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Tino says this isn’t my fight. It is. I’m the one who fell in love with a man in the mafia. The day we began to date my fate was sealed, whether I knew it at the time, or not. Whether we lasted as a couple, or not. It didn’t matter. I was irrevocably tied to him.
Having now spent time with him and with Killian, I have come to learn the true definition of family. I lost mine young. Too young. I remember my parents. Remember loving them. But I also remember them being ambitious, and busy. They made little time for me. I don’t blame them. I have done the same with my own career throughout the years.
When I lost them I had no one else. No true family until Tino came along. Then he was ripped from me and I was alone again.
Tino doesn’t understand. He hasn’t lost anyone the way I have. Even though he lost me, it wasn’t the same. He thought I left him. That I wasn’t in love, and didn’t want to be a couple. It wasn’t true I had to run. To stay away and fight for my life to go on.
The letter I was forced to leave, was a form of closure, even if it wasn’t real. I didn’t have that. For seven years the what-ifs plagued me.
Now I have him back, and his family needs help. Help I can provide. It’s risky. There’s a chance I won’t survive this.
But if I do. When I do. I’ll find a way to get him to forgive me. I’ll make him understand.
As soon as this is done, Tino and I will be a family. In name with our marriage, and in blood as soon as I am pregnant. I rub my flat belly. We didn’t use protection last night. I’m not on any sort of birth control. It’s unlikely, but there is a chance. And if not this time, we will just keep trying.
In order for that future to come, we need to not be burdened with the fear of the Cartel on our doorstep. Our family will never know peace and happiness if we don’t. I need that for Tino, to put his beast to rest, and to get back the future stolen from us.
He will forgive me, there is no doubt in my mind. But I’m sure my freedom will pay the price. I’d bet he’s already making plans. He’ll make it so I cannot leave the room without him because he needs me in his field of view. Probably won’t be able to sit in my own chair either. He’ll want to be touching me constantly. And since I left him handcuffed to the bed, I’m betting I will be on the receiving end of that for at least a few weeks.
It’s a price I will happily pay, for I never want to be without him again anyway.
“Everything is ready.” Killian says. I turn to him. Forgetting he was wrapping my knuckles for the fight while I was lost in my thought.
He and Ivan have assured me that they have enough men in the building in case of attack. Elena has assured me that she and Luna have my back and are monitoring our trackers in case any of us are taken.
The original plan called for Tino to be with Elena, but after they told me the story of him storming the house naked, with a piece of his headboard attached to wrist, I knew his beast was loose, that piece of Tino that craved blood, and vengeance and stop at nothing to get it. We can’t risk him causing a scene, or calling an audible and ruining the plan. So for now, Tino is being forcibly detained in a van a few blocks away.
My monster, my beast is ready to storm the building at the first sign of trouble, and I love him all the more for it.
Grady enters the room and tells me it’s time. I stand and do my usual pre-fight ritual of bouncing on my toes and getting my mind set on the task ahead. I don’t know this opponent. Never seen him fight. It means I’m going to take a few hits before I can read what his weaknesses are.
We tap gloves, and immediately his fist swings out to my face. He’s going to play dirty. I figured it was coming and was ready. I dodge it easily, but was not so lucky with his counter swing. It nails my ribs. Hard. Too hard. That’s not just his hand he hit me with. He’s got brass knuckles, or giant rings on his fingers.
Fuck. It’s hard to breath already after that hit. I shuffle back a few steps to buy myself a few precious seconds to let the adrenaline my body is releasing flow through me.
We go two rounds, each exchanging blows. With each passing minute I can see him slowing down. Problem is, so am I. The adrenaline isn’t working anymore. My body is in too much pain.
I fight through it as best I can, and finally get him to his knees. Summoning any remaining energy I can pull, I roundhouse kick him. Lights out for him.
Then the lights go out for all of us.
Someone cut the power. Shit. This is the next stage of the plan, and I’m too tired to keep going. Just as predicted in our meeting, they grab me, tie me up and are hauling me away. I scream, kick, and fight, but I’m depleted. My body hurting. I don’t stop. Can’t I need to make it back to Tino.
I swear I can hear him fighting his way through the crowds to get to me. Bullets are beginning to fly as a needle pierces my neck. My turn for lights out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Val
YOU CAN’T KILLyour brother. You can't kill your brother.
It has become my mantra tonight.
Sitting in this van is torture. Elena hacked the cameras and set up a monitor for me to watch. I don’t know whether I want to thank her or curse her. Not being able to see her would have let my mind run rampant with horrible scenarios. Seeing it live, isn’t far off what I could have imagined. She is taking a beating. I can see the blood and bruises through the shitty quality of the cameras. Every swing she takes is getting slower. And she’s barely using her legs except to stand.
If no one kills this fucker before the night is out, I will be hunting him down.
The ten minutes she is in the ring feels like an eternity. My girl managed to get her opponent down. Knocked out. I’m so fucking proud of her. I’m ready to cheer, until the screen goes black. Massimo is with me as is Bosco. They are both trying to calm me down and hold me back. It’s not working. Either the camera feed was cut, or the lights were, either way shit is going down and I need to get to my girl.
