Page 165 of When We Fall: Part One

Enzo sat forward, and E looked up from his sketchpad.

“Yeah. Anson called. He said she’s ready.” Fox visibly swallowed.

“Do you have a weapon?” Enzo asked, getting to his feet.

“Yes, but it won’t matter. They’ll take it from me, I’m sure.”

“If something happens to you,” Enzo said thickly, staring into his eyes. “Fox?—”

“I’ll be fine,” Fox murmured. “Promise.”

“I don’t like this,” I said, my frustration at an all-time high. “You shouldn’t be going alone. This is fucking nuts. Let me come?—”

“No,” Fox said sharply. “I’m not going to risk Rosalie by bringing anyone. I’ll be fine. Anson is there. I trust him.”

“There’s your first fucking mistake,” I started.

“Cole, enough,” Enzo barked out. “I know this is hard. You’re not the only one struggling with it. If Fox thinks he has this, we need to trust him.” He winced, clearly in pain from being shot in his damn arm. The entire night Rosalie went missing had been fucked.

I shot him a glare and left the room, unable to handle it anymore. Quickly, I went to Rosalie’s room, where I’d been sleeping since she’d been gone, and curled up in her bed. Pulling out my phone, I cycled through photos and videos of her that I had. It’s all I’d been doing since she’d been gone—that and roaming the streets, looking for anyone with information on the hit.

All had been quiet after.

Not a fucking peep.

I stared at the picture of her I’d taken only a week ago. She was sitting in the living room with her music in front of her at the picture window. Her green eyes were focused outside, her pencil at her lips as she thought about her song.

When I’d taken the picture of her, she’d looked over at me, a big smile spreading across her face that had warmed my insides. I’d fucked her right on that window seat, not giving a shit if the world saw me do it.

I was so in love with her; it hurt my fucking soul every second she was away from me. I felt like I was dying with each passing minute she wasn’t in my arms.

Hastily, I wiped at a tear and darkened my phone screen. The guys didn’t understand how deeply I felt for her. They knew love for her in their way, but mine was much fiercer. Or at least I thought it was. Fox’s probably transcended space and time, but I was racing him to the finish line on it. I didn’t give a shit if they had a history. My feelings were just as strong. E kept his love soft and hidden, just for her to feel. And Enzo. He was fierce, but his love was violent. I suppose mine was, too.

I exhaled, thinking about what it was like to find her gone, how my whole world had come crashing down.

“Where is she?” I demanded, my heart pounding as I stared at her things on the ground. Anson’s car was nearby, so I knew he was somewhere close.

“I don’t know,” Fox choked out, putting his phone to his ear as he called Anson back. He’d seen the missed phone call a half hour ago, but we were dealing with Enzo and the gunfight. We’d gone to a club on the edge of the town, which was deep in the Russian territory of the city. In retrospect, it was a bad idea, but no one threatened us and got away with it.

It had ended badly the moment we started looking around, asking questions. The Russians were tight-knit; I’d give themthat. Weapons were drawn. People died. Enzo was shot in his arm.

I’d wanted to go to the hospital, but Enzo refused and called Emilio and his father. They arranged for us to take him somewhere deep in the city to a connection who fixed him up and pulled the bullet out before sending him on his way with a bottle of pain meds and antibiotics.

Now, we were standing in what had apparently been a struggle. Randy and Jake had been called off by a cloned cell. We’d fucked up. Again.

Whoever was behind this knew what they were doing.

“He’s not answering,” Fox snarled, calling again. And again.

I tugged at my hair, my fucking heart shattering. If someone took her… if she was hurt…

Fuck!

All I could imagine was her screaming for help, and we weren’t there.

Not again. Fuck. Not again.

“She’s going to be OK,” E rasped. “S-She’s strong. S-She’s OK.” He shook, his green eyes wild. There was no way in hell we were going to be able to deal with a meltdown from him, Enzo’s wound, and Rosalie’s being missing. It was too much.