The cruel game continued for about a minute, with Lazzaro getting dizzier and more disoriented with every second that passed. He regretted that he stayed hidden the day before at the gym, instead of asking that formidable fighter, Luca, orthe even better one, Liam, to train him. Maybe the few moves they would have shown him would have been useful in the dire situation he was in at that moment.
Suddenly, a voice Lazzaro recognized as belonging to Liam harshly spoke, asking the henchmen to stop right away. Instead of obeying the undisguised command, the four answered with throaty, humorless laughs and insults. Not for long though, as The Base’s top fighter and another man Lazzaro couldn’t see attacked them.
Of course, the gorillas fought back, but the two were far more skilled and mastered a combination of several fighting techniques, shifting quickly between styles, so the opponents couldn’t anticipate their next move. Within a few minutes, two of those sent to kidnap the young cage fighter were writhing on the ground, wailing in frustration and pain.
Lazzaro bounced back, fully regaining his balance and sense of direction, and started to punch the other two attackers, rage and anger bubbling inside him when he thought about their actions from earlier. The young man was blinded by resentment and hate, and that made most of the punches he launched in the direction of the two to miss their target.
Unlike Lazzaro, Liam and the other man hit with precision and efficiency, so the aggressors who were still standing bit the dust, too. That was their lucky day, Liam spoke, grimacing in disgust as he looked at the four henchmen who cursed while they struggled to get into standing position; he was in a generous mood, and let them live.
However, it wouldn’t happen a second time, so they better go back to whoever sent them and tell that reckless person they messed with the wrong fellows. Liam pointed straight ahead, without any other word, and the four henchmen got the message, heading to the main gate tail between their legs.
It was only then when Lazzaro relaxed and took a better look at the other fighter he only caught glimpses of, only to gasp in shock when he recognized the blind guy from the other day, at the library. “That was…whoa!” He exclaimed when he regained his composure. “But…how? I mean, no offense, man, but you can’t see.”
“No offense taken.” Callum’s voice was pleasant, almost musical. “Yes, it’s true that I lack sight, but I compensate by using my other senses to maximum, especially hearing and touch.”
“Also, he keeps his negative emotions in control and uses them as weapons, instead of letting himself be driven by them, like you do.” Liam calmly spoke. “When you fight, the opponent has to be your top priority, and emptying your heart and mind is the best way to stay focused.”
“Yeah.” Lazzaro reluctantly agreed, as the subject wasn’t exactly to his liking; he had other theories about how to use rage and anger in a fight, and none of them involved controlling those feelings. “The librarian told me the same thing the other day.”
“Speaking of, he wants to talk to you.”
CHAPTER 5
Brian gestured to a chair across the counter. “You want to be a professional cage fighter and you have the talent; it's there.” He started after examining the young man in front of him for a few minutes. One problem instead of harnessing your rage you let it rule you.”
“It's easy for you to talk.” Lazzaro bitterly replied, letting his frustration out “The fucking Mafia didn't put your father behind bars, then have him killed. You were pampered by mommy and daddy, not brutalized in a goddamn orphanage.”
“I'm sorry for what happened to you.”Brian calmly spoke. “You must think my life has been easy but it hasn't. “He swallowed hard a few times before continuing. “When I was twenty, I met a man named Cole, who abused me for four years. Three years later, my brother was abducted, and I heard it happen. Heard him screaming for help.”
“That’s…” Lazzaro gave the librarian a sympathetic look. “Did you eventually find him or was it too late?”
“I looked and looked.” Brian continued his story in a faraway voice. “The nightmares tore me apart; I would wake crying and calling my little brother’s name. My ex despised me for what he called whining and sent me to another room, to calm the fuck down, as he put it, and, if I didn't go quietly, he'd backhand me.” The librarian let out a long, heavy sigh. “Itwas becoming too much; I almost committed suicide at twenty-three, but something, or better said someone, stopped me.”
“I had it pretty rough, too, but it was nothing compared to you.” Lazzaro shook his head. “Where were your parents during that time? Or did you keep things hidden from them?”
