30. Ethan
ETHAN
Cole was a damn mess. It was worse than I’d ever seen him, and I’d seen him in some of his darkest days. He’d gone as far as hiring a lap dance at one of Enzo’s clubs, but he cried the entire time the woman was on him. Then he’d gotten drunk and thrown up on my shoes.
“Naked push-ups?” Enzo asked as I came back into the living room after checking on him.
“Yep. Naked fucking push-ups.”
Enzo sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“You fucked up,” I said, looking at Enzo. I’d been saying it to him for days, and he kept shaking his head and not saying a damn word.
“I know,” he said, sitting forward.
We were quiet for a moment before I spoke. “Uh, Church reached out. Said we needed to fix shit or he would step in again.”
Enzo grunted.
“Enzo, what were you thinking?” I asked gently.
“I wasn’t,” he muttered. “At least not as a whole. It was a selfish, stupid, drunken, jealous move. I fucked up. I know I did. I just… I don’t know how to fix it.
Cole says he’s cheated. He hasn’t spoken to Rosalie in a week.
It’s killing him. And with a baby on the way.
” His voice cracked. “I know what this means to him, so I know how badly I fucked it up. H-He’s scared.
I’ve considered reaching out to Rosalie myself, but I don’t even know what I’d say or if what I would say would only make shit worse. What do I do?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Enzo cursed softly.
His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, his face morphing from sadness to anger as he answered.
“What?” he snapped. “Fucking hell. I’ll be right there.”
“What is it?” I got to my feet with him. Laz was with Ann and Harold making cookies, so I had the night free.
“Shooting at one of the clubs. Think it’s Virelli’s men. They captured one. Get Cole.” Enzo got up and went to our weapons room, and I dashed upstairs to find Cole still doing push-ups.
“Get dressed. A club was shot up. Think it was Virelli’s men.”
“Fuck all that,” Cole muttered, continuing to work out.
“Cole, we’re going in. Get your shit on. Let’s go.”
He shook his head, but went to his knees, his dick out.
“Get dressed,” I said again.
“Are you happy, E?”
I frowned at him. “What?”
“This life. Are you happy?”
“No, I’m not fucking happy, but I’m about to be even more unhappy if you don’t put your cock away and get ready. Enzo is grabbing weapons.”
He shook his head, a muscle thrumming along his jaw, but he got up and put clothes on before following me downstairs to Enzo, who handed us both a variety of weapons. We took them and put them on before leaving.
“Watch this place,” Enzo barked out to Christian as we passed. We got into the elevator and went downstairs to where Memphis and Dmitri were already waiting for us in the Escalade. We piled in and drove toward the warehouse where our men held our new prisoner.
“You need to relax,” I murmured to Enzo as he stared out the window. I knew all his tells. He was pissed. Furious, even. We had a lot of issues with the Virelli’s. Add in the current shit show with Cole and Rosalie, and I knew he was close to losing it.
He said nothing as Cole’s phone buzzed.
I watched Cole pull his phone out and stare down at the screen.
Rosalie’s name greeted my eyes.
His bottom lip shook as he declined the call. Before he could return the phone to his pocket, it rang again, this time with Anson’s name on the screen.
Cole hesitated for a minute, but I noted the way his hand shook. I knew what he was thinking. Something was wrong with Rosalie. I had no idea how her pregnancy with Ellis went, but I knew how it was with Blossom, so fear welled in my chest too.
“Hello?” Cole answered. He winced a moment later before nodding his head.
“Yeah, man. Just busy. No. Fuck you. No.” He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Yeah. I-I did.” His voice cracked, and he wiped at his cheek.
“I-I know. Fuck, don’t, man. Anson, please—” He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared down at it before he threw it as hard as he could across the backseat.
He let out a howl of anger before punching the seat next to me on repeat.
“Stop. Stop!” Enzo grabbed him and gave him a shake. “Cole!”
“Fuck you. This is all your goddamn fault!” Cole shoved him off him. “I swear to fuck, Enzo—”
“Head in the game,” I snapped at the pair. “What the fuck? Listen, pricks. I have a son at home. Get your shit together and hate each other when we get home. Right now, I need you both to fucking focus. Got it?”
