Page 102 of When We Fall: Part One

And with those words, he got to his feet, leaving me alone on the couch with nothing but his words cutting through my mind repeatedly, the fear of what they meant becoming increasingly more terrifying.

THIRTY-SIX

ENZO

Ifinished a bottle of bourbon and stared into the fireplace, watching as the flames licked the logs. Everything really was fucked. Quickly, I wiped at a tear that slid down my cheek before I looked at Rosalie’s engagement ring in my hand.

I wasn’t an idiot. I knew I deserved to lose her because she was right. My priorities had gone askew. I should have been more concerned about E’s comfort than the situation with Celeste and her old man. In the big scheme of things, I guess I just assumed Fox would handle it so I could carry on with business.

Continuing to stare down at the gem in my hand, I let the tears fall, the memory of being alone with Celeste plaguing me.

“Why can’t I have him?” She stomped and stared at me in the club’s office.

“Because he’s not yours to have,” I shot back, shaking my head.

She huffed and puffed for a moment, clearly not used to being told no, before she finally continued.

“I want someone, Enzo. If I can’t have him, then I want you.” She made to run her hand up my chest, but I wrapped my hand around her wrist tightly.

“Neither of us are available to you, nor will we ever be. You need to understand that,” I said, pushing her away.

“I think you need to understand I’m not just Daddy’s little girl. I have connections that would make you weep.” She glared up at me, the sexy pout she’d tried on me now gone. She wasn’t a sweet daddy’s girl. She was a vicious snake.

“I’m sure you do.”

“You either make Ethan happen for me, or I’ll take you. Either way, one of you will be mine.”

“I’m not the sort of man you threaten,” I answered, staring her down.

“It’s not a threat. It’s a damn promise. I always get what I want. I’m going to be your queen whether you like it or not. You’ll be pushing your big cock into me every night, or your sugar daddy will. Either way, I’ll win.”

I ground my teeth at her words, knowing she was the same type of bitch we’d leave at the bottom of a lake. Her thinking she had a shot with any of us sickened me.

“What will it take for you to go away?” I asked, stepping past her and going to the bar in the room. She sauntered behind me as I poured a glass of whiskey. With so much confidence that it was sickening, she ran a hand around the front of my waist and grabbed my cock over my pants.

I froze at her touch, so many violent thoughts flying through my head that I wasn’t able to focus on which one to go with first.

“Fuck me right here and now, and I’ll leave Ethan alone. We don’t have to tell anyone it happened. I can make you come so good. My pussy is wet just thinking about your big, fat cock sliding deep inside me.” She let out a soft moan and gripped me harder.

I snapped out of my stupor and grasped her wrist again. This time, I didn’t pull my punch. I twisted until she releasedme and cried out, going to her knees. Her face contorted in the agony I was inflicting on her.

“Do you know what it means when a man is untouchable?” I snarled down at her. She let out a whimper, tears streaming down her cheeks. I gave her a vicious shake, making her cry out for mercy.

“Let me educate you. In all things, you do not. Fucking. Touch. I am not yours. I have no desire to be yours, nor will I ever belong to you. Ethan will never be yours. Cole, should you decide to pursue that, would sooner kill you than fuck you. Is that what you want, Celeste? To die? You wouldn’t be the first woman we killed for offering her pussy up to us when we have a perfect woman already.”

“What about Fox?” she asked through her tears.

She was un-fucking-believable.

“Never.” I gave her another shake, which made her cry out again. I released her, then turned back to the bar and slammed down my drink before pouring another. I was beyond disgusted and pissed off. She was lucky I didn’t just kill her. I already would have if I didn’t need the weapons deal with Vander Veer. I needed him on our side. If I fucked any part of this up, he’d dart off to fucking Ivanov.

“You think you’re so smart,” she called out in a trembling voice. “You think yourself a king.”

I turned and faced her, taking in how distraught she looked, with her mascara smeared from her tears and her hair a mess from my shaking her.

“I am not a king,” I said. “I’m a fucking god.”

“You’re a fool who signed his death warrant.”