CHAPTER ONE #2
“You’re a great fighter. But I won’t feel comfortable until you can beat me.
” His eyes softened slightly, revealing the fear beneath his stoic expression.
“My enemies now know I have someone I want to protect. They know I have a weakness. That makes you their target now. They will come after you to get to me.”
I scoffed, though part of me recognized the truth in his words. I was just too stubborn to admit it.
“I‘ve survived here this long without them attacking me.”
“You’ve survived because they know you have the entire DeLuca organization protecting you. Therefore, they’re not acting rashly. But they will act eventually. I need you to be ready.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Are you saying I would be dead right now if it weren’t for you and your organization?”
He’d better read the room and choose his next words carefully.
Stefano shrugged. “I’m just stating facts.”
Wrong answer.
I cracked my knuckles. I’d survived years without his help or his family. I would continue to survive with or without him. Luckily for him, I loved his crazy ass, so I wouldn’t kill him for doubting my skills. But it seemed I needed to remind him who I was.
“I wasn’t trying to call you weak or anything,” he started.
“Fuck all of that. Fight!” I yelled, rushing his way again.
This time, I fought dirtier. There was no hesitation, no mercy. If he wanted a real fight, I’d give him one. My knee drove up toward his groin while my elbow aimed for his ribs. Stefano blocked both attacks.
Damn it! He seemed to be anticipating my moves before I fully committed to them. He grabbed my arm, twisted, and suddenly, the floor slammed into my back again. The impact knocked the wind from me, but I refused to let it show on my face.
“Nine,” Stefano drawled.
I screamed in frustration. “You smug son of a…”
“You’re predictable when you’re angry.”
“I’m not. We’ve just sparred so much that you’ve learned a few of my habits.”
“That’s why you need to change things up. Don’t keep fighting the same way.”
He released me and stepped back, giving me space to rise. Sweat dripped down my spine as I pushed myself to my feet. My muscles burned from exertion, from being thrown around the mat repeatedly. I hated losing like this. He was making me feel weak, and I was anything but that.
“Last round,” he stated.
“Not if I win,” I replied.
All his smirk did was make me want to throat punch him, and then kiss him because he was so damn handsome. We circled each other again. I didn’t attack right away. Instead, I forced myself to think rather than react.
I wasn’t too proud to admit my faults. I was cocky. I wanted to impress him. I wanted to show off and let him see that I was just as good as him. But he wasn’t doing this to show off. He was doing this to protect me.
Our mindsets right now were different. That’s why he was calmly winning, and I was sorely losing. Each battle started in the mind. His mind had one train of thought: Protect Sienna. While mine was cluttered with nonsense that wasn’t important at all.
I was better than this. I wasn’t acting like the professional that I was. Taking a deep breath, I released it slowly, attempting to clear my head. I wasn’t just Stefano’s woman. I was a ruthless killer who feared no one.
Whether it be his enemies or mine, I was willing to take them all on. A spirit of fear did not live in this body. And there was no room for cockiness either. Being cocky was part of the reason many of my enemies had died at my hands.
I took another deep breath, my gaze meeting his as I released it. We lunged at the same time. I aimed low. He anticipated it and blocked my hit. I spun and elbowed him in the shoulder while my back was turned to him.
He reached for my waist, trying to use his strength to control my movements. Whether he realized it or not, I was starting to anticipate his moves too. I spun again, and my heel met his knee. His grunt was music to my ears, but he still didn’t go down.
Let’s change that.
Squatting low, I punched him in the ribs, then moved behind him, rising to punch him between his shoulder blades. Before he could spin to face me, I leapt onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck, putting him in a chokehold.
My thighs gripped his waist, holding on as he tried to dislodge me. Then, using all the strength I had, I flung us backward. I hit the mat first with my arms locked around his neck and my legs clamped around his waist.
“Tap out,” I whispered in his ear as he struggled against my hold.
I wasn’t letting go. This was more than just sparring now. I was fighting for my pride, fighting to show him that I could go up against his enemies and win. Fighting to calm his fears so he could trust me when I was on my own here in Italy.
I needed him to know that he wasn’t the only one who had someone they needed to protect. I wanted to keep him safe just as much as he wanted to keep me safe. We were fighting the same battle.
We were each other’s weaknesses. But we were also each other’s strengths. I needed him to see that. I needed him to trust in the strength of our love. Because if he couldn’t trust in us the way I trusted in us, then our enemies had already won.