Enzo released Cole, who sat back in his seat, glaring out the window.
We were quiet as we rode. Finally, Enzo broke the silence.
“What happened?” he asked Cole softly.
“They know about the lap dance. Fucking Church told them. That fucking asshole has eyes everywhere. I hate him so much.” Cole clenched his hands into tight fists. “I didn’t even enjoy that shit. I-I was just… punishing myself and now…” His voice trailed off. “I don’t know what to do.”
Enzo sighed. “Maybe I can talk to Rosalie—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cole mumbled. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Cole, just call her and talk to her. That’s all you have to do. It’s Enzo. It’s not as big a deal as you’re making it,” I said.
“It is,” he snapped at me. “Enzo fucking hates her. She hates him. How would you feel if the person you loved got off on the person you hate? Huh, E?”
I winced at his words. I understood what he was getting at, but the fact remained. It was Enzo.
“I’ll fix it,” Enzo muttered as we rolled to a stop in front of the warehouse.
I sighed. I sure fucking hoped so.
“Piece of shit! Fuck you! FUCK YOU!” Cole bellowed, beating the ever-loving piss out of one of Virelli’s men while Enzo and I stood back.
I knew this was an outlet for his frustrations, but I’d never seen him quite so unhinged before. Blood spurted from the man’s face as Cole continued his assault.
“Cole—” I went to stop him, but Enzo grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Let it happen,” he said softly.
“Fuck you!” The man shouted back before laughing wildly. “You’re all fucking dead! This is war! De Luca. You’re going to die just like your daddy did.”
Enzo didn’t flinch next to me. Instead, he stood silently, watching as Cole stormed back to us and dug into Enzo’s suit jacket.
I watched as Cole pulled Enzo’s knife out and returned to the man.
“You’re connected to that pop star. That little red-haired whore on stage,” the man continued, laughing softly, his words slurred from being punch drunk. “Virelli has a special little gift for your whore. We know she’s visited you.”
Both Enzo and I stepped forward, and Cole hesitated.
“What the fuck did you say?” Cole demanded.
“You heard me, you little blond bitch. Your red-haired whore. She is going to get fucked so hard. Everyone fucking knows De Luca doesn’t let women close. The sex tape was leaked. There’s a pretty little bond between the two. She is going to be so… fucked.” He laughed wildly again.
Cole’s hands shook as he glared at the man strapped to the chair in front of him.
“What is Virelli planning with Rosalie?” I snarled, coming forward and grabbing the man by his lapels.
“Everything.” He spat at me. “Fuck her. Pass her to his loyal men to fuck and play with. Your friends aren’t your friends, horsemen. Too stupid to see what’s right in front of you.”
“Tell us what you know,” Enzo demanded.
“I know that your bitch is fucking blondie here and that she’s been knocked up.
” He laughed darkly. “And I know that when we get her, we’re going to cut that fucking thing from her guts and send it back to you in pieces.
Then maybe we’ll play with the boy. Lazarus. See if he can rise from the dead.”
I lost it before Cole could. I snatched the knife from Cole’s hand and jammed it hard beneath the man’s jaw. It tore through flesh and muscle, blood oozing out like a fast-flowing river.
He let out a shriek as the blade came out of his cheek.
But I didn’t stop.
I pulled the knife free, completely losing it on him. I was close the moment he mentioned Rosalie and her unborn baby, but the second he said Laz’s name, that was fucking it.
I pushed my blade through his neck, his screams muffled and his body twitching from the pain and trauma.
And I fucking cut.
Blood poured out, and I didn’t stop until I’d cut through his entire neck, a complete bloodbath surrounding me.
I took a step back and kicked as hard as I could until the bone snapped, completely severing his head from his body.
It hit the floor with a thump, the blood slowly spurting out, the body still twitching.
I was soaked in the man’s blood. It had seeped through my clothes. I turned to see Enzo and Cole staring back at me, eyes wide.
I stepped forward and pushed the knife against Enzo’s chest. He took it, and I walked out of the warehouse.
I’d kill all of these motherfuckers. No one threatened my family.
And Rosalie was family.