Hexed (Never After #6)

42. Venesa

FORTY-TWO

VENESA

I feel better after talking to Enzo, but there’s still so much weight sitting on my chest with all the things I haven’t told him. But I don’t know how to make myself say the words, and the longer I take to get them out, the harder it is.

I’m a coward, allowing myself to settle into this new feeling of being in his arms, of being shown just what it’s like when Enzo Marino looks at you like you hung the moon. I’ve never been someone’s choice before, not like this, and the feeling is intoxicating, but it also makes me terrified of it slipping away, and I know after I tell him what I need to…I’ll lose it. Lose him.

The thought makes my stomach drop.

We’ve been in the back of his car for an hour; traffic in New York City is no joke, and I glance out the window, realizing we’ve finally made it out of downtown and are clearly in another area.

The buildings are older, the signs worn and faded, the streets filled with people hanging outside at round tables and kids playing on the sidewalks. Suddenly, I’m interested. I hadn’t expected to come to a place like this, and the familiarity of a community that feels lived in, cared for, reminds me of the Southside of Atlantic Cove.

It’s comfortable here.

Scotty and Bastien are both up front, bickering like brothers. I can’t tell if they enjoy the back-and-forth or if they genuinely hate each other, but either way, it’s amusing to see someone else giving Bastien shit.

“I thought you were taking me out on the town,” I say.

Enzo lifts a brow. “Does this not look like a town to you?”

“You know what I mean, smart-ass.”

He grins. “We’re meeting my guy here, Gio. And I wanted to show you where I grew up.”

The car slows down before halting when we hit a stoplight, and there’s an elderly woman on the corner of the street, struggling with paper grocery bags in her arms as she tries to open her trunk.

Enzo notices. “Scotty, pull over.”

“You got it, E.”

The sound of a blinker comes on, and then Scotty’s parking right along the sidewalk, and before I can say a word, Enzo’s popping out of the car.

There are a few stagnant moments where I think about staying in and watching from afar, but when Bastien messes with the radio and Scotty smacks his hand, I get out, not wanting to listen to them argue like a married couple.

This is a whole new world for me. It’s like when I got to New York, I stopped being the girl everyone looked at as an obligation and started being more.

I still miss Fisher, though. I glance down at my phone, seeing that he still hasn’t texted me back, even though I’ve messaged and called several times.

When I catch up to Enzo, he’s already at the elderly woman’s side. “Mrs. Coppola, it’s been a long time.”

She’s beaming at him like he’s the best thing since sliced bread, and he smiles back, grabbing the groceries from her hands and putting them into the trunk of her car before closing it.

“You’re such a good boy, Enzo,” she croons, patting his cheek like he’s a child.

“You shouldn’t be grocery shopping on your own, Mrs. Coppola.”

She scoffs. “Oh, I’ll be fine.”

“Do you need a ride home?”

She laughs and waves him off. “No, no, but it’s good to have you back here. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you around.”

He runs a hand through his hair and grimaces the slightest bit. “Been busy.”

“Hmm,” she hums, looking at him, then glances at me for the first time. “I can see that. Is this your new girl?”

He smirks, and I expect him to say no, because how bad would it look for him to be seen with me when he and Aria were the it couple, and very media friendly, for the past year? But he surprises me by wrapping his arm around my waist and tugging me into his side, pressing a kiss to my temple. “She’s the only girl.”

“She’s much better looking than that last one you had.” She winks at me. “Enzo’s a good boy. He’s the whole reason my Donny could go to trade school and make something of himself. This community doesn’t know what we’d do without him.”

Mrs. Coppola reaches up and pats his cheek again, then moves to get in her car. Enzo lets me go only to help her in and close the door behind her. She speeds off into the street, a bit haphazardly, and I turn to him. “Should she be driving?”

“Probably not.”

“And you ,” I say, wrapping my arms around his middle. “You’re such a good boy .”

He grins. “Yeah? You gonna reward me for it later?”

“Play your cards right, you never know what can happen.”

I expect him to push me back toward the car, but he leads me down the street instead, taking my hand and strolling along the sidewalk like we have all the time in the world.

“I thought you lived in the city,” I note as we walk.

He looks at me. “I do. You’ll see it later, when I move you from the hotel into my place.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” I shake my head.

He stops walking and grips my upper arms like he’s worried I’ll run away.

I’m not going to. I’m his for as long as he’ll have me.

“One day, you’ll stop telling me what to do,” he says, his hand sliding up until he’s playing with my seashell necklace. “I want you in my bed. Every night and every morning.”

“Yeah?” I grin

He kisses me again. “Yeah.”

I make a face, an unwelcome thought hitting me. “I’ll be honest, the thought of being in your bed where you’ve had my cousin is not high on my list of priorities.”

He settles back, his eyes searching mine, and then he tips up my chin, gives me another peck, and nods. “I’ll take care of it.”

I don’t argue, because honestly, I believe him.

