But it’s getting there.
A knock on the office door jerks me out of my concentration, and I sit up as Vincent sticks his head around the door. “Sorry to disturb you, Cat. You’re running late for training. Figured you’d want to know.”
My eyes fly to the clock above the wall. “Thanks, Vincent. I’ll meet you outside.”
With a nod, he softly closes the door behind him. He works differently to Dom – quiet and respectful, as opposed to domineering and argumentative as hell.
Nice, but not what I need.
As we walk over to the training center, Vincent stays a half-step behind me. I can feel his eyes, scanning everywhere, behind and in front. The others with him do the same.
Not wanting to distract him, I stay silent, my eyes flicking towards the gaps between buildings. But no monsters jump out at us today, although my shoulders are tight with tension as Vincent escorts me into the center, hesitating at the door to the changing rooms. “You want me in there with you?”
I shake my head. “Outside. I’ll be done in an hour.”
When I walk in, Dante and Stefano are already there, although there’s no sign of Luciano.
And so is Giovanni.
Surprised, I pause. He sees me in the mirror and sits up from the bench. “Caterina. Still alive, I see.”
“Easily done when you’re dealing with incompetence, Fusco.”
Vito heads our way, his head darting between us. “Keep it out of my session. Cleaning blood from the floor in here is a fucker.”
There’s more than one old, rusty-looking stain on the floor to lend truth to his irritated words.
Ignoring Gio, I head over to the bars and start stretching. I’ve been slacking lately, the tightness of my muscles telling me exactly how out of shape I am compared to how I used to be. Taking up a spot on the floor, I move into sit-ups, forcing myself to push harder and harder until I can feel the sweat trickling down my back. Once I’ve completed the third set of thirty, I let myself collapse back to the floor, my hands moving to cover my aching abdomen.
Definitely out of shape.
Vito shouts something that sounds vaguely insulting in my direction, and I stick my finger in the air in response. The deep laugh that sounds is much closer than Vito’s voice, and my eyes snap open as a shadow falls across my face, blocking out thebright light from the strips overhead. “Ever heard of personal space, Morelli?”
Luc clicks his tongue, holding out his hand. His eyebrow raises in a silent challenge, and I grab it with a huff, letting him pull me up. He’s not dressed for a workout, decked out in his usual smart black shirt and trousers. “You’ve been avoiding me, Caterina.”
“Believe it or not, my whole world doesn’t actually revolve around you.” Dropping his hand, I duck around him, but he only turns and follows me to the weights section.
He frowns as I load up. “Little light for you, isn’t it?”
“Did I ask you to comment on my workout routine?” I snap. “What do you want? You’re obviously not here to work out.”
He watches me for a moment, before he lifts the case in his left hand. “I came to show you my latest acquisitions, actually. Thought you might… appreciate them.”
I glance around the room, noting the eyes on us. “Here?”
He shrugs. “As good a place as any. The dining hall is proving a little chaotic these days. And this is a space for weapons, after all.”
He hefts the case, unlatching the brass hinges and flipping it open as I sit up. His eyes don’t move from my face, his lips lifting at the corners as I stand, my attention well and truly caught.
The twin daggers look almost ceremonial at first glance. Perfectly tapered, thin bronze shaped like tridents, the middle part longer to form the blade. The handles, a silky-looking navy with gold threading built in for grip, glitter in the overhead light.
My breath catches. They’re the most beautiful fucking weapons I’ve ever seen. I’ve been searching for daggers like these foryears.
Luciano pushes the lid down. “You like them?”
Forcing my gaze away, I purse my lips. “Maybe. Where’d you get them?”
They look custom. Unique.
