On The Ropes (14 page)

It took me a minute—guess I was still too wrapped up in my own pointless melodrama—but once I got it, I laughed and hooked her arm with mine. “So bad.”

Arm-in-arm, we wandered around the space, talking, making plans. Teasing each other as we always did. We eventually wandered upstairs to the dance studio’s former juice bar, and I cringed a little at the dirty floors. It looked like an Orange Julius had seeped into the tiles and crusted over back behind the counter.

“Elbow grease,” Mia proclaimed. “Just needs a little elbow grease.”

“Make that a
lot
.”

I could see the possibilities, though, ones that kept us chatting throughout the ride to The Cage. Mia wanted to talk to Fox, who was supposed to be meeting with a client, and I hoped to run into Gio for a liplock or two, assuming he was there. He had a fight tonight, so I figured he’d be getting in some last minute training, but he did something at the Boys & Girls Club a few days a week. Yet another thing he played close to the vest.

Okay, so he played all the things close to the vest, except sex. There, he was plenty open. And giving. And umm, holy shit, could that guy eat me out.

“Is it hot in here or just me?” I asked, waving a hand over my face.

Mia narrowed her eyes at me. “It’s October, and the A/C is blasting. You aren’t getting sick, are you?”

No, just horny, and that required a different sort of injection.

“No. It’s just warm. Unusual weather for October.”

“It’s fifty-six degrees out.”

“Still warm.”

Mia gave me the side-eye, but let it drop.

We arrived at The Cage fifteen minutes later, and Mia made a beeline for one of the dojos in the hopes of finding Fox. On the way, we passed Evie Pierce, the woman who’d broken my sister’s arm in a fight last month. I scowled at Evie, though she paid me no mind. She was too busy doing mat work and arguing out of the side of her mouth with the man in a suit crouched beside her. Not her trainer, I was almost sure. But boy, he sure seemed to be schooling her. And she wasn’t having a bit of it.

“Sutton Pierce,” Mia explained, noticing the object of my attention. “He owns Mark’s Gym. Surely Kizzy has mentioned him to you. He’s her hell boss.”

“
Ohhhh
, hell boss.” I nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of him. Umm, he’s hot.”

She glanced at him and pursed her lips. “You think? To me, he looks like a dick.”

“A stuffy dick,” I said, taking in his tailored pants and dark gray suit jacket. It wasn’t exactly the usual attire for a MMA gym. “But still hot. I’d do him.”

As soon as I said the words, I glanced around. I hadn’t meant anything by what I’d said. Sutton was too old for me, and besides, the English tea biscuit sort so wasn’t my type. It was just my usual kind of gossipy girl talk. But it was different when your secret lover dude might be spying on you from behind a piece of equipment.

Luckily, Gio wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“I wouldn’t do him,” Mia said. “He’s a prick. He’s the reason I had to leave Mark’s, because he didn’t want illegal fighting to be affiliated with his gym. I don’t understand how Kizzy can continue to tolerate him.”

“She’s stubborn as hell? And hopes to make his life a living nightmare?”

“Yeah.” Mia shook her head, clearly winding up. “And then it turns out his sister fought MMA overseas, and now she’s here. Yet he has such a problem with cage fighting. Prick,” she said again.

“Hot prick,” I agreed.

“Do I even want to know?”

Mia tipped her head back as Fox laid his hands on her shoulders. “No, probably not.”

“Damn women, talking about pricks the second a guy turns his back.” He grinned and kissed my sister full on the mouth, until she flushed and squirmed away.

They were so damn cute together.

I cast a quick glance over my shoulder again, more than a little hopefully. I had someone I wanted to be cute with too.

Or down and dirty, either way.

“Hey, I’m going to go chill in your office for a few while you guys chat, okay?” I was already walking away. “I know you guys have private stuff to discuss.”

In truth, I was in search of one particular booty—uh, ass, so I could do some calling. But the office excuse was semi-plausible.

“You need the key,” Mia called.

