Page 88 of Hexed
“I don’t know, man. I just…things don’t feel as cozy as I thought they would, if you know what I mean.”
“Ah.” Gio’s quiet on the line for a few moments before he speaks, and when he does, there’s an air of caution in his tone. “I’m gonna be straight with you, E: I don’t know if your pops is gonna give a fuck about all that, especially since this was an arrangement madewithAria’s dad, so if you want to get out of this—if youreallywant to—you better figure out your next steps.”
“I couldn’t give a fuck about Aria’s dad.”
“Yeah, but youdogive a fuck about yours.” He pauses. “Listen, E, I’m behind you one hundred percent, but shit won’t be easy. You hear me?”
I swallow over the knot in my throat and nod even though he can’t see me. “Yeah, I hear you.”
“Okay. Good.Cazzo, you need to get back to New York, E. That Southern heat’s fucking with your head.”
Gio laughs, and I force myself to match his tone, but there’s something stirring up inside me, and now that it’s there, I don’t think it can be tamed. A seed planted, even though he didn’t say the words.
I can read between the lines: the only way out of this marriage is to make sure my pops isn’t in charge.
The thought makes me sick to my stomach, butwould it really be so bad?
“Any news on Frankie?” I shift the subject.
“Nothing.”
My brows furrow. “What do you mean, ‘nothing’?”
“I mean, the guy’s a fucking ghost.”
That’s not normal. Havingnopaper trail is beyond the pale. It makes it feel intentional, like someone is trying to hide something. But what would be the reason to hide your involvement with a family as powerful and well-known as the Kingstons?
“Keep looking.”
I’m still thinking about my conversation with Gio an hour later as I stare at Aria standing next to her bedroom dresser and putting on her jewelry.
“Maybe tonight we can do something just the two of us,” she says, walking over to me and plopping into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I try not to grimace. “I thought tonight was dinner on your dad’s yacht?”
Aria rolls her eyes. “Who cares? It’s just some stupid thing for Venesa’s birthday. Let’s skip it.”
“We should go,” I argue.
“Has she said something to you?” Aria huffs, her body almost vibrating with sudden tension. “Don’t fall for it. She’s just like her momma, uncultured and unworthy. They’re liars, all of them.Liars!”
I sit back in my seat, shock sitting heavy in my chest, and I blink at her. “Jesus, Aria, calm down.”
She lets out a soft giggle and presses a hand to her upper body, closing her eyes for an elongated moment. When she reopens them, there’s nothing behind her gaze. Just an innocent, doe-eyed look. “I’m perfectly calm, babe. As long as you remember that this isyourring on my finger, which means you’re mine.”
I stare at her because she’s acting wildly different. I’ve never seen someone change personalities at the drop of a hat before, and I’m questioning which one of them is real.
She presses her palm to my cheek. “Sometimes when I look at you, it’s easy to forget how close to death you were when I found you. Do you remember?”
Gritting my teeth against the sudden hit of guilt, I nod. “I remember what you told me.”
“You weresobroken.” Her voice catches. “So vulnerable. But even then, I just knew you were meant for me.”
Something stirs in the back of my brain. “You know, you never did tell me why you were there that night.”
Her eyes flash. “Because fate took me there after a shitty date with someone else. To you. It brought us together, E—never forget that.”
She’s right. She did save me. I don’t just owe her my loyalty; I owe her everything.
