Luca
But first, he needed to get his ass into the gym before Jonesy sent out the National Guard to find him.
He had left over a dozen voicemails in the past twenty-four hours, and his trainer wasn’t a patient man.
In his last message, Jonesy threatened to send Tony and Rocco over to fetch him, and that was the last thing he wanted.
They’d both give him shit for not being responsible and neglecting his boxing career over a woman, but he’d give up just about everything for Sophia if he needed to.
“Are you asking me to come with you or are you telling me that I have to come with you?” she asked.
“Asking,” he said, “but if that doesn’t work, then we’ll move on to me telling you that you have to come with me.
Jonesy has been blowing up my phone to get my ass into the gym, or he’ll send the guys after me.
I’d rather walk in there on my own accord, and I need you with me.
I don’t want to worry about you while I’m in the ring.
I won’t be able to focus if you’re not with me, Sophia,” he admitted.
“Well, my schedule is wide open, so I’d love to go to the gym with you. Plus, it will give me some time to watch you in action. I’ve never seen you box before,” she said.
“I’m afraid that I’m a little rusty, but I’ll give it my best shot,” he teased. “Can you be ready in ten minutes?” he asked. “Any longer than that, and I’m afraid that Tony and Rocco will be standing on my doorstep.”
“Absolutely,” she agreed, “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.
Do you think that I’ll be able to use some of the gym’s equipment to get a workout in while you’re doing your thing?
” she asked. He wanted to tell her that he’d gladly give her a workout as soon as he was finished with his own, but he had a feeling that she’d just roll her eyes at him.
“Sure,” he said. “Just as long as you promise not to wear any sexy gym clothes to work out in, then you can use whatever you’d like.”
She squinched up her nose and smiled back at him.
“Well, that’s all I have to workout in. So, you’ll just have to keep a close eye on me to make sure that no one tries to hit on me or anything.
” Luca groaned out loud, causing Sophia to giggle as she ran up the stairs to get changed.
He liked that Sophia was always going to keep him on his toes, but she was right about one thing—he was going to have to keep a very close eye on her at the gym.
The gym was already alive when Luca and Sophia walked in.
The smell of leather, sweat, and grit hung thick in the air.
This place had always centered him. It was the home he had always wanted and the family to go with it.
There were no lies and no second-guessing.
All he had to do was work when he showed up to the gym, and that suited him just fine.
Tony and Rocco were already warming up in the ring while Jonesy shouted instructions at them.
Well, mostly criticisms, but once in a while, he’d tell them what to do, and that seemed to work for them all.
They seemed to thrive on Jonesy’s cranky ass yelling at them to do better, or be faster, for some odd reason.
“Take five, boys,” Jonesy shouted at them.
“You look like shit,” Rocco called out cheerfully. “When was the last time you slept?”
Tony snorted. “That’s what happens when you get yourself a woman.”
Luca tossed his bag down and started wrapping his hands. “Shut the fuck up.”
“You just can’t handle the truth,” Tony said, looking around Luca. “Hey, Sophia,” he said sweetly, waving at her. She giggled and waved back, causing Luca to groan.
“Don’t be nice to him when he’s being an ass to me,” Luca grumbled.
“Well, he’s not being an ass to me, so I’m going to be nice to him,” she insisted. “Hey, Rocco.”
Jonesy stepped around Luca and held out his hand to her. “I’m Jonesy, and you must be the reason why Luca has been absent around here.”
“I’m Sophia,” she said, “and sorry about keeping him from his training. I hope that I’m not too much of a distraction, but I’d love to work out while Luca gets in his time here.”
“Not a problem,” Jonesy said. “Help yourself.” Luca wasn’t sure the last time he had seen the old guy acting so pleasantly. It was almost comical to see him try to paste on a smile for Sophia.
It was a though all the guys had gone crazy just because a pretty woman was in the gym.
Luca ignored them, but his jaw tightened just enough to give himself away.
He hadn’t slept much—not since Sophia moved in with him.
He worried that letting his guard down would give Peter an opening to get to Sophia, and he couldn’t let that happen.
Sophia went up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek, causing the guys to make noises that he wished he hadn’t had to hear.
“I’ll be over there on the treadmill,” she whispered in his ear.
