Hexed (Never After #6)

10. Venesa

TEN

VENESA

In the Lair’s heyday, at the height of the Prohibition era, it was the hotspot of the Southside. People loved going there for the “music,” which really meant the hidden speakeasy in the basement.

When I saw it was up for sale, I knew it was perfect to pitch to Uncle T. I had been waiting for the moment for years, to be honest. Another arm to add to his arsenal, both for washing his money, and because the built-in speakeasy was perfect for an illegal gambling ring.

When you live the formative years of your life being the product of someone’s vices, you know how to extrapolate them. Liquor and gambling: my father’s downfall and my way of making Uncle T money.

I never told Uncle T I spent every weekend there as a kid while my momma waited tables, but I’m sure he knew, despite him not having talked to her since they were teenagers. Even at my granddaddy’s funeral, they ignored each other, probably because my uncle was too busy with the family office manager, handling how best he’d utilize taking over the Kingston fortune, since no one could find a trace of a will.

But then again, before Aria had become an enemy, I’d told her all about my momma and the Lair, so no doubt word got around.

Running it now gives me a sense of belonging; it ties me to my roots and allows me to claim some of Momma’s history as my own, as lackluster as that history may be.

It’s important to me.

Almost as important as that painting hanging in Uncle T’s office.

Apparently, Granddaddy used to preach to him and Momma about how whoever held the painting held the power, and I think Uncle T may have taken that phrase too literally.

Even though Momma chose my father over the family, that painting showed up on our doorstep, and I’ll never forget how serious she was when she told me it was her most prized possession. That if anything ever happened to her, she wanted me to have it. Made me pinky promise right then and there. It’s the only promise I ever made her, and it burns something fierce knowing I can’t keep it.

At the time, I didn’t understand why she hid it away behind a loose panel in the bedroom closet if she loved it so much, but after Uncle T swiped it before she was even buried in the dirt, I started to get the gist.

Enzo’s driver, Scotty, glances at us from the rearview mirror, his eyes eating me up when he thinks I’m not looking. I send him a wink, enjoying the way a blush rises to his angular cheeks.

He’s a cute kid. Young, probably a few years younger than me, but still… cute .

“Keep your eyes on the road.” Enzo’s voice is sharp.

Scotty jumps, his gaze swinging back to the street and his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

“Definitely one of your minions ,” I tease.

Enzo stares at me with a blank expression, his hand coming up to rub at his jaw. “He’s my cousin. How much longer until we’re there?”

I try not to react to the sudden coldness in his tone, and I glance out the window. “A couple of minutes.”

“Not the best area,” he notes, following my gaze.

I shrug. “I like it here.”

He looks at me then. “Because you like overcoming adversity?”

“Because I like to put money back into the community that raised me.”

He looks surprised, adopting a thoughtful expression. “This is where you grew up?”

“About three blocks down that way and to the left.” I point out the window. “A small apartment with smoke-stained walls and roaches that loved to hide in our dishwasher, but it was home.”

“Until it wasn’t.”

I nod in agreement, a pang of grief hitting me in the chest. “Until it wasn’t.”

It surprises me he doesn’t ask more questions about why I grew up with nothing, why my momma wouldn’t take any money from her family when the Kingstons are the backbone of Atlantic Cove. But then again, maybe my saying just that much was enough. I’m sure Aria has plenty to say on the matter if he asks.

We pull into the Lair’s parking lot, the purple neon sign gleaming against the darkening sky. By the time I’ve gotten my seat belt off, Scotty is already opening my door, his hand gripping mine to help me stand.

“What a gentleman,” I purr.

“Only when I see a lady.” He winks. His black hair is slicked back with so much gel, the streetlights reflect off the top.

“You should teach your cousin some of those manners, cutie.”

“Please, I taught this kid everything he knows.” Enzo appears at my side a second later and prods me toward the entrance. “The Lair,” he muses. “So, this is all yours?”

“My baby, and the only one I’ll ever have, God willing,” I say.

His brows lift. “You don’t want kids?”

“You do?”

He slips his hands into his pockets. “Never thought about it any other way. In my life, it’s expected.”

“Ah.” I nod, my stomach souring at the thought of Aria bearing his children.

A reminder I need, to be honest—since my vagina has apparently decided Enzo is her ideal mate and he’s literally the most off-limits person to me in the world.

I’m not sure why the thought of that makes my stomach drop.

“Gotta get those heirs, right?” I joke, shaking off the weird feeling.

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t reply, twisting his upper body to glance around. “Where’s your security?”

I grin, gesturing to myself. “You’re looking at it, darlin’.”

He frowns, and I don’t like it, so I walk over to him, then reach up and smooth out the crease between his brows before I realize what I’m doing. He stares down at me, and it’s only when our eyes lock that I realize how close we’re standing, how I just touched him without a second thought, and how my fingers are tingling to do it again.

I suck in a quick breath, my hand hanging in the air between us, frozen in space.

A throat clears, and I snap out of it, taking a giant step back, a flush creeping onto my cheeks as I glance at Scotty, who has a goofy grin on his face.

“You two gonna just stand there with stars in your eyes all night, or are we gonna go inside and get a drink?” he says.

“I’m gonna run upstairs and change, okay?” I dip my face down to hide the way touching Enzo affected me. “Go in and make yourselves comfortable.”

Enzo looks up to the second floor of the building. “What’s upstairs, the offices?”

“My apartment.”

His brows rise. “You live here?”

“Yep,” I say, popping the p . “You got an issue with that?”

He shakes his head, but that line is back again, creasing between his brows. “Is it safe?”

