10. Enzo
ENZO
Istared at Church as he sat in front of me. I had no idea how long I’d been here. Judging by the amount of food pushed through the slot in the door, at least a week, but probably closer to two.
“If you’re going to kill me, get it over with,” I said to him. “If not, let me fucking go. I have a business to run.”
“No worries.” Church waved me off. “Dominic De Santis is handling the city just fine. Might even move into your territory with you missing and all.”
I ground my teeth at that. Dom and I were friends. He wouldn’t do that to me.
“Or the Virelli family. In fact, I believe I heard they had.”
I swallowed. “So do something about it.”
“I am. I’m letting them.” He smirked at me.
I shook my head, disgusted with him. There were a lot of people in the world who pissed me off, but Dante Church took the cake. Sylar De Santis was second to that because he’d kissed my girl.
“Why are you here? To gloat? You fucking won. Congratulations.”
“What did I win?”
“You caught me. You have me down here. I’m away from the world and your sister. Congrat-u-fucking-lations.”
“Is that what you think this is about? My sister?”
“Isn’t it?”
He shrugged as he twirled his knife. “No. Not really. Sure, it’s a bonus because I don’t think you’re good enough for my sister, especially after all the shit you did to her, but it’s also about a contract you made with me and broke.”
I shook my head and looked away from him. “I didn’t do shit. I stayed away just like you wanted.”
“You had her in your home.”
“Because I was fucking returning her, dick. Not because I was keeping her.”
“Did you consider keeping her?”
I shook my head and looked away from him.
“Did you?” He pressed.
“No.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” he snarled.
“What the fuck does it matter? I didn’t. I returned her. She’s safe. I ended the worry. What the fuck do you want from me?”
“Just to watch you suffer for a bit more.”
“Kill me or let me go.” I glared at him. “Stop being a pussy and do it already.”
He regarded me wordlessly for a moment, his green eyes intense.
“Rosalie had a visit from her stalker again. At least now I know it wasn’t you or Cole.”
I frowned. “What? Is she OK?”
“She’s fine. Shaken up a bit, Evan tells me. Ryder fell victim.”
“What happened?” I ventured, my throat tight.
“Mm, an exploding box at the door. He opened the door, and it went off. He was shot in the chest. He’s been going through it lately, what with Cole giving him a head injury and now this.”
“Rosalie is OK?”
He nodded. “Mostly.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I demanded. “What about Ellis?”
“That seems to be the issue.” Church’s eyes darkened. “My niece could have been gravely injured. This does not sit well with me. Had she opened the door, it would be her and not Ryder.”
I swallowed. “Let me out of here. I can do more good outside than in here. I can protect them.”
“I will protect them.” He sat forward. “Your job is to hang out here and await your punishment.”
“What the fuck do you want from me? Do it already! What’s happening to Cole? What about E?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He got to his feet, and I followed.
“Whatever you’re thinking about doing, rethink it.”
“Just tell me if they’re OK.” I balled my hands into tight fists.
“Part of the punishment is not knowing. Be grateful that’s all I’ve done so far,” he answered.
I watched as he went to the door and knocked on it. Sighing, I sank onto the bed again. I was stuck down here for the foreseeable future.
The door was pulled open by a guard, and something was shoved into Church’s hand. He returned to me and dropped it onto the mattress next to me.
A tablet.
“Check out the folder with your name on it,” he said before leaving me.
I frowned, grabbed the tablet, navigated to the folder with my name, and opened it.
Inside were videos. Pictures.
I tapped on one out of confusion and found a video of me playing football in high school.
It was the championship game. I swallowed hard as I watched Fox throw the football. I’d caught it and had run it in for the winning touchdown.
My breath caught as Fox hugged me.
“You’re the fucking best,” he’d shouted as he held me.
I navigated away from the video and went to the next. It was us at Mayfair. Just some student life video that had been posted on the college boards.
I was sitting at a table with Fox and the guys. We laughed as Cole gave Fox shit.
