Bloody Valentine

6. Broken bones

Bloody Valentine's POV

I go downstairs to find the capos along with their boss and Carmelo sitting in the dinning room, talking business in Italian. Anthony is nowhere to be seen and the ladies are missing too. 

"Piccolo", Andrea notices me first and everybody turns to look at me.

"You are on time", Marco says with an edge to his voice. 

"I am anything but never late", I shrug and my eyes land on Mariano, who's sitting at the head of the table with his eyes trained on my every move. I am even suspicious that they might have cameras in my room which I am going to look for tonight. 

"When do we start the training?", I ask no one in particular but Andrea is more than eager to give me a response. 

"Around 8 but first you gotta meet the men who you will be working with". 

"I prefer working alone". 

"That changes today", Mariano answers before Andrea could.

"Whatever you used to do before, changes now. You will follow orders and you will work with the team that you are assigned, am I clear?", he asks, his eyes daring me to object. I grit my teeth, stopping the curses that I want to throw in his face but this is not the place and nor the time. 

"Fine", I mumble. 

"Speak up, prinicipessa"

"Fine", I almost yell but check myself in time. 

"Good", we both have a staring contest until Lorenzo clear his throat loudly. 

"I wanted to check on the bullet wound, B". 

"No need. I dressed it". 

"Can I just make sure?"

"Fine", I mumble again. I am not used to people trying to take care of me and that is something I don't want either. He makes me sit on the couch while looking at my arm carefully and touching it tenderly.

"Do you want something to eat before you start the training?", he asks while unwrapping the bandage. 

"Just a fruit to keep me hydrated", he unwraps the bandage and examines my wound. 

"You did this on your own?", he asks, surprise evident in his voice. 

"Yeah, why?"

"Its very well done". 

"I have been doing it for years, Lorenzo. I know how it is done with closed eyes", he nods his head and wraps the bandage again. 

"Very well", he hands me an apple and I bite into it, not paying attention to the several eyes on me. 

"Geez, let her breathe", Lorenzo says and everybody but Mariano and Carmelo look away. 

"If you have something to ask, ask away", I try my best to say politely but that s just not in my blood. 

"Watch your tone with us, prinicipessa".

"Stop calling me a princess", I almost yell in his face but I don't. 

"I will call you whatever I want, principessa", the asshole says with a smirk and I all but want to f*****g break his jaw and destroy his gorgeous yet smug face. 

"What was it like?", Carmelo asks, his eyes guarded and his face impassive. 

"What?", I already know what he is asking but I feign innocence. 

"I am sure you are not that dumb, kid", he says and I my fists clench again. 

"I am not going to answer that question". 

"Why not?"

"Its something that we don't talk about". 

"That bad huh? It will be worse here". 

"If it is, I would rather have you kill me", I say this while looking him in the eye and his eyes widen just for a millisecond. 

"Christo", Andrea swears under his breath while Lorenzo continues looking at, trying to figure me out.

"What did they do to you?", Lorenzo says under his breath, not wanting me to hear it, but I do anyway. 

"You don't wanna know that", I reply and those memories play in front of my eyes for a second before I stop myself from going there. 

"Who are we waiting for?", I ask and Andrea comes to sit beside me, putting his hand on the rear of the couch, behind my head.

"The men are already here, we were just waiting for you to finish eating". 

"Now that I am done, lets go", I get and everybody follows my lead. 

"Do not speak unless I tell you to, got it?", Mariano says and I nod my head. 

The men start walking towards the staircase that goes down and I just follow them. Buff man walks beside me, probably keeping an eye on me. Two suited men stand in front a huge door and open it as they see Mariano and the others approaching. 

"f*****g hell", I curse after looking inside the room. It is huge conference room where more than a thousand men and women are waiting for their king's arrival. Once Mariano enters, everyone stands up and the room is as quite as a graveyard. 

"Il mio re (my king)", all the men and women bow to Mariano and he nods once as he sits on a f*****g throne. I swear this is like Game of Thrones. The damn throne is just missing the thorns and s**t. I am partly sure he even has a crown. 

"You all already know why we are here today. So, let me introduce you to, Bloody Valentine. Everybody will treat her like we treat family because that's what she is. From today, she will be respected like everybody else, understood?

"Si signore (yes sir)", everybody says in unison and I have never been more creeped out I my life. Not even when I spill blood or I break the limbs of prey.

"Come in front", Mariano says and I think it was for me or else he would have talked in Italian. 

I step forward and each and every person turns to look at me. Some men look at with wide eyes, probably worried because of my reputation, some men in the classic pervert-ly fashion, look at me from top to bottom while some women already glaring at me, probably because of the looks I was receiving. 

"Her training begins today and once she is done, she will be joining you on the missions. You will be respectful towards her or you will be dealing with me, am I clear?"

"Si (yes)", they again say in unison, which is getting on my nerves now. 

"Marco, you can leave with her and start the training", he says and he nods once before leaving the door, expecting me to follow and I do so without hesitation. 

"Here", he hands me my dagger and this is the first time I look at him without hate in my eyes. 

"I thought Mariano had it?"

