On The Ropes Read Online Free

crew I’d arrived with was rapidly dispersing, each of them being sent away with sharp bursts of Italian too low for me to make out. I glanced toward the back of the room and tried to resist rolling my shoulders like I did when the ropes of the cage seemed like they were closing in around me. Fighting was my survival mechanism, and it wouldn’t take much of a threat to force me into the mode that had now become second nature.
    I might not make it out of this room in one piece, but I’d take a couple of these fuckers with me.
    “So what’s the plan for tonight?” I crossed my arms and let some of my pseudo friendliness drop. They knew damn well that I understood I’d be asked to prove my loyalty in whatever way they deemed suitable, and I’d been prepared to do just that to get to the next level. Avenging Emilia’s death was worth anything I might face.
    Unless they’d found the one button to push I would never tolerate.
    Hearing myself, I wanted to slam my fist into my own skull. Of course they had. They were experts at exploiting what they saw as a weakness, and I wore mine on my sleeve. Emilia’s death was no secret. All along I’d tried to convince them the reason I’d turned to my father’s rival was due to my certainty that my father had ordered a hit on the woman I loved.
    So to prove my loyalty to them, naturally they would select another woman, most likely one I cared about. That was a damn short list. Or else they’d do something particularly awful to one I didn’t—or worse, force me to.
    Maybe they’d do a combination of the three.
    “The plan will be revealed in due time.” Z smiled and clapped my back as the door slammed shut, enclosing us in the dimly lit room. The sconces high on the walls might as well have been flashlights in a forest. “Well, imagine that. Looks like that time is now.”
    “Giovanni, my brother,” Marco said in a booming voice, coming up beside us and clapping my other shoulder. With all this goodwill floating around, why was I concerned?
    Oh yeah, because it was fucking fake bullshit.
    “Salzano,” I said in a clipped voice, my patience waning. Marco was one of the men I liked least, and that was a competition to the bottom.
    “You looked incredible out there tonight. Really impressive. Lorenzo sends his congratulations.”
    “Sends it? Where is he?” I tried to scan past Marco’s beefy shoulder but unless I craned my neck, his bulk made that almost impossible. Though we were evenly matched when it came to height and close to the same weight, he was as broad as a barn. “I thought he’d be here tonight.”
    “He was unavoidably detained elsewhere. But don’t worry. You’re in good hands with us.” His deep laughter grated on every last nerve.
    “I didn’t see you at the fight.” My gaze pingponged between Marco and Z. “Either of you.”
    “We sent an emissary. Unfortunately, we were needed here. Bas, come here and meet Gio.” He gestured behind him toward the circular booth in back. I couldn’t tell for sure how many people were seated there, because the seatback was high enough to impede my view. My best guess was only a couple, which made the count in the room much more manageable. “Tell him what you thought of the fight,” he added as the taller man joined us.
    “Amazing,” Bas said, tipping his head in appreciation. “It’s an honor to meet you, Costas.”
    “Likewise.” I shook his outstretched hand because not to would be a death sentence. I might end up writing my warrant for that tonight, but I wasn’t quite ready to whip out the pen. “Bas, it is? Short for Sebastian?”
    “Short for Bastard.” He grinned and showed off his perfect dentistry. “I’ve tried to shake the name, but it sticks around.”
    “That’s because you’re very good at your job. You do whatever is necessary for the Andrettis, don’t you?” Marco asked, shooting me a glance that was about as subtle as an arm bar.
    Bas cracked his knuckles. “The