Only that outcome would avenge the little girl I once was.
Only one outcome could accomplish it.
Dominic
“At least in the future, let me know we are going to an underground fighting scene. I’d skip it,” Michael mumbled, while Vitya shook his head in exasperation, squeezing his nape.
“Trust me. No one wants to be here,” Damian said, once again scrolling through his phone to write a text to Sapphire. He couldn't stay away from her without messaging her all the fucking time while sighing sadly.
“Baby, behave. I promise I’ll take you sight-seeing tomorrow.” Vitya gave him a quick peck just before we reached the stairs in the corner of the street that led to the underground and straight to a massive metal door. Music was blasting loudly, while two bodyguards stood with indifferent expressions on their faces.
“I’d appreciate it if you all didn’t fucking whine.” What the fuck was this about anyway? I was the only one who could complain, considering my woman was out somewhere with some fucker who claimed she belonged to him. My fists clenched as I imagined choking the shit out of Oliver, but even in my state of rage, things didn't add up. His name never came up, or the family, and by the hopeless glances he kept giving her, I understood he did have feelings for her. The man was like a fucking unicorn, smiling and dreaming about his future bride, while his business deal was a sinking ship. With all my experience in the criminal world, I highly doubted he had anything to do with the master plan. But appearances could be deceiving, so no one could be dismissed easily. At this point, everyone in the Rossi clan was a suspect.
Damian showed them our IDs. They nodded, allowed us to enter, and immediately the smell of sex, alcohol, sweat, and blood greeted us.
Half-naked women swayed their hips seductively to the beat of the music in the cages above the ring, bending their bodies around the pole for maximum exposure of their assets as drunk men near the bar took more shots and whistled.
Waitresses with short skirts and tight tops moved efficiently between the tables, while bulky security hit anyone who decided to be grabby with them. Ten to fifteen velvet booths were scattered around the place with brown, wooden tables in the middle, and the marble floor shined brightly under the expensive diamond chandelier, which hung so low it looked ready to fall down any minute. The bar in the right corner had five bartenders who created drinks in a blur, while roars and groans echoed throughout the place as various people bet on the outcome of the fight.
The ring, or rather cage, had metal bars, only fighters inside the wide space with a hard floor, so whoever hit something wouldn't have any mercy or an easy “fall.” The bars had sharp edges, so whoever bounced on them would bruise their skin in the process. Since it was located right in the middle of the venue, everything else circled around it. It looked like we came in right at the end, as the bets and money stakes were exceptionally high. Round five or six probably. “Do you see Vito?” Vitya asked, maintaining a tight grip on Michael, who was practically plastered to his side, not liking the violence around him.
“He should be here,” I replied, scanning the place one more time, and finally, my eyes rested on Vito Rossi who sat in the biggest booth, surrounded by his bodyguards. He had a woman between his legs giving him head while another one murmured something in his neck, and he chuckled, although the overall vibe he gave was boredom.
Must’ve been really bad head.
The reason I dragged everyone here was to finally meet with the mafia boss and decide how much involvement he had in the disappearance of Rosa. Starting a war with him on his territory was stupid, reckless, and not something I would ever subject my Bratva to. But establishing a relationship with him, creating a curious interest so he'd be lured away from Italy?
Yeah, I wasn't taught by Vasya and Radmir for nothing.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the voice shouted in the mic, which snapped me out of my thoughts. The announcer who had entered the cage a few seconds ago was dressed in black and white attire.
Blyat, those Italian people went all out when creating something illegal. In Russia or America, such places were held in the basement with a concrete floor, dark rooms, and, sure as fuck, no luxurious stuff lying around the place. There, it reminded me a lot of a street fight, but entering here, one would think they had professional MMA going on. “Stefano wins this fight over the Stone!” Cheers erupted, glasses shattered, and a blonde wearing only a thong rushed to them holding a golden chain in her hands. They even had prizes. How fucking cute.
Stepping closer to the stage, I studied the picture in front of me and had to give it to the winner. He sure as fuck destroyed his opponent.
Stone lay on his back, breathing heavily and choking on his blood as he turned purple and blue. He couldn't inhale enough air, and having plenty of experience, I understood he had broken ribs. Stefano roared, beating his chest with his fists, running around the cage basking in the attention. Everyone applauded, not even caring for half-dying Stone on the floor.
After closer examination, I froze, as the kid couldn't be older than eighteen. “You have to be fucking kidding me,” Damian snapped furiously, ready to dash to him, but my hand stopped him. As much as I was grateful for my brother to follow me here and offer his support while his soul cried out to be with his woman… this wasn't his battle.
“Anyone else brave enough to face Stefano the Steel?”
Michael snorted at the lame nickname, while Vitya covered Michael’s mouth with his hand. We didn't need unnecessary attention.
Removing my jacket and then shirt in one swift motion, I called out, “Me.”
The public quieted down as they watched me, shocked, while Stefano pulled his head back as if measuring me and then laughed. “Sure.” I passed by the blonde, who licked her lips, running her gaze over my chest and smiling seductively, but I just ignored it and stepped inside the cage.
Since no one bothered to help the kid, I motioned with my head to Vitya, and he nodded, pulling the phone from his pocket. In a second, Knyaz and Artur showed up, picked up the kid, and took him to our headquarters here. I had some questions for him, and he displayed good potential.
The pakhan never missed an opportunity to recruit good, fresh blood. Things must have been desperate for him to even compete against Stefano. The boy didn’t have the physique or strength for it. The only explanation could be money.
Cracking my neck from side to side, I faced him while he roared again and pounced on me, the announcer dashing to hop on the stand outside. The guy was massive with ripped muscles as if he lived and breathed the gym, and he had a physical advantage on me. However, his tiredness after the previous fight and my excessive training in the Bratva put us on equal ground.
I swirled to the right, hit him hard on the back, and he fell down, not expecting it. The audience booed at me while chanting his name. He got up, almost jumped, and punched me in the gut. I dipped in two, but then delivered a blow right between his eyes and kicked him hard in the liver, knowing full well that it was one of the most vulnerable places for a man like him, who earned money beating the shit out of everyone.
He swayed, dizzy, but I didn't give him the chance to recover. All the pent-up rage from seeing Rosa in the arms of Oliver rushed back, and I transferred it into my every action. Bending, I propped him on my shoulder, lifted him off the ground, and slammed his back on the floor. As he howled, I made sure to press my finger on a specific point in his stomach that would activate his gallbladder and send the gastric juice up his throat. In a second, Stefano was throwing up all over the place, not even able to get up or turn to the side as I’d most probably bruised his spine. His coach rushed inside with a few men, screaming for help while turning him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own shit.
A murmur ran through the crowd, not knowing how to react to what had happened, and then I heard the loud clap.
