Page 15 of Fight Me Daddy

Calix

Every milewe drove in silence made my stomach tighten more. I had never been so nervous in my life. Not when I started school as a kid, not when I got my first job, not even before my first fight. He's going to kill me. Gabriele hadn't said a word since we'd gotten back to the car. Not even the radio was playing, just eerie, charged silence.

I bounced my knee up and down, my mind racing a mile a minute. What if he was taking me somewhere to kill me? What if when we stopped he pulled a gun out and shoved it to my head? I had fucked up. And Gabriele's threatening words weren't lost on me. I tried not to think about my brains being splattered over the ground and my body ditched somewhere dark.

The car stopped and I glanced up to see my house. I let out a heavy breath and grabbed the car handle and opened the door before a hand clapped around my arm.

"Next time I tell you to do something, you do it. You don't get to make decisions. Ever."

I turned to look at Gabriele. "He didn't have anything more to give you," I said evenly, trying not to show I felt about as scared as that man had looked. "What was the point of hurting him?"

"You don't need to worry about thinking. Until your money is paid back you belong to me," he growled, sending a shiver up my spine. "To the Bianchi's. You belong to the Bianchi's," he said, his brow furrowing before he shook his head and looked at me pointedly. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Try again."

I gritted my teeth. "Yes, sir."

When I tried to pull away, he yanked me back again. This time, he leaned over his seat and grabbed the front of my shirt before he jerked me close. Being so close, I could smell his cologne and something underneath, a natural musk that was all Gabriele.

"You need to wake the fuck up," he snapped. "Just because that man gave you some sob story you believe him, but these people aren't innocent. There is no good or bad. No black and white. Everything in this world and I mean fucking everything is shades of fucked up gray. If you'd like to lose your gym or your life, keep putting their bullshit before your new job."

I opened my mouth and snapped it shut. "Yes, sir."

"You have something to say?" he asked, tilting his head. "Say it."

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "I'm ready to go to bed."

Gabriele searched my face before he released me. "I'll be in contact shortly. Don't worry, I already have your number."

I stared at Gabriele for a moment longer and bit my tongue. Saying anything to him was pointless. Gabriele thought he knew how the world worked when really he was just a bastard.

I climbed out of his car and slammed the door so hard I was surprised the damn window didn't shatter. He'd gotten to me, talking to me like I was some kind of idiotic child. I didn't need to be told how people were, I saw it every day of my life. Especially when I was around him.

As soon as I stepped inside, I locked my door and thumped my head against the wood. What was I doing? I was being forced to betray everything I believed in. All so I could pay off this debt and be stuck with a man who didn't have a damn heart. How could he look at people and be so...cold?

I slammed my head back against the door again before I turned and punched it. Every bit of frustration, disappointment, fear, and anger poured out of me as I rammed my fist into the door again. Pain shot up my arm, bright pinpricks of hurt splintering over my hand as I pulled it up and flexed it.

Blood decorated my knuckles, and I swore under my breath. How much more am I supposed to take? I watched the dark droplets roll over my skin and drip to the hardwood floor. There was no one here with me, no one to talk to and confide in. No one could help me with this situation. And the one person who could had left me to deal with it alone.

***

I dragged myself into the gym the next morning even though it was the last place I felt like being. It used to be the place I went to express myself and let go. Now? It was like a prison. I felt the four walls closing in on me, the weight of the Gonzalez legacy crushing me day by day. If I failed, we all failed and my family would have scrimped, saved, and sacrificed all for it to end because of me.

"There he is," Tallia called as she climbed out of the ring and hopped down. "Where you been?"

"I'm late again, huh?" I asked, not even bothering to check my phone. Ever since my night out with Gabriele, I had been out of it. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "You're dealing with a lot. It's okay." She glanced around and waved a hand at me. "Let's talk in your office. I want to tell you something."

I nodded and followed her back. She turned the lock as I sat my bag down on the desk and waited. Tallia shifted from one foot to the other while she looked anywhere but at me.

"Tal, what's up?" I asked.

She finally glanced up. "I found a way to make a little money for the gym. Well if I do good, it's a lot of money."

I raised a brow. "I'm pretty sure your girlfriend will kill you if you start stripping."

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