“How many times do I have to tell you I can take care of myself before you believe me?”

I make my tone light, but he doesn’t take the bait, his brows dropping like he’s genuinely concerned for my safety. He runs a hand through his hair and tugs on the roots, sighing. “Yeah, whateva.”

I’ve realized that when he’s trying to hide an emotion, his accent gets thicker, and I wish I didn’t find it endearing, but I do.

“Okay. Whateva,” I mimic with a grin.

He chuckles, dark and husky, hitting me right between the legs. “Real cute.” And then he steps closer, because apparently invading my space is his favorite thing to do, and his gaze drops to my mouth.

My stomach tightens.

Enzo shouldn’t be looking at me like this, and I shouldn’t like it when he does.

“Yo, it’s fucking buggy out here. Can we go inside?” Scotty complains, smacking at his arm.

Enzo groans and runs his fingers through his hair, looking over at him. “Would you shut the fuck up?”

Scotty puts his hands up in surrender. “My bad, E. It’s not my fault mosquitoes love me. I’ve got sweet blood, you know?”

“You’ve got sweet blood,” Enzo repeats in a bland tone.

“That’s what I said.” Scotty’s eyes widen. “Imagine if vampires were real? I’d be fucked. Or maybe fucked , which wouldn’t be so bad.”

Enzo cuts him a sharp look.

“What’d I do?” Scotty asks, throwing his thumb toward Enzo. “This guy, like a brother to me, but treats me like this. Can you believe it?”

“Like a brother?” Enzo laughs, pointing a finger back at him. “More like you’re my mother. Always on my ass, ever since you were a kid.”

“Well, where else am I supposed to go?” Scotty looks around, his arms out to his sides.

“Christ, go inside .”

A giggle bursts out of me, my hand slapping against my mouth to stop it, but it’s too late. It’s cute to see Enzo interact with his family, even if it is him acting like he’s annoyed. I can tell there’s love between them, and it’s charming.

It also makes a pang hit my sternum because that love is something I’ve always dreamed of having. I’ve never had that dynamic with anyone, and it’s so easy when watching them to imagine a giant table filled with laughter and lighthearted jokes. A family.

A real one. Like you see in the movies.

I’ve never experienced anything even close to that.

“Scotty, I hear there are very cute servers inside who you can flirt with.” I smile at him. “Use that ‘lady’ line on them. They’ll eat it up.”

Enzo’s still standing so close, and I need to get away for a second, if only so I can take a breath.

“You better go with him,” I say. “Make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“Yeah, E. Let’s go look at the ladies .” Scotty wags his brows when Enzo walks toward him, reaching out and patting him on the back of the shoulder as they finally disappear inside.

I let out a wavering breath and stare down at my hands, realizing I’ve curled them so tightly into fists, my nails are cutting crescent moons into my palms. Shaking them out, I roll my neck and make my way inside too.

Twenty minutes later, my attempts at recentering myself have all been for naught because I’m standing in front of my vanity, rubbing my loose black tourmaline crystal for protection until my fingers feel raw, working up the motivation to go back downstairs.

I’ve reapplied my makeup, making the lipstick extra red like a coat of arms, and slid into my favorite slinky silk dress. Every step of putting myself together feels like a puzzle piece clicking into place, but I’m still off my game, and I know it has everything to do with the dark, dangerous, and completely off-limits man downstairs in my restaurant.

The one who belongs to my cousin.

I texted Fisher to meet me up here, and he’s leaning against the doorframe of my studio, watching me as I continue to pet my crystal in front of my full-length mirror like it will solve all my problems.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

I glance at him through the reflection. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

He straightens and moves into the room until he’s standing just behind me, looking over my shoulder with a pinched brow and a slight frown on his face. He reaches out and takes the crystal from my hand before placing it on top of my dresser. “Your energy is off.”

“My energy’s fine.” I grab my quartz ring while I say it, though, and slip it on my finger. Just in case.

Fisher chuckles, and his arms wrap around my waist, hugging me to him while he trails his hand down my side until he’s holding my palm in his, his gaze falling on my jewelry. “Whatever you say, Short Stack.”

I lean into his chest before smirking at him in our reflection. “You can never be too careful.”

“Well, that’s good, because we’ve got a situation,” he says.

Relief pours through me at finding a reason to put off going back and being in Enzo’s presence. I nod and push away from him, leaning forward to fluff out my hair. “Good.”

Fisher moves and plops down on the edge of my bed, resting back on his elbows. “What do you mean, ‘good’?”

“I’ve been Lover Boy’s lapdog all day long, and I need something else to do for a while. So, ‘good’ because now I get to play.” I spin around and face him, running my hands down my sides. “What do you think?”

He whistles. “I’d do you.”

“You’d do anyone.”

“What can I say?” He grins. “I’m an equal opportunist.”

I brush my hair from my face and sit down next to him. “So, what’s up?”

“There’s some idiot downstairs counting cards in the game room. He’s pissing people off.”

“Is he good at it?”

Fisher’s brow quirks. “At cheating us out of money? Yeah, he’s not bad. Not from around here, I think.”

My mind immediately goes to Enzo. “Yeah, that seems to be a theme right now.”

Fisher’s face drops into something more serious, and he tilts his head. “You want me to get rid of E? He doesn’t have to be here right now.”

I give him a sharp look. “Don’t be ridiculous. Just…keep an eye on him while I go handle things, okay?”

“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 him down ? 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. Or Aria .” 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. “I really don’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 murder me , 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 friend ever .”

“You are my 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.”