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Phoenix peeled off his shirt and tossed it. The man was so ripped that all I saw was a blur of tattoos and muscle. “First lesson and this is special just for you, Santino. I think every female should learn how to fight. Had you just stopped there and not been disrespectful, I would have let this slide, but now I’m going to teach you a lesson, and lucky for you, we have an audience. Maybe our new ward will learn a few things while I kick your ass, hmmm?”
So not death but torture. Great. Just great.
Within minutes one of the foot soldiers appeared with bottles of whiskey and vodka, snacks, and the bosses had all pulled out chairs.
Perfect, my very own UFC match with the scary one.
“Katya,” Andrei barked. “Leave the ring and have a seat. Let’s see what your new tutor can do.”
She hesitated briefly.
I shook my head. “Go. Old man isn’t safe when he unleashes the Kraken.”
“You little shit!” Phoenix roared, much to the amusement of everyone watching.
I grinned and shrugged. “Oh, I’m sorry. Does that hurt your feelings? You know they have a senior discount down at the Sizzler, should make you feel so much better. I think it’s buy one steak, get one free?”
He lunged.
I dove.
And so began an hour-long fight for my life with the scary son of a bitch.
Hit after hit came until I was seeing stars. I tried to get him to the ground several times, knowing it was his weakness, but he wouldn’t budge; he kept me fighting with my arms, legs, and fists.
I got a few good knees into his sides.
Both of us had blood running down our faces, and nobody was winning.
Katya eventually covered her face with her hands while Andrei cheered on Phoenix like he was waiting for the guy to murder me. Glad I could provide some entertainment.
Phoenix’s knee came up and tried to connect with my liver. I blocked it with my hands and shoved him away, then did a spinning back kick only to get caught and thrown onto my back. I flipped over and jumped to my feet, holding my hands out in front of me. Blood and sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes and invading my mouth.
He snickered. “Had enough?”
“Coupons? No, I’m good, thanks, but I think it’s really environmentally friendly when old people cut them out and put them in those cute little plastic bags just in case it rains.”
“And now I kill you,” Phoenix said calmly. “And I keep them in a gun case, for your information.”
“Clever.”
“I thought so.” He circled me and tried to kick me back. I caught his ankle and twisted away.
“End it,” came Tex’s nearly bored reply. “We have dinner soon.”
Phoenix grinned. “My pleasure.”
Had he been messing with me?
No way! I was an assassin, one of the best my Family had; there was seriously no way this boss could destroy me. I was the one who protected the bosses.
I held my hands up, ready to fight more, when Phoenix jumped into the air and kicked me in the stomach with both feet, landing on his back. I flew against the ring, then fell forward with a thud, finally on the ground. He straddled me, grabbed me by the neck, and held a small knife to my throat. “Now, what was that about a full mount?”
The sharp edge of the blade was diving into my skin.
“Enough,” Tex said. “Let’s go eat, and Santino, your skills are far better than I imagined. She’s in good hands, just don’t make her bleed while you train her. Unless her goal is to get made, that’s as far as it goes, training-wise.”
“And if I want to?” Katya piped up. “Get made?”
