“You’re nuts,” Cole muttered.
“Yeah, so I’ve heard.” I opened the door, got out, and was immediately bombarded.
“Mr. De Luca! Do you know where Bishop is?”
“Is it true you met up with Bishop last night, and it’s why Anson was arrested? He caught you two together?”
“Mr. De Luca! Where did you hide Bishop’s body?”
I stopped and held up my hands. “I was not with Bishop last night. I have not seen her in many years. We were engaged, but we split long ago. We are not in contact, and have not been for years. I do not know where she is, who took her, or what’s happened, so please, give us some peace while we try to sort things out.”
“Mr. De Luca, is it true you forced Bishop into a relationship with you?”
I snapped my attention to the asshole who asked that question.
“Absolutely not,” I snarled.
“There is a video that suggests otherwise. Are you unaware of its existence?” the reporter continued. Some short little fuck with thick glasses and a goatee.Mark Tomlin.I knew his prick ass because he was trying to break a case open on me and ties to crime in the city. He’s lucky I hadn’t killed him already.
“I am not aware of any such video,” I said, nodding for Cole to follow.
“Mr. Scott! Is it true you filmed all of the sexual interactions between Lorenzo De Luca and Bishop?” Mark continued, his voice rising above the other reporters.
We kept pushing our way through, but that ended with the next question.
“Mr. Scott! Cole! It’s said you cheated with Bishop when she was dating Fox Evans, the Mayfair Heisman winner. That you impregnated her and she lost the baby because of your abuse of her during her pregnancy. That you killed your baby so no one would find out about your relationship with Bishop?—”
Cole’s fist collided with Mark’s face in a sickening crack.
It was chaos.
Christian jumped in with me as we tried to drag Cole off Mark, but he wouldn’t relent. He punched him repeatedly as Mark tried to defend himself.
“Fuck you, motherfucker,” Cole shouted. “Fuck you! You don’t know shit about anything! Fucking lying little bitch!”
We managed to tear Cole away and get him into the lobby with help from our building security.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Cole roared, tearing away from Christian and me. “That motherfucker! How dare he… How fucking dare he talk about blossom like that. That I-I killed her. Fuck.” He put his hands on his knees, sobbing hard.
I went to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His and Rosalie’s baby had nearly taken him out. He blamed himself for years because Rosalie lost it. Thought it was his fault because he’d walked out in a panic when he found out, and then Ian Hall had attacked E and shot him, nearly killing him, before he took Rosalie away and tried to murder/suicide them into a tree. Not long after the accident, Rosalie lost their baby.
Cole hadn’t been right since.
We all still wore a ring with blossom’s ashes in it on our thumbs.
“I-I need to get the fuck out of here,” Cole rasped. “I-I need to go.”
“Cole,” I said as he shoved me away from him. “Cole!”
“I’m fucking walking out this door, and you’re not going to goddamn follow me.” He rounded abruptly on me and got into my face. “You wouldn’t fix this shit, so now I have to. This is on you. I told you to bring her home to us! I fucking told you! Now look!”
“Cole, you need to calm down?—”
“Fuck your calm.” He shook his head as he backed away from me. “I’m done, Enzo. Done.”
“Don’t do anything fucking stupid,” I shouted at him as he walked away from me to go to the parking garage.
“Christian?” I called out.