“No, she doesn’t. It’s unlocked. I’ve been in and out so I just left it.”

“Thanks, see you in a few,” I called back with a wave, already rushing out of the room.

I wouldn’t have much time, so I’d have to make it count.

A quick check of the other dojo and the weight rooms netted me exactly zippo. Maybe he really wasn’t around. I decided to head back to the office and text him. At least we could exchange a few inappropriate messages if nothing else.

Pulling out my phone, I headed into the office and came around the desk, intending to sprawl out in the cushy chair like I always did. Just as I was about to sit, I sat the knife, handle up in the chair.

Impaled
in the fucking chair.

I made some kind of noise, I know I did. I didn’t think it was a scream, though, until the door I’d left cracked banged against the wall. Gio filled the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking the sun streaming in the windows behind him.

“Jesus,
tesoro
, I saw you go past the men’s locker room and followed you here. What is it?”

Swallowing deeply, I pointed at the chair. I didn’t trust my voice yet.

“What the hell is this?” He started to reach for the knife, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Don’t touch it. There might be prints.” See, spending tons of nights stuck home watching cop dramas hadn’t turned out to be useless, after all.

“Who did this?”

“I don’t know. I thought that was obvious.”

He ignored my sarcasm and prowled around the room, apparently looking for anything else that might be out of place. Something I should’ve done.

Yeah, it looked like I’d be watching a few more cop shows on my next night off.

“Not a-fucking-gain,” he muttered, running his hand through his wet hair. He’d obviously just taken a shower, as the back of his white linen shirt had little water spots on it.

Wanting to lick them up was probably not an acceptable thought right now, so I focused on what he was saying instead of his bulging, ripped body.

“What do you mean not again?” I walked around the chair to stand behind him. “This happened before?”

“Your sister didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Even picturing his tattooed arms gleaming with water wasn’t enough to stem the tide of my annoyance. “Throw me a frickin’ bone. What are you talking about?”

“The heavy bag. Someone hacked into it last month. Not someone. Lo’s people. Someone he had working with him anyway,” he said, just loud enough for me to hear. He cracked his knuckles behind his neck, circling the chair as if it was a snake he expected to make a move at any time.

Out of nowhere he kicked it, sending it hurtling into the wall.

“What the hell?” My sister burst into the room with Fox right behind her. “Mind not attacking our office shit, Costas?”

“Look,” he said, pointing, and Mia stopped halfway across the room.

So did Fox. “Christ.” He pinched his nose. “Not again.”

I crossed my arms. “You people better start explaining this to me, and fast. What happened to the heavy bag last month?”

“It got torn up by a crazy bitch,” Fox muttered.

“What crazy bitch?” I glanced at Gio. “I thought you just said—”

The look he gave me told me to be quiet. Hell if I knew why.

Hell if I understood any of this.

Mia tugged on her recently fixed braid. She was fraying it all over again with her fussing. “Remember how you wondered why Slater wasn’t talking to us anymore?”

“Yeah. You said it was a friend thing, and he’d come around.”

“Not so much a friend thing. He’s dating a fucking psychopath.” Fox glanced at Mia, then at me. “The girl he’s with now has been harassing Mia.”

“Why would she do that?”

Mia only sighed. “Because she’s the daughter of Darren Winthrop.”

“Who?” Gio asked.

All of a sudden, you could’ve heard two MMA fighters take a deep breath.

They’d momentarily forgotten Gio was in the room. Even I had, and he was pretty much my true north at all times.

And now he would have questions. They were already burning in his eyes, turning the blue to something dark and menacing.

Giovanni Costas angry wasn’t something I ever wanted to see again. The little taste I’d gotten a few minutes ago had been plenty.

“I asked a question,” he said quietly, his gaze centered on me. “Who is Darren Winthrop, and what does he have to do with this?”

I started to reply—to say what, I didn’t know—but Mia held up a hand. “It’s okay. I guess it’s long past time he knows. It’s not a secret…exactly.”

“Ame,” I said softly. “You don’t have to tell him anything you don’t want to. Now or ever.”