"He gave it to me. You will have this till the period of training and then I will be taking it back unless Mariano sees it fit to hand to you permanently". 

"Okay", I caress my dagger, having missed it in my hands. It is still as gorgeous as ever and looks like he polished it as well which I appreciate. 

"What are we doing today?"

"Hand-to-hand combat and we will also play around with your dagger", he says as we enter the double door beyond which a huge gym/arena lies. The gym holds every single machine you could think of using. Numerous dumbbells are placed in one corner, in front of floor length mirror. 

"Lets start with the basic cardio and weightlifting first", he says and removes his shirt. He is a gorgeous human being with a well-defined abs and a sculpted back. His arms are extremely muscle-y and veins protrude out, which gives it a badass look. 

"Done gawking?", he asks with a smirk. 

"I have seen much better, honey", I reply with a shrug and he snorts loudly. I take off my t-shirt too as I wore a sports bra inside. I don't appreciate wearing a t-shirt while working out and I have got nothing to hide. I am in a very good shape as I work out everyday which I didn't get to do yesterday but that's okay. I put my hair in a braid, not wanting them to become a bird's nest. 

"Done checking me out, buff man?", now it was my turn to smirk and he just looks at me with a glint in his eyes. 

"Well, aren't you something to stare at?"

"You are to train her Marco, not flirt with her", Lorenzo and Andrea enter the room, with their gym bags in hand. 

"Whatever, Lor", he says and Lorenzo just rolls his eyes. 

"Come on, brat". 

"You call me that one more time, I will slit your throat without remorse", I hate that word with a passion and I cannot explain how much my blood boils hearing it. 

"Retract your claws kitty, I was joking for once", he says and I lower the dagger but before I could tuck it in my pants, someone takes it from my hands. 

"Hey", I yell at Andrea who examines it with curiosity. 

"I think I will hold onto it until you are done with the warm up", he says and puts it in his bag. 

"Tell me there are no used condoms in it?", I ask him and everyone bursts out laughing. 

"You interested baby?"

"I would rather eat a rat", I smirk at him and the other two laugh again while Andrea smirks at me. 

"We will see", he winks at me and I roll my eyes before turning towards Marco, who's still laughing. 

"Are you done?", I ask him in a bored tone and he tells me to follow him.

"Treadmill?"

"Whatever", I get on it and start it while he takes the one beside me. Andrea climbs on my right while Lorenzo goes towards the boxing ring. 

"He okay?", I ask Andrea. 

"Yeah, he is. Nothing to worry about", I can see that he is taking some frustration out on that poor boxing bag which about to drop. 

"You like him or something?", Marco asks with a raised eyebrow and I roll my eyes. 

"Seriously? Just because a girl asks about a guy, you assume she likes him? That is just stupid and that's not why I asked. He is the only person except his wife, who have talked to me as if I am a person and not a dog". 

"You are forgetting me, piccolo". 

"What does that word even mean?"

"It means small", he winks. 

"You are making fun me, huh?". 

"Well, so did you so consider it a payback". 

"Seriously? How are you even an underboss of one of the most feared Mafia?", I ask him, genuinely wanting to know the answer. 

"You don't want to see why, sweetheart, trust me", he answers, with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

I ignore the boys then and start running on the mill at a very high speed which gives me the adrenaline rush that I want. I just want to get away from the reality for a few minutes and training is something that always seems to help me. After twenty minutes or so, I stop while the boys are busy lifting weights. 

"You done?", Lorenzo asks and I nod. 

"Come on here. Lets see how well your fists talk', he says and hands me gloves which I reject. 

"Just give me the tape", he raises an eyebrow but doesn't question and hands it to me. 

"Need help?"

"Lorenzo, you seem to forget who I really am. I am Bloody Valentine, and I am as deadly as they get. So, refrain from trying to help me with things and I am saying this in the most polite tone I can muster. No offense". 

"None taken. And, I am not forgetting who you are I am just trying to be welcoming". 

"I know and I am sorry if you feel bad, but please don't try to help me". 

"What did they do to you, B?"

"That is for me to know and you to never find out unless I change mind which won't happen". 

"Very well, then. Hit it", he holds the boxing bag and I start hitting with as much force as I can muster. All the anger that I have been suppressing, comes out like a f*****g volcano, making me hit it harder. Lorenzo takes a step back from the bag and it is good that he did or might have, accidently, hit him. 

I continue my attack, imagining the person I really want to hit. I kick it several times and punch harder than ever. The adrenaline is coursing through my veins like crazy and there's nothing more I want than it to be a real person. 

"That's enough, B", I hear someone telling me to stop but I physically can't stop. I just can't. I continue punching it and just before it could drop, someone takes a hold of waist and pulls me back from the bag. I thrash and try to hit that person but he dodges my every attempt. 

"f*****g STOP IT, RIGHT NOW", he yells and I get out of his arms, turning to face him. Mariano stands there, his eyes glazing with anger while some of his men and women are looking at me with wide eyes, standing in a circle. 

"WHAT THE f**k IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"WHAT? I AM TRAINING". 

