Chapter 47
Ethan
During a recent conversation with Rocco, he said to me, “Let’s not lose a thousand to save one.”
He was taking aim at my obsession with Jackson, and I knew right then that Rocco had never been in love. The business was his mistress.
“Is that what you told my father?” I kept my voice level, but the question was a knife I wouldn’t hesitate to twist if necessary.
The phone line went silent.
“Your father’s situation was different,” he finally answered. “He had an empire to protect, a family depending on him. It wasn’t a straightforward decision.”
Since Aurora came into my life, I’ve often wondered what I might’ve done in my father’s shoes.
I can’t claim to understand the bond between brothers, but I know I would’ve emptied every bank account and fired every bullet before surrendering.
I used to judge my father for taking six lives, but now?
Six seems merciful. Hell, the twins racked up a higher body count at our beach house alone.
Dimitri raised his boys differently. There’s a new generation of Rossi men, and we’re even more ruthless.
“I hear you,” I told Rocco, “but understand this—nothing comes before them. Nothing. If this empire crumbles tomorrow, they’ll still stand by me.
If I said we needed to disappear, they would—no questions asked.
That loyalty goes both ways. If they’re not happy, I’m not happy.
If they’re not safe, no one is safe. I’ll burn this fucking world to the ground. Don’t test me.”
Now, I watch Rocco’s calculating eyes follow Harper across the parking garage, his expression tense with the same protective instincts I recognize all too well.
I clasp his shoulder, unable to hide my smirk. “Welcome to the club. Try not to lose a thousand to save one.”