The look Gio shot me didn’t do anything but make me straighten my shoulders. I cared about him, yes. Just not at the expense of my sister divulging something she wasn’t ready to share.

“Listen to your sister.” Fox took her hand, and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles like Gio did sometimes with me. “You don’t have to say a damn thing.”

“It’s okay. Really. The more times I say it, the easier it’ll get, right?” My beautiful, brave sister smiled and glanced at Gio. “Darren Winthrop is the man who kidnapped me and held me hostage for three months when I was fourteen. The girl who was stalking me before, who ripped up the heavy bag last month, was his only daughter, Olivia.” She glanced past Gio at the chair and sighed again. “Guess she’s still not tired of her sick games.”

Fox’s eyes narrowed. “And I think it’s time we go have a chat with my old pal, Slater.”

A
s shocked
and disgusted as I was by what Mia had just told me, my brain was still whirling. Trying to make sense of what I’d seen now, and before, and how it fit in with the Andrettis. They hated Mia due to an argument she’d had with Lorenzo, and the so-called disrespect she’d shown him. In truth, Lo had been running his mouth, and he’d had the punch coming that Mia had given in.

But in our world, punching an underboss could mean death. And it almost had.

Mia’s debt had supposedly been paid off when she’d agreed to fight Evie Pierce last month, due to the amount of bets that would be generated on that kind of fight. Women’s MMA was coming up fast, and Mia had a rep in the game. Her retirement last winter had surprised a lot of people, and many of them had come out to bet that night. I’d been promised her acquiescence had been enough to quiet Lo and his men’s ire, but I didn’t trust them.

Especially since a vendetta against Mia was way too close to Carly.

“Are you sure?” I demanded. “You’re certain this Olivia person is really the one who was harassing you, Mia?”

“Lorenzo flat out told me she was involved.”

“You spoke to Lorenzo again?” I moved forward. “When?”

“Hey there, buddy, you might want to watch whose face you get into.” Fox pressed his hand into my chest, not so subtly holding me back. “I’d hate to have to break your nose.”

I lifted a brow. “I’d love to see you try.”

“Boys,” Carly said from right behind Fox. “Seriously, my sister could break both of your noses, so cool it with the posturing.”

“Yeah, but she likes mine.”

“Some days,” Mia agreed. “Yeah, Costas, I talked to Lorenzo. Weeks ago, before the fight with Evie. They tried to convince me to see things their way, and I declined.”

“What things?” I took another step forward, and resoundingly met with Fox’s hand—now a fist—one more time. “Do you really think she needs you as her guard dog? Seems to me she’s quite capable of handling herself.”

“I am, but he enjoys playing the tough guy. I let him take his jollies where he can find them.”

Fox dropped his fist. “Yeah, well, my
jollies
just deflated.”

Carly rolled her eyes. “Can we get back to the point, please?”

“What did they try to convince you of?” I asked, ignoring their byplay. I had more important concerns at the moment. “Did Lorenzo hurt you?”

Mia’s spine snapped ruler straight. “Hell no, he didn’t hurt me. You think some pussy in a thousand dollar suit can slow me down with his threats?”

Carly’s eyes widened. “He threatened you?”

“What did he say to you?” I asked carefully, wishing I could get Carly out of the room. Or at least hold her hand. But I couldn’t, because we weren’t supposed to be anything to each other.

Less than nothing.

“It wasn’t any big deal,” Mia said, though I suspected she was downplaying things for her sister’s benefit. “He wanted me to throw the fight, because they felt Evie was a bankable fighter and they wanted her to win. Beating me would hasten along her restarted MMA career, I guess. But I said no. I don’t throw a fight for any goddamn reason. They threw a few empty threats around, tried to use some scare tactics to—”

“What threats?” I stepped forward and took Mia’s wrists, and this time Fox didn’t make any move to stop me. “I need to know exactly what they said, and how. It’s important. Not just for curiosity’s sake,” I added, catching Carly’s eye over Mia’s shoulder. I knew she was thinking, as I was, of that conversation we’d had about Mia in my bed last week. “But because I know these men, and I can’t help ensure your safety if I’m in the dark.”

