“We had a deal. I’m taking you in, and I will train you only if you have what it takes. And that I will test now, but only if Gabriel isn't here.”
“So, what’s the problem?” I look between them.
Boris pins Gabriel with a hard look. “He doesn’t want to leave.”
I smile at Gabriel. “I can take care of myself. Besides, a deal is a deal. You don’t get a free way out of it.”
He tilts his head to the side and looks at me, then at Boris, and he narrows his eyes at him like they’re in a silent discussion. “Fine, I’ll be in my car,” he says and leans in. I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead, his breath brushes my ear. “He may look like an old man, but trust me, he is almost as strong as I am. Show him who you really are.” And then his lips brush my cheek before he walks out the door.
“One more,” Boris shouts, and my breathing hitches as I, one more time, land on the floor. I stand as quickly as I can and hop from one foot to another until I’m focused on him. Boris tested my fighting skills in a way I never expected. I failed a lot, but I always find my way back on my feet. I also returned a few good punches. I saw surprise on Boris’s face as I did. But I’m exhausted like never before. My daily workout at home doesn’t count as proper training for this type of match. If he agrees to train me, I will need to work my ass off. So, in order to finish this, I gather all my strength and launch forward at Boris, giving him hell until I lose the ground under my feet once again and land on my back.
“That’s enough,” Boris says, and I exhale a breath of relief and relax my muscles. I feel Boris towering over me, but I keep my eyes closed and breathe. “Come on. This was just the beginning.” My eyes open, and I look at the man. He can’t be serious. Relief washes over me when I see a smile on his face. He extends his hand to me, and I take it, letting him pull me off the floor. “Not bad,” he says.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask between breaths.
“I mean, you’ve got something. You’ve got fire inside you. I just needed to test how far you were willing to go. Because in a real fight inside this ring, there is no giving up.”
I search his eyes. “And?”
He smirks. “And this is just phase one. You're starting tomorrow until you're ready for phase two.”
“What is phase two?”
“Phase two is testing how far you're ready to go in a real fight. Now, you're free to go. I expect you here at eight a.m. sharp.” I’m about to ask him more questions when he turns and leaves me staring at his back with an open mouth.
I’m still thinking about phase two when I enter Gabriel’s car. He’s been waiting this whole time.
“So?” he asks.
“Apparently, I passed phase one of my training. Now I need to get ready for phase two.” I shake my head.
His eyebrows pull together. “He said that?” I nod. “We’ll see about that,” he murmurs and revs the car, and I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
After almost two months of training, I’m getting ready for the test for phase two of my training. Gabriel didn’t elaborate on what he meant by that, but Boris has been pushing me every day for six hours a day, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Not just because of training. Another thing is getting Gabriel for myself, and the other is having my father and that bastard of an ex in prison. The charges against them were airtight. It didn’t matter how good their lawyers were, the evidence was solid, undeniable, leaving no room for argument. They were sentenced to twenty-five years.
I’m in the ring with another female fighter, Cristina. She comes to me, gives me her hand, and smirks. “Whatever happens in the ring ain’t personal.”
Cristina has been nice to me the whole time we’ve trained together, so I only figure phase two of Boris’s training is when the fight starts and the hits start to be real.
The first hit I receive is to my stomach, and it’s hard. After five minutes of getting hit, barely returning any punches, and landing on my back with Cristina on top of me, she grits out, “This is an all-or-nothing match. Fight back as if your life depends on it. Nothing is fair in this fight.”
After the fog of confusion has been cleared, I spring into action, punching and kicking until the fighting beast inside me is awake.
In the fourth round, I swing my arm, and my fist collides with Cristina’s face. She stumbles and falls on her back. I wait for her to get up, but she stays on the floor.
My heart races hard. Is she okay? I stand over her, ignoring the cheers from the few watchers, and only when she moves slowly do I hear Boris’s words.
“Well, looks like you're all in after all.”
I shower, dress, and pack my things before I make my way to Boris’s office. I asked if I could talk to him. There is one thing that’s still bothering me ever since Isabella’s kidnapping, and he can help me.
I knock on his door even though it’s open. “What can I do for you, Valentina?”
I enter and walk until I’m in the middle of his office. “You served in the military, right?”
His eyebrows arch, and he shoots me a questioning look. “Special forces. “So you know how to free yourself if you get kidnapped, or prevent that?” I fidget on my feet.
He tilts his head to the side. “You could say that.”
