Cousins (Cousins #2) (6 page)

He's staring daggers at me and holds my eyes in a lock that seems to be accusatory. I don't know if I should blink first, look away, or start talking. So I try not to do any one of those three things. It may be in everyone's best interest if I don’t, until I know for sure where Roman's head is at.

"What the fuck.” Roman says to me in a bone chilling voice.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. Knowing immediately after I say it that it was the wrong question to ask.

"Elizabeth." He says with a strong note of warning.

"This is Ethan." I tell him quietly.

"I know who the fuck it is." Roman growls. "The question is what the fuck is he doing inside of your room?"

Ethan quickly snaps his head between us both in confusion.

"Is THIS who you're fucking now, Bitsy?" Ethan points in Roman's direction. "THIS is what you've lowered–"

Ethan isn't able to finish the rest of his sentence, because in a matter of seconds Roman clutches his throat with one hand and won't let go. He's gripping him with the power of the jaws of a pit bull but seems to be doing it with little effort.
 

Like it's easy.
 

And with a sneer on his face as if he enjoys it.
 

I can't watch anymore as Ethan gasps for air, so I jump off the bed to put an end to it before he either passes out or someone hears the scuffle and calls hotel security.
 

"Roman stop." I plead.

"I asked you why the fuck he is in here."
 

He turns his head towards me with purpose while still calmly choking the ever-living shit out of my jerk of an ex-boyfriend. I gently touch his forearm to hopefully get his attention and to stop him from catching a murder charge.

 
"Roman." I say softly. "If you don't let him go, then he can't go anywhere, and he was definitely about to leave."

Roman tilts his head to the side and watches me for a moment, analyzing me as he often does with his internal bullshit meter; then he turns his attention back to Ethan.

"Listen to me closely … Ethan. Whatever shit you're up to ends now. You were responsible for some filthy ass dealer putting his hands on Elizabeth. Just for that alone, I should squeeze your throat until you bust a blood vessel, but that's not what this is about. It's not about what I want. It's about what she wants, and what my cousin wants is you gone and out of her life. Do we understand each other?"

Ethan is turning a frightening shade of purple. And is it crazy for me to think right at this moment that I wish Roman wasn't so quick to announce to the whole world that we're cousins? Maybe I wanted Ethan to think for just a moment that I have moved on with the bad-ass literally holding his next breath in his hands.

"Roman." I say again while this time touching his back. "I don't think he can answer you."

"Fuck." He mutters as if he doesn’t realize his own strength.

When Roman releases Ethan's throat, I watch his Adam's apple finally move again and then he takes a couple gulps of air. I actually feel a little sorry for him, but not as much as I probably should.
 

"You're her cousin?" Ethan asks through strained breaths.

"That's right, and I promise you that if you even breathe in her direction again, that I will put you down like the dog that you are."

For the first time since Ethan walked into my hotel room, I finally see what I think is an honest emotion cross his face … trepidation.

"Roman, I'm going to go out in the hall and speak with Ethan for a moment. I need you to stay in here okay?"

He looks at me like I have lost my last little bit of sense.

"Elizabeth," he exhales harshly. "Fuck no."

"Just five minutes?" I beg.

He rubs his hands back and forth across the top of his head out of frustration.

"Two minutes." He barks.

"I need five."

"I don't like this shit."

I can see that Roman is struggling with some sort of internal battle. He's not used to compromise. He's not used to the art of negotiation, at least not without the use of his fists. He's used to setting the terms and fuck anyone who doesn't agree.
 

"I didn't know Bitsy had a cousin." Ethan chimes in.
 

Why is he speaking? I guess he isn't as threatened by Roman, now that he thinks that he's only my cousin and not someone I'm sleeping with (of course that in it of itself is hysterical).
 

"I won't hurt her man," he continues. "I just want to talk to her."

"I know you won't hurt her prick." Roman grins almost like a psychotic killer.
 

"Ethan don't say anything else." I plead.

I pull Roman to the side. His breath heavy and his eyes practically dilated and fixed on Ethan the entire time.
 

"Roman," I grab his face with both of my hands and turn his head to face mine. "Let me have my final five minutes with him. I just need closure."

After what seems like forever, his face starts to soften. Then he starts rubbing a few strands of my hair between his thumb and pointer finger. I'm sure Ethan thinks I'm related to some sort of psychopath with questionable boundary issues at this point.

"Why do you want to talk to him?" he asks quietly. I can tell he's calming down. Starting to see reason.

"I don't expect you to understand. It's total girl shit. It's just that whatever Ethan and I went through, he did once mean something to me. This needs to at least end with a five minute conversation between us."

"Didn't this ass-wipe have his five minutes when you were sprawled across the floor of your apartment unconscious and he left. Isn't that all the fucking closure you need?"

I sigh in exasperation. Roman isn't making this easy, and I hate that we're hashing this out completely in front of Ethan.

"Roman–"

"Didn't you say your money was stolen that night?"

I don't know why he's bringing this up now or where he's going with it.

"Yes."

Ethan continues to stand silently but attentively watching the exchange between us.

"How much?"

I keep my lips clamped together. Roman's never asked me how much money was taken before. I've never told a soul how much was in there, not even Sloan, because it's embarrassing. I can hear all of the I told you so's already. Only paranoid old folks hide large sums of money in their houses. Not twenty somethings from the burbs.

