Finally, I reach our locker room. I am hoping Ennio will be there. I really need to talk to him about what went wrong and adjust the plan.
To my shock, the one waiting for me is my oldest brother and Anzo’s right hand.
Rocco.
The moment he sees me walking in, he strides over and slams me into the door with a hard shove.
"What the fuck?" I growl, trying to push him off, but Rocco is a champion in a heavier weight class than mine, and he has no intention of moving.
"You think you can just dodge a title fight by faking it like that, you little shit?" he hisses in my face, his sour breath making me recoil. "The Ferros are not soft bitches who settle for fifth or sixth place. You get the championship belt, or Anzo will light you up with high voltage."
I clench my teeth in fury. Electric shock is how we are all punished for our failures. Each of us has metal rods embedded in our bodies, delivering jolts whenever Anzo decides we are not good enough, loyal enough, or obedient enough members of the Ferro family.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. I won, didn’t I? Isn’t that what you wanted? I’m on the damn road to the championship," I shoot back in the tone of an innocent kid wounded in his pride.
I cannot trust Rocco. He is like a rabid dog, loyal to Anzo, and on top of that he’s a sadist, a psycho, the worst of all mybrothers. There is something feral in him, and the only way to make him pull his fangs back in is to show obedience.
He tilts his head.
"Surprised that pathetic little fake fight you put on actually worked, huh?" He slaps my cheeks with both hands until my ears ring and I curse. "I paid Gabriel a nice chunk of money to give up on winning this year. The timing was perfect. He has some trouble with the law. Who knows if he’ll even come back to fighting. And maybe that’s for the best, because the bastard is damn good." Another sharp smack to my cheek. "And you? Thanks to this, you’re getting a title fight at the end of September. You’d better get ready. You’re going to win it. Because Mike Tartona can’t be bought. Not a chance."
I clench my jaw so hard I feel the muscles throb. Finally I shove Rocco away, this time successfully.
"Get off my case, Rocco," I hiss, storming out of the locker room and spitting on the floor.
Of course, two of oursoldatiare already waiting outside. Right. I never go anywhere alone. Those bastards are always glued to me, a constant tail making sure I never get the idea to bolt from this cursed family.
Well, I did it in the past a few times, but they always caught me, and I was left with my back covered in whip scars.
I walk down the corridor, passing a few members of the staff, drifting toward the other fighters’ locker rooms, when I catch sight of Ennio in a side hallway, talking to Gabriel in a low voice.
He looks like he’s explaining something, pressing his point. I walk over.
Ennio turns, raises his eyebrows, then flicks his fingers, sending my two guards back far enough that they can’t hear us.
Perfect. It’s good I ran into them. I’ve got someone to unleash my adrenaline on, and it’s pumping!
I look at Gabriel, and it makes my blood boil, because his greed means nothing but trouble for me.
"You threw the fight, you bastard! You were supposed to win it, not me."
Gabriel’s red face twists into a crooked smile.
"Sorry, but I desperately need cash. A lot of it. I got myself into trouble. The cops are going to knock on my door any day now. I’m going to need a good lawyer. The best."
I lean in, hissing right into his face. "I don’t give a damn about your problems!" And I shove him lightly.
Ennio grabs my arm.
"Calm down, Eliano. Rocco got to him this morning and pushed hard. Anzo and Rocco won’t let this go anyway. One of these years, you are going for the middleweight championship. If you take it even once, maybe then they’ll agree to let you retire."
"I don’t want a title fight! Don’t want the belt," I groan through clenched teeth.
Gabriel, leaning against the wall, watches me with a grim expression.
"Relax. You only have Mike Tartona left to beat. I’m disappearing. I’ll probably get a few years for what I got mixed up in. So things will be easier for you," he adds cynically.
That sounds too good to be true.
