Page 82 of Massimo

Massimo

Thatwentofftherails real fucking quick.

I’m in the SUV, parked in a dark alley, my guards posted outside. No one knows I’ve video-called my princess. I swept the vehicle for bugs, activated a jammer to block any electronic surveillance, and the windows are blacked out.

After Nova had eaten, she did I as had instructed her, fingering herself while I watched and fisted my cock. Having to come into a cloth so I didn't ejaculate all over the back seat.

After her orgasm, she collapsed in the window seat with a grin, and I said a regretful goodbye.

I make sure there is no evidence on my clothes and exit the vehicle.

Marcelo, Tino, and two other guards are waiting for me. I nod at them, and Marcelo and Tino follow me while the other two stay with the SUV. We walk through the dark, rain-soaked alley, the air thick with the stench of blood, piss, and puke, until we reach a nondescript door of a three-story building. I knock, and a panel slides open.

"Sono qui per vedere,Tony." The simple phrase conveys that I'm here to fight in the underground fights Tony runs.

The guard on the other side of the door sizes me up. I'm in jeans and a T-shirt that stretches taut over my chest and arms. He opens the door to let us in, sizing me up again.

"Tony is to the left of the ring," he tells me in Italian. "Tell him Alejandro wants to put a thousand on you."

"You Alejandro?"

"I am."

I smile. "You're a wise man, Alejandro."

He grunts and returns to his sentry post at the door. Marcelo leads the way down the stairwell, and Tino follows.

Going down the stairs feels like we're heading into the bowels of hell. It's dark, the stairs are narrow and treacherous, the heat rises, and the raucous cheers and shouts grow louder as we descend.

At the bottom, the space opens into a cavernous room with a second level that rings the pit and is packed with people leaning over the railing. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the center where two women are beating the shit out of each other in a caged ring.

With my height, I spot Tony to the left of the ring, sitting at a table with two of what he calls his accountants. They’re surrounded by a ring of guards to keep the crowd at bay and protect the cash from greedy hands. A few idiots have tried to steal over the years, and they were pulverized to make it clear: you don't fucking steal from Tony Caprisi.

We push through the crowd, heading straight for Tony. He sees me coming and jumps up with a huge smile on his face. I don't fool myself into thinking Tony is happy to seeme;he only sees the money I bring him whenever I come for the fights.

"Massimo!" He spreads his arms wide as his guards split like the Red Sea to let me in. "I was hoping you'd come to see me." He wraps me up, clapping my back. "I wasn't sure since you didn't come last night."

This is Vincenzo's territory, and he and Tony are close, and I usually come to fight the night before Don's meetings

"Well, I'm here now. You have a contender for me to kick their ass?"

He laughs, sizing me up. "Do I? He's called Beast. Are you sure you're ready?"

I shrug. "Put me in the ring; we'll see."

Fighting is an outlet for me. I rarely let myself get involved in the dirty, wet work of our world, but the beast in me is always ready to emerge. In the ring with Gabe, I don't fully let go, but in rings like this, I do. I'm still in control, though—I don't kill my opponent. Tony's ring isn't tothe death, but the crowds still love watching people beat the shit out of each other.

Tonight, rage courses through me—rage for Mancini's sins and what he's done to Nova. The tricks that Camillo, Achille, and Gastone used today to try to get me to slip up and reveal that I have Nova only fuel it. I’ll bring up the vote again tomorrow, but my gut tells me the outcome won’t change. However, I’ll still destroy Mancini. Fuck the politics of my syndicate that makes me grind my teeth.

I pull my attention back to the task at hand. "Alejandro wants to place a grand on me."

"Smart man." Tony laughs and claps my back again. "You know what to do. You'll be up after the next match, which is your buddy, Renzo."

It was somewhat of a tradition for Renzo and me to come here together, but we didn't tonight because of my need to call Nova.

I push out of Tony's ring of guards and make my way to the platform as the ringmaster announces the winner of the two women. The redhead is the clear winner as the blonde is on the mat and looks like she's just coming to as she's helped to her feet.

I climb the stairs as the announcer calls out Renzo's fight. He's up against the ring's current champion. A chorus of boos rise, but there are also some cheers—Renzo's fights are always a spectacle. The man is a devout martial artist who trains daily, mostly in Krav Maga.

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