Luca nodded, pulled on his gloves, and shoved his mouthguard in his mouth.
He was going to kick their asses, and this time, it was going to feel pretty damn good to do so.
They moved into sparring without another word. The world narrowed the way it always did once the bell rang. He and Tony faced off first, and Luca hit harder than usual. Tony caught on immediately, blocking a brutal combination and backing away. “Jesus, kid. You trying to take my head off?”
“Focus,” Luca muttered, driving forward again.
Rocco circled the ring, watching. “Yeah, he’s off,” he said to Jonesy. “He’s too aggressive and has no patience.” Luca wanted to tell him to fuck off and mind his business, but Jonesy stepped in to put a halt to the fight.
“Break,” he barked, clapping once. “Both of you, now.” The bell rang, and Luca stepped back, his chest heaving, sweat already slicking his skin.
Jonesy climbed up onto the edge of the ring, arms crossed, his sharp eyes locked on Luca.
He wanted to hide, but there was nowhere to go.
He looked over to find Sophia watching them, and he hated that he was fighting like an ass.
That wasn’t what he wanted to show her today, but the guys had pissed him off, and he was taking out his aggressions on Tony.
“Are you fighting dirty today?” Jonesy asked.
Luca pulled out his mouthguard. “Just training, Jonesy.”
“Bullshit,” Jonesy said flatly. “I’ve trained you long enough to know when your head’s not in it.”
Tony leaned on the ropes. “Told you.”
Jonesy ignored him and kept his focus on Luca. “I put your name in, and now, I’m starting to regret it.”
Luca stilled. “For what?”
“For a main event,” Jonesy said. “It’s a big one in Atlantic City with national coverage.”
Rocco’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s the break you’ve been looking for, Luca.”
“It is,” Jonesy agreed. “And if he takes it, I need him locked in—fully.”
Luca dragged a towel over his face. “When is it?”
“The fight is in eight weeks,” Jonesy said. “Which means you train harder, longer, and smarter. No skipping out early, no days off, and no distractions.”
Tony glanced between Luca and Rocco. “You think he’s ready?” he asked.
Rocco didn’t hesitate. “Physically? Yes. Mentally?” He looked back at Luca. “That depends.”
Luca felt the weight of what his friend had just said settle into his bones.
This fight was everything he’d worked for.
Everything he’d bled for, but was he ready for it?
And the timing was awful. He looked over at Sophia, who had stopped walking on the treadmill and was watching them.
He was sure that she had heard everything, and when she nodded at him, he had his answer.
He might not be ready today, but he’d get ready with Sophia by his side.
“I’ll do it,” Luca said.
Jonesy nodded. “Good. Then you start today. We’ll do extra rounds with roadwork tonight. And whatever’s messing with your head,” his gaze sharpened on Luca, “you either handle it, or we don’t do this.”
Rocco clapped Luca on the shoulder. “Guess you’re stuck with us even more now.”
Tony grinned. “Lucky you. But I think that you need to fill Jonesy in on what’s going on with Sophia. He has a right to know why she’ll be around while you’re here.”
“I already know what’s going on,” Jonesy insisted. “I stopped by the bakery this morning for breakfast, and Aurora filled me in. We can help out, Luca. We won’t leave Sophia alone in any of this. You’ll have our help, and Sophia will have our protection. We can do this, as a team.”
“Thanks, Jonesy,” Luca breathed. And for the first time since he’d stepped into the ring, Luca wasn’t sure which battle scared him more, but he knew that with the guys and Sophia by his side, he’d come out the other side as a winner.
The gym was nearly empty when Luca finally pulled Jonesy aside.
Tony and Rocco were finishing roadwork on the treadmills, sweat-soaked and loudly arguing about whose knees were more shot.
The familiar noise should’ve settled Luca’s nerves, but it didn’t.
His chest felt tight, like he was stepping into a fight he couldn’t win.
He told Sophia that he needed a minute, and she agreed to wait for him up at the front desk. Aurora had shown up, and the two were gabbing like they had been best friends for years and not just met a few days ago. “Jonesy,” Luca said, “you got a minute?”
Jonesy glanced at him, already suspicious. “If this is about cutting rounds, the answer’s no.”
