Page 19 of Falling for the Knockout

“I don’t care about any of that,” she breathed, “as long as you’re here now. Congratulations,” she whispered, gently kissing his busted lip.

“Thanks, but I’m pissed that I wasn’t here with you. How did Joe even get in here? The cops said that they’d have this place covered and would be watching for him,” Tony said.

“There was a multi-car accident uptown, and they were all called up there to help out. I guess Joe was able to slip right in with no issues,” Luca said.

“Plus, he was wearing a fake mustache and baseball cap. I guess that was enough of a disguise to throw security off,” Rocco said. “The cops are ready for your statement,” he said to Aurora. She nodded and walked down the hallway to where two policeofficers waited for her. She looked back and smiled at Tony, who didn’t seem to want to let her go, but this was something that she had to do by herself.

“I’ll be right back,” she assured. The questioning only took about twenty minutes, and when she was finished, she found Tony and the guys standing in the hallway waiting for her. Tony had showered and changed, but he still looked a bit banged up and bruised. The cut over his eye had been stitched up and she wondered if he felt as bad as he looked.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Aurora asked him.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured, “how did it go with the cops?”

“Oh, it was fine. Joe is being booked for breaking his probation and restraining order. Apparently, he was wanted in Boston for harassing other women and raping one of them. I guess that I got off lucky with him, knowing now what he is capable of.” Tony pulled her against his body and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

“I’m so sorry that you had to deal with him at all,” he breathed.

“It’s not your fault,” she insisted. “Besides, it’s all over now. Joe will be going to jail for a long time, according to the police officers.”

“Good riddance,” Tony mumbled. “Listen, I have to do a few interviews and then, I can leave. How about if I have one of the guys take you back to the hotel and I’ll meet you there when I’m done?”

“Not a chance,” she said, “I’m fine and I’d love to see you answer questions. Then, we can go to the hotel together,” she countered. “I want to be there for you like you’ve been here for me throughall of this mess.”

Tony kissed the top of her head, “Thank you,” he whispered. He took her hand into his and led her to a back tunnel that took them to a room filled with reporters.

She took a deep breath and let it out, and Tony did the same. “You’ve got this,” she promised. He smiled back at her as he walked into the room while reporters screamed questions at him. Tony sat down and confidently answered their questions one at a time, and she knew that his grandfather would be so proud. With any luck, Tony would be able to tell Elio all about the fight tomorrow, but for tonight, she was going to soak up watching her guy shine.

Anthony

They hadn’t been home for twenty-four hours when Nonno’s in-home nurse called. Tony could tell by the nurse’s tone that whatever she was about to tell him wasn’t good. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Tony, but your grandfather passed away last night. He wouldn’t let me call to tell you that he was near the end. He insisted that your fight was too important and if you knew that he might not be able to hold on until after the fight, you would have forfeited the fight and come home.” His grandfather was right; he would have moved heaven and earth to get home to see him one last time. He knew that leaving Nonno to go to the fight was a mistake. Tony had a gut feeling, but Nonno told him that he’d be there when he got home from winning his fight, and Tony believed him.

“Where is he now?” Tony asked the nurse.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” the nurse said.

“I want to see him,” Tony insisted. “Where is his body?”

“Oh, as per Elio’s instructions, he’s at the local funeral parlor, Kirby’s funeral home. Your grandfather left detailed instructions with his last wishes. I can run them over or even meet you at the funeral home with them, but he insisted that I give them to you immediately.” His grandfather was always a stickler for plans. He made lists, planned for the future, and even planned for Tony’s future. His Nonno knew that he’d be a champion fighter someday, Tony just wished that he’d be able to tell him about his win and even show him the middleweight belt that he brought home. He did it not only for himself, but for his grandfather, and now, he’d never be able to share that with him.

“I can meet you at the funeral home in an hour if that works for you,” Tony said. Elio’s nurse agreed and ended the call.

He sat down at the kitchen table, not wanting to go back up to the bedroom. Tony didn’t want to wake Aurora because that would mean that he’d have to tell her about Elio, and that would break her heart. He needed a few minutes to wrap his head around the fact that one of the most important people in his life was gone, and there would be no way to change that. He’d never be able to tell his grandfather about his day or listen to Nonno’s dad jokes. After Tony’s father died, Nonno had become his dad, and for that, he’d always be grateful.

“I thought that I heard you talking to someone,” Aurora said around a yawn. Since getting back to town, it felt like all they had done was sleep. The excitement of winning the fight and finally catching Joe had kept them both running on adrenaline.

“I’m sorry that I woke you,” he breathed.

“Hey,” Aurora said, looking him over, “what’s wrong?” Tony wanted to lie and tell her that nothing was wrong; maybe buy himself some more time, but he also knew that Aurora wouldfigure out that he was lying. She could read him so well, there would be no hiding the fact that Elio was gone.

“It’s Elio,” he whispered.

“Oh, no,” Aurora breathed. “I’ll get dressed so that we can go down to the hospital.”

“That’s not necessary,” Tony said, still not able to get the words out.

“Of course, it is,” Aurora said, “I don’t want you to go down there alone. Plus, I love him too, and want to see him,” she insisted.

“No, it’s not necessary because he’s not at the hospital,” Tony said.

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