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17
The men filed out of the office, down the white-tiled hallway, and out through the back of the restaurant. The narrow alley was surrounded on three sides by tenement buildings, the gnarled black wrought-iron fire escapes rising above us, blocking out half the light coming from the periwinkle-colored sky. Graffiti decorated the walls. A dumpster was lined up against the wall of the restaurant, the ground below it marked with grease stains and other grime. The place stank of garbage and urine. I needed to make sure I stayed on my feet because I didn’t want to get close and personal with the filth on the ground.
The men formed a semicircle around me. Nelu’s bodyguard stood by the exit to make sure no one inadvertently stumbled upon us. I scoped out the area, but there weren’t any cameras situated outside the restaurant or the other buildings. Standing shoulder width apart, I shook out my hands and stretched my neck from side to side, garnering a popping sound when my neck cracked. It was imperative to remain loose and relaxed. If my muscles tightened, it would only cause me more pain. The goal was to take the hits and let them roll through me.
As the patriarch, Nelu stepped up first. With his paunch protruding over his tight belt, he wasn’t in the best of shape, unlike our father who saw physical fitness as a reflection of the strength of his clan and family. I sighed with gratitude at his one-two punch to my chin. It was jarring and hurt like a bitch, but his punches were straightforward. He threw another to my shoulder and it was over. His heart wasn’t in it. Money was Nelu’s primary motivator. If it didn’t line his pockets, he wasn’t interested. Having finished his perfunctory hits, he stepped out of the circle and gave way to Cristo.
Cristo was another story altogether. Not only did his blood run hot, but he loathed me. He may not hate me as much as he hated Nicu, but he harbored enough resentment to make sure his hits would count. I had a trick up my sleeve that would help me come out unscathed. I’d taught myself to mentally disengage from pain during those mindless hours that I was bound and gagged, or during my so-called “punishments.” The goal was to focus on the oncoming punches while detaching from the pain.
Cristo stepped forward, punching his fist to the palm of his hand with a smirk on his face. This was going to hurt. He pivoted to the side, fists raised in front of him. Stable, he threw a double punch to the stomach. Hard.
“Fuck,” I wheezed out as I doubled over, the wind punched right out of me. My stomach muscles throbbed. It felt like a foreign object was trying to force its way out of my throat.
Righting myself, I turned to my side and shifted a little on my feet. When Cristo swung out with a serious right hook, I swiveled backward just a tad, enough to lessen the impact of his punch. The tangy taste of blood exploded in my mouth. Goddamn, that hurt! Red edged around my vision. One more blow like that and I’d have to get my jaw wired shut. I breathed in, reaching deep in search of that detachment. Turned out, after decades of lack of use, I was rusty. Spitting out blood and saliva, I glared up at Cristo.
“You stepped back,” he accused.
“I didn’t move my fucking feet,” I countered, swiping at the blood trickling out the corner of my mouth.
“You moved, though,” he asserted.
“Fuck. You,” I snarled.
“Alright, you got your chance, Cristo. Step back,” interjected Alex.
Grumbling, Cristo turned on his heel and stomped away, murmuring something to Simu as he passed him.
Simu was the one with the biggest grudge. In addition to our feud, he was driven by the trinity of wounded pride, envy, and spite.
“I made her mine before you got your hands on her,” he swore as he stepped up to me. “And I promise, you won’t have her forever.”
He was spewing lies but taunted me with the kisses and touches he’d snatched from her.
I laughed in his face. “Maybe you don’t understand how the blood bond works, bro. Hate to break it to you, but I’ve already had her, so I’m the lifer in this situation.”
Getting smacked around might not rile me up but the thought of him touching Cat, much less taking her from me, got to me. Fury rolled over me in waves. My vision tunneled, turning dark at the edges.
Control snapping, I jeered, “And I will again right after I leave here. You didn’t pop that sweet cherry. I did, and oh, did I make it bleed.”
Charging, Simu roared, “You cradle-robbing fucker. I will fucking end you!”
Gripping my shirt and tie, he threw me against the side of the dumpster. A loud bang echoed off the facade of the buildings. This wasn’t about payback for the blood bond. This was a brawl, and I welcomed it. My pride smarted from Nelu and Cristo’s hits, but Simu pushed me over the edge. Clutching my shirt, he threw a hard punch. I dodged it. His knuckles slammed against the metal of the dumpster with an echo.
“Motherfucker,” Simu swore, shaking his hand before curling it into a fist.
Before he could swing again, I ripped out of his grip and got into a defensive position. Swerving around, he stalked me, throwing punches in the air. He made a quick swipe of my feet that I didn’t anticipate. Stepping back, I slipped on slime and toppled to the ground. Simu straddled me, his stale breath washing over me.
He attacked. Rounding my shoulders, I blocked his blows while bucking up to dislodge him. I might be tall and broad, but he outweighed me enough that I couldn’t throw him off. Risking a flurry of punches to my face, I planted my hand on the ground. Twisting hard and fast, I tossed the beast off me. He fell to his side. I swung my leg out and jumped up into a fighting pose and backed away.
Simu rolled up to standing. Around and around, we circled each other, the sounds of heavy breathing broken up by a car alarm down the street. The Popescus and my brothers had moved back to give us more room. Keeping far from Simu, I kicked his legs to rile him up. Kick, slide, kick, slide. He swung at me, but I ducked and gave him another hard strike. He buckled to the ground with a hiss.
Sliding from side to side, I taunted, “Come on, get up! You were too much of a pussy to take her when you had a chance. Don’t be jealous ’cause I was man enough to do it.”
Roaring at the top of his lungs, he hopped up and barreled toward me. I stepped to my power side, further luring him toward me. Loading my back foot, I drove through my hips and struck my arm out. His momentum propelled him into my fist. Down he went. His skull bounced off the ground with an ugly crunch. Laid out on his back, he went limp.
Turning to the men, I pounded my chest and let out a roar of triumph. Fuck, yeah. That felt good. Cristo rushed to Simu, fury written on his face. A bemused smile played on Nicu’s lips while Alex raised an indulgent eyebrow at me. Flexing my shoulders, I fixed my tie, buttoned up my jacket, and adjusted the cuffs of my sleeves. Cristo helped Simu roll to his side and sit up. Simu shook his head, flapping his lips like a horse.
Nelu came forward. With a staying hand on my chest, he stretched out his other hand for Simu to take. With that, the fight was over.
