Page 189 of Hexed
Panic for Enzo whips through me like a storm, because if they have me here, who knows what his father’s doing to him there?
“Fisher, listen to me. If you ever cared about me at all, even a little bit, you’ll let me go. Unchain me.”
He lifts his chin, trepidation in his stare. “How do I know you won’t kill me?”
I give him a sad smile. “I guess you’ll just have to learn to trust the right people, Gup.”
FIFTY-ONE
ENZO
Gio’s laidup on his four-poster bed with a sling around his arm and a dopey grin on his face, thanks to the painkillers our on-call doctor loaded him up with after removing the bullet from his shoulder.
I smirk at him. “You feeling good, buddy?”
His head lolls. “I should get shot more often.”
“Don’t joke about that shit.”
He smiles wider at me. “You love me.”
I move my legs out farther from the chair I’m sitting in. “Don’t get sappy, Gio. I’m just saying. You’re not allowed to die on me, you understand?”
He sighs. “You love me.”
“Yeah, man,” I admit, not caring if it makes me sound like a pushover. “I do.”
“Stop it.” He wipes an imaginary tear from under his eye. “You’re making me verklempt.”
My lips twitch. “You’re an idiot.”
“But I’m an idiot youlove.” He grins. “What an honor, honestly. Being loved by a Mafia don.”
I huff and cross my arms. “Don’t call me that. I’m just E still.”
He laughs. “Nah, you’re the big boss man now, Lover Boy. Better get used to it.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my legs. “And that means you’re my consigliere.”
He nods, his face growing serious. “You tell the families yet?”
I shake my head. “They’ll know. I left Pops’s body in front of Peppino’s grave. Paid off the cops to find him and run the news story in the morning.”
“Bold move.”
Shrugging, I run a hand through my hair. “Let them rot together.”
A twinge of pain hits my chest when I say the words, because even though I mean them…they were still family, and that type of bond doesn’t go away, even when it’s marred and twisted up from years of abuse and neglect.
But this is the way it has to be.
My leg bounces, and I pull out my phone, bringing up Venesa’s number and debating on pressing Send.
I need to make sure she’s okay. That Pops was just bluffing to save his ass. Unfortunately, because of Gio’s immediate need, I sent Scotty to the Marino to check on her and get ahold of Bastien.
Before I can even pull up his number to call, my phone buzzes with pictures.
My heart stalls when I see them, panic rushing through me like a storm surge, annihilating every other emotion in its path.
