I finally went to a little gym in Brooklyn. The owner’s an old friend of the family. They say the only way out of the mafia is in a body bag, but it isn’t true. If you appeal to the don with a good enough reason, he has the power to absolve you of your position.
Jack was one of those men. He lost his wife and daughter in a car accident years ago. With him being the only one left for his infant grandson, Bash, on behalf of his father, allowed him to leave his duties to care for the child.
While the family comes first, we also look at circumstances. The family could have taken care of the child had anything happened to Jack, but it wouldn’t have been in the child’s best interest. That was the thought Bash had when he made the decision. Bash had been born into this life, but he wasn’t going to force it onto another child if he didn’t have to.
His father wasn’t happy, but he left Bash in charge when he went to jail, and Bash made an executive decision, so it was final.
No one looks at me differently here. No one is afraid of me. I can go hard without anyone staring at me in fear.
I’ve been hitting the same punching bag for an hour. That’s how long it took before Mia invaded my mind again.
I look back to her text.
Lo: Angelo can take you. I’m busy.
It’s a dick thing to do, but Bash is right. I need to create some distance. Remind her of what this is. I don’t need her getting any ideas about where this is going.
You mean you don’t need to be getting any ideas.
That inner voice of mine is as much of a dick as I am. I can’t lie and say that I haven’t considered what it would be like to keep her. To pound my cock into her until I spill my seed inside, staking my claim like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did when they planted the first flag on the moon.
The problem is, if I’m first, I’ll also be the last, and that scares the fuck out of me.
Mia: Oh. Okay. Sorry to bother you.
She doesn’t say much, but I can imagine her face as she typed those words, and I know I hurt her.
“Fuck!” I scream as I pound my fists into the bag harder than I had been before.
The woman on the treadmill across the room jumps at my scream, but she averts her gaze and keeps running.
I know what I’m going to do before I even do it. I can’t just leave her hurt. In that moment, I know I’m going to take her. I can’t deny her this small favor. I sigh and grab the bag to stop it swinging.
“Looking good, son. You’ve got a lot of aggression in you.”
I turn and find Jack leaning against the wall drinking a cup of coffee.
“Thanks.” My sarcastic reply makes him smirk.
“Come to my office. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
I nod and follow him. Once in his office, he grabs me a bottle of water from his mini fridge.
“What do you need to talk to me about?” I take a long drag from the bottle.
“I have the opportunity to host a boxing match here next month.”
“You want permission?”
It isn’t uncommon for businesses to ask us for permission before inviting outsiders in. It’s in the best interest of the neighborhood to limit the number of outsiders.
“That and I was hoping to hire a couple of soldiers to provide security for the event. They’re offering me 20K for the event. After overhead, I’ll make maybe eleven. I would be willing to offer half to the family for providing protection and allowing it to go forward.”
I nod, quickly doing the numbers in my head. “I’ll bring it to Bash and let you know.”
He nods. “Thank you. It’s none of my business, but where’s all the aggression coming from?”
I glare at him, and he visibly shrinks back. “You’re right. It’s not your business.”
