Page 87 of Scarred Hearts

After Nadia and I climbed into the ring, we couldn’t get our choreography down at all. She would go one way, and I’d go the same, causing us to end up truly hitting one another too hard. My mind was on my new title, Luca, Tyler, and his kids, my job at Euphoria, and the fact I’d have to move away after all this. I don’t even want the fucking job as boss! I repeated in my head for the millionth time.

Nadia drew her fist back, punching my tit and I grabbed my nipple with a hiss. “Sorry!” she shook her head.

I drew my fist back, swinging as hard as I could at her in self-defense without thinking. Her head jerked back on impact, and she stumbled backward into the ropes. Luke hit the mat from the outside of the ring, and we turned to him, me still holding my boob.

“What the fuck are you girls doing?” he spat. “You’re on the same fucking side!”

“Get your head out of your asses and get your shit together!” Ian barked from the chair next to Nico, his arms crossed over his chest. “Luke and Ty, get in there and fix them.”

They both slipped their gloves over their wraps, climbing into the ring. Tyler backed me into the ropes, resting his gloved hands on either side of me. He pressed his lips to mine.

“By fixing them, I didn’t mean making out with your girlfriend!” Ian snapped.

Tyler rolled his eyes with a small smirk. “Do you feel better, princess?” he whispered, and I nodded with an eye roll. “She’s fixed, Ian!” he called out over his shoulder. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to mine again, then took a step back with a wink. “Swing at me.”

“What?” I scoffed, “Absolutely not.”

“Then get your head right and swing at her but don’t hurt her. And you,” he pointed at Nadia, who was watching us with Luke at her side, “don’t hurt?—”

“Training is done for the day!” Ian announced in an annoyed tone, summoning our attention to him.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked.

“Kat and her people are showing up tonight, and we need to be prepared,” he replied, holding up his phone. “Gia, Nadia, I expect you girls to get together away from here and train a few more times before the fight.”

She glanced at me. “I don’t know where we can train.”

“I have a gym in my apartment,” I replied, then gasped. “Shit.”

Tyler and Luke looked at me with wide eyes, and Nadia asked, “What?”

“Nothing.”

I didn’t want to tell her Luca was recovering and hiding in my house, so I’d have to figure out a way to hide him from her while she was there. It was important that I not fuck up this fight.

Tyler leaned close to my ear, whispering, “The kids are with me tonight, just FYI. Would you like to have dinner with us and ride to the club together?”

I snapped my gaze to his with a smile, and suddenly everything felt perfect. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

21

NEW BOSS

TYLER

Tonight at work, after the kids scattered into the room with their cousins, I led Giovanna into Ian’s office for what he said would be a pre-shift meeting. Any meeting in his office was never routine.

Usually, it was some sort of Mafia dealings, but tonight, we walked into a bigger mess. He’d failed to mention who’d be waiting for us as we stepped through the door. I was sure it was on purpose, as he didn’t want us ready for a fight the minute we walked in.

I hovered a hand over Giovanna’s lower back, ready to touch her, then remembered his request to keep our hands off one another at the club. It was an impossible request, but one I’d respect. After all, his club his rules, as he always made that clear.

When we entered the office, Giovanna came to an abrupt halt, causing me to stop and follow her gaze toward Ekaterina and Ivan. The absence of her usual guards struck me as odd. I couldn’t imagine a family of such status not having armed protection at all times.

It left me feeling uneasy and unsure of what was to come next. My hands clenched in my pockets, hidden from view, while I tried to read the situation. Glancing at Ian, my silent plea for an explanation was met with his unflinching stare fixed on Giovanna.

The sharp click of Ekaterina’s heels echoed through the room as she stood from the chair in front of Ian’s desk, a cigarette dangling between her fingers. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in loose waves, framing her wide grin and angular features. “There is my Giovanna.”

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