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My mother moved between them, and her gaze locked with mine. “What else did you need to ask your father, Demi?”
“Did you file that restraining order against Ronny Waterstone? Or did you lie about that, too?”
He let his eyes fall closed, and he didn’t respond.
That told me all I needed to know.
I filled my mom and Gramps in on what had happened, and my mother cried harder as Gramps wrapped his arms around me and apologized over and over to me.
My father admitted that he’d handled it by directly speaking to Ronny. He’d called him and told him to stay away from me and threatened to go to his father and tell him what happened if he came near me.
There was no restraining order filed.
Business had taken priority over my safety.
All of it hurt, but I was glad there were no more secrets.
When I left the house, my father was upstairs, packing his bags. He’d be staying at our condo in the city while my mother worked through all of this.
I felt a weird mix of guilt and relief.
Logically, I knew this wasn’t my fault.
But it didn’t stop the heaviness settling in my chest.
The feeling that life as I knew it was never going to be the same.
seventeen
. . .
Romeo
The last threehours had been excruciating. Butch was known for bringing the heat, and he and Joey had definitely been putting me through it. I hadn’t heard from Demi yet, which made it tough to focus on this workout, but every time, Butch slapped me harder in the stomach when I sat forward on the endless sit-ups, it forced me to get my head in the game. We’d roped off a corner of the gym where I could work out, because more and more people were working out here now, which was good for business, but not great for workouts, as they were gaping over at me while I trained. A group of women had started coming in to hang out and watch boxers train, me in particular.
“Faster, Romeo!” Butch shouted, and the sweat pouring down my face made it tough to see. My chin grazed my thighs each time I came up, and he’d slap me right across my middle.
And I pushed harder.
“Last ten,” Joey called out. “Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. Done.” I fell back on a gasp and let out a few sharp breaths.
“Good Christ, did you have to hit me so hard?” I hissed at Butch, and he chuckled.
He had a few titles under his belt, and having him on my team was a huge asset. But it didn’t mean I had to enjoy the beating.
“Trust me. That asshole Leo is going to hit a hell of a lot harder than that.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” I took his hand when he offered it, and he pulled me to my feet.
“Can I get a picture, Romeo?” a woman called out, and I glanced over to see her standing next to Pinky’s girlfriend, batting her lashes at me.
“For fuck’s sake. If you aren’t boxing, you have no business being here. This isn’t a goddamn show. You want a show? Buy your ticket to the fight in Vegas, sweetheart,” Joey grumped, as Pinky hustled over and ushered her away.
I guzzled my water, and Butch studied me. “You’re looking good, kid. Couple more weeks of this, and you’ll be ready. But we may need to find somewhere else to train in the afternoons. Having all these people filming you and sharing it on social media is just going to let Leo know how hard you’re working.”
I nodded. “All right. I can try to find a place.”
I wiped my face off with a towel just as Demi walked into the gym. Her eyes were puffy, and when her gaze met mine, I could tell her smile was forced. She held up a bag, asking if it was an okay time to give it to me.
