18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Ettore
T his wasn’t good. First the kidnapping, now that note. I had no idea how it played into everything, but I knew one thing: I had to do everything within my power to keep Liria safe.
Of course I would do everything within my power to protect her, but if we ended up in another situation where I end up incapacitated, she needed to be able to try to protect herself. She needed to learn how to fight.
I pushed the sofa across the living room, making plenty of space for us to spar in. The wooden floor was smooth and cold, just the right kind of surface for some basic training. I stripped off my jacket and rolled up my sleeves, revealing the fading scars from past encounters.
“Mmm…what’s going on?” Liria walked out from the hallway, still half asleep. I must have woken her up from all the noise I made pushing the furniture around.
My focus shifted from the original goal of teaching her how to fight. Looking at her messed up hair and remnants of smeared makeup, I was transported to the previous night we had had together. She had given me a blow job for the first time, and the memory of it still lingered, still sparked a fire within me.
Liria had looked up at me, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes with her pretty lips wrapped around my cock, and I had lost it. I came an endless amount down her throat, until she was sputtering and gasping for air. But I couldn’t afford such distractions now. Not with her safety hanging in the balance.
“I’m teaching you how to fight,” I said, willing my twitching cock to calm itself.
“Huh?” she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
“You need to learn how to protect yourself.” Crossing my arms, I tried to brace myself against the look of surprise and dismay that now filled her sleepy eyes.
“But... Why? You’re here, aren’t you?” Her voice was small, almost a whisper. The innocence in her question made me ache.
“Of course,” I said, stepping forward and wrapping my hands around her shoulders. “But what if something were to happen to me? And now, with that note you received…I just want to be safe.”
She took a moment, looking down at the ground, before lifting her gaze to meet mine. “Okay,” she said softly, a glimmer of determination sparking in her blue eyes.
I started her training with the basic stances. It was crucial for her to understand how to position herself, where to place her weight, and how best to balance herself. She was a quick learner, eager to soak up every lesson I offered her way.
“Right foot back. Hands up. Perfect,” I encouraged her as she gracefully moved into the defensive stance I’d demonstrated. She was a natural, her body bending and twisting with a surprising grace I hadn’t expected.
I started to explain the principles of attack and defense, but she was already a step ahead. She threw a punch towards me, surprising me with her strength. I deftly sidestepped, but couldn’t hide my smile. She was a natural.
“Maybe I should hire you,” I said, a mischievous grin on my face. “You give Emilio and the gang a run for their money.”
“Ha! As if,” she paused, bringing her hand to her chin. “Well, maybe Tall Dino.”
“Tall Dino…?” I asked, not knowing who she was referring to.
“Dino Barbato. Or is it Dino Barbaso?”
Ah. I called both men Dino and could always tell them apart based on context. They were both extremely skilled, but “Tall Dino” was a bit unserious.
“I can take him!” Liria’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she launched another series of jabs in my direction. I couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm, dodging her strikes while deflecting some in a playful manner.
“Let’s see how you do against a kick,” I challenged her. My voice was full of mirth, but underneath my playful tone was genuine concern for her safety. I swung my leg in an arc towards her, holding back most of my strength to avoid hurting her.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but she deflected it, pivoting away from my kick with remarkable speed. Her face flushed with excitement and accomplishment.
Gone were the days of my timid and reserved wife, who would avert her gaze from mine. I had slowly unraveled each layer of her personality, unveiling the true Liria that had been hidden beneath. She was like a precious gem, waiting to be discovered and appreciated. And now, as I looked into her eyes, I saw strength and confidence shining back at me, no longer afraid to meet my gaze.
“Again,” she demanded, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and raising her fists to prepare for another round.
“I’m not going easy on you this time,” I warned her with a smirk, readying myself into stance.
“Bring it,” she challenged, her eyes sparkling with determination.
With that, I went on the offensive. I started with a quick jab, followed by a roundhouse kick, testing her agility and reflexes. She blocked my punch but was caught off-guard by the sudden shift to the kick and stumbled slightly.
“Focus,” I said sharply, helping her steady herself. “Always be prepared for a change in attack.”
Resuming our stance, we circled each other, eyes locked in a fierce stare-down. I saw her muscles tense as she readied herself for whatever came next.
