Page 44 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?

I take a deep breath, digging my fingers into the armrests. Leo is good, I know this firsthand. But he’s at a disadvantage fighting two men head on. There is no element of surprise he could use, no way to catch them off guard. I clench my teeth.It’s fine, he’s got this. He has to; otherwise, he’s as good as dead.

The referee waves the flag and steps away as the match begins. Leo takes on a defensive stance, fists in front of his chest. The two guys look at each other and laugh, then charge at him at the same time.

Placing his feet a little wider, he angles the left, blocking the first punch with his forearm while dodging the second by twisting his body. He connects to an uppercut, but his current opponent, Ito, just about manages to block, using his other hand to jab at Leo’s side.

Leo grunts, ducking as the first man tries for his neck. My heart skips a beat, fear and adrenaline flooding my bloodstream. Half the crowd cheers while the other one boos, but it all blends together into a muffled, muted sound that my brain barely registers.

My focus is on the ring. On Leo, who bends to the left as a jab is about to crash into the side of his face. Dropping low, he spins in place and sends a roundhouse kick to the first guy’s flank. It lands, making him sway, but as Leois about to capitalize on it, Ito grabs him by the arm and yanks him away.

Leo falls to the mats. Ito is on him, dropping to the ground with a nasty elbow hit to Leo’s face. My stomach turns as it connects, though luckily Leo whips his head partially out of the way so that only one side eats the jab. His opponent groans in annoyance, winding up another punch. Leo’s legs shoot up and around Ito’s torso, squeezing hard. Just as the second guy joins them, Leo twists his entire body, toppling over Ito and using his shoulder to take the brunt of the hit Guy Two aims at his head.

Fear washes over me as I register the blood dripping from Leo’s mouth. But I have no time to worry about it as a punch gets him in the face again. It’s the same side and the same area, which tells me it’s intentional. Leo cries out in pain, shaking his head while still clutching onto Ito. Using his forearms to block a series of quick jabs, he lets go and jumps to his feet, tripping the asshole who busted his already busted lip.

The guy goes down, yelping in surprise. Leo wastes no time attacking his windpipe. He’s out in seconds, but Ito grabs Leo by the hair and pulls him away, tagging his chin with a wide hook.

My body shudders just imagining the nasty hit connecting. They are on the ground again, rolling and grunting and trying to get the upper hand on one another. Eventually, Ito pins Leo down, using both hands to strangle him.C’mon, Leo, you got this.Thrashing, Leo tries to shake him off, but fails. His face is turning red, and he looks just about to pass out.

Fear paralyzes me, my blood going still. Leo’s eyes find me in the next moment, wild and crazy as they roll back in his head. He goes completely still, either passingout or dead. His opponent raises his arms, waving and cheering. I think I’m gonna puke. I can’t breathe.

Amidst the chaos, Leo grins. His eyes blaze when they snap open, locked on me for a second, before they cut to the guy still sitting on top of him. In one fluid motion, Leo arches off the ground, grabbing Ito’s torso and toppling him over. His head hits the mats with a thud. Blood dripping from his mouth, Leo follows up with a jab to Ito’s neck, landing point blank at its target.

The room goes completely silent. The referee rushes over, checking the two downed fighters while Leo scrambles up, heaving. He spits blood, swaying as he tries to keep his balance.

I hold my breath, my eyes bouncing from him to the referee and back to him.

“Ken and Ito are out. The gaijin wins!” the referee announces with a confused frown.

The cheers of the crowd are loud and apprehensive, stopping abruptly as my father stands up. He lets out an unimpressed scoff. I scowl at him, vibrating with the need to rush over to Leo.

“I suppose my son has a good eye, if nothing else,” he grumbles in dissatisfaction, causing another wave of cheering. “Clear the blood and go back to training. Aran.” He wrinkles his nose, shifting his attention from me to his friend and right hand. “Make sure Leon Caruso is patched up and ready for tomorrow. He will accompany my son to Tokyo… Does he know how to shoot?”

“No. But I’ll arrange for a crash course in the morning. He’ll be trained properly once he’s back.”

My father nods, fixating his authoritative gaze on me. “Your bodyguard better not disappoint me, Chai, or he won’t last long.”

I straighten my posture, dipping my head. “Yes.”

It’s a threat as much as a confirmation of acceptance. Part of me wants to snap at my father for throwing that second guy at Leo, but I also want to get to the blond brat as fast as possible so I can make sure he’s okay.

Swallowing down my annoyance, I say, “Aran can handle the trip. I’ll take Leo to Doc.”

My father narrows his eyes as if searching my face for something. Clenching fists, I maintain as neutral an expression as I can muster, considering I’m buzzing to get to Leo. “Do as you wish. I’m expecting a report tomorrow evening. We’ll discuss the changes to your trip to Bangkok when you return from Tokyo.”

I wait until my father has gotten off the bench before I rush over to Leo. He’s undone one of his hand wraps, holding the cloth to his mouth.

“Your old man’s evil. I almost died,” he says, wincing as he tries to smile and show off his charm.

“That’s him being nice. Trust me, you don’t want to see how he is when he’s decided he’s due a power trip,” I counter, grabbing his hand.

Leo chuckles, wincing again. “So, what now? I’m officially part of the gang, then?”

I wonder if I should apologize as I drag him to the elevator and give him a sideways look. He’s battered up, but his eyes are bright and amused. Proud too, the twinkling spark in them causing pleasant zaps of electricity across my nerve-endings.

“You are officially my bodyguard, yes. And…” I bite on my lip, pressing the floor number where the guest suites are. “Sorry about the fight. I should’ve warned you something like that might happen.”

Leo hums, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes until we reach our floor. I should take him to the doctor’s office in the building’s north wing, but he doesn’t look like he needs one immediately. If it’s just the mouth, I think I can take care of it myself. In fact, I want to.Just the idea of it has contentment and want bubbling inside my chest, and I revel in that feeling as I grab the med kit from the reception area and lead him to an empty suite.

It’s a standard room with an en-suite, comprising a king-size bed and wardrobe, a dining corner, a balcony, a lounge with two sofas and a mounted TV. He protests when I tell him to sit on the bed so I can check his injuries but gives in when I threaten to take him to a hospital if he’s being a brat.

---