The Past
Marco's enormous frame loomed over me, blocking the afternoon sunlight as I lay on the sunbed beside Elenora. We had travelled back from her university that morning. She had a week’s break and wanted to spend it with her younger siblings and help Olivia with wedding planning. At university, I was Elle's shadow, never able to take my eyes off her and constantly on edge, scanning her surroundings for threats. But at her home, I could relax a little, knowing she was as safe as she could be behind the Buccini gates.
Slow days like these were the best at the Buccini house, and even though it was technically my day off, I stayed with her. I had nowhere else to be. Giovanni had said I could take the week off while Elle was home, but time off only made me miss Sicilymore. The urge to jump on a flight back there was strong, but it was too risky. My life was in Verona now—or at least I had to make it seem that way.
“Boss wants to see you,” Marco’s deep voice cut through the quiet, and I pulled myself upright just as Sani and Raya dashed under his arms and leapt into the pool.
Elenora lifted her sunglasses from her eyes and squinted at her childhood bodyguard. “Why? Finn’s relaxing. It’s his day off. Tell Gio no.”
“It’s fine,Piccolina,” I said with a gentle smile, loving how protective she was of my time. I was more than just her bodyguard. I was her best friend. The person she confided in. The person she felt safest with. And she was mine. I missed Alessio, the only true friend I had ever known, but meeting Elle was a blessing.
I nodded to Marco as he took a seat on the sun lounger, his gaze following the children’s antics in the pool. I slipped on my flip-flops and headed upstairs towards Giovanni’s office. It felt strange to walk there in a casual T-shirt and swimming shorts, when I would typically do this only in my smart black trousers and a fitted shirt.
Knocking on the door, I was greeted by his gruff voice, and I nodded at him from where he sat behind his desk. Then my smile faltered. Eyes as blue as the ocean at the height of summer met mine from the chair opposite him. My heart flipped; I was completely unprepared for the emotional ambush. But the blush creeping up his neck beneath the collar of his shirt told me Enzo Aiani hadn’t been expecting to see me either.
Before I could stop myself, my gaze wandered over his face, and my body tensed. I hadn't seen him since I had driven away after sucking his dick a month ago. Once the shock wore off, I noticed dark bruising around one of his eyes and a fat lip. A protective rage I had never felt before surged inside me, andI had to bite down on my tongue to stop myself from saying something that would reveal how much I cared that someone had laid a hand on him.
“Finn. Take a seat,” Giovanni ordered, nodding towards the chair beside Enzo. What the hell was this? Had Giovanni found out about us and done this to Enzo? I highly doubted it. The Boss was ruthless, but I didn’t see him as homophobic.
The moment I sat down, I stole another glance at Enzo, but he wasn’t looking at me. His jaw was set as he stared at Giovanni, clearly as unsure about the situation as I was.
“Finn is our best fighter. He has a history of fighting in the underground rings and served in the military for two years.”
That wasn’t entirely true. The first part was, yeah. I’d been brought up in illegal fighting rings, beating boys and grown men to survive. But the military never happened. That was a cleverly staged story by Don Diego Barbieri, Alessio’s father, to prevent Giovanni from suspecting any links to them when I went undercover here.
“Finn.” Giovanni fixed his dark eyes on me. “I want you to teach Enzo how to fight. He needs to learn to defend himself.”
Enzo shot out of his chair. “I know how to kill a man. I was outnumbered, eight to three.”
“Which is why you are lucky to be alive. If your second car of men hadn’t been nearby, it would have been a different story.” Giovanni cracked his knuckles and motioned for Enzo to sit back down. “I have a lot invested in you, Enzo. You are too valuable to me to die in a street fight.” Gio’s gaze flicked back to me. “I know I gave you the week off while Elle is home, but I’ll pay you a full day’s wage for three hours of training every day for a week.”
I stood up, nodding. “I’d do it for free, Boss.”
Gio smiled, but I could feel Enzo’s disapproving glare on me. He hated this. Every second of it.Tough luck, Kid. If you want to survive in this world, it’s time to toughen the fuck up.
“Enzo, come here and train with Finn in my gym every day this week. No one will bother you. You have my word.”
What he meant was that his men could think he was coming for meetings, so they never had to know he was being trained to fight by a Buccini soldier.
Enzo stood up, wincing slightly at the movement, which made my gaze drift down his torso, wondering what and how bad his injuries were.“Grazie, Giovanni. I appreciate it.”
It sure as hell didn’t sound like he appreciated it, but he was clever enough to pretend. I opened the door, holding it wide for Enzo to walk out first, then nodded to Gio before closing it behind us. Enzo’s lethal gaze was burning a hole in my head, so I turned and gestured towards the stairs.
“Let’s go.”
He scoffed. “Now? We’re really doing this?”
“I don’t have a choice. My boss has ordered it. Really, it’s up to you.” I took a step closer to him, our toes nearly touching, and revelled in the way his throat worked and his eyes dilated. He was so damn pretty it hurt, even with a black eye and a swollen lip. The sight of them made me feel a little unhinged. I wanted to find whoever had touched him and kill them with my bare hands. “Who was it?”
His eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t matter now. They’re dead.”
“You killed them?”
“My men did.”
“What happened?”
“I was attacked leaving a club in town. They weren’t soldiers, more likely hired criminals sent to shake me up, push me over the edge and make me step down.”