“You know them, all right, because you’re in league with them.” Mia shook me off. “Why should I tell you anything?”

Behind Mia, Carly’s face gave away nothing. She was waiting for an answer too.

“I give you my word, on my mamma’s grave, I would never see you harmed. Any of you,” I said, looking at each in turn. “My word is all I have to give.”

Mia frowned. “Your mother is dead too?”

I swallowed hard. All these years later, it was still difficult to say. To acknowledge. “Yes. Six years now.”

“I’m sorry. Ours is too.”

“I know. My condolences as well.”

At Mia’s frown, I realized I wasn’t supposed to have intimate knowledge like that of them. I was a stranger. An outsider.

Carly lowered her gaze, her long, dark lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Did she wish she could tell them what we were to each other, or was she happy we’d agreed to secrecy?

You’re not anything to each other. You can’t be.

Knowing that and remembering it when she seemed so fragile and beautiful next to her older, harder sister were two different things. The light in Carly was so strong, still. My urge to tuck her in and protect her wasn’t something I could wish away, or ignore. I’d been struggling with it since the first day we met.

That it was a distraction I didn’t need didn’t cause the desire to go away.

“Lorenzo threatened the people I love, once he realized his threats on my life wouldn’t sway me.” Mia rubbed the wrist of the arm that had been broken. “In the end, I lost anyway, so they got what they wanted.”

“You threw the fight?”

Her head came up and her eyes blazed into mine. “No, I said I lost. She beat me, fair and square.”

“Fair and square, my ass,” Fox muttered. “Those goons dragged Olivia through the crowd to throw you off your game. Somehow they knew you’d care. You shouldn’t, but you did.

“What were the threats, exactly? Vague doesn’t help me.”

“How does
any
of this help you? Why do you even care? At best, we’re friends. At best,” she repeated, making it clear she didn’t even believe we were truly that.

It took everything I possessed not to make eye contact with Carly. “Friendship matters to me. I told Fox that too. I don’t have many friends, so the ones I have I don’t take lightly.”

“There’s a big long river between not taking lightly and risking your life to help us. Not that we need you to,” she added hastily. “I lost, a ton of bets were made that night, and Lorenzo hasn’t contacted me since. Everything is quiet.”

“Until today.” I glanced back at the skewered chair. “That is definitely not quiet.”

She rubbed her wrist again, saying nothing.

“The threats were against me,” Fox said after a moment. Mia’s eyes went to slits, but she didn’t admonish him. “And Carly.”

“
Me
?” Even as my hands went to fists, Carly pushed her way in front of her older sister to speak to Fox. “Why would they threaten me?”

Suddenly it was all so clear.
Because you’re in their club every night. Because they have you right where they want you.

When the Mia situation had occurred with Lorenzo, Carly had already been dancing at the club for months. Mia didn’t know it, and I didn’t, but Lorenzo and his men surely did, Marco in particular.

It hadn’t been a coincidence that Marco had chosen Carly to bring to the back room that night. They hadn’t been finished with getting their retribution, and they’d accomplished two things by setting us both up. I’d proven my loyalty by doing as they asked, especially since it skirted the laws of consent, and they’d taken another shot at Mia, via her sister.

Two questions remained. Were they finished taking shots at Mia, through Carly or otherwise? And was there another reason they’d pushed me and Carly together that night?

Like making it easier to take out two ducks, with one shot.

“It was just idle crap. They just snatched onto the first handy target.” Mia patted Carly’s shoulder. “Nothing at all for you to worry about. I took care of it.”

I didn’t miss the look that Mia and Fox exchanged. They didn’t believe that for a minute.

“Lorenzo hasn’t attempted contact since the fight. You’re sure of it.”

“Yes, no contact. Why would he? He got me to fight, which was what he wanted. It was just one stupid punch,” she added defensively. “What kind of pussy is he, making such a big deal about nothing?”

