Page 71 of Forgotten Deal

“I don’t know the difference!”

“Rolling to the side leaves you at a better angle to fight back; ducking over and over means you’ll eventually get knocked out with a well-placed uppercut.” He demonstrates rolling versus ducking, and I see what he means. “Hands up, don’t let them drop!”

“Shit.” I raise my gloves.

“Double jab, jab, cross, roll, and hook,” he barks again, and suddenly I’m liking the flirty bartender a hell of a lot more than the hardass trainer.

After running through some other combinations, Gavin calls time. “Good job today.”

“Thank fuck,” I say, wiping my sweaty brow with my forearm.

He points at me. “Take tomorrow off; you’re gonna be sore as hell.”

“You got it. Hey, did you ever get word to Inferno about me dealing at the party? I’d love to score some extra cash,” I say, trying not to come off too strong.

He shakes his head as he helps me take off the gloves. “I didn’t get a chance; it was a pretty busy night.”

“How is it you know him?” I try.

Gavin shrugs as he helps me unwrap my hands, tossing the sweaty wrap into a laundry basket. “I’m a bartender. You meet all kinds.”

“Does he ever hang around here?” I try again.

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Gavin,” someone calls, and he looks over my shoulder. “Gotta go. I’ll see you next time.”

“Sure,” I say, frustrated I’m making zero headway.

I walk to the locker room, taking a shower before dressing and walking out. The hallway’s empty, so I hurry to the end and try the handle on the door leading to the basement. It’s unlocked, and looking around to make sure the coast is clear, I step inside and flip on the light, hurrying down the stairs.

My jaw falls open when I see the room empty. How the hell am I supposed to get back inside a defunct poker room?

Taking the stairs two at a time, I flip off the light and close the door, hurrying outside to my car. I stop short when I see who’s leaning against it. “You’ve been ignoring me. I don’t like it,” Dominic says menacingly.

“I said what needed to be said the other night. That’s it. Move, I’ve got somewhere I need to be,” I tell him firmly.

“Like going to see Mr. Accountant?” he taunts. “Baby, you’d be so fucking bored with a strait-laced guy, and you know it.” He crosses his arms, the veins of his muscular forearms bulging.

A straight-laced guy? Dominic has no clue who he’s fucking with. “That’s my problem, isn’t it? Move.”

He steps out of the way, but announces, “We’re not finished, me and you.”

I don’t respond as I get in my car and pull away from the curb. I’ve got enough drama to deal with without having to run interference for Dominic’s dumb ass.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Kat

I arrive at the park and take a seat on the bench to wait for Iris. I’m babysitting while Darius and Lily attend Valentina’s graduation party. A part of me wonders if my cousin chose the park because he doesn’t want me unsupervised in his house. That’s me, the Parisi family pariah.

I play on my phone for a bit, when I receive a text from an unknown number.

You think you can fucking block me?

“Watch me.” I block Dominic’s new number.

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