11. Dion
11
DION
P outánas yos !” Evander yells as I pummel him to the floor.
He quickly recovers and stands across from me, the sound of our heavy breaths surrounding us.
We circle each other at the center of the mat, and Evan looks at me with something resembling concern. “ What the fuck is up with you? You’re fighting me like I’m one of our enemies.”
“ You are technically my enemy on the mat, E .”
“ Don’t be a smartass. Why the fuck are you using me as a punching bag?” he asks, grunting from exertion.
“ We’re fucking boxing, Evan . What do you expect?” I retort.
But what I really want to say is: it’s because I’m sexually frustrated and have been losing my mind for the past two months because a woman I met for only a few hours has ruined me for anyone else.
And trust me, I’ve tried.
A couple weeks after our one night, I decided it was time to wash all memories of Aria’s sweet pussy out of my mind the only way I knew how: balls deep in another woman.
But when I was sitting down in the booth at Academia with a rather attractive woman, the only thing I could see was Aria’s face.
Everything about that chick was wrong: her look, her demeanor, her smell, her voice.
My dick was inverted, like a turtle hiding in its shell that didn’t want to come out to play.
If that had happened to me in any other circumstance, I would’ve taken it as a hit to my ego. I would’ve thought that something was wrong with my dick. But I knew exactly why I was experiencing erectile dysfunction.
Aria fucking Kastellanos . That’s why.
So , I haven’t tried to fuck another woman again.
A rush of adrenaline shoots through me as I throw a punch—a quick jab aimed at Evander’s chest. He sidesteps smoothly, countering with a swift kick toward my gut. I block him just in time, the impact reverberating through my arms. Holy hell . He’s not making this easy tonight.
Evan is a fighter, and every time I train with him, he pushes me to my limit.
There’s a rhythm to our fights born from years of training side by side. He knows my moves as well as I know his.
Evander grunts again and gives me a menacing look. “ Drop this bullshit act. I’ve known you almost my entire life, D . I know when something is wrong.”
“ Fuck off. I’m fine,” I pant. With every strike, my breath becomes more labored, and I’m forced to inhale deeply to maintain my stamina. I manage to land a solid punch to Evan’s shoulder, causing him to stagger a bit, but he recovers, retaliating with a series of rapid strikes. I weave and dodge his moves. As the spar continues, our movements become more aggressive.
Evan shoves at my chest, causing me to fly back on the mat, and I almost trip on my own feet.
“ What the fuck was that for?” I grit out.
Evander charges at me again, but this time, I’m ready, so I lift my arms in front of my face. He unleashes a combination of punches aimed at my head, and I manage to block most of them.
He throws a jab, and I dodge it. He throws another and it grazes my left cheek. “ Ow ! Fuck .”
I counter with a spinning kick, which he narrowly avoids, ducking under it.
Going for a takedown, Evander closes the distance, grappling me by my arms and using his momentum to flip me over. We both hit the mat hard, rolling apart.
“ I’m going to fucking beat the truth out of you. So , if you’d rather avoid the pain, I’d suggest telling me what the fuck is wrong,” he says, anger lacing his tone.
Evander is the only person who knows exactly what I’m feeling when I’m feeling it. As kids, we developed a way of communicating with each other without having to say a word. He’d know when I was sad, upset, or angry, even before I did. He would notice the smallest shifts in my behavior and call me out. I couldn’t hide shit from him then, and I can’t hide shit from him now.
But I refuse to tell him that the reason I’ve been beside myself is because of a woman I only met once. I’m fucking embarrassed just thinking about it. When did I grow so soft?
I’m not a man attuned to his feelings. I don’t feel .
Stripped from any emotion as a child when my parents died.
I still relive those moments.
Two separate occasions when my heart was ripped out of my chest, leaving me with nothing. The only people I care about are my brothers.
One of those said brothers punches me in the gut, hard, snapping me out of my haze.
“ Speak , motherfucker,” he growls, still on the mat next to me.
I look up at the ceiling and exhale. “ It’s her .”
Evan lets out a low chuckle. “ I knew it.”
My head snaps toward him, and I narrow my eyes. “ Then why the fuck did you just beat the hell out of me to find out?”
This time, he laughs even harder. “ Because I needed you to man up, Dionaki .”
I groan loudly. “ You’re fucking annoying, man,” I say, putting my head back down on the mat. I fold my hands above my chest.
I can’t seem to shake the memory of Aria . Two months of longing, replaying our brief encounter in my mind.
It’s fucking foolish. She’s unattainable, yet I can’t help but hope we cross paths again.