“It’s a matter of honor in front of his men. Without honor, you’re less than worthless. At the very least he would want to make an example of you, to ensure no one else would try something similar.”

The more I spoke, the more pieces of the puzzle snapped together.

I was being set up.

Just as Mia and Fox—and even Carly—didn’t trust my motivations, neither did the Andrettis, for good reason. Not only was I a Costas by blood, the son of one of their biggest rivals, I was aligned with Mia, and had even campaigned for leniency on her behalf. One of those things might be overlooked. Not two.

There was no fucking way they thought I was actually on their side. They were going along with me for the time being, letting me think I’d been made, but they would be taking the next step to demonstrate otherwise.

Or maybe they’d just sit back and let my own father order a hit on me. Perhaps that’s how Vincente had heard of my doublecross in the first place—from the Andrettis themselves, hoping to keep their hands clean of the dirty work.

“Gio?”

I glanced up to see Carly at my side. I hadn’t even seen her approach. Or the others leave. I’d been lost in my own world, contemplating the almost certain death that was coming sooner than I’d thought.

My own.

But I wouldn’t let it happen that way. No way in hell would I get this close to Roberto Andretti and allow them to kill me before I’d accomplished my goal. If I was going to die, he was going down with me.

“Gio, look at me.”

I might be able to overlook her soft, concerned voice, but I couldn’t ignore the sensation of her cool, strong fingers curling around mine. Or her big blue eyes, willing me to meet her gaze.

I looked, because nothing else felt as real or as solid at that moment than her hand on mine.

“What is it? You can tell me.” Her throat moved as she glanced over her shoulder. “They’re gone now. I think they went to go see Slater. Fox is set on talking some sense into him.”

“Who’s Slater?” The name sounded familiar, but right now, my head was spinning too much for me to place.

“Fox’s best friend. You might’ve seen him at Fox’s fights in the old days. He was his corner man. Oh, and at Mia’s fight last month. He also came to that dinner at our place, the one you came to also.” She made a face. “You know, the one where my sister kept trying to talk about my lovers to make a point to you.”

Oh, yes, I remembered that night. Quite well. I recalled seething over imagining Carly with another man, then deciding it wasn’t any of my business. She had the right to see whomever she wanted.

“What was that point? That you were sexually active?”

“Yeah, with guys that weren’t you. That’s my big sis. As delicate as a heart attack.” She snorted and shook her head. “Man, poor Slater. I never would’ve figured him for the type to fall for a psychopath, but he’s got a sweet heart.”

My gaze drifted back to the chair. “They don’t know for certain this was done by Olivia. They’re just assuming.”

“Well, it’s a reasonable assumption, don’t you think?”

I paced away. “There is nothing reasonable when it comes to Lorenzo Donato and anyone associated with him.”

She grew quiet, and I soon found out why. “Gio,
you’re
associated with him.”

It was my turn to become quiet.

“I’ve tried not to ask questions,” she began. “I know you wanted my trust. But trust only goes so far. If they’ve threatened my sister…”

“Fuck your sister. They threatened
you
. They harmed
you
.”

Her chin came up in that defiant gesture I both adored and hated. Adored because I admired every sign of her inner strength. Hated because her stubbornness often resulted in bad things happening.

“If that truly mattered so much to you, you would walk away from them. No matter what was in your past, no matter what they have over your head.” She crossed the few feet between us and placed both hands on my chest. “Whatever they have on you, is it really worth selling your soul to them?”

A harsh laugh escaped me. “You think they have something on me? That they’re blackmailing me?”

“I don’t know what to think.” Her hands fell away. “I want to believe you’re a good man, but God, the more I hear, the more I wonder. How could you be good surrounded by so much filth? Filth you willingly continue to surround yourself with?”

“You dance in that club,” I reminded her.

She nodded. “They pay my paycheck. They don’t own me, no matter what they think. Can you say the same?”

She turned and walked out of the room without another backward glance.