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After another elbow, he ducks and fluidly glides around for a back take, then wrenches me to the mat. This time, he manages to wrestle me, holding me down as he tries to establish a top position. I scramble up to a half-seated position, lifting my arm. I’m about to throw a wild elbow onto the top of his head when the timer goes off.
Colt falls away, breathing hard, and I stumble to my feet.
“It’s okay, boy,” Colt says, walking over to the side of the ring and stroking Shadow on top of the head.
I grab my towel and wipe down my face. Spots of blood come away from the elbow.
“That’s why I like you, Colt,” I say. “Can’t think of anybody else who’d go to war with me in the middle of the night.”
Colt laughs gruffly. “This isn’t war, Luca, but I know what you mean.”
“Still, it takes a real man to spar like that and not hold a grudge.”
“You’re not the only one who needs to let out some darkness.” Colt looks off into the middle distance, seeing phantoms only visible to him, ones he’ll never speak about. “What happened?”
“My girl’s dad saw us kissing. Decided he didn’t want her dating a mafioso.”
“Can’t blame him for that,” Colt says gruffly.
“What’s your problem with the Family?” I snap.
Colt sits ringside with one hand on Shadow, looking like a giant with his shoulders hunched, his silver hair glistening with sweat. “I’ve seen what crime families do, Luca.”
“But we’re not like that,” I tell him. “We’ve bled, lost men, fought wars to keep those sorts of Families out of our city. Whatever you’ve seen, don’t put that shit on us.”
He stares impassively, and I sigh. One reason I like Colt so much is also a reason he’s so frustrating. He simply doesn’t care. At least, he doesn’t show it much.
“What are you going to do?” he asks.
“Text my woman. See where we stand. I can’t let her go. I know that much. I need to win her dad over and show him I’ll do right by his daughter.”
“You really care about her,” Colt mutters.
“You sound jealous.”
He smirks, which is a rare sight. “No woman would have me, Luca. Too many demons. Too much baggage. The truth is, I’ve never met a woman I’d want, either, but you… Something’s changed. I can see it. Anybody could. Ruby’s changed you. If anything’s worth fighting for, that is.”
“For somebody who seems determined to die alone, you sound like a hopeless romantic.”
Shadow makes a whining noise that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. Colt tilts his head at him. “Yeah, real funny, boy.” He turns back to me. “Is your head ringing, too?”
“Yeah, but it’s good. This means I don’t have to think about letting my lady go. I swear, Colt, I can’t do it. I don’t know how I’ll live without her. If I hadn’t seen it for myself with my brother and his wife, I’d think I was going nuts.”
“Maybe you are. Maybe you both went nuts.”
“But it worked,” I snap. “Scarlet and Elio are happy. I’m starting to wonder if I can taste a bit of that happiness, too. At least, I was, until tonight.”
“If you’re looking for relationship advice, you’ve come to the wrong man,” Colt says. “But I know one thing. When you find something worth fighting for, you don’t stop. Even if the enemy breaks every bone in your body, even if they do things that would shatter the wills of twenty other men, you keep going. As long as you’re breathing, you fight. That’s it. No excuses.”
“Wouldn’t she be better off without a mafioso, though?” I say, smirking.
“Maybe so. Maybe not. That’s not the point. The point is…” His eyes gleam, making him look younger than his forty-five years. “You’re a good sparring partner. I can’t have you moping around and missing training.”
He climbs to his feet and walks over to the round timer, putting another three minutes on. I stand, rolling my shoulders and popping my head from side to side. My cell phone is resting on a stall beside the ring. I’ve got it on loud just in case my woman texts me.
CHAPTER 21
Ruby
“How can you be so certain after a week, Ruby?” Mom says, frowning.
Suddenly, she and Dad are a team, sitting side by side across the kitchen table. I’ve got Lexi on my side. Somehow, my relationship with Luca has turned into a family meeting. Mom is wearing a new, glittering, beautiful necklace, so apparently, Dad was telling the truth about his nighttime meeting.
“Especially because you’ve never had a boyfriend before,” Mom says.
I run my hand through my hair, toward my bangs, and then forcibly stop myself from shielding my face. I’m not going to hide from this moment. I’m not going to avoid the difficulties of life anymore. I find myself thinking of Valentina Tereshkova, which is absurd. She was the first woman in space, and I’m just fighting for my first relationship. Still, it gives me some context. Things could be way harder.
