Rocco didn’t hesitate. “Physically? Yes. Mentally?” He looked back at Luca. “That depends.”
Luca felt the weight of what his friend had just said settle into his bones. This fight was everything he’d worked for. Everything he’d bled for, but was he ready for it? And the timing was awful. He looked over at Sophia, who had stopped walking on the treadmill and was watching them. He was sure that she had heard everything, and when she nodded at him, he had his answer. He might not be ready today, but he’d get ready with Sophia by his side.
“I’ll do it,” Luca said.
Jonesy nodded. “Good. Then you start today. We’ll do extra rounds with roadwork tonight. And whatever’s messing with your head,” his gaze sharpened on Luca, “you either handle it, or we don’t do this.”
Rocco clapped Luca on the shoulder. “Guess you’re stuck with us even more now.”
Tony grinned. “Lucky you. But I think that you need to fill Jonesy in on what’s going on with Sophia. He has a right to know why she’ll be around while you’re here.”
“I already know what’s going on,” Jonesy insisted. “I stopped by the bakery this morning for breakfast, and Aurora filled me in. We can help out, Luca. We won’t leave Sophia alone in any of this. You’ll have our help, and Sophia will have our protection. We can do this, as a team.”
“Thanks, Jonesy,” Luca breathed. And for the first time since he’d stepped into the ring, Luca wasn’t sure which battle scared him more, but he knew that with the guys and Sophia by his side, he’d come out the other side as a winner.
The gym was nearly empty when Luca finally pulled Jonesy aside. Tony and Rocco were finishing roadwork on the treadmills, sweat-soaked and loudly arguing about whose knees were more shot. The familiar noise should’ve settled Luca’s nerves, but it didn’t. His chest felt tight, like he was stepping into a fight he couldn’t win.
He told Sophia that he needed a minute, and she agreed to wait for him up at the front desk. Aurora had shown up, and the two were gabbing like they had been best friends for years and not just met a few days ago. “Jonesy,” Luca said, “you got a minute?”
Jonesy glanced at him, already suspicious. “If this is about cutting rounds, the answer’s no.”
“It’s not,” Luca said. “It’s about the fight.”
That got Jonesy’s full attention. He jerked his head toward the office. “We can talk in here.”
The door shut behind them, muting the gym’s sounds. Jonesy leaned back against the desk, arms crossed. “You don’t sound like a guy asking for adjustments.”
“I’m not,” Luca said. He didn’t pace, and he didn’t fidget. He stood still and said it straight. “I can’t take it.”
Jonesy stared at him. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not,” Luca almost whispered.
“You’re telling me,” Jonesy said slowly, “that you’re walking away from a career-making fight eight weeks out?”
“Yes,” Luca said, although hearing his trainer say it like that had him second-guessing himself.
Jonesy laughed once, sharp and humorless. “Try again, because there is no fucking way that I’m letting you give up this fight, Luca.”
Luca met his gaze. “Sophia’s not safe, and if I have to focus on the fight and not on her safety, I’m worried that I’ll fail at both.”
Jonesy’s expression shifted—still hard, but he was listening now. “I understand that she’s got a stalker, but between the guys and me, we can keep her safe.”
“The man who is stalking her is crazy enough to come after her, even with all of us watching her. He’s a ghost from our past, and he’s already escalated things with her.” Luca’s jaw clenched. “I won’t leave town. I won’t put her in a position where I’m not there if something happens.”
“I can get you both security,” Jonesy said. “Cops, restraining orders—just name what you need.”
“None of that guarantees shit,” Luca shot back. “And you know it.”
Jonesy exhaled slowly. “You’re letting emotion make your decisions for you. I thought that we settled all this in the ring earlier.”
“No,” Luca said firmly. “I’m letting reality make them, and I’ve thought about everything while I was on the treadmill.” He usually did his best thinking while running, and today had him rethinking the fight.
The office door opened before Jonesy could respond. Tony and Rocco stepped in, faces serious now. “We heard what you’re talking about,” Tony said. “Enough of it, anyway.”
“You mean you were eavesdropping?” Luca grumbled. He could just picture the two of them standing outside the door, trying to hear his and Jonesy’s conversation.
Rocco leaned against the wall. “Call it what you want,” he said. “You backing out?”
