Page 116 of Hexed
The tension ramps up.
Uncle T hits back. “She can handle herself.”
“I was uncomfortable,” I admit. The words feel foreign on my tongue, but I don’t take them back.
Uncle T’s brows rise, and he crosses his arms like he’s waiting for elaboration.
“Every time I’ve gone for a gun drop, you’ve sent Bas with me, but this time you didn’t. And I told you how worried I was about Johnston wanting to retaliate for his brother-in-law, so sending me there without backup felt like…it felt like you didn’t give a damn.”
Uncle T huffs, but he doesn’t disagree with me.
It stings. Like salt water in an open wound.
“Why didn’t you?” I press.
“Bas had more important things to deal with.”
I bite back the sharp inhale of breath his words cause.
More important.
Uncle T steps in close. “You’re lucky I have a good relationship with the MC, or else I’d be having you fix what you interfered with. You should know how important their relationship is to our bottom line.Decadesof work that you could have fucked up last night if it weren’t for me smoothing things over.”
“She didn’t interfere,” Enzo interrupts. “I did.”
Enzo moves until he’s standing directly in front of me, like he’s protecting me. Standing up against the one man I’ve never been able to find the backbone to stand up to myself—not with anything that matters anyway.
“And you’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m gonna stand here and let you berate her when all this woman does is bend over backward to do whatever you want, even when you continually treat her like shit.”
My chest pulls taut, hurt swelling in the cavity like I’ve been sucker punched.
Uncle T stiffens, standing straighter, but it doesn’t matter, because even if Enzo weren’t taller than him, his aura would tower over my uncle anyway.
Enzo eclipses everything around him.
“I think in these past few weeks, you’ve forgotten who it is you’re dealing with,” Enzo says, his voice dark, the same way it was last night.
Uncle T’s jaw locks. “I deal with your father, boy. Not you.”
Enzo chuckles. “Maybe. But I’ve always learned that sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
A flash of fear coasts across Uncle T’s eyes, and it sends my emotions into a tailspin. I’ve never seen him afraid before, and part of me still feels loyalty, like I’m betraying him by letting a man who has no business standing up for me do so, even when he doesn’t have to.
But the other part of me feels vindicated.
Enzo places a hand on Uncle T’s shoulder and squeezes. “You’re lucky I don’t walk into your office where that little shit is waiting and make him regret running to tell you about last night in the first place.”
“When your father?—”
“How about you let me worry about that? I’m going to suggest you make your way back to the guests you’ve so lovingly invited to this…celebration. Now’s not the time, and it’s not the place.”
“You’re getting into business that has nothing to do with you, son.”
Enzo chuckles, and a dark look crosses over his face. “I’m not your son, Trent. And I promise you don’t want to make me your enemy.”
Uncle T lifts his chin and looks between us before levelingmewith a glare.
I’m surprised when he actually turns around and walks away, but I’m not an idiot. He will not take this insult from Enzo lightly; he’s just smart enough to realize he can’t openly attack the underboss of the Marino family without severe repercussions, ones even he can’t beat.
