18. Ethan
ETHAN
“This is going to go over well,” Levin muttered as he drove us through the city back to wherever Rosalie was staying. Since the stalker had struck again, I knew they’d moved. I just didn’t know where.
We pulled up in front of one of Dom’s buildings.
Should have known.
“I can take her,” Levin said as he opened the back door for me. “Probably be safer if you aren’t here.”
“No. I need to talk to them,” I said, letting him help me get her out of the car. Levin held her as I got out before I took her back from him.
My feelings were all over the place, but mostly I was angry at myself for ever doing what I’d done to her. For lying. For keeping Laz a secret. For not telling her the truth. I wanted to say I was protecting her, but really, I was protecting myself back then because I was ashamed of being raped.
I had the opportunity to tell her the first time I saw her again, but I was so wrapped up in her that I was afraid I’d lose her.
I guess old feelings die hard. All old feelings, because even though I’d grown so much over the years, the moment I saw her again, I was right back to the guy who was afraid of losing her.
Fuck me for that.
I guess I had trust issues. Mostly trust in myself since I was apparently an unreliable narrator in my own damn story.
We went into the building and up to the floor where their place was. Levin knocked lightly on the door, and it was opened by Klaus, who immediately zeroed in on Rosalie in my arms.
“What the fuck happened?” he demanded, taking her from me. “Baby? Hey, wake up!” His voice cracked as he held her.
Anson and Evan rushed forward, and Dom followed.
“What the fuck happened?” Evan grabbed me by the shirt and slammed me so hard against the wall that my ears rang, and my breath whooshed out.
“L-Let me ex-explain,” I rasped, trying to catch my damn breath. Fuck, he’d turned into a nightmare. The Fox I knew was far more gentle than the big fucker currently pinning me to the wall.
“Talk fast,” Evan snarled at me, his forearm at my throat.
“Rosalie, come on,” Klaus pleaded softly. “What the fuck did you do to her? Wake up!”
I swallowed hard. To me, Klaus had always been this strong, terrifying force, but seeing him clinging to Rosalie, clearly distraught, broke something inside me.
“S-She’s O-OK,” I managed to choke out from beneath Evan’s hold.
“Easy, man.” Dom put his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Relax. Let him speak. He can tell us what happened.”
Evan was surely glaring at me from beneath his sunglasses, but finally he released me, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
“She came over. Things were said. She pointed a gun at Enzo and then shot through our ceiling. We listened to her concerns, and then Cole lost it when she said she was going back to L.A.,” I explained. “He carries this damn drug in his pocket that I came up with recently. It knocks people out.”
“He fucking drugged her?” Anson snarled.
“Not like that. He just… It’s on a cloth. He pressed it to her face. It’ll knock her out for a few hours. She’ll be fine. I promise she will be. She’ll have a little headache, but I swear to you she will wake up soon.”
“Un-fucking-acceptable.” Now Anson was on his feet and staring me down.
I didn’t want to fight, but I certainly would.
“He was upset,” I explained. “He doesn’t want to lose her, Ellis, or… You guys.”
“So he fucking drugged her?” Klaus demanded, glaring at me.
I took a step back. That had to be the look men saw right before he ended their lives.
“Dad, maybe put her to bed,” Levin said gently. “E knows what he’s doing, and so does Cole. If they said she’ll wake, then she will. Tuck her in and let her rest. Do it now before Ellis sees her this way.”
Klaus glared at me for another moment before he left the room with Rosalie in his arms.
I breathed out.
“No harm was meant,” I said. “I swear it. It’s just Cole was so desperate—”
“What were his intentions?” Evan demanded, his voice like ice.
“Just to get her to stay,” I replied, not wanting to tell him he planned on keeping her and coming to get Ellis. I knew he was just frustrated and scared, and that if I told the truth, it would only make it worse for him.
“She said she was leaving, and he wanted her to stay. To talk. He wanted answers now that she wasn’t able to give him,” I continued. “It was stupid and reckless of him, but he was hurting and desperate.”
