Page 46 of Hexed
“What if he asks where you are?”
“He probably will,” I relent, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip and chewing. “Bring him down, then, I guess.”
Fisher’s brows shoot up to his hairline. “Bring himdown? To the card room?”
I shrug. “Why not? He’s about to be family, right?”
“Yeah but, V…it’s?—”
“It is what it is,” I say, cutting him off. “Don’t be stupid and get on his bad side trying to protect me, okay? Especially when I’m not asking for it.”
Fisher blows out a breath. “Don’t ask me to do that, Short Stack. I’ll always protect you.”
My chest warms at his words, and I grip his hands, bringing him in for a hug. I sink into his hold, letting his embrace comfort me in a way that I never let anyone else.
“I don’t want you to be involved in anything to do with him. OrAria.” I pull back slightly to look him in the eyes, and even now I can see the pain lingering in them. Years of heartbreak that he’s covered up and tried to bury. “Ireallydon’t want to have to kill her for hurting you again.”
He laughs, but it’s shaky. “She can’t hurt me.”
“She can, Gup. You can lie to everyone else, but not to me. I know you loved her, and I know she hid you away like her dirty little secret for years, so if you’re tempted, just remember if I have to murder her, then Uncle T will probably murderme, and if he doesn’t, the Marinos definitely will, and you’ll have to live with that on your conscience for the rest of your life.”
“I’d replace you pretty easily.”
I scoff and shove his shoulder. “Worst best friendever.”
“Youaremy best friend, Short Stack,” he murmurs. “You know that, right?”
I smile and pull back, reaching up to pat his head. “And you’re a good little guppy.”
ELEVEN
ENZO
I’ve been tryingto figure out Venesa since the second I laid eyes on her, but after a day of being beside her, I’m just more intrigued.
She’s clever. Confident. Kind of a smart-ass. And today, I saw another side, one where she was so goddamn real, it made me forget who she is—who she’s related to—and why I’m out with her.
Now that I’ve been sitting here in this booth for the past hour with no Venesa in sight, feeling like I’m swimming underwater from all the goddamn fish around me, I’m remembering.
I glance down at my phone, sucking on my teeth, when I see another missed call and a text from Aria.
I miss you! xoxox
She’s been blowing up my phone for the past few hours, and I’m sure she’s wondering where I am since I never told her, but she knows better than to ask. It’s not in her nature to push; she just accepts open and willingly. It’s a trait my pops says is perfect for me, and honestly, he’s probably right. A mob wife isn’t supposed to speak out of turn. They keep their mouths closedand their eyes shut to anything other than what we decide to tell them.
Ariaisa perfect fit for that. It’s just starting to feel like she’s not the perfect fit for me, and that’s unacceptable. I won’t chain her to a life like the one my ma had.
Another night of Pops coming home and losing his temper.
He’s always been a harsh man, but it’s only been in the past couple of years that he’s started to bring his work home with him, taking it out on Ma and anyone else who’s in his way.
In a few years, I’ll be right behind him and Peppino, doing my part for the family, but I’ll never be like him: A man who prefers fear over respect. A husband who sticks his dick in anything that walks and then flaunts it in front of the woman he promised his forever to.
He’s stolen the light from Ma. She’s a fucking disaster, if I’m being completely honest.
Peppino, the selfish motherfucker, stopped coming around the second he turned eighteen and moved out, no matter how many times I try to tell him that she needs help. That Pops is slowly killing her by coming home smelling like cheap perfume and tossing benzos in her lap to keep her sedated and pliable.
Tonight’s bad though. She drank three vodka martinis at dinner alone, and even when I tried to get her to stop, she waved me off.
