Chapter 87 Anson
EIGHTY-SEVEN
ANSON
Pounding on my door woke me from a dead sleep. I stumbled out of bed and grabbed my gun, grateful I’d slept in my sweatpants.
I went to the door and peered out the peephole to find Matteo, Alessio, and Klaus on my welcome mat.
I pulled open the door and stepped aside.
“Why the hell are you pounding on my door at eight in the damn morning?” I demanded.
“Is Rosalie here?” Matteo demanded.
“No.” I frowned. “Why?”
I watched Alessio move through my apartment, clearly checking to make sure I wasn’t lying after I closed the door.
I looked back at Klaus, my chest tight. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t find her,” he said, his voice holding a slight shake to it. I’d yet to confront him on whether he was seeing her or not. I honestly didn’t believe it. Could he be helping her? Sure. But a relationship? No way. I refused to believe it.
“Why would you know where she is?” I demanded, glaring at him. For the first time, I was suspicious. I’d been pushing it away, but something wasn’t right.
“Tell him,” Matteo snapped at Klaus, who genuinely looked stricken. It was the first time I’d ever seen a chink in his armor.
“I’m seeing her,” Klaus said flatly.
“I’m sorry. What?” My blood ran cold. I needed to hear it twice, apparently.
“I’m seeing her,” he repeated tightly. “She is…”
“Don’t you fucking finish that sentence,” I snarled, shoving him hard in the chest. “Motherfucker!”
“Alessandro.” Matteo grabbed me as I went to punch Klaus. Alessio moved to stand in front of him.
“Enough, son. He has been punished enough.”
I ground my teeth as I glared at the giant prick. A purple bruise marred his cheek, his lip was split, and there was a cut on his chin. “Cole was right. He came to see me. Said it was you. You motherfucker.” I spat at him. “How fucking could you? You know how I feel about her!”
“Alessandro, stop,” Matteo said, pushing me down onto my couch. “Klaus, tell us what happened. We all need to hear everything. From the beginning to now.”
I sat rocking on the couch, all the fury ricocheting inside my body, eager to get out.
“I-I spent time with her. She is special to me,” he said, his voice holding a slight shake to it. “I found her at a club one night and things just went from there.”
I glared at him. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Alessandro,” he murmured. “I am sorry. I know your feelings for her. I had a moment of weakness and gave into them. I-I care about her. She said nothing was happening between you two.”
My stomach roiled with his words.
“Continue,” Matteo grunted.
“She told me information about my eldest son. It did something to me, so I tried to find him. I could not, so I returned home to her.”
“Because she’s living with you?” God, what the fuck?
He nodded. “Staying at my place, yes. She wasn’t there, so I went out to find her.
I found her at a club. She was alone at the bar.
We sat and talked. She said she wanted to use the bathroom.
We were going to go home after.” He visibly swallowed.
“I did not follow her. I waited, wanting her to have some sense of freedom. It was an error on my part.”
“What happened?” I demanded before clenching my jaw and fists.
“She did not return to me. I went outside to check for her. It is where I encountered Cole Scott. He approached me. We fought.”
I noted the bruise on Klaus’s cheek again. I was glad Cole clocked him at least once.
“He was drunk, and not much of an adversary, but he did hit me. I-I thought he took her. His men showed up, pointed their guns at me before I could finish him. I released him and backed away. I was desperate. She was inside. She was nowhere outside. I checked the back alleys. All of it. I-I think Cole had her taken.”
I breathed out. OK. If the horsemen had her, that wasn’t so bad. She loved those assholes. She’d be safe with them, so I said as much.
“Call them,” Matteo said. “We need to make certain she’s with them. They will unlikely answer me except with gunfire, which I will return in kind.”
I rubbed my eyes and pulled my phone out. Quickly, I pulled up Enzo’s number and called him.
He answered immediately.
“Alessandro,” he said coolly.
“Lorenzo,” I bit back. “I want Rosalie.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Rosalie. You pricks have her. Cole attacked Klaus last night at a club. Rosalie is missing. I want her back.” I put him on speakerphone.
“I don’t have Rosalie,” he said tightly. There was some shuffling around and muffled voices in the back before I could hear what was going on. “Cole. Did you take Rosalie?”
“No,” he mumbled. “I left her in the bathroom. I went to find Klaus. I didn’t see her after that.”
“Why the fuck did you have her in the bathroom?” I demanded, my chest tight. He had pissed me off every single day since I’d known him. I’d wanted to punch him in his face so many damn times since I’d met him, but I always held back because of Rosalie.
“I fucked up,” Cole snapped. “It’s not any of your fucking business what I do with my girl—”
“She is not yours,” Klaus spoke up in a soft, dangerous voice. “I want her. Where the fuck is she?”
“Klaus,” Enzo said, clearing his throat. “I don’t know what sort of relationship you had with Rosalie, but that is over—”
Klaus’s face morphed into something quite terrifying. It was likely the face the ones he killed saw.
“Lorenzo, let us meet with one another so that we can discuss this like gentlemen,” Matteo said smoothly before Klaus could speak.
“In public, if that is your wish. Who she belongs to is irrelevant. She is missing, and we need to figure out where she is. We can meet in one hour at The Loon. Do you know of it?”
“Yes,” Enzo said tightly.
“Perfect. Bring your men if it makes you feel comfortable. I will bring mine. We can sort this like gentlemen. If you do not show, I will tear apart what you’ve built with my bare hands. Do we have an agreement?”
“Yes,” Enzo replied. “One hour.”
“Perfect.”
I hung up and breathed out.
“Alessio, assemble some men. Let’s have brunch.” Matteo smiled at me. “We will find her, Son.”
I looked to Klaus, who was staring at the floor. Matteo followed my gaze and let out a soft sigh. He said something in German to him that I didn’t understand, and Klaus nodded and walked to the door.
“He cares for her,” Matteo murmured. “He has never cared before. It is hard on him.”
“Fuck him,” I whispered, feeling it straight to my bones.
Matteo sighed but nodded for me to get dressed, so I did, really hoping this wouldn’t end in a blood bath.