Page 66 of Hexed
The truth of that night—of Enzo being in the room with me when I tortured Sean, and Sean admitting he was therebecauseof him—vibrates at the base of my throat, but I swallow it and shake my head. “Why would he?”
It’s an odd sensation, omitting the truth to the man I’ve spent my entire life looking up to, but my intuition has always been my guide, and in this situation, it’s whispering to hold my cards close to my chest.
Uncle T casts a glance to Bastien, then back to me. “New Jersey isn’t far from where he lives. Maybe he sent him.”
“That seems like a question for your daughter, not for me. I barely know the guy.”
Uncle T’s eyes narrow. “Well,getto know the guy.”
Bastien clears his throat. “So how’d you get Enzo to agree to the hotel?” He quirks a brow, and I mask the way my insides churn violently, like I’m a ship in the North Sea.
My fingernails pick at the wooden arm of the chair. “My sparkling personality, probably.”
Uncle T smiles, his white teeth glinting at me the same way I imagine a shark’s would right before it’d dive in to tear me apart. “Exactly, and we can use that to our advantage.”
My stomach drops like a lead weight. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I want you to keep him close while he’s here. Get to know him, like I just said.”
Hesitating, I reply, “You know I’ll do anything you want, but…hisfiancéeis here, first of all. And I want nothing to do with it or him. Honestly, after everything we’ve done, you shouldn’t want me near him either.”
“It’s not up for discussion.”
I lick my lips, casting a quick glance to Bastien before focusing on my uncle again. “So you want me to, what…spy on him?”
“Call it whatever you want.” He waves his hand through the air.
“Boss,” Bastien cuts in, his voice cautious. “You sure you want to send Venesa into the fire like this?”
“Whatfire?” I snap. “This is a glorified babysitting job for the freakingunderbossof the Mafia.” I point at Uncle T. “My talents are being wasted, and you know it.”
He grunts. “Watch your mouth, little one. What’s gotten into you?”
I shrink back from his sharp tone, chastised like he’s physically cast a whip out and smacked me with it.I don’t know what’s gotten into me.
“Can we make a deal?” I grin, trying to dispel this weird teeter-totter of emotions.
Uncle T chuckles. “There’s the Venesa I know, always wheeling and dealing. What’re your terms?”
“The family painting.” I hold my breath.
Uncle T lets out a boisterous laugh. “You know I can’t do that, little one. It belongs to me, the same way it was always supposed to. What kind of man—what kind of Kingston—would I be if I just gave it to someone else?”
I drop back in my seat and exhale my disappointment.It belonged to my mother, actually.
Shaking off the gloomy feeling, I agree to keep tabs on Enzo.
The same way I always give in and do whatever my uncle asks.
FIFTEEN
ENZO
Groaning,I lean back in my chair, trying to curb the annoyance that is my fucking life.
I’ve been here at some florist called A Rose by Any Other Name for the past hour, staring at thirteen different flowers that all look the same, smell the same, and make me want to kill myself the same.
“Do you think white for this, E? Or, ooooh, maybe blue since Daddy wants to do a Lost City of Atlantis theme?” Aria’s eyes light up, and she bounces in her seat at the small table set up in the middle of the area. Suddenly, I feel like a complete asshole. She’ssoexcited, wanting me to be a part of things, and here I am, wishing I could be literally anywhere else.
