"Well, maybe you should stay then," Alicia says, shooting me a sickly sweet smile. "I'm sure we could make this meeting just as fun as the last one was when your sister got married. I'll happily point my gun at you,puta, and unlike that coward Alessandro, I'd gladly pull the trigger as well."
Fed up with this bullshit meeting and these annoyingly snarky comments, I stand from the table, down my drink, and grab my suit jacket from the back of my chair.
"You do not leave until they agree to let us trade over there," I tell my father before rounding the table and bending down to press a kiss against my mother's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Without glancing at any of the Garcia's, I storm out of the restaurant and down the street.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call the one person I know who can help me blow off some steam and release all of this built-up anger and tension.
After walking home and changing into a pair of grey jogging bottoms and a black vest top, I send a text to Percy—one of my friends who I work closely with—asking him to collect my car as I press the button for the elevator that grants access to my apartment.
When it arrives, I walk inside and press the button for the twelfth floor, the level below mine.
Pocketing my phone, I watch the doors slide closed and stare at my distorted reflection in the metal as the elevator moves.
As soon as the doors open and I take a step forward, a fist crashes into my face, knocking me backwards.
"What the fuck?" I shout, catching myself on the doors that begin closing in front of me to keep on my feet.
"I'm convinced you've learned nothing," Leo says, backing up into the gym, allowing me to move out of the elevator as I rub my jaw. "Rule number one, always be prepared for an attack, no matter where you are."
I scowl at him and step into the large, spacious white room that has gym equipment lining the walls, and my feet sink into the padded mats that cover the floor as I prowl towards him, my fists clenching, ready to jump straight into our sparring session.
"I don't expect to be attacked in my own fucking gym," I spit, a growl reverberating through my chest as I speak.
His lips twitch, and his eyes dance with amusement as his dark gaze scans across my face.
"Who's got your panties in a twist this evening, King?"
We begin circling each other on the padded area in the centre of the room beneath the dim lights that cast a glow across the space, and I narrow my eyes when he smirks at me, the fury inside of me spreading.
"Is this because you met your wife today?" he asks in a teasing tone.
The reminder of the gorgeous woman with a venomous tongue has something inside of me snapping, and I charge towards him, throwing a punch as soon as I'm close.
He easily dodges my fist, ducking down and digging his knuckles into my ribs as he throws his shoulders into my chest, knocking me backwards.
My fingers grasp onto his T-shirt, and I pull him back with me, lifting a knee with the intention of it connecting with his body, but he pulls back, slipping out of his top and narrowly avoiding my attack.
"Surely you can do better than that," he drawls, smirking at me as he dusts his hands against his inked chest, his dark eyes alight with joy as he sees his words making the anger inside of me spike even higher.
I throw his top to the floor and step towards him, swinging my left hand towards his face, and when he ducks again, my right hand flies forward, smashing into the side of his face as he rams his shoulder into my thighs, trying to knock me down again.
Before he can drag me to the floor beneath him and gain the upper hand, I bring my elbow down into his back, sending us both tumbling onto the mats beneath us as each of us smash our knuckles into each other a couple of times.
His elbow connects with my stomach, and I release my grip on him, giving him the chance to roll away from me and climb to his feet quickly, bouncing on his feet as he waits for me to stand.
As soon as I'm upright again, he moves towards me, throwing multiple punches at me that I only just manage to block.
"I thought you wanted to work your anger out," he says, his voice calm, despite the fact he's still raining punches down on me as I twist my body and use my arms to block his fists the best I can.
"I am," I growl, moving my arm from my side and purposely allowing him to land a few punches against my body so I can fight back, hoping to catch him off guard.
Somehow managing to wrap my arm around his neck, I tighten my hold on him, grabbing him in a headlock with my left arm as I use my right hand to punch him in his stomach a couple times, waiting for him to curl in on himself like he'd told me someone would do in this position.
What I hadn't expected was for him to grab onto my arm and use it to throw me over him, causing my back to land on the floor with a loud thump that echoes around the room along with my heavy breathing.
A smug smirk takes over his face as he steps away from me.