“Call Dante,” Evan whispered.
“No!” I shouted. “Fuck, man. Please. Don’t do this. I am begging you not to do this. You know Cole. Please. Just… don’t. It’ll destroy everything. You know it will.”
I wasn’t above getting on my knees and begging him.
“F-Fox. Please,” I choked out. “Having a family is all Cole has ever wanted. I will do anything to keep you from making that call. Name it. It’s yours.”
Evan stepped into my space. “My fucking name is Evan. Fox is dead. You pricks saw to that five years ago.” He backed away from me and left the room. I assumed he went to Rosalie, leaving me with Anson, Dom, and Levin.
I stared at Anson.
“Please, Anson. You spent time with Cole recently. You know what his family means to him. Give him time. He wants to be with you guys.”
Anson shook his head, a muscle thrumming along his jaw.
“We were always good with you guys. We understood you fucked her over and walked out, but had you not, Klaus and I wouldn’t have been able to love her the way we do, so for that, we thank you a million times over.
You guys letting her go gave her a chance with us.
We were even open to letting you guys in with us. ”
“Anson,” I whispered, stepping forward.
“I really think you guys need to think about where your heart is. Threatening Evan’s life, drugging Rosalie, none of this shit is going to fly. This is strike three. What the fuck do you want us to do?” Anson asked, staring me down.
“I know,” I said. “I understand. We wouldn’t give so many chances either, but please. If you won’t give it to Enzo or me, at least give it to Cole. I will give anything for that.”
“Yeah? Anything?”
I nodded. “Anything.”
Anson crowded my space, and I met him eye to eye.
“I want you to go back to the horsemen and tell them that if they ever fuck with my family again, I will kill every single fucking one of you.”
I swallowed hard at his words. There was no fucking way I was leaving here without an answer for Cole. He’d go nuts if this didn’t work.
“Please give Cole a chance,” I said softly. “Please, Anson. I-I know he never gave you one, but I promise you won’t regret it. He is the best brother you could ever have.”
“I already have my brothers, and they don’t hurt my girl,” Anson replied, his voice monotone.
I was losing him. Fuck.
“Tell me how I save this?” I pleaded. “Please, man. Name your price. Please. Give me something.”
“We are leaving here tomorrow. If I catch one fucking whisper of Evan’s life being threatened, I will come for all of you,” Anson said in a deadly whisper that sent chills down my spine. The Archangel was coming out to play. Definitely not good.
“If Cole wants to be a part of my daughter and Rosalie’s life, then he needs to prove how badly he wants it.
I want his blood, sweat, and tears, or it doesn’t fucking count.
And only when I’m satisfied will we allow him even within viewing distance of them.
If he wants it, he’d better fucking work for it.
The same goes for you other two pricks. I have played nice for a very fucking long time, but I am done, Ethan.
Now you’ll have to impress me if you want access to my family. ”
OK. That was acceptable and better than nothing. I could work with this.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “Really. I-I’ll go talk to the guys. I promise you that Evan is safe. I won’t allow harm to come to him. You have my word.”
Anson scoffed. “We’ll see.”
“We will.” I moved past him and went to the door. Levin and Dom said nothing and simply stood off to the side.
“I know you’re neutral, and this changes nothing. We’re still good,” I said to them.
Dom nodded, but I knew if we ruined our relationship with the kings, there would be consequences.
Dom wasn’t a pushover, and he had a fuck of an army behind him.
He could probably just call up Church as well and tell him he wanted us dead.
With him being Anson’s brother and Evan’s cousin, he was likely considered family, too.
Plus, there was the Levin factor with Klaus.
Or hell, he could reach out to the Virelli family. That would fuck us.
I left and returned home to find Enzo in the living room, drinking again.
He looked at me as I came in.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” he said, his words slightly slurred.
“Barely,” I muttered. “Evan pinned me to the wall. Pretty sure he had murder on his mind. Then Klaus wasn’t too happy. And then… there’s Anson.”
