past him to go to my car parked in the driveway.
If I thought he wouldn’t follow me, I was wrong. He walked to the passenger side of my car and got in.
“I need to get the fuck out of here too,” he said, sliding onto the passenger seat.
I closed myself in, started the engine, and then pulled out of the driveway.
I knew Colten was going through some shit with his girl.
Clara. I hated that bitch, but Colten was intent on marrying her shady ass.
I knew our parents were forcing it on him, and Colten was a man of tradition.
He reminded me of Enzo in a lot of ways.
“I appreciate you hanging around. You don’t have to, but I do appreciate it. It’s helped us so much,” I said, turning onto the main road.
“You’re my brother, and Fox was my friend, too. Of course I’d stick around,” he replied.
“I’m sorry we keep leaving you to deal with Rosalie and E.”
“It’s fine.” He waved me off. “Neither come out of their rooms, nor do they want anything to do with anyone. Dominic is here enough anyway that he takes a lot of it.”
I nodded tightly.
“That’s where we’re going, huh?” he continued.
“I don’t like her being away from home. The timing is shit.”
“It might help her,” he said.
“I’ll help her,” I muttered.
“When was the last time you did?” he asked gently.
I swallowed at the question. “Too long. I don’t know how to do any of this shit. I’m better at the violence than the comforting.” I was quiet for a moment as I drove. “I haven’t fuck her in weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever gone without pussy for so long. I think it’s making me insane.”
“Well, don’t pressure her on it. She likely will need a lot of time. She’s grieving.”
I grunted. I knew that. The last thing I wanted to do was make things worse in that respect.
“And it’s probably a good idea to go easy on her tonight,” he continued in that big brother knows best voice he used.
I ground my teeth. “It’s hard.”
He chuckled. “I know, brother. You always were a fucking nut job.”
I said nothing as we drove. The entire way to the bar, I tried to reason with myself and keep my breathing even. When we arrived, I parked and we got out.
We went inside without issue.
I walked around, looking for her in the dimly lit place. It was fairly crowded and hard to see, but I spotted Fallon at the bar. When he walked away, I followed him to his table.
Rosalie sat next to Dominic. He was pushing a chicken tender basket with fries at her, and she was slowly picking at them.
I approached with Colten at my side.
Vincent looked at me when I reached the table.
“Took you long enough,” he said, a tiny smirk on his lips.
I said nothing and slid in next to Rosalie. She looked over at me, surprise on her sad face.
“Rosebud,” I murmured. “Are you OK?”
She nodded. “Are you?”
“I am.” I reached out and took her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles. “I was worried about you. You didn’t answer your phone.”
“Sorry. It’s on silent.”
“Yeah, but you know better than not to call me,” I insisted, noting that Dom was keeping a close eye on me. That annoyed me, but I reminded myself to stay calm since they were helping us.
“I’m sorry,” she said, poking at her fries. “But would it have mattered? Enzo called off the wedding. Neither of you bothers to pay attention to me anymore. Ethan doesn’t want me. I figured it wouldn’t matter.”
I glanced around to see the kings trying to look busy. I knew they’d heard her, though. Colten had walked to the bar and was getting a drink, so he was no damn help.
“You matter,” I said fiercely. “You always matter.”
She shrugged and put a fry into her mouth, chewing slowly.
“Cole, do you have a minute?” Dom asked.
I gave him a sour look but nodded. He got up, and I followed him away from the table and over to a darkened corner.
“What?” I demanded.
“I know you’re pissed. We’re just trying to help. She needs people to take her mind off shit—”
“Listen, De Santis, I like you enough not to kill you, but I don’t like how close you’re getting to my girl.”
“I understand. She’s a sweet girl. She’s breathtaking, brilliant, and talented. I’d be on edge too if I were you.” He breathed out. “But I’m not here to steal your girl. I’m here to help her. I have my own girl.”
“You really don’t,” I said. “Anson has your girl. The same prick who was trying to take mine.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It fucking sucks. We’re hurting too.
Our girl is with my maniac fath—brother.
It’s hard for us. I barely sleep. Being able to hang out with Rosalie has helped me keep my mind off my kids and girl.
It kills me to know my family is out there and could be killed at any moment.
I’ve been where Rosalie is. I only want to be of use. ”
We stared at one another for a long time before I spoke.
“You haven’t touched her?”
“I would never,” he said solemnly. “I know you’ve seen me at my worst, and I was that man at one point in my life, but that’s not who I am now.
I don’t want to fight with you. I swear, none of us wants to take Rosalie from you guys.
We’re friends. I’d like us to remain as such. ” He held his hand out to me. “Deal?”
I stared at his hand for a moment before sighing and nodding. “Deal. It’s just fucked up, and I’m not used to this shit.” I shook his hand.
“She’s safe with us. We’d die to protect her. I swear that to you. She needed this. She smiled a few times today.”
“Really?” I released his hand.
He nodded. “Yeah. She’ll have good days and she’ll have bad days. Just be there for her during both.”
I looked over to the table where she sat, still picking at her fries. Colten was now sitting beside her while Vin spoke.
“Shit’s fucked, Dom. Really fucked,” I confessed.
He studied me, not saying a word.
I needed someone to talk to, so fuck it.
“I think Enzo is going to walk away from her. E… I think he will too. He’s not himself anymore. Can’t even touch him.” My voice hitched. “I’m scared, man. Terrified. I-I don’t want to lose her. She’s everything to me.”
“She loves you,” Dom said. “I don’t think you’ll be able to get rid of her. She won’t just walk on you guys. She’s like my wasp. She’s in for the long haul.”
“I hope so.”
He clapped me on the back. “Come on. Have a burger. A beer. Relax as much as you can. Enjoy the time you have.”
He was right.
“I’m sorry I came busting in here tonight,” I said.
He waved me off. “I’d have done the same. We expected you.”
We walked back to the table, and Colten moved so I could slide in next to Rosalie.
“Hey,” I said, kissing her temple.
Her green eyes skirted over me. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, baby. Eat, OK?”
She studied me for a moment before she went back to poking at her fries, her bites tiny, but at least she was trying.
And because she was trying, I’d keep trying too.