Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Two hours, and a bucket of sweat later, and we call it a day.
Grabbing a fresh bottle of water, I down half of it after receiving comments from and offering kudos to participants who stop me on their way out of the cage. Gazing to the clock on the wall, I check to see if it’s time for my next client.
It’s a one-on-one session with a new client who Roman booked for me. At the time, I was thrilled because another client means more money in my pocket, but now, I’m not so sure. Everything with Roman and Luke is in the air. I used to consider them friends, but now I’m not sure about anything.
Walking up to the front, I spot one young man waiting.
“Can I help you?”
The man stands and walks toward me, hand outstretched.
“Actually, you can. I came to see you, Lex. I’m Damon Rossi.”
I stop short, forgetting to extend my hand in return. I can’t process what he just said or why. I’ve seen pictures of him online, but he looks different now, more casual. Still, there is an air about him that tells me to tread lightly.
“Lex Miller, right?” He keeps his hand out, waiting for acknowledgment.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. You’re Damon,” I point out the obvious.
“Yes, I came here for a sparring session.” He shrugs. “Roman kicks my ass every time I come here. Thought I would try my luck with you.” His tone is flat, matter of fact, and I can hear a smugness behind it. He obviously gets what he wants when he wants it.
“I don’t know if I’ll be the right fit for you.”
He drops his hand and stands there, staring at me.
I wait, staring back.
The moment extends, almost long enough for me to say fuck it and walk away. Roman comes up then, almost as if he can sense the tension. He places a hand on each of our shoulders and laughs.
“I see you two have finally met.”
“Yes, seems Lex is a bit unsure if he is a good match for me to spar with.”
Roman lifts a thick brow. “Don’t tell me you’re doubting yourself?” He’s poking fun, but I’m not really in the mood.
“I’m not doubting myself, just not sure…” I shrug, unable to tell Roman that I’ve read and heard enough shit about the Rossi’s that the idea of sparing with one leaves my innards twisted to shit.
“Don’t worry, Damon has like no skills, I beat his ass every time,” Roman jokes, and somehow his banter lightens my mood a little. That is very short-lived when Damon answers.
“I could just shoot your ass. That’s more my skill set.” He smirks.
“If you can draw your gun quick enough, old man.”
“Who are you calling old? I’m in my prime. Just ask my wife.” Again, hearing him talking about having a wife humanizes him. Making him seem less like the person I’ve read about online.
“No one wants to hear about your sex life,” Roman huffs before turning and walking away. You two have fun.
Damon turns his full attention back to me. “You ready to go?”
“Sure.” I nod and get the protective gear.
A few minutes later, we’re gloved and getting into the ring. I start out slow, getting a feel for him. He is a little inexperienced in the ring, but I get the feeling he is holding back. There is something restrained about him, it’s the feeling you get when the sky darkens, the air turns cold, and you know a thunderstorm is near.
“Roman says you’re a good guy and that we can trust you.”
We? Either he has a rat in his pocket, or he is talking about the Rossi family.
“Is that so?” I start jabbing, but Damon is quick on his feet, dodging every one of my jabs.
“Yes, and I trust Roman’s judgment.” We keep moving, tiptoeing around each other, both figuratively and literally.
“Is this the part where you tell me I better not disappoint?”
“No, this is the part where I tell you that Roman is family to me, and his friends are my friends. He vouched for you, and that’s good enough in my book. I’m here to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, and neither does your girlfriend.”
Well, that’s surprising.
“What’s the catch?”
Damon shakes his head at me. “No catch. Are you always this hard to convince about a good thing?”
I stop moving and lower my fists. “Look, I’m sorry. Maybe I’ve just got the wrong impression of you. I’m gonna give it to you straight. I saw some stuff about you in the local paper and...” I trail off, thinking about what exactly to tell him.
“And all you’ve heard was that my brother and I are terrible people, hardened criminals, too dangerous to be under the general public?”
“Well, yeah. Kind of.” I scratch the back of my head. “But now that I’ve met you and know how close you are with Roman, maybe you are not the person I thought you were.”