Salome gazed at her little sister, who lit her cigarette. She let out a painful moan, enduring the agony that coursed through her.
“Are you really going to leave your sister like this? Your father? Your family? Are you going to betray them like this?” Salome asked as Stacy blew out smoke from her pink lips.
“Family?” Stacy scoffed. “Oh, please, don’t make me laugh.”
“I’m serious. Look, I know we’ve wronged you, but you can’t just sell us out like this. You told the enemy how to capture us… You…”
“God, you’re so loud. I was asked to check on you. Can you do me a favor and keep your mouth shut?” Stacy said.
“Stacy, we’re your family…”
“Oh, please, can you just shut up?” Stacy groaned.
“I know we hate each other, but you’ve gone too far by betraying the whole family. Your family.”
“My family?!” Stacy snapped, standing up. Her gaze was cold as she approached Salome. “Father threw me out on the street. I couldn’t get a job because he made things difficult for me here in Spain. And then you-you tried to kill me so many times, I’ve lost count. And for what? Because I’m better than you? You didn’t even have the guts to fight. You were hiding in your closet when the Gambino clan came over. The word ‘family’ means nothing to me because you all died to me a long time ago.”
Stacy paused, standing right before her. “Say ‘family’ again, and I swear I’ll punch you right in the face.”
Salome scoffed inwardly. “You can’t change the fact that we’re your fam-” Her words were cut off as Stacy delivered a swift punch to her face. Blood spilled from the force of the blow.
Her cheek stung and ached. She hadn’t expected Stacy to actually do it!
“I don’t mind doing that over and over again. Say ‘family’ again,” Stacy dared.
Salome glared. “You can’t do this to your family…” Her words vanished as another punch landed on her face, even harder than the last.
Salome couldn’t feel her jaw or mouth anymore. Her head spun, and her vision blurred for a few seconds. When she regained her sight, her eyes met Stacy’s cold glare.
“Say ‘family’ again,” Stacy dared.
Salome didn’t dare say it. She couldn’t take another hit. Stacy was terrifyingly strong.
“Cat got your tongue?” Stacy asked, tilting her head to one side.
“I hate you. I want to kill you so badly. I want to rip you apart, Stacy!” Salome spat.
Stacy smiled. “Finally, the real you,” she said, smiling as she returned to her seat. She continued to smoke, watching Salome.
—
Valentino noticed some of the female mobsters watching Jaxon train with a gun. The equipment he wore and the serious expression on his face made him look undeniably attractive.
“Look at him. I heard he’s Mr. King’s cousin.”
“So fucking hot.”
“Mr. King is hotter, but he’s unapproachable.”
“He’s taken. He’s married. I heard he has a kid, too. Don’t tell me you’re into married men.”
“Hot married men.”
“Not the ones married to Tatiana.”
“Oh, I love her movies, especially the one she just released.”
“Back to the hot guy, Mr. King’s cousin-do you think he’s single?”
“I don’t know.”
The two female mobsters fell silent when they heard footsteps behind them. They turned and saw Valentino approaching. They quickly bowed and left under his intense gaze.
Valentino approached Jaxon, who kept shooting, oblivious to his surroundings. Jaxon stopped shooting when Valentino placed a hand on his shoulder.
Jaxon removed his earphones and gave Valentino a questioning look.
“Got a girl?” Valentino asked. Jaxon blinked once.
“Don’t tell me you’re into men.”
Valentino’s eyes widened. “Ew, fuck no! You’re stealing my crushes. I’m just curious.”
“Oh, I’m used to those stares. And who I’m with is none of your business, Don Valentino… Ugh!” Jaxon groaned as Valentino shoved him to the ground.
“Shit, what was that for?”
“You were slacking a bit during the fight with the Fernandez. If you keep fighting like that in the mafia world, you’ll lose your head,” Valentino said.
“I don’t need you to train me.”
“It wasn’t a request,” Valentino replied.
As Jaxon stood up, Valentino punched him in the stomach.
“Fuck! Can you stop?”
“No. Fight me.”
“Hell no.”
“What, are you scared?” Valentino’s gaze was serious.
“I’m not interes-” Jaxon’s words were cut short as Valentino attacked again. This time, Jaxon managed to block the hit, but the force nearly knocked him off balance.
Valentino attacked again, but Jaxon dodged, causing Valentino’s punch to hit the wall instead. The wall cracked.
“Shit, you could’ve destroyed my handsome face,” Jaxon complained.
Valentino was huge, strong, and had swift reflexes. His hits were brutal. Jaxon had seen him smash one of Fernandez’s men’s heads against a wall, leaving his brains spilling out.
Jaxon, on the other hand, was just an actor. He’d learned most of his moves from martial arts coaches for movies. He was a quick learner and had never used a stunt double.
He had learned to shoot from his father and found it amusing, mastering it well. The truth was, fighting the Fernandez men was his first time killing anyone.
Valentino must have noticed his hesitation during the fight.
Jaxon snapped back to reality when he saw Valentino standing in front of him again. Damn, how fast was this guy?
He dodged the punch aimed at his face. The air brushing past his cheek showed Valentino was serious.
Jaxon took the opportunity to kick Valentino’s torso, but the man didn’t even flinch.
“Your attack is weak,” Valentino said, grabbing Jaxon’s leg and throwing him against the wall.
Jaxon’s back collided with the hard surface, and a painful groan escaped his lips.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Valentino’s foot heading for his face. Jaxon dodged, and a loud thud echoed as Valentino’s foot hit the wall instead.
Jaxon quickly stood up. What was this sparring session about?
Did Cassius order this?
“You’re pretty good at dodging, though I haven’t even used all my strength yet. Come on, Jaxon Miller.”
Not all his strength?
Valentino grinned, his eyes sparking with excitement.
“Give me all you’ve got!”