Brian ran a hand over his face. “The second version. You see, when my brother was kidnapped it took a heavy toll on my parents, and they decided to divorce, so I didn’t want to add to their heartache. Anyway, one day, Cole backhanded me too hard and I took my cat Daisy, packed my things, and left him. For the next two years, I wandered in a way. I had an apartment, but I couldn’t keep a steady job, so I eventually got evicted at the age of twenty-six.”
“Man, life really didn’t give you a break, huh?” Lazzaro slowly shook his head. “The hand you were dealt was even shittier than mine, and that is saying something.” His eyes sparked with interest and curiosity. “How did you manage to get out from under that mountain of shit piled on you and get here?”
“My dumb ass went to a bar with what little money I had to drink until I didn't know who I was.”Brian smiled fondly at the memory. “Two men saved me from that fate and helped me get a job here at the library. I made a lot of friends. The nightmares still ate at me, so I barely slept or ate. Then Bart, my beloved husband of eleven years, came to The Base, and it seemed that my life finally made sense and was headed in the right direction, when all the stress, overworking, lack of sleep and food finally came to a head. I collapsed and ended up in the hospital with a broken arm. Bart was the one that found me, on the day he graduated high school.”
“All's well that ends well.” Lazzaro sighed in relief, only to frown shortly after. “Wait, why do I have the feeling this is not the end of your misfortunes?”
“Good things started indeed to happen” Brian continued his walk down the memory lane. “Julien, The Base’s computer expert, who befriended me almost instantly, found my brother Edward, and the rescue crew brought him here; Bart and I were deeply in love and were going to have our first child. I thought things were going great.Then, Cole came back, and I foolishly let him back into my life.”
“Son of a…” Lazzaro censored himself. “The guy really had the nerve to come here, after everything he did to you. Please, tell me you didn't leave your pregnant fiancé, boyfriend, or whatever that Bart guy was to you at the time, and walked into the sunset with that abusive bastard.”
“Long story short, he came after me several times but the last time he threatened to kill my family hurt my children. I was going to leave with Cole, if it wasn’t for Malaspina, who stopped him as he dragged me out by my hair. He was sent to jail, but escaped, and no one has seen him since.” Brian stopped to catch his breath. Then the boys started showing up. I adopted a boy named Gabriele because he thought no one would want him but I did. That's one of the reasons Malaspina saved me from Cole.”
“Gabriele…I’ve heard this name a lot, from the very first day of my stay at The Base.” Lazzaro frowned. “People spoke it with utmost respect, almost with veneration. What’s so special about your adoptive son?” His voice was filled with curiosity.
“He and the other boys who showed up after that, all in dire need of protection, were Mafia heirs. Back then, I didn't know I myself was Mafia, but I fought to find them and bringThe Council of The Ten back into power.” Brian took another short break to catch his breath. “I eventually found out I was the descendant of the prominent Cavallieri family, who were thought to be long dead. Speaking of, I have died four times in my lifetime fighting for these boys and friends because I love them. I speak to the dead, and I help all the kids from here as much as I can. My life is far from easy. I've met trouble at every turn but I'll keep going no matter what.”
“Well, I guess I don’t have the right to complain.” Lazzaro grinned sheepishly. “Not after listening to the story of your life, anyway.” He shook his head, eyes filled with admiration and disbelief. “Man, you had it rough, but managed to put everything behind you and built a life with the one you love. I’m starting to get your philosophy about not letting anger control you.”
Brian ignored the younger man’s words. “And now, comes the hardest part.” He ran a hand over his face and sighed tiredly. “The ones who put your father in jail and had him killed and the owner of the cage fighting ring are not Mafia; you are.”
“How can I be Mafia?” Lazzaro stared at the librarian in disbelief, then vehemently shook his head. “They are killers, plunders, all kinds of predatory beasts. I'm sorry about what you went through, but we can't be friends. You are too proud of your mafioso status.”