“It’s not,” Luca said. “It’s about the fight.”
That got Jonesy’s full attention. He jerked his head toward the office. “We can talk in here.”
The door shut behind them, muting the gym’s sounds. Jonesy leaned back against the desk, arms crossed. “You don’t sound like a guy asking for adjustments.”
“I’m not,” Luca said. He didn’t pace, and he didn’t fidget. He stood still and said it straight. “I can’t take it.”
Jonesy stared at him. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not,” Luca almost whispered.
“You’re telling me,” Jonesy said slowly, “that you’re walking away from a career-making fight eight weeks out?”
“Yes,” Luca said, although hearing his trainer say it like that had him second-guessing himself.
Jonesy laughed once, sharp and humorless. “Try again, because there is no fucking way that I’m letting you give up this fight, Luca.”
Luca met his gaze. “Sophia’s not safe, and if I have to focus on the fight and not on her safety, I’m worried that I’ll fail at both.”
Jonesy’s expression shifted—still hard, but he was listening now. “I understand that she’s got a stalker, but between the guys and me, we can keep her safe.”
“The man who is stalking her is crazy enough to come after her, even with all of us watching her. He’s a ghost from our past, and he’s already escalated things with her.” Luca’s jaw clenched. “I won’t leave town. I won’t put her in a position where I’m not there if something happens.”
“I can get you both security,” Jonesy said. “Cops, restraining orders—just name what you need.”
“None of that guarantees shit,” Luca shot back. “And you know it.”
Jonesy exhaled slowly. “You’re letting emotion make your decisions for you. I thought that we settled all this in the ring earlier.”
“No,” Luca said firmly. “I’m letting reality make them, and I’ve thought about everything while I was on the treadmill.” He usually did his best thinking while running, and today had him rethinking the fight.
The office door opened before Jonesy could respond. Tony and Rocco stepped in, faces serious now. “We heard what you’re talking about,” Tony said. “Enough of it, anyway.”
“You mean you were eavesdropping?” Luca grumbled. He could just picture the two of them standing outside the door, trying to hear his and Jonesy’s conversation.
Rocco leaned against the wall. “Call it what you want,” he said. “You backing out?”
“I am,” Luca said.
“For her,” Tony said.
“For her,” Luca confirmed. Silence stretched between them as the guys stared him down.
Rocco scratched the back of his neck. “You realize what you’re giving up.”
Luca nodded. “I do.” He could give up just about everything in his life—except for Sophia. He’d never be able to give her up again, and losing her wasn’t an option.
Tony studied him for a long moment, then said quietly, “You love her.”
Luca didn’t answer right away. “Yeah. I do,” he finally said.
Jonesy ran a hand over his face. “You know, promoters don’t forget this kind of thing. You back out of this fight, and you might not get another one.”
“I know,” Luca said. “But if I step into that ring while my head’s somewhere else, or if something happens to her while I’m gone, I’ll never forgive myself. No belt’s worth that.”
Tony stepped closer. “You’re not weak for doing this. I understand completely.” Luca knew that he did. Tony had gone through something similar with Aurora when they were first together.
Rocco nodded. “You’re choosing your fight, and right now, it’s Sophia.”
Jonesy looked between the three of them, jaw tight. “You understand I can’t protect you from the fallout.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Luca said. “I’m asking you to understand.”
Jonesy was quiet for a long beat. Then he sighed. “You don’t make choices halfway, kid. Never have.”
“No,” Luca agreed. “I don’t.”
Jonesy pointed a finger at him. “This doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you'd better come back hungrier than ever when this thing with Sophia is over.”
Luca nodded. “I will. I promise.”
As they walked back onto the gym floor, Tony clapped a hand on Luca’s shoulder.
“You did the right thing.” Luca didn’t respond.
His thoughts were already on Sophia. He spotted her up at the front desk with Aurora, and her smile faded as soon as she saw him.
She could read him too well, and she was going to be pissed that he had given up the fight to protect her, but that was too bad.
He’d do it all again if it meant keeping her safe.
He’d walk away from every fight in the world if it meant keeping her by his side.
And if Peter thought otherwise? Then, Peter had no idea who he was dealing with.