And right now, before things get heavy again, before I focus on how I’m going to take down my uncle and take back what’s rightfully mine…I’m going to enjoy this light moment.

This is everything I never thought existed, and no matter what happens when I finally work up the courage to tell Enzo the truth, I know one thing: I’ll forever be grateful for the time we’ve had here. For him showing me that not all men are absolute trash.

Not all of them are horrible.

I don’t know if he’ll ever realize how deeply he’s changed my life and my outlook on it. It breaks my heart knowing things won’t stay this way forever.

“So,” I say, looking around because I don’t want to focus on the emotion swelling in my chest. “What’s the story around here?”

He grabs my hand, linking ours together and letting them swing between us. And it’s such a normal thing to do, but for me, it’s monumental. I never thought I’d be able to have something so…simple but have it mean so much.

“This is Trillia, Brooklyn,” he replies. “I grew up here.”

We keep walking down the street, and I’m taking it all in.

“That butcher shop right there?” I look at where he’s pointing, a bright white sign with blue writing that says “Max’s Meats.” “My ma used to send me out here every single Monday to grab beef for the week, but I was a little asshole. I used to start fights out front and then use my pops’s name to keep me out of trouble.”

I can picture what he’s saying perfectly, and it makes me smile thinking of a young Enzo with a chip on his shoulder and a whole lot to prove. “I can see it. Who’s Max?”

“The butcher. He was a good guy, tried to do his best for me and keep me on the up and up, but it never really worked out.”

“That’s sweet you had someone looking out for you, though.”

He shrugs. “I was tied to this life the moment I was born, despite Max’s best efforts. He’s gone now, though. Left the place to me, if you can believe it.”

I glance at the sign again. “You own the butcher shop?”

“On paper. I give everything to his wife and kids. Take care of ’em, you know?”

My heart swells. “You know, you’re actually a really sweet guy.”

He looks at me like I’ve offended him. “I’m incredibly sweet, and it’s offensive you thought I wasn’t.”

I snort. “Please.”

We continue to make our way down the street. Eventually, I ask, “So how come you don’t live here now?”

“Makes more sense to be in the city. Can’t control the streets if you aren’t there yourself to see them. And can you imagine the drive? Forget about it.”

Suddenly, he stops walking and pulls out his phone, his brows drawing down when he swipes his screen. “My guy Gio’s here. Come on, we’ve gotta head back to the car.”

It only takes a few minutes to get there, but in the time we’ve been gone, Scotty and Bastien both have made their way out of the vehicle, Bastien leaning against the passenger door while Scotty talks to a tall, broad man I’ve never seen before.

They all turn to us when we walk up.

“Who’s this?” the guy asks, his brows wiggling at Enzo.

Enzo drops a heavy arm around my shoulder and drags me into his side. “This is Venesa.” He points at Gio. “You’ll treat her with respect, or I’ll fuck you up.”

Gio smirks and reaches out his hand. “Ah, Venesa. Heard a lot about you.”

I place my palm in his, and he brings it up to his mouth. He lingers, and I have a sneaking suspicion it’s on purpose.

Enzo smacks the back of his head. “That’s enough.”

I smile and take my hand away. “Nice to meet you, Gio.”

Enzo groans and squeezes my hip. “I’m gonna go chat with Gio real quick. You good?”

I suck on my teeth and nod.

Enzo tells Scotty to start the car, and the second they’re both gone, Bastien levels me with a look. “You tell him yet?”

His question startles me because how does he know I need to? Ashamed, I shake my head. “It’s not that easy.”

“Fuck that, V. You’ve gotta tell him. Get it over with.”

Something lodges in my throat. “He’ll hate me.”

“You let him decide that. But you can’t keep it from him. You need to be honest.”

“I’m going to,” I snap at him. “Don’t push me. It’s none of your business anyway.”

Bastien chuckles and shakes his head, stepping toward me. “ You are my business, V. I’m here for you, playing both sides and keeping your uncle none the wiser. I’m with you here, but you’ve gotta handle your shit. Tell him.”

It’s irritating to have Bas on my back, but that irritation is because deep down, I know he’s right.

Enzo walks over, a serious look on his face. “Change of plans. Gio found someone I had him looking for.” He glances at me. “You ever heard of Frankie Bianchi?”

My brows shoot to my hairline. “No, but Bianchi is my dead aunt’s maiden name.”

He nods. “Frankie is apparently Aria’s uncle, and someone I’m dying to talk to. You want to come with? Or else I can have Scotty drop you at the hotel.”

I nod, because of course I want to go with him.

Laughing, I cover my mouth, and Enzo quirks a brow. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, this is just…our thing, I guess. Touristy outings followed by a round of torture.”

He chuckles, brushing the back of his hand down my cheek. “A perfect night, in my opinion.”

He grabs my hand again.

“He’s here ?” I ask.

Enzo gives me a half grin. “In the basement of Max’s Meats.”