Diffrent Now

Chapter Four - Ethan's Enemy

Looks of confusion was exchanged between the large group of friends before Lily finally pushed away her shock and went after Ethan. The others followed soon after, it seemed Lily was becoming the leader once again and she didn't even know it. How they were going to continue after she had left they were all unsure. 

"Ethan!" Lily called out, Ethan's head snapped around and he easily caught sight of her and froze. His expression turning to one of guilt but his eyes still held swirling anger. Ethan had known that this would eventually happen and yet he didn't expect it to be quite so soon. 

"Lils I'm so sorry." Ethan started, the guilt of Lily's now innocent and better life now being caught up in his world of gangs, mobs and mafias, this was no what he wanted to happened. That's why he would only rarely visit when he was sure it was safe. This time it wasn't safe. "I didn't expect you to get caught up in this. Your life is so perfect now and then this goes and happens and...." 

"Ethan my life isn't perfect. I'm all work and no play, you know I'm not cut out for that shit so lets go home and talk this through. You have a lot of explaining to do." Lily said in a strong voice, it was a way she hadn't spoken in a long time. Her voice held the confidence she used to have yet she wasn't quite so confident in her skills as she used to. She would need to fix that, she promised herself she would. That may mean her expansion is held back but that was a minor sacrifice for getting back what she had lost. Somewhere along the three years since she had left America she had lost herself. Lily was not okay with this fact now that she was realizing this she swore she would change it.

"Why didn't you tell me Lils, I could've..." Ethan started only to be once again by Lily and her new found confidence. 

"I don't want friends or a life that you bribe your way into or order. I told you I didn't want bodyguards and I stand by that." Lily sped up her walk and soon caught up with the rest of her friends that she knew she had been missing for three years. Maybe that's why she had been so antisocial, she wasn't sure but she suspected it was true. 

"That wouldn't be what I did." Ethan lied. He knew it. Lily knew it. The whole world knew it. He cared about Lily too much to allow her to allow random, unknown people, or as he saw the possible threats, into her new life. He would be lying further if he said he didn't already know he had no life outside himself and his two friends. He loved having Lily all to himself. Her kindness and bravery had made feelings start to develop yet he didn't have Lily's strength or capacity for love. He was too damaged and couldn't put her through the pain that loving him would cause. 

"Let's go back to mine and Ethan here can give us some answers." Lily instructed, unlocking the overly large vehicle. Everyone piled in and Lily drove the group of friends back to her house where they all once again climbed out. During the car ride they were all silent and it continued that way until everyone had entered Lily's home. 

"Everyone help yourself to drinks, then Ethan will explain." By this point it was late and with the jet lag they must've been tired but nobody protested. Nobody could honestly say they had been sleeping properly for the past 3 years so they all had practice in ignoring exhaustion. Silently they all silently and made some drinks, it took a while because of the large number of them, Lily's large kitchen was only designed for one person. Lily would have to fix that soon. But anyway they all managed and had taken seats in the living room where they readily waited for Ethan's answers. 

"After my dad died I took over his mob. We have ties all over the world and work with small gangs, big gangs, other mobs and the mafia. Obviously we also have enemies with lots of these illegal groups which is what makes it so dangerous." Ethan started, although of course everyone in the room already knew this. It was only to expected with Ethan's connections all over the world and within his line of work. "When my father died, since I wasn't technically seen as 'old enough' my fathers second in command expected to take over. When my father declared that I was to take over he was angry. A few months after my father's death he went missing. I hadn't heard anything about him in years. I had sent people to find him, some of the best around the world. Even Lex tried. But of course he knew how to hide. He had years of experience on me." Ethan sighed before continuing, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room before continuing. He knew they would hate him for what he was about to say, he knew because he hated himself for it. Ethan had been trained not to regret anything but this he did regret. "About two years ago he popped back up. Sending notes and such, I ignored it because this of course happens a lot. But about a year ago I found out that he had been raising his own mob, gaining numbers, training and preparing. He declared war on me and it hasn't been exactly safe to visit Lily. She is the closest thing I have to a weakness. When I brought you all here, it wasn't safe and there was a high possibility we were either followed or tracked and now Lily's location compromised."