Sophia
She knew that something was off. After they said their goodbyes, Luca promised Aurora that they’d be in the bakery for breakfast in a day or two.
But that would mean that he couldn’t eat because he was training for a big fight.
He told her that when he was training for a fight, he avoided Aurora’s bakery for fear of running into Jonesy.
The only explanation she could come up with was that he had given up the fight.
“You turned down the fight, didn’t you?” she asked. He pulled into the garage and parked his truck, not looking at her.
“I did,” he breathed.
“Why the hell would you do that, Luca?” she asked.
“Because I can’t be present for the fight, and take care of your security at the same time. I made you a promise, first, and I plan on keeping it. There will be other fights, but there will never be another you.”
“Bullshit,” she whispered, swiping at the hot tears that spilled down her face. She got out of the truck and grabbed her gym bag, slamming the door shut on her way into the house. She needed to get her emotions in check before she had the rest of the conversation she needed to have with Luca.
She paced the length of the living room, dropping her bag by the couch and scrubbing her hands down her face. Her chest felt tight as anger and fear tangled together until she wasn’t sure which one she was shaking from.
Luca came in quietly a moment later, closing the door behind him like he was afraid of spooking her. “Sophia—”
“No,” she snapped, spinning to face him. Her eyes were bright, furious, and wet. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to throw away your career and call it some grand romantic gesture.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not a gesture. It’s a choice—my choice.”
“But it’s not yours alone to make!” she shot back. “That fight meant something to you. To everyone you work with.”
“It doesn’t mean more than you,” he said evenly.
“That’s not fair,” she said, her voice breaking. “You’re putting my mess on your shoulders like it’s your responsibility. Like I’m something that needs to be guarded instead of someone who can stand on her own.”
Luca crossed the room, stopping just short of touching her. “I know you’re strong. I’ve always known that. But I also know what’s out there, Soph. And I won’t gamble your life on the possibility that I can keep you safe from your crazy stalker and give one hundred percent to the fight.”
She laughed bitterly. “So instead, you gamble your future to protect me?”
“Sophia,” he whispered, pulling her hand into his own. “You are my future.”
She shook her head, tears spilling freely now. “Don’t say that. I didn’t ask you to give up your fight.”
“No,” he said softly. “But I promised you I wouldn’t disappear again.
And I won’t. Not for a title. Not for a belt.
Not for anything. I also promised you that I’d protect you from Peter, and I plan on keeping that promise too.
” The room went quiet except for her uneven breathing.
Finally, she sank onto the couch, her strength draining out of her all at once.
Luca knelt in front of her, careful, as though he might still spook her.
“You should’ve told me before you gave up the fight,” she whispered. “We should’ve talked about it.”
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I was afraid you’d try to talk me out of it.” She looked at him then, really looked at him, and saw not a man throwing something away—but a man choosing her, with absolute certainty.
“I don’t want to be the reason you resent your life,” she said. “I’m worried that if you give up the fight, you’ll come to resent me for having to do it.”
“I won’t,” he said immediately. “But I would resent myself if anything happened to you and I wasn’t there. I know that it might be too soon to tell you this, Sophia, but I’m in love with you.” Her shoulders sagged as she slowly leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.
“I don’t think that it’s too early to tell me that you love me. I love you, too, Luca,” she breathed. “I have for a long time now. Heck, I’ve been in love with you since we were teenagers living in that foster home together. I never stopped loving you.”
“So, I wasn’t just a teenage crush then?” he asked.
“You’re impossible,” she murmured.
“Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “But I’m yours.
” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him as though he was her lifeline, the anger finally giving way to fear—and eventually, relief.
They stayed that way for a long time, tangled together in the middle of the living room, both knowing this choice would change everything between them.
They had told each other that they loved the other, and neither of them was willing to take back those words now.
She and Luca had settled into a nice routine over the next couple of months. Rocco had Jonesy put his name in for the fight that Luca had given up. She was still upset that he had to do that, but she was thankful that Luca had her back, no matter what.
They decided to go into the gym to watch the fight on the big screen tv that Jonesy purchased for the place.
