He finally looks at me, but his expression is on lockdown. It’s only now that I notice the crying from above has stopped, replaced by a tense silence. It makes me nervous, yet with Enzo right beside me, I’ve never felt safer.
“Were you ever happy?” he asks, turning the question onto me.
I twist my lips, contemplating that.
“When I was younger, yeah. Before Kevin changed. We used to have fun playing together. Back then, he was nice to me, and my parents weren’t disappointed in me.”
“Why were they disappointed?”
“I wasn’t him,” I say, bitterness leaking into my tone. “Once he started abusing me, I became withdrawn. I was rebellious, while he was the perfect angel. They wanted their sweet little girl back, but they wouldn’t listen when I said their sweet little boy was the one who broke me.”
I can’t see his eyes, but I can feel the anger emanating from him.
“When they died, I was almost glad for it,” I admit. “Because at least then, I didn’t have to convince them that I wasn’t a liar anymore. Funny, that’s exactly who I became when I finally got away from him.”
“Yet, he still haunts you.”
I nod. “Just as your mother haunts you.”
A dimple on the side of his cheek appears.
“Then maybe we could show each other how to let go, yeah?”
I bite my lip, a flood of emotion rising up my throat. I’m still terrified, still convinced there’s no way Enzo can get me out from Kevin’s hold, but I want to let him try, even if it’s selfish.
“Yeah,” I croak, my voice hoarse with unshed tears.
He faces the ceiling again. “Start by telling me the things that make you happy now.”
I smile softly. “Senile Suzy makes me happy. It’s an old Volkswagen van I bought when I first came to Port Valen. I left her in Valen’s Bend campground, and I think she’s going to be gone by the time I get back.” That hurts a little, so I forge on. “Simon makes me happy, too. He’s the one that gave me my tattoo on my thigh. I hardly know him, but he’s the first friend I’ve ever had.”
He’s quiet for a beat, then he says, “They’ll be there waiting for you,” he vows. “I’ll make sure of it.”
The tears are threatening to spill over so I find something else to say before they do.
“Hey, Enzo?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad that you found peace. At least until you met me,” I say, ending with a sardonic snort.
There’s a brief pause before he lets loose the softest chuckle, causing my stomach to somersault.
“You’re right. You’ve brought chaos into my life.”
And then, finally, he closes his hand around mine, squeezing back.
“I like it, bella.”
Chapter 25
Sawyer
“Stop elbowing me, you big oaf!” I whisper-shout.
“Then move,” he growls. “For a tiny little thing, you take up a lot of fucking room.”
“Moi?” I ask, aghast, a hand to my chest. “Have you seen the circumference of one of your arms? It's honestly concerning. You probably need to see a doctor for it.”
“I’m not the one who needs a doctor. Maybe you should go lie down. You still have a concussion, and it’s clearly warping your judgment.”
I narrow my eyes, huffing with irritation. “You are impossible,” I snap.
Whatever weird little truce Enzo and I came to is up in flames this very second. He’s just so… frustrating. Always thinks he’s right. A fucking know-it-all, too. And he’s always looking at me like he can’t tell if he wants to mutate into a shark and eat me or not. And I can’t tell if that’s attractive or not.
Honestly, it’s whatever if he does mutate. I think it'd be doing us both a favor at this point.
We’re searching for the beacon and have found ourselves in a small closet tucked away on the other side of the hallway. I thought maybe a door might be in here, but I can’t see shit around the behemoth of a man taking up the entire space.
“Move,” I mutter, elbowing him as I look behind a shelf full of… beans. Lots of beans.
“Look, the bean gods blessed you,” he mutters snidely.
“Shut up,” I snip. I retreat with another harsh exhale. “There’s nothing in here anyway.”
I go to slide past him, and while that is definitely something I accomplish, I also succeed in rubbing my ass against his dick. His hands fly to my hips, gripping them tightly and holding me hostage.