Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Liana
We pull up to what looks to be an old strip mall with a rundown Payday loan and a vape shop.
I see a couple of broken-down sedans, a Jeep with a giant “who’s your daddy” sticker in the back window and a line of motorcycles glinting in the streetlamp’s dirty orange glow.
Rio drives around the side of the building and a fence opens up revealing a large parking lot.
My mouth drops at the expensive looking cars that are parked around the lot.
Rio doesn’t say a word as he parks, but I can tell from the way he’s bouncing his knuckles on the steering wheel that he’s amped, barely holding in his energy.
I’m not amped though. I’m terrified and more than a little curious.
We get out and I start walking toward the building, but Rio reaches out and grabs my hand hard, making me flinch.
“Stay by me, Datura.”
The front door isn’t even marked. There’s just a guy standing in front looking bored as hell. He scans us as we walk up and his gaze zeroes in on Rio like he knows him.
“Principe,” he says and nods.
Rio nods his head back and pulls me through the door acting every bit the royalty that man thinks he is.
Inside is even wilder than I imagined and the stench is horrible.
Sweat, cigarettes, cleaning supplies and blood.
You can’t mistake that smell even with everything else permeating through the air.
People are everywhere. There’s sounds of people speaking blasting from overhead speakers but you can barely hear them over the yelling of the crowd.
The whole place is built around a giant metal cage.
It’s about the size of a small living room placed right in the middle of the space like an altar.
The chain-link is battered, even bent or broken in a few spots, and I see splotches of rust and darker stains I’d rather not think about.
There are benches and ratty old couches lining the walls, and every one of them is packed with men who look like they either have money or know a way to get it.
The women all look like they dressed for a night in a club with cleavage and legs on full display. I am completely out of my element.
It’s complete chaos, but it seems organized.
Rio keeps me close, his hand still gripping mine, as the crowd parts for him.
I see people notice him, whispering and nudging their friends.
The women watch him hungrily, their eyes lingering in a way that makes my stomach twist with jealousy.
Clearly, I should have worn something…sexier?
I don’t even know. I’m the only girl here in a sundress and I feel like I’m glowing in the dark.
‘What was I thinking and why didn’t Rio tell me to change?’
I press closer to Rio, suddenly uncomfortable with the amount of eyes on us both.
We stop near the edge of the cage, right as a new fight is starting.
The two men are shirtless and barefoot. One is really fit, lean and muscular and the other is built like a brick house.
A woman in what I would consider lingerie signals for the fight to start and they go at it.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh is louder than I expected and it makes me grit my teeth.
These guys aren’t even using gloves or anything and I can almost feel the pain of every hit radiating off of them.
The crowd howls as the bigger guy takes a cheap shot, elbowing the other guy in the face.
Blood spatters onto the mat making me flinch and look around.
Nobody else bats an eye. They all just keep screaming.
I sneak a glance at Rio who’s not even cheering.
He’s not smiling or anything. He’s just watching the fight with his lips parted a little.
He looks intense, like he’s hungry for the danger.
Both men trade blows back and forth while the crowd goes wild, booing and then screaming.
Rio tugs me away from the crowd towards a small group of men.
At the center of them is a guy who looks eerily similar to Rio.
He’s tall, olive-skinned with dark almost black hair and his eyes…
the same green I see in both my nightmares and reality.
They could easily be related. The only difference is he has no tattoos or at least none I can see.
He notices Rio instantly, and the smile that stretches his mouth seems friendly.
“That’s Romeo Mancini,” Rio murmurs. “Our families do business together.”
“Italian,” I murmur, the name ringing a bell. He has the same dangerous beauty as my cousin Andre and for a second I wonder if they know each other.
“Rio,” Romeo says as we approach. “Back so soon. Are you fighting again tonight?”
“Romeo,” Rio answers with a smile and shakes his hand. “I am.”
Romeo’s eyes land on me and he looks me up and down, not bothering to hide it, and then he smiles. I feel my cheeks go hot, which is humiliating because I know he’s doing it on purpose.
“This must be the famous new wife.” He takes the hand Rio isn’t holding and brings it to his lips before kissing.
“Principessa,” he says with a smirk. “Sei incredibilmente bella.”