Tony went with Rocco and Jonesy to the fight in Atlantic City, and Sophia could tell that Luca wanted to go too, but he refused to leave her.
She even offered to stay with Aurora, but he shot that idea down quickly.
They got to the gym early to help set up, and she noticed that the gym felt different tonight—less like a place of work and more like a crowded bar.
Folding chairs had been dragged in, a giant television was mounted high on the wall, and every set of eyes was locked on the screen as the fight in Atlantic City went on a commercial break.
The noise was constant, with the guys shouting, laughing, and the crack of beer cans, even though half the guys were supposed to be in training.
But Luca liked to point out that what Jonesy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
She had a feeling that he’d figure it out once he got back to town, and they’d all be doing extra laps on the treadmill.
Luca stood beside her, one arm draped loosely around her shoulders, his attention fixed on the screen, watching his friend fight the bout that was meant to be his. Some of the guys paced in front of the TV, barking commentary like they were ringside instead of three states away.
Sophia tried to focus, but her nerves refused to settle. The feeling that something was off clung to her, sharp and insistent. “I’m going to run to the bathroom,” she said, leaning into Luca so he could hear her over the noise.
He nodded without taking his eyes off the screen.
“Don’t wander. I’ll be right here.” She knew that he had set up good security around the gym so that they could spend more time there while he trained.
Rocco and Tony helped him set up the cameras, and she hated that they were going to all that trouble just for her.
But she did feel safer at the gym, and Luca let her have more freedom to wander the gym while he and the guys sparred.
She smiled faintly at him and slipped away while the room erupted at a clean uppercut on-screen.
The hallway leading to the bathrooms was dim and quiet compared to the chaos behind her.
She still felt uneasy, though. Sophia welcomed the silence, splashing cool water on her face once she was inside the bathroom, telling herself she was just being paranoid.
Luca was right outside the ladies’ locker room.
The gym was full of boxers and fighters.
She knew that Peter wouldn’t be stupid enough to come here, but then again, he had gotten sloppy while trying to find her.
She stepped back into the hallway as someone brushed past her shoulder.
“Careful, honey,” a man said casually. The word made her stomach drop.
She turned—but he was already behind her, one hand coming up to steady her arm.
His touch lingered just a second too long, and red flags started waving in her mind.
“I’m fine,” she said, pulling away from him. Her next step faltered. The floor seemed to tilt around her, and her vision blurred at the edges. Her heart began to race as she pressed her hand against the wall, confusion bleeding into fear.
“What the hell—” She slurred her words, and she knew that something was wrong.
“Shh,” a familiar voice murmured close to her ear. “You always did hate needles. Still so sensitive, I see.” She knew that voice all too well—Peter. He had found her and had somehow gotten to her, even in a gym with full security and fighters who swore to keep her safe.
Panic flared as she tried to pull away from him, but her body refused to cooperate. Her limbs felt heavy, useless, and when her knees gave out, Peter caught her easily. “Let go of me,” she tried to say, but the words slurred again.
He tucked her against his side, one arm tight around her waist, his expression calm and even concerned, for anyone who might glance their way. To the untrained eye, he looked like a boyfriend helping his dizzy girlfriend outside for some air.
No one glanced their way. From the gym floor, the crowd erupted again as the fight resumed, the announcer’s voice booming from the television.
She wanted to cry out to Luca, but the words wouldn’t come.
She was completely helpless and at Peter’s mercy.
Her biggest nightmare had come to fruition, and she had no idea how to escape it or him.
Peter steered her down a narrow side hall marked STAFF ONLY, pushing open a back door that led into the alley. Cold air hit her face, but it wasn’t enough to clear the fog in her head. “Luca,” she whispered, the name barely leaving her lips.
Peter smiled, satisfied and cruel. “He’s busy watching his friend fight,” he said softly.
“He won’t even notice you’re gone.” It felt as though the alley swallowed them whole as he led her to his car.
Inside the gym, fists flew on the screen, the crowd shouting themselves hoarse.
And no one noticed that Sophia was gone—not even Luca.