Chapter Forty: Training Day

Book:The Heart Of A Mafia Published:2025-2-18

Luca woke up one morning and decided to start training with his most trusted team, Leo and Martha.
Luca, his mind sharp and focused, entered the training room, his gaze sweeping over his team. Leo, his body tense and alert, his amber eyes gleaming with intelligence and determination, stood at attention, his posture one of defiance. Martha, her body slender and agile, her hair tied back in a severe ponytail, watched Luca with a mix of fear and admiration.
“Today we’ll be focusing on speed and accuracy,” Luca announced, his voice low and commanding. “Leo, I want you to focus on your speed
Leo nodded, his muscles coiled with readiness. As Luca watched, he exploded into motion, his body blurring with speed, his movements precise and deadly. Martha, impressed by his agility, clapped softly, her eyes filled with admiration.
“Good,” Luca grunted, his eyes narrowed in approval. “Now, let’s work on your accuracy.” He pulled a pistol from his belt, handing it to Leo. “Take out the target.”
Leo, his body tensed with concentration, raised the pistol, his eyes locked on the target.
With a deafening crack, Leo pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing the center of the target with deadly precision. The sound of Martha’s clapping echoed through the room, her face alight with admiration.
Luca nodded, his lips curved in a rare smile. “Excellent work, Leo,” he growled, his voice gruff with approval. “Now let’s see how you handle a more unpredictable target.”
He stepped aside, gesturing for Martha to take a position in the center of the room. “Martha, you’re the target,” he announced.
Martha, her eyes wide with fear, gave Leo a nervous smile. “Be gentle,” she said, her voice a whisper. Leo, his expression hard and focused, nodded, his body coiled with readiness.
Luca, his voice low and dangerous, gave the command. “Leo, take her down.”
Leo exploded into action, his body blurring with speed. Martha, her movements quick and agile, tried to evade his attacks, her heart pounding with fear. But Leo, his movements swift and accurate, landed a precise strike to her shoulder, the blow sending her reeling.
Martha, gasping for breath, stumbled backwards, her eyes wild with panic. Luca, his expression impassive, nodded in approval. “Well done, Leo,” he growled, his voice low and approving. “But you need to be faster.”
Leo, his eyes gleaming with determination, gave a low growl. “Yes, sir,” he hissed, his muscles tensed with readiness.
Luca stepped aside, gesturing for Martha to take her position once again. “Try again,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.
Martha, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps, squared her shoulders, her eyes fixed on Leo’s form. Leo, his body coiled with readiness, waited for the signal.
With a low growl, Luca gave the command. “Go!”
Leo exploded into action, his movements swift and deadly. Martha, her body tensed with fear, managed to dodge his first attack, but Leo, his eyes alight with determination, landed a second strike, this time to her leg, his movements precise and deadly.
Martha, her leg buckling beneath her, fell to the ground, her face twisted with pain and fear. Luca, his expression hard and unyielding, nodded in approval. “Good,” he growled, his voice low and commanding. “You’re getting faster, Leo.”
Leo, his eyes gleaming with pride, stepped back, allowing Martha to regain her feet.
“You’re getting better, Leo,” Martha said, her voice still trembling with fear. “I’m impressed.”
Luca gave a low chuckle, his lips curving in a rare smile.
“Impressed?” Luca growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Impressed is for children and fools. You should be terrified.”
Martha, her face pale with fear, nodded, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Yes, sir,” she said, her eyes fixed on the floor.
Luca turned to Leo, his eyes narrowed with approval. “Leo, I want you to work on your stealth,” he commanded, his voice low and menacing. “I want you to move through this room without a sound.”
Leo, his body taut with readiness, nodded his understanding. With a soft exhalation, he began to move, his movements silent and deadly.
Martha, her breath held in anticipation, watched in awe as Leo disappeared into the shadows, his movements so silent that she could barely hear his footsteps.
Luca, his eyes narrowed in concentration, waited, his breath held in anticipation. Suddenly, a soft sound, like the rustle of leaves, alerted him to Leo’s presence.
“Good,” he growled, his lips curving in a thin smile. “But not good enough.”
Leo, his expression dark with concentration, disappeared into the shadows once more. This time, his movements were so silent that Martha had to strain to hear him, her breath held in anticipation.
Suddenly, he appeared behind Luca, his hand on the man’s shoulder. Luca, his eyes wide with surprise, gave a low grunt of approval.
“Better,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “But you need to be faster.”
Leo, his expression impassive, nodded, his muscles tensed with readiness. “I’ll try again, sir.”
With a low growl, Leo exploded into action, his movements swift and silent. Martha, her breath catching in her throat, watched as Leo disappeared once more into the shadows. This time, he reappeared so quickly that she barely had time to process his movement.
Luca, his expression impassive, gave a low grunt of approval. “Good,” he growled, his voice low and approving. “But now we need to test your strength.”
Leo, his muscles tensed with readiness, gave a low growl. “Yes, sir.”
Luca moved to the center of the room, gesturing for Leo to follow. “I want you to break this,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. In his hands, he held a thick steel bar, his muscles straining with the effort of holding it.
Leo, his eyes gleaming with determination, moved closer, his muscles tensed with readiness. With a low growl, he struck, his blow so powerful that the bar snapped in two, the sound echoing through the room.
Martha, her eyes wide with awe, clapped softly, her voice a hoarse whisper.
Luca, his eyes glittering with approval, gave a low chuckle. “Excellent work, Leo,” he growled, his voice low and approving. “But I want to see how you handle a more difficult challenge.”
With a nod of his head, Luca indicated a thick metal door at the far end of the room. “Open that door,” he commanded, his voice hard and demanding.
Leo, his expression impassive, moved towards the door, his body tensed with readiness.
As Leo approached the door, his muscles tensed and ready, he took a deep breath, his mind focused on the task at hand. With a sudden burst of strength, he kicked the door, his boot connecting with the metal with a deafening crash.
The door, its hinges straining with the force of Leo’s kick, flew open, revealing a darkened room beyond.
Martha, her eyes wide with amazement, clapped softly, her voice full of admiration.
“Impressive,” Luca growled, his lips curving in a rare smile.
Luca, his eyes gleaming with approval, stepped forward, his voice low and commanding. “And now for the final challenge,” he growled, gesturing for Leo to follow him.
Leo, his expression impassive, followed Luca into the darkened room, the door swinging shut behind them.
“There’s a target on the far wall,” Luca growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Hit it.”
Leo, his muscles tense with readiness, turned to face the target, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
Leo, his focus absolute, raised his arm, his hand curling into a fist. With a sudden explosion of speed and power, he unleashed a devastating punch, his fist connecting with the target with a deafening crack.
Luca, his eyes gleaming with approval, nodded his head in approval. “Excellent, Leo,” he growled, his voice low and approving. “Your skills are formidable.”
Leo, his expression impassive, lowered his arm, his eyes fixed on Luca’s face. “Thank you, sir,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.