Enzo said nothing as he looked down at his hand holding his glass of whiskey.
“I sorted it,” I continued. “They’re pissed, but they’re willing to leave. Their plans are for a flight out tomorrow. They’ll be gone.”
Enzo nodded and drank again.
“You can’t put a hit out on Evan, and you can’t try to kill him yourself. If they hear about it, Church will unleash hell.”
“OK,” Enzo replied. “Message received.”
“Enzo, don’t,” I whispered. “Please.”
He said nothing.
“Enzo.” I tried again. “Our brother is alive. It sucks we were lied to, but try to see what happened because of it. We-We got Laz. We got so many great things. You’re at the top—”
“I would give it all up,” he said, looking at me with glassy eyes. “I would if I could go back in time.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “Rosalie is happy. Those guys are ride-or-die for her. I-I love that for her. I do. It fucking hurts, but I am so happy she has guys in her life. That’s who we should have been for her.”
Enzo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as we stared at one another.
“We have a second chance,” I continued softly. “Anson didn’t take it off the table despite his anger. He said to get our shit together. To prove ourselves. It’s what they want Cole to do, too. If he wants her, he has to prove it.”
Enzo scoffed. “Because kidnapping her and drugging her to keep her doesn’t showcase his crazy ass’s desire for her.”
“I’m only telling you what I was told. If we want her, we have to prove it. I don’t know how we’re going to do that if they leave tomorrow, but I’m willing to take the time to… consider it.”
Enzo grunted and drank more. I had no idea where he was on the subject, but I’d given him the message.
“And you won’t hurt Evan?”
“I won’t,” he murmured. “He’s free just as he wanted to be.”
I breathed out. This was good.
“Where’s Cole?”
“Naked push-ups in his room,” he replied.
I sighed. I hated naked push-ups, but I knew he did them when he was trying to contain his emotions.
I got up, clapped Enzo on the shoulder, and went upstairs to Cole’s room to find him doing exactly what Enzo said he was doing.
Ass up, naked, his big cock slapping the floor on every down he did.
“Hey,” I called out.
He grunted and continued working out.
“Cole. Can we talk?”
“Is she telling me to go fuck myself?”
“No.”
He immediately stopped what he was doing and got up. He stood in front of me with his dick still out, sweat glistening on his hard body.
I looked away.
“Tell me what happened,” he demanded.
“Put some damn clothes on, man.”
He sighed and grabbed his boxers and a pair of sweatpants and put them on before settling onto the bed next to me.
“Tell me. Don’t hold back. Just give me the bad news. Is Rosalie OK?”
“She was still out when I left,” I said. “I expect she’ll be coming around now, though. I’m sure if you’d killed her, we’d know in the next few hours.”
He winced at my words. “I-I didn’t kill her.”
“I know.” I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
“What did the guys say?” he mumbled. “Is Evan—Fox—Going to gut my ass?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “They’re pretty pissed. Thought Evan was going to murder me when he saw Rosalie, but he let me go and focused on her. Same with Klaus. Anson said that if you want a chance, you need to prove yourself.”
“Really?” He perked up.
“Yeah. He said to put your blood, sweat, and tears into it. No killing Evan, or we’d have a war. Enzo knows. Enzo promised no hits, but I don’t really think he meant he wanted to kill him to begin with. We’re all dealing with all these emotions. Anger being the headliner.”
Cole nodded. “Should I go there? I can go now.” He got to his feet.
“Cole, relax, man. Rushing over there right now is literal suicide. Just… give them some time. I think starting with a text message in a few days is the way to go. Can you handle that?”
He frowned. “Do you think it’ll help?”
“It definitely won’t hurt.”
He breathed out. “OK. I can do that. I can do a text message. Video calls. Phone calls. Yeah. I-I can handle that. I can go slow and not scare her away.”
The way his voice shook let me know all I needed to know.
He was still very much interested in joining them, despite Fox’s lies.
And me?
I was still willing to let him go.