"That's not important because–"

"Second time I'm asking, Elizabeth. How fucking much?"

Crap.
 

"Seventeen."

"Seventeen what, hundred?"

"Thousand." I whisper. Wishing that he wasn't forcing this issue. Geez, Roman has no sense of boundaries or privacy.

Ethan's eyes bulge at my revelation. At least I know now that he didn't really know about the money or at least how much was there.

"So let me get this straight." Roman says practically gritting his teeth. "You need additional closure with a man who brought scum to your home, scum that stole seventeen fucking thousand dollars from you, scum who knocked you the fuck out and who is responsible for you having to move out of your own apartment?"

"Roman, I–"

"And what has he been saying to you while he's been in here? Bitsy, I'm so sorry." He says imitating a whiny voice. "Bitsy, I messed up. Fuck that! Your druggie-ass, superstar swimmer is just sorry that he got exposed. I bet he's been saying some slick shit out of his mouth to try and get you back hasn't he? Did he tell you that he hasn't been in Arizona at all? That he hasn't been in rehab ever?"

"What?" I turn to look at Ethan. Is he still playing me?

"Wait one damn minute–" Ethan interrupts.

"No you wait a minute." I say angrily as Roman takes a step in front of me, and closer to Ethan. Just a few mere inches away from his face. Completely towering over him.

"Don't say anything else cocksucker, or I swear I will beat you down just for the hell of it."

"You don't scare–"

Crack!

Roman hits Ethan with a single overhead punch dropping him straight to the carpeted floor; I silently cover my mouth with my hands in shock.

"Since you seem to be the chatty type," Roman speaks at Ethan while he's sprawled out on the floor. "I'll go ahead and give you three minutes to talk to Elizabeth outside of this room where I don't have to lay eyes on your ugly ass again, but let me be clear, it will be the last three minutes you will have with her for the rest of your life. After that, forget that she's in this hotel. Forget she exists."

Ethan stands up on wobbly legs and wipes a small drop of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He stares coldly at Roman for what seems like the longest sixty seconds of my life, and then he smirks and moves toward the door and opens it.

"After you, Bitsy." He says to me in an extra flirty way.

He's got balls. I'll give Ethan that.

"Don't fucking call her that!" Roman roars.

I see a recognizable glint of satisfaction sparkling in Ethan's eyes. He thoroughly enjoyed that he was able to at least instigate that outburst from Roman.

"I don't like your cousin." Ethan says to me out in the hallway.

"That's all right," I say annoyed. "He doesn't like you either."

"He's weird with you."

"Yeah?" I say like I don't have any idea what he's talking about, especially because I don't think I really give two cents what he thinks.

"He treats you like a possession. Like you're his property."

Sometimes I think I am. Or that I desperately want to be.

"He's just intense." I wave my hand to change the conversation. "Listen … I just wanted to tell you that I'm trying really hard to put everything that happened with you behind me. I didn't bring the police into it for a reason. I just want to move on with my life.
 

"I'm trying to build a new business and live quietly. I don't care that you lied about rehab, I don't really give a rats ass where you've been, although I don't understand why you felt the need to lie to me. I just want to make it crystal clear that when you move back to Philly, I think it's best that you don't contact me at all."

"Tick. Tock." Roman's verbal warning comes crisp and clear through the door.

"Bitsy, we were good together for a year. I waited for you for a year. Everything was fine between us until that night. I want a second chance. There are worse people like murderers and rapists who get second chances. I was sick. An addict. I'm getting better now on my own, and all I'm asking for is a second chance. If you give me a second, I can explain everything about rehab. Your cousin doesn't have it right. Just give me a chance to explain."

"It doesn't really matter anymore Ethan. I'm sorry but no."
 

I don't even think that I'm really sorry at all, but it sounds like the right thing to say. Actually turning him down feels like the best thing I've done in a long time. Looking back, I realize we were never right for each other anyway. Drugs or no drugs.

"This isn't done. We aren't done, Bitsy."

The hotel room door opens.
 

"Three minutes is up motherfucker. You're very much done. Come inside now, Elizabeth." Roman says while looking straight into the eyes of Ethan with deadly calm.

I give one last glance to the man I thought would possibly be my future and say goodbye. A final goodbye.
 

"Bye Ethan.”

I don't know why, but I feel a little melancholy about it. Like a chapter of my life has been written to completion. A necessary close to that chapter, but it doesn't make it any less sad.

"Not bye, Bitsy, just later." Ethan says as he walks down the hall towards the elevator.
 

"Whatever motherfucker." Roman says to Ethan's back.

But I know that Ethan's just saving face. We're done and he knows it. I mean he must know it. How could I ever trust him again after all that's happened? All the lies he's told. He's got to know that. He's not a complete idiot, and if I want to be brutally honest with myself right now, he was never that into me anyway. He was always distracted with swimming, with other girls, and evidently also with getting high.

"I better not see one fucking tear roll down your face." Roman snarls at me as I move past him to go back inside the room.

"Oh shut up, Roman."

CHAPTER SIX

ROMAN

"Are you awake?"

"What time is it?" I ask with a scratchy rasp and sleep in my voice.

"I don't know. Probably check out time."

After I stood in the hallway and watched Mr. Ethan Dumbfuck get on the elevator and out of my cousin's life for good, Elizabeth and I both returned inside the room and got totally twisted on mini bar alcohol for the rest of the night.