“Man, you know I’d whoop your ass in a battle of wits,” Cole snickered at Fox.
“I’d whoop your ass in all things, Scott,” Fox retorted before throwing a French fry at him. Cole threw one back at him, both laughing. I made to flick my fry, but it hit E in the face, making him grunt as he tried to study for an upcoming chemistry test he had.
Rosalie slid onto Fox’s lap, ending the short-lived food fight.
“Mm, Rosie,” Fox murmured, kissing her. “Hey, baby. How were classes?”
“Good.” She kissed him again.
My stomach tightened, wishing I could hold her, but we’d agreed she’d be Fox’s on campus.
“Ani wants me to go out to this club tonight—” Rosalie started.
“Nope.” Cole shook his head. “That’s not happening.”
The video cut off there, and I moved to the next one. It looked like it was taken from one of our phones.
Rosalie’s.
She’d recorded Fox’s birthday.
“Hey, birthday boy,” she said, kissing him as he sat at the kitchen table.
Cole slid a birthday cake in front of Fox and took a seat as Fox held Rosalie. The video shook, and E’s face came onto the screen because he’d taken the phone.
“Hey, it’s Fox’s twentieth birthday! We’re here celebrating.” E smiled.
“Fox is doing his best to get laid!” Cole shouted.
“And I’m going to,” Fox said around Rosalie’s kisses, making her laugh and break away from him while I sat by quietly and watched, a small smile on my face.
“Get back here.” Fox reached out and dragged Rosalie back to him as she tried to escape. She giggled and shrieked as he messed with her. He finally got her onto his lap, where he kissed her again.
“I love you, Rosie,” he murmured. “I didn’t need any gift other than you and my family.”
“I wanted you to have it all,” she replied softly.
“I already do.”
My hands shook as I moved to the next video.
Our engagement party.
I couldn’t. I knew what Church was doing. My punishment was to see Fox again. To see him young, vibrant, and happy. To see Rosalie in love. To see what I’d done by my actions.
My bottom lip shook as I forced myself to look at the images loaded onto the tablet. He must have hacked in or stolen a lot of these. None of it surprised me. He likely just took Rosalie’s phone because I remembered that a lot of them were hers.
Me kissing her. She and Fox. So many of them together. Bubble baths. Selfies in bed. Him holding her tightly as they lay together in bed. Fox playing football. His Heisman win. Some were of all of us together.
I wiped at my eyes as I relived all the memories I’d had with my family.
Then the image that really did me in.
It was me kissing Rosalie while Fox watched. I’d just asked her to marry me. Everyone seemed happy but him. He looked heartbroken as he watched me claim her, even though I knew she belonged to him. He’d given up his dreams for me. For us.
I tossed aside the tablet, sickness rolling through me, and lay in bed, crying softly.
Fuck, I missed Fox.
All I wanted to do was to tell him I was so fucking sorry for hurting him. For trying to take her away as my own. I wanted to keep my family together, but there was more to it than that. I could admit it now.
I wanted her to be mine.
My wife. My last name. My first baby.
Fuck, I’d been such a goddamn prick back then.
But I’d loved her so fucking much. There wasn’t a night that went by that I didn’t long to hold her in my arms in our bed.
All I wanted to do was have my family. I wanted to keep us together, but all that happened was that Fox had died, and I’d driven her away.
Then she’d come back into my life, and I continued to hurt her because of some fucking contract I didn’t even want to begin with.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
God, I missed her. I missed Fox.
If only I could see him again. I’d tell him how sorry I was. I’d beg him to come home to me. To Cole. To E. To have a family again. I would give Rosalie to him if it meant he’d stay and we’d all be together.
The ugly memory of me holding his body in the underground slammed into me.
God, he’d gone through hell.
And it was all my fault.
I sobbed harder. Louder. All the pain in the world I’d tried to keep buried all these years finally coming to head.
Church really fucking knew how to torture someone.
But maybe I was better at it because I’d sure fucking tortured myself over the years.
It was up for debate.