"THIS IS NOT HOW YOU f*****g DO IT". 

"NOW YOU ARE GOING TO TELL ME HOW TO f*****g TRAIN, YOU ASSHOLE?!"

"THAT'S IT. EVRYBODY, OUT. NOW", everyone leaves the second he roars while I stand there, looking at him, furious at his behavior. 

"Go to hell, Mariano", I attempt to leave but he holds my upper arm and turns me towards him. We stand chest-to-chest, both of our breathing labored because of the anger. He looks at me with so much anger, I think it would combust. 

"You do not talk to me like that in front of my men, or I will kill you". 

"Then do it. Kill me", I pull the gun from his waistband and push it in his open palm. 

"You don't have the f*****g guts to go through with it, Mariano", I snarl in his face. 

"I can't kill you but that doesn't mean I can't hurt. You and me in the ring, right f*****g now or are you a coward?"

"Let's go, asshole", I unwrap the tape and throw it in the bin, my knuckles completely covered with blood. 

"I won't go easy on you". 

"I wouldn't want you to because I sure as hell won't", I tell him and we both get in the position, circling each other like tigers about to kill each other and feed on the other's meat. 

He charger towards me and I dodge him, making him grasp air. He turns to look at me but I am halfway in his direction, ready to pounce on him. I kick him in the back, making him loose his balance for a second but he recovers and punches me in the stomach, hard. My breath gets knocked out and I feel blood in my mouth. I spit it out and glare at him while he smirks. 

We circle each other again and, trying to judge the next move. I let out a snarl and run towards him, trying to punch him in the shoulder, but he dodges at the last second, pushing me on the bands of the ring. I bounce back but before I could find my footing, he grabs my waist and pins me down, with him on top, looking at me with a smirk. I try to get out of his hold, but it is too tight for me to eve move. 

"I win, principessa", he whispers and I smirk back at him. 

"Not so fast, hun", I buck my hips hard which leads him to loosen his grip on me. I take that opportunity to push him aside and get up. I look at him with a smug look which he returns with a smirk. 

"Not as bad as I thought". 

"You haven't even seen the half of it", before we could pounce on each other again, Carmelo's voice breaks the trance that we were in. 

"That's enough both of you", he yells and we whip our heads towards him. He stands there along with the capos and all the three ladies. Alessandra gives me a huge smile while Mia looks proud and I couldn't understand Amara's expression. The capos look extremely smug except Marco and Fabiano. Marco looks a little proud though he tries to mask it while Fabiano continues glaring at me. 

"Break it off. Stop behaving like f*****g children", he yells again and we both glare at each other before getting out of the ring. I wince as I try to breathe and realize that the bastard broke my f*****g ribs and my fingers, too, look broken. 

"Come on, let's get you fixed', Lorenzo and Mia along with Alessandra come towards me. Lorenzo looks extremely concerned and checks my fingers with a grim look on his face. 

"You are going to need a cast". 

"No f*****g me. Just tape them together. I can't afford to sit out just because of a few fingers", I tell him and he glares at me for a second before heaving a sigh. 

"What else hurts?"

"That bastard broke my f*****g ribs", I say and try to breathe again which seems a bit more difficult than a minute ago. 

"Can you walk?", Mia asks as she comes to my side and tries to hold me but I gently shake her off. I don't want to offend her but I really don't need her help to walk. 

"I can walk just fine. Lets go", I signal them to walk and Lorenzo pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated with me. 

"You are so good. I loved the fight. It was like watching two lions having at each other", Alessandra says as she walks with me, the other two in front, talking in hushed voices. 

"How much did you all see?"

"The entire thing. Even father looked a little impressed with you and that is saying a lot'. 

"Okay", I whiz out and her eyes go towards my ribs. 

"Are you sure you don't want help?"

"No, I am fine", Lorenzo tell the ladies to wait out here while he fixes me. 

After an hour or so, he finally lets me go to my room but accompanies me and helps me get in bed after I changed my clothes. 

"These are the meds that you will take after eating something. I will send something up and you will eat it without so much as a protest or I swear, I will force it through your mouth, got it?"

"Whatever", he seems somewhat satisfied and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him. 

As I was about to doze off, Mariano enters the room without a shirt, may i add. He looks absolutely hot and I can't help my wandering eyes to go south where the sweatpants hand low and give me a glimpse of his V-line. 

"I would say you were checking me out but you would never admit it", he says with a smirk. 

"You know me well", I wince and he helps me sit up, placing a pillow behind my head. 

"Are you going soft on me, king?', I ask him in a teasing voice and he glares at me. 

"One time I try to do something good and you ruin it". 

"I am not sorry, Wouldn't want you to go easy on me now, would we?", he grumbles once before taking a seat at the base of the bed. 

"I am not sorry for hurting you today. This is just a glimpse of how hard the training is going to be". 

"If you think this is hard, then I cannot help but laugh on you", he shakes his head, his green eyes piercing through me. 

"I will figure you out, eventually". 

"Good luck with that. No one has ever succeeded. So your chances are extremely slim'. 

"We will see about that", with that he leaves the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts which are all concentrated on the green eyed man.