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DECLAN
I watched her as she punched as hard as she could into his neck. He grabbed on to her arm, and pulled her up and over, until her body slammed onto the canvas of Liam’s boxing ring. Crawling onto her side, she pushed herself up before she wiped the blood from her nose and regained her stance.
Fedel stared at her for a moment before he lifted his arms and took a couple of steps back. They circled each other, their eyes never wavering. Finally, she leaped forward, and he grabbed her waist, trying to stop her. However, she twisted herself, and wrapped her legs around his neck before she flipped him. They wrestled on the ground until I couldn’t handle seeing him touch her any longer.
“Enough. Get the fuck off my wife,” I said as calmly as I could while I walked towards the ring. They both looked at me, confused for a moment, but what pissed me off was the amused look that graced Fedel’s face.
Without another word, he got up while Coraline remained on the ground, taking deep breaths.
“Thank you, Fedel,” she said to him.
I watched as he nodded to us, and I followed his every move as he stepped out of the ring.
“Get ready, we’re going to pay our guest a visit,” I stated.
“I’ll get right on it,” he answered as he walked off.
Turning back to my wife, I saw that she still hadn’t moved.
“You’re being jealous for no reason, Declan.”
“I’m not jealous, I just don’t like watching my wife get beat on by any man.”
She turned her head to me and gave me a small grin. “I had a fighting chance.”
“He was holding back, believe me.”
She looked so disheartened, that I want to kick myself. “Not that you weren’t doing well, because you were. But Fedel has been doing this for decades. There were times you surprised us both, that leg thing you did was…”
Sexy.
“You do know that Fedel’s gay, right?” she asked.
I was completely floored. My mouth opened as I tried to process the words she’d just said. “Did he tell you that?”
“No, but he doesn't need to. Seriously, you’ve never noticed?”
“Noticed what?” I’d noticed nothing!
“Declan, he’s never once had a girlfriend since we’ve know him—”
“Who has time for a girlfriend? He’s busy, I barely have time to have a wife with all the shit Mel and Liam have me doing.”
She laughed as she rose from the floor before she came over to me. “He’s never once talked about woman either. All the other men try to sleep with the maids or their eyes wander when we’re in public. But Fedel…if a woman approaches him, he always says the same thing. ‘Sorry, I’m not interested—’”
“He’s dedicated to his work; the family doesn’t pay to flirt on the job.”
“Speaking of family events, we need to organize a get-together. We haven’t seen them in a few months, I’ll ask Mel and Evelyn.” She snapped her fingers as she remembered.
“I can’t believe he’s gay,” I whispered, still stuck on the first part of her statement.
She rolled her eyes. “Not all gay men run around with rainbows and sprinkles shooting out of their asses.”
“I know, but come on, he would have at the very least tried to hit on me. He can’t be gay.”
She froze as she looked me over. Then without warning, she broke out into a fit of laughter. She laughed so hard that her eyes were watering.
“It’s not that funny.”
“No, it isn’t. Your head is just so damn big, I’m going crazy from the lack of oxygen.”
“Don’t make me pin you down.”
“Don’t make me mess up your face, pretty boy. What’s the Italian word for narcissist?”
Her smile still made me smile, even when she got on my fucking nerves. It reminded me of when we first met…she called me a narcissist then too.
“Hit the showers so we can go; you got pissed at me the last time I went to visit her without you.”
She moved to get out of the ring but I stopped her and kissed her hard. Pulling her to me, I wrapped my arms around her waist as she leaned in and deepened our kiss. As I let go of her, she stumbled forward.
“Seriously, what man or woman in their right mind wouldn’t want a piece of this,” I whispered to her.
Shaking her head at me, she walked off and left me standing there.
“You’re not that hot!” she yelled.
I grinned. “You’re a bad liar, baby!”
CORALINE
I wanted to crawl into a bath of ice and never come out. All of my muscles were on fire, and yet Fedel looked perfectly fine. He sat in his chair, wearing a slim-fitted, black leather zipper jacket, with dark Ralph Lauren jeans, and black military boots.
“Do you need anything, boss?” he asked without opening his eyes.
“No. And you and I both know you don’t think of me as your boss. You don’t have to call me that, Fedel.”
His eyes opened and his eyebrow rose. “We aren’t friends, Mrs. Callahan. I work for your brother-in-law and your sister-in-law, and by extension, you. I call you ‘boss’ because they made you so while they’re away. Noted that calling you as such is disrespectful to them. Not calling you boss means that I do not agree with their decision, which means I am questioning their choice. Thoughts like that are dangerous, especially in times like these. And only a fool would question or disrespect them. I’ve made it this long by not being a fool.”
Loyal to the bone.
“If you work for me, then why are you here resting your eyes while Declan is in there?”
“You’re mistaken, ma’am, I was simply listening to our surroundings. Take for example the rat right by the window above us trying to eat a stale piece of bread…”
Glancing up at the dirty, yellow, tinted windows of the factory, I saw the rat that he was referring to, eating what appeared to be some sort of pastry or bread.
“Also, there’s a flag outside flapping in the wind,” he stated, looking to the large red steel doors that stood about twenty feet from us. But they were sealed shut, how could he have heard that?
“There’s also a blue Chevy driving this way, but it’s just passing through.”
Now I was just incredulous. I turned to face him. “How in the hell can you know that?”
He pointed to his ear. “We have men standing post and they’re filling me in.”
Crossing my arms, I pouted. “No one likes a smartass.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now may I go back to resting my eyes?” he smiled and I nodded in acquiesce.
Resting against the chair, he closed his eyes once more as I walked around, and inspected the old rusted machines of the abandoned factory. Everything was so cold, damp, and dark. It made me wonder if Mel and Liam chose places like this to seem badass. Declan was down in the basement dealing with our “guest.” I wanted to join him, but he was still using the training wheels when it came to me. At least he allowed me to carry a gun now, and even though I wasn’t the best shot, I was good enough. I had two knives in my boots that I was able to wield more efficiently, and he’d bought me the same gloves that Mel used, apparently they were made from some fabric that didn’t leave any DNA or fingerprint residue.