I blush with even more embarrassment and feel Rio’s hand tighten around mine. I’m not sure what to say, so I go with, “Nice to meet you.” Unfortunately, it comes out in Italian and Rio’s hand grips mine so tightly I hiss out in pain.
“Enough,” Rio says, bringing Romeo’s attention back to him.
Romeo lifts his hands, acting innocent.
“Can’t blame me for admiring Italian beauty,” he says winking at me. “It’s too bad her uncle didn’t make a deal with my family instead. I might’ve been better off.”
His words stun me but I don’t say anything. Did he know my uncle? I study him as he speaks with Rio, wondering how much he really knows of my family and the arrangement my uncle made for me.
“Speaking of,” Rio says in an almost annoyed tone. “How is your arrangement going?”
Romeo sighs.
“The same. She loathes me, I loathe her, and our families pretend we will happily give them little baby heirs one day. Romance, it is not.” He glances at me, then back to Rio again. “Not as well as yours, it would seem.”
Rio stiffens a little like he’s waiting for me to say something horrible in front of everyone and he seems to loosen back up when he realizes I’m not going to speak. I know when to pick my battles and now is definitely not the time. I can practically feel the testosterone in the air right now.
“We have our moments,” he says vaguely as his hand squeezes mine again. This time it doesn’t hurt, but it is enough to remind me exactly who I belong to.
Romeo watches us both with amusement before changing the conversation.
They start talking business and that’s my cue to tune them out.
I should probably pay attention but there’s way too much going on around us.
I hear the crowd screaming as the fight is called and the large man stalks out of the cage looking enraged while the other man is crowned victor.
“Looks like I need to go check on him,” Romeo says, gesturing to the man who is exiting through a door behind the cage. “See you later, Rio. Principessa, it was a pleasure.”
I look up to see Rio scowling at Romeo as he walks away.
He scans the room again, then looks down at me.
Before I know it he has his hand around my throat and he’s tilting my face up toward his.
He’s not grabbing me harshly but the motion confuses me all the same, especially because he doesn’t say a word.
He just stares at me like he’s trying to put together the pieces to a puzzle.
We’re interrupted by a tall blonde man who pushes through the crowd.
“Rio,” he says with a smile. “Thought I would come say hello before I missed you again.”
“Congratulations on your win tonight,” Rio says with a smile. “I didn’t expect you to still be in town.”
It clicks in my head that this is the man that was fighting in the cage earlier.
“I decided to stay for this event. It’s not often I get a chance to knock a Mancini soldier down a few pegs.
” His eyes glint with an air of arrogance that makes me want to roll my eyes.
He eyes me like he just noticed my presence, then offers his hand out.
“Aaron Mikhailov. Exotic connoisseur, part-time champion by day and full-time heartbreaker by night. And you are…?”
‘Is this guy serious?’ I think as I take his hand. He may very well rival Romeo and Rio with his cocky demeanor.
“Liana,” I say, taking his hand with a blank face.
He holds my hand a little longer than necessary, looking my body up and down, slow and exaggerated.
“Meet my wife,” Rio growls out before pulling me into his body and causing Aaron to drop my hand immediately.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” he replies with a laugh. Not five seconds later, he’s ignoring me completely and two scantily clad women are draping themselves on either side of him. I snort to myself in amusement as I watch them both fawn over him.
‘I wonder if this is how Rio used to be before I was forced into his life?’
Aaron says something that makes Rio laugh and they both glance at the cage, where the next fighters are circling each other.
“You fighting tonight?”
Rio smirks and looks down at me.
“Am I still, Datura? Or are you backing out from our deal?”
“Dare I ask? Did the little princess get herself into deep water?” He says it with a sarcastic laugh like I’m nothing more than a child and that pisses me off.
“It’s still on,” I growl out, looking at Rio.
Both men laugh before Aaron says goodbye and disappears into the crowd with both women in tow. I watch him go, weirdly relieved when he’s gone.
Rio steers me toward a small VIP section, roped off from the rest of the room. Romeo is there, talking quietly to a huge man I recognize from the earlier fight. The one Aaron beat. The big man looks up when we approach, but doesn’t say anything.