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QUINTON
As soon as I step into the large open space of the gym area, my eyes land on the one person I’ve never seen before. Instantly, I’m reminded of what my father told me yesterday. This must be him. Alessio Bianchi’s son. Just like my eyes are drawn to him, his are drawn to me. As I walk toward the group, he doesn’t hide the fact that he sizes me up. Neither do I. He is tall and well built, his skin is tan, and his hair is black like mine.
To a normal person, he would look casual and relaxed in the dark gray sweatsuit he is wearing, but I notice things others don’t. I notice the way his right foot is set an inch behind his left, the way his knees are slightly bent, and his eyes are constantly scanning his surroundings for danger. He is ready to fight, probably stays that way constantly, just like I do.
I catch a movement out of the corner of my eyes, and when I tilt my head, I find Aspen trying to sneak past me. For the time being, I let her; knowing I need to give this newcomer my full attention.
“Now that we are all here, please welcome our new student, Vito,” Quan announces, and every person in the room turns to look at the newest member of Corium’s elite.
Vito gives a curt nod but chooses not to give a further introduction. Fine by me. I’ll find out who you really are one way or the other.
Quan goes over some fighting techniques while I keep a close eye on the new student, who pretends to listen to Quan while his eyes keep searching the room as if he is memorizing each corner, each exit, and each face.
“Partner up,” Quan’s voice booms across the room, and I immediately look around for Aspen.
Normally, I stay close to her throughout the class, but I’ve been preoccupied and didn’t realize she moved around. When I find her, Vito is already talking to her.Motherfucker.
Pesky, unwanted jealousy weasels its way up my spine. My feet move on their own accord, carrying me across the mats to where Vito is chatting up Aspen.
Like a dog fighting for his bone, I head straight for Vito with my teeth bared. Only when he looks over at me in amusement does the fog of anger lift from my brain, and I come to my senses.
“Vivo, is it?” I say his name wrong on purpose.
“Close, it’s Vito.” His accent is surprisingly faint, which means he’s either been in the US for a while or has a damn good tutor in Italy. “Nice to finally meet you, Quinton.”
Vito holds out his hand to me, and I take it without breaking eye contact. My hand wraps around his fingers, and I squeeze, envisioning his neck in my palm instead. The asshole merely chuckles.Fuck, I hate this guy.
Suddenly, Quan appears next to us. “I guess the extra student leaves us with an uneven number. One of you three can train with me.”
“We’ve already partnered up,” Vito announces, pointing between Aspen and himself.
“Um, yeah… I told him yes. I mean… it was okay… to partner,” Aspen stumbles over her words, her eyes ping-ponging between us nervously.
“No problem.” I force a smile and step away before I slam my fist into Vito’s teeth.
Quan moves us away from them, but I motion for him to stay closer and position us so I can monitor Vito. Luckily, Quan doesn’t object.
We run through the new moves Quan showed us just a few minutes ago with ease. My body moves quickly and fluently. My counters are a little more forceful than necessary, as my mind is consumed with anger.
Quan grunts as he dodges one of my kicks, but it’s not loud enough to drown out Aspen’s giggle at something Vito says. Is he fucking flirting with her?
Irritated, I try to listen to what they are talking about, but there is too much noise around us to make it out.
I watch as Vito shows Aspen the moves slowly. His hands are on her body, and my blood boils in my veins. My fist slams into something with bone-crushing force. I don’t even feel the pain, but I hear the gasps around me, when I realize I just hit Quan in the face.
“Shit, sorry,” I apologize to Quan, who is pinching the bridge of his bleeding nose with two fingers.
“I think we’re done for today,” he grits through his teeth.
I’m not sure if he is pissed at me or mad at himself for letting me get a punch in. After all, he is the one who is supposed to teach me, not the other way around.
Quan walks off to lick his wounds, and I take a moment to grab some water from the fountain to cool off. The cold liquid quenches my thirst, but it does nothing to simmer down the burning rage inside of me.
When I turn back around, Aspen is giving Vito an awkward wave goodbye before scurrying away as fast as she can. She already knows she made a mistake. One, I’ll make her pay for later.
The rest of the students leave slowly, but Vito doesn’t make a move. He simply remains standing casually with his hands folded behind his back. I approach him slowly, wanting the rest of the people to be gone so we can talk in private.
“I hope everyone has been welcoming,” I offer, once we’re alone.
