Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“I’ll stay with the guards. I won’t leave the VIP area, I promise.”
Matteo pushes out a frustrated sigh. “Little Russo—”
“No.” I shake my head. “You don’t get to use that card. If I’m old enough for you to fuck and marry and spend your life with, then I’m old enough to be by your side when shit gets tough.”
Another sigh, but this time, he nods. “Okay. But you don’t fucking move from your seat. If I look over and don’t see you—”
“I won’t go anywhere.”
He pulls me into his arms and crashes his mouth against mine. “I can’t live this life without you, Sweetness. Don’t make me have to.”
“I can’t believe how insane this place is,” I yell at Lorenzo. “First a fire, then a shooting. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson.”
Lorenzo chuckles. “People love living on the edge. The fire was a false alarm, and the shooting only resulted in a few injuries and deaths, mostly the gunmen. People crave this shit.”
“And half of them are betting that something will go down,” Bri adds with a smirk.
We’re surrounded by guards, too many to count, and the entire warehouse has been locked down. Nobody can enter without being checked, and it’s an invite-only event.
The alcohol is flowing, the music is thumping, and once again, bets are being made.
Matteo has spent the last few weeks training his ass off for tonight, and I have no doubt he’s going to win.
At least that’s what I’m thinking until the man he’s fighting against walks out and into the ring. He’s got to be six and a half feet tall, tatted from head to toe, with two hundred fifty pounds of muscle.
“Matteo is fighting him?” I hiss, pointing at the guy who looks more like Shrek—minus the green skin—than a human.
“Yep,” Dominick says.
Peyton is at home with the babies since he refused to let her come tonight. And I get it—if I were a mom, it would be a different story, but I’m not, and Matteo means too much to me for me to stay home. Fighting is his passion, and I’m going to be right here, supporting him.
Except …
“That guy’s going to kill him.”
Dominick, Lorenzo, and Bri crack up laughing.
“Size and weight aren’t as important as skill,” Dominick notes. “And although I hate that my brother fights, he’s got the skill.”
The music changes, and the lights dim as Matteo is introduced. He walks out with his entourage, including Lucian, and when he gets to his corner, he looks directly at me, nodding once.
I smile and mouth, I love you, and in response, he points to his chest and then at me.
“My God, my brother has it so bad,” Bri groans. “He’s like a completely different person.”
“Love will do that to you,” Dominick says, then flinches when he realizes what he just said and who he said it to. “Brielle, I’m—”
“It’s all good,” she says, waving him off, but we can all see the pain in her features.
“Personally, I think you lucked out,” Lorenzo says to Bri. “Love complicates shit and makes people stupid.”
He grabs his drink and downs it, and my heart aches for my brother. What Hillary did to him was fucked up, and it’s going to take time for him to get over it. While I now realize I wasn’t in love with Enrique, I’d be lying if I said what he did to me didn’t hurt.
The emcee rattles off the guys’ stats, then says, “Remember, the only rule is that it’s bodies only. No weapons. First one to not get up loses.”
The whistle is blown, and the huge guy, Diesel—yes, his name is freaking Diesel!—goes straight after Matteo. He’s throwing punches like his life depends on it—and I guess, in a way, it does.
Matteo rocks side to side, avoiding the hits he can and blocking the ones that almost connect. The crowd is screaming and cheering, and even though I’m not a fan of my fiancé risking his life to fight this big-ass guy, I can understand the rush he gets, being up there.
After several minutes, it’s clear that Diesel is working harder than Matteo, and I’m starting to wonder when Matteo is going to fight back. Then, he finally makes his first real move. He fakes a kick and lands a hit to Diesel’s face. Before he can recover, Matteo lands another hit and then another. The guy starts to teeter, losing his balance, and then a kick from Matteo takes him to the ground. Matteo slides behind him and puts him in a choke hold that causes the man’s face to turn several different shades of red before he slumps onto the ground.
The emcee counts down, and when the guy doesn’t move, he announces Matteo the winner. Everyone claps and cheers. Some are pissed that they lost due to betting against Matteo, but many are smiling big at having padded their pockets tonight.