Page 1 of Fight Me Daddy

Calix

"Yo, Calix. You deaf or something?"Niccolo grinned, but there was a flicker of danger behind his eyes. "Where's Daddy?"

"We should talk in the office," I said as people started coming into the gym. "Tallia and Sam, just go about things as usual."

"You got it," Tallia said, glaring at Gabriele and Niccolo. "If you need anything, holler."

Niccolo chuckled. "Calm down, princess. I'm not going to bite your boyfriend."

I saw the way Tallia's fist tightened and shook my head. Sure, we might be able to get in a few good hits on the Bianchi men, but at the end of the day, they were mobsters. A few punches now would result in a couple of bullet holes in our bodies later. My father always said to be civil and calm with them.

And I had already broken that rule.

Gabriele Bianchi had run into me when I first met my friend Six’s crazy asshole boyfriend. Only Six would be dragged into mafia nonsense, but then again, he was impulsive as hell. I shook my head. Ever since that day, Gabriele’s been hanging around, staring at me, making me feel like I'm constantly under a magnifying glass and about to get burned like an ant on the sidewalk.

I walked into the back office and closed the door after them, my heart pounding in my chest. There was no way out of my situation. I knew that once I was alone, one of them could kill me if they didn’t get the answers they wanted.

I don't want to die.

Niccolo leaned against the wall while Gabriele stood in front of the door, his hazel eyes staring me down. If I made one wrong move, I’d end up as a bloodstain on the office floor. I pulled out the chair to the desk and sat down before I looked up between the two of them.

“So?” Niccolo asked. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Gone,” I said. “He left me a letter and took off.” I bent down and picked up the balled-up note before I held it out to him. “I only found out this morning.”

Gabriele took it from my hand and read over it. He tossed it aside when he was done as if it was trash before he stepped closer to me.

“Do you really want us to believe you don’t know where your father is? Try again.”

I stared up at him. “I don’t know. When I came in this morning I found that note and a little bit of cash in the safe. He ran off with the rest of it.”

Niccolo chuckled. “Gabriele, I think he’s trying to fuck us over. How much do you want to bet he’s hiding his dear old dad somewhere?”

“Hundred bucks?” Gabriele asked, glancing at the other man.

Niccolo hummed. “See, I don’t know if he’d be that stupid. He hasn’t pissed his pants yet so maybe he really doesn’t know anything.”

“That’s what you’re going by to see if he’s telling the truth or not? If he’s pissed himself?”

Nic shrugged. “I’m telling you it always happens.” He grinned before his eyes flickered over to me. “Spit it out, Gonzalez. The faster you give him up, the sooner we can go break his ankles instead of yours.”

I swallowed thickly and forced down my temper. No matter what my father had done, even if I knew where he was, I would never tell these bastards. I wouldn’t be the reason he got hurt. Or killed. I couldn’t handle having that on my conscience.

“I don’t know,” I said evenly. “Like I said I came in this morning and that letter was on the desk. He left early in the morning, but I figured he was coming down to practice; he does that sometimes when he’s stressed out, just to relive his fighting days. But he wasn’t here. Just the note.”

“You’ve said that,” Gabriele said, closing the space between us. He shoved my chair back against the wall and moved between my knees. When he leaned down I felt the warmth of his breath and suppressed a shudder. “Now, try the fucking truth.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “That is the fucking truth,” I spat. “It’s not my fault you don’t believe me. What? You think I want to be left here with no money and stuck in the middle of you and him? I don’t. I want to go on living my life, make my money, and mind my business.”

“The money needs to be paid back,” Niccolo said from where he leaned up against the wall, the smile now gone from his face. “Or we can take the gym. Pick.”

The gym. Gonzalez and sons had been in my family for three generations. My grandfather died making it what it was and when my uncle passed shortly after, it was all I and my father had. It was still small, but it was a living and I wanted to bring it back the way it had been in its heyday.

If I gave it to the Bianchi’s, they’d just tear it down or use it for illegal bullshit. Besides, Sam, Tal, and even Six rely on this place. I can’t give it up.

My fists tightened. All I could see was myself repeating the mistakes my father had made, keeping something that had dragged him to the depths of hell. But I couldn’t give up on this place, not when I had people relying on me.

“I want to keep it,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth as a shiver worked its way up my spine. “How much is the debt?”

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