“ I still can’t believe you spent the night with her,” Evander says. I scoff in response, saying nothing else.
What Evan doesn’t know is that for a while, I was watching Aria .
We mutually agreed to not see each other again, a decision meant to protect us both. Yet , I couldn’t stop thinking about her, wondering what she’s doing, who she’s with. I still can’t. So , I kept tabs on her from afar, feeding my need to see her even though I knew I shouldn’t.
I tried to rationalize it, telling myself that it was harmless, that I was just looking out for her. But deep down, it’s more than that.
The same morning, after I’d dropped Aria back at her parents’ estate, Evander had called me.
That’s when I had told him she was getting married to one of her father’s business associates. Just like I knew he would, Evander warned me to keep my interactions with her to a minimum, given she’s Angelica’s best friend. He didn’t want our identities to be uncovered in case our revenge plan got out.
With everything happening in Cebrene , and the death of Ignatius , Evander had a one-track mind: revenge. I wanted it, too.
I’d lost every parent figure who ever cared for me. Other than Evan , I had no one.
So , the least I can do is not fuck this up.
But I still couldn’t stop thinking about Aria . How different she is from other women. I couldn’t stay away.
I grimace as thoughts of those notes flood back. I watch the ceiling fan whir above us. Have I fucked up the revenge plan already?
“ There’s something I have to tell you.”
Evander turns his head to look at me, eyes narrowed. “ What is it?”
I wipe my brow with the back of my glove. “ A little while ago, I received two threatening notes. I still don’t know who they’re from, but?—”
He sits up abruptly. “ What ? Why the hell didn’t you tell me before?”
I hold up my hands to calm him down. “ Xander took care of it. He’s been monitoring the warehouses extra closely. I haven’t received anything in a couple months.”
Evander’s anger doesn’t dissipate entirely. “ Do you think it was because of Aria ?
I pause. “ I don’t know. Maybe .”
His gaze hardens. “ Like I said before, you better not fuck up our plan. You need to make sure Aria didn’t tell anyone about us, especially Angelica .”
I’m almost certain that Aria hasn’t said a word, given her predicament, but Evander is right. This entire situation is risky. “ I know. I’ll make sure of it.”
Evan’s voice is filled with hesitation. “ We’ll have to go to her engagement party. And find out who her fiancé is, or if anyone is onto us. Are you going to be able to handle it?”
I scoff. “ I’m not fucking in love with the woman, Evan . Of course I can handle it.”
Evan throws his hands in the air. “ Just asking, Brother . I’ll need you to be on your A -game.”
I roll over and spring to my feet, sweat dripping down my forehead, blurring my vision. For some reason, this conversation is starting to piss me off. Why is he acting like I can’t fucking take care of myself? I’m a grown man, and Aria is just a girl I fucked.
At least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself of.
I need to snap out of this lust-filled craze.
And I need to get in the shower and get the fuck out of here.
“ I’ll be fine,” I spit, turning to walk away, but Evander gets up and stops me, putting his hand on my shoulders.
“ Adelfé ,” he begins, his voice low but firm. “ I need you now more than ever. Our plan to take down Peter Kouvalakis is well underway, but we have to up the ante.”
“ I know, Evander . I’ve been keeping up with everything.”
“ This means you’ll need to take on more responsibility. This is what Ignatius prepared us for.”
I hold his gaze. “ I’m in. You know I am. But I was never meant to be in this role.”
He sighs, nodding as he crosses his arms. “ I get it, D . I really do. But Ignatius always said we were destined for something greater, and now that he’s dead, it’s our duty to see it through. He wanted us to uncover the Sisterhood . That’s why he left those breadcrumbs.”
My heart tightens.
I grit my teeth, memories of my childhood flashing through my mind. “ Just because my father wanted different things for me, doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for where I’m at today. I wouldn’t change it for anything,” I argue.
Evander’s face softens, and he uncrosses his arms. “ I know. Life’s a bitch and dealt you a shitty hand, but you’ve done well for yourself, man.”
I nod, the weight of his words settling on my shoulders.
Evander claps me on the back. “ Let’s finish what Ignatius started. Together .”
Thirty minutes later, I grab my burner phone from my gym bag.
Stepping outside, I perch onto my bike and turn on the engine, the vibrations creating a familiar sense of calm.
I dial a number and put it to my ear. The ringing on the other end seems to stretch on forever.
Then , finally, the line clicks, and a voice fills the silence.
“ Hello ?”
The sound is a melody—soft, familiar.
“ Aria .”
There’s a hint of surprise in her tone when she responds. “ Dion ?”