And then, in one swift movement, I lunged, my fist shooting towards her in a feint to distract her from the real attack – a sweeping kick aimed at her legs. The punch had sufficiently distracted Liria, and she didn’t even see the kick coming. She tumbled to the floor, landing with a loud grunt as I pulled my kick at the last second to soften the impact.
“Not fair,” she whined, tapping her hands against the floor. “I thought I had it."
“Well, I do have a lot of experience with this,” I said, ruffling her hair. I would never tell her just how much experience that was. When I had to fight in my line of work, it would always end with them bruised and bloodied on the floor. “Let’s call it a day.”
“Again,” she insisted, her eyes wide but determined.
A smile formed on my lips as I extended a hand to help her up from the ground. Liria was proving to be quite the fighter. And so, we spent the rest of the day sparring in the apartment. It wasn’t without a few friction burns from the wood, but by the end of the day, she had landed a punch on me. It was poor form, and didn’t hurt, but it was a start.
It was the first meeting the four families had held since the night I had announced my marriage to Liria. I hated to admit it, but I was feeling anxious. I would be reporting how the transition had been with Leone's businesses, and if the other three families thought things were going poorly…well, it wouldn’t be good.
The note had also been looming in my head. One of these men was probably a traitor, and not following the rules we had set for the families. The bigger question was, what had they done and what would they do in the future? Were they responsible for Leone’s death?
“Gentlemen,” Tomaso Coscia said.
I recalled how upset Tomaso was at our previous meeting. He was a likely suspect; he had been seething after finding out I was married to Liria. It was possible that he had killed Leone to get rid of the competition and then had plans to marry one of his sons to the Alto heir.
The three of us nodded our greetings in response. Tomaso adjusted the collar of his expensive suit, perhaps out of nervousness. I had spent the majority of my life navigating these dangerous waters, had become adept at reading people. A bead of sweat trickled down Antonio Tomasino’s temple, and I filed away that information. Was it a sign of guilt?
He was another suspect - always quiet, always watching. He was known for his patience and cunning, characteristics that served him well in this line of work. Could he be planning a coup?
The three older men began small talk about the recent changes in the city’s political landscape, but their words were nothing more than a thin veil over the tension that thickened the air. My gaze wandered to the fourth member present – Gianni Salvaggio.
An older man with thinning hair, he had been in the game the longest out of the four of us. He was the most levelheaded and known to be the peacemaker when tensions were high. Was the calm and collected act a facade, and he was our suspect?
I’d have to try not to think about it for now. It was time to report to the other three men how the new role was going. It was imperative I keep operations
my new business ventures were going. I decided to report on the cigar sales, which had seen the most impressive incline since I had taken over.
“I’m pleased to report everything is running a smooth, if not more so, than when Leone was in charge.” I wouldn’t offer numbers of course; although we were friends, we did still have some overlapping businesses.
“And you haven’t encroached on any of our territory?” Tomaso eyed me suspiciously.
“Not at all,” I responded coolly. “As per our agreement, I’ve ensured our interests don’t collide.”
After talking lightly about the new direction of the businesses, all three men seemed satisfied. I let out an internal sigh of relief as we switched the subject matter.
“What about this tension we have with the Bratva?” Antonio asked.
“It’s a delicate situation,” Gianni said, meeting his gaze thoughtfully. “We’ve been careful to avoid clashes with the Bratva until now, but they seem intent on pushing boundaries.”
The tensions between our organization and the Russian mob — the Bratva — had been rising lately, with small skirmishes on the borders of our territories. It was a delicate situation.
“The Bratva... they’re getting more aggressive,” I admitted, feeling the weight of their gazes on me. “They know our organization has been shaken and want to capitalize off of it. We’re doing our best to maintain our boundaries without escalating things further.”
“And just how long should we ‘maintain,’” Tomaso snapped, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I think we should strike first.”
“Ettore is right,” Gianni said. “Things are still settling back into place after Leone’s death. We don’t want to make any hasty decisions.”
“We will be staying on the defensive,” I stated firmly, locking eyes with Tomaso. “We don’t want to start a war, but we will not back down if they continue their provocations.”
Tomaso’s scowl deepened, and he fell into an angry silence. Antonio, however, nodded in agreement.
I didn’t think the Bratva would be a problem in the immediate future, but it was something I was going to keep my eye on. The three men and I covered a few more topics before finally bidding each other goodbye, each of us returning to our own territories, to our own separate worlds of power, influence, and danger.