Page 23

23

ELLIE

My face meeting the black mats on the floor makes a sickening slapping noise that echoes around the gym.

I groan and push myself up, but Kara’s foot plants in the middle of my back, pressing me down and keeping me pinned.

She laughs. “You’re weak and you’re never going to be able to protect yourself if you keep this up.”

With one swift movement, I reach behind me and grab her ankle, yanking on it and sending her off-balance.

Kara’s stumble is enough for me to get out from beneath her foot and scramble on top of her, knees pressing close to either side of her arms.

“That was better.” She smirks from below me, trying to loosen her arms from where I have them pinned. “But you’re still weaker than you used to be, and if you don’t work harder, you’re going to be a sitting duck for whatever Noah is going to do to you.”

“Well, that’s a comforting thought,” I say, sarcasm dripping from my tone as I stand and offer a hand to help her up.

Kara sighs. “I don’t know what else to tell you. You were the one who wanted to train.”

I tug on the hem of the too-tight sports bra, wincing at the feeling of the sweaty fabric brushing against my skin. “Yeah, I did.”

“And you were the one who spent years of your life training in martial arts before deciding that you needed to take a year or two off the training because it was getting to be too much. So I don’t know what you expect now.”

Linking my hands together behind my head, I pace back and forth across the mats, avoiding my reflection in the wall of mirrors.

Though I know I’m not as in shape as I used to be, I should still be able to beat her in a fight. I’ve always been good at fighting and taking down my opponent, even if they were bigger than me.

Right now, it feels like I’m nothing more than an ant trying to fight a wasp.

I take a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart. “We’re going to go again.”

Kara shifts her position, becoming lighter on her feet, raising her hands in front of her face. “You should have kept up with the training over the years.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t need to go through the entire I told you so list right now.” I lunge forward, ducking inside her reach and slamming my fist into the side of her ribs before sweeping my foot behind her right knee.

She falls backward, hitting the mats with a heavy thud.

As she lifts the hem of her distressed band shirt, wiping the sweat from her face, she smiles. “So, you do still have it in you.”

“I thought I was going to be getting out of this life.” I hop backward as she surges to her feet and swings for me. “I was supposed to be moving across the country and living a new life by now.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “You never would’ve left me behind.”

She advances on me, swinging harder, her fist connecting with my ribs. I groan and stumble to the side, hurrying to get my footing before she’s on top of me again.

Her body collides with mine, her fists hitting my ribs and stomach until I’m crouched over.

When her body moves to the right, ready to punch me again, I slam my shoulder into her stomach and take her to the ground.

Her nails rake down my bare arms as she grapples, trying to haul me off her and toss me to the side.

I groan when she gets her feet under me, heels pressing into my stomach before she sends me sailing through the air and just off the edge of the mats.

My head cracks on the ground, stars dancing across my vision for a moment. “That fucking hurt.”

Kara jogs over and puts out a hand, helping me to my feet. “Didn’t look like it felt good, but it looks like all your muscles are starting to wake up. That’s good. You’ll be ready for whatever happens.”

I pace back and forth in front of the mirror, taking deep breaths, trying to get air back into my lungs after Kara just spent the last several minutes knocking it out of them.

“You know, things could be so different right now.” I pause, glancing at myself in the mirror and trying to figure out who the stranger is in front of me.

Normally, I’m not the girl willing to hold a gun to a man’s head, but I did that two weeks ago.

For Sean. I did that for Sean.

Which is yet another thing I never thought I was capable of.

I could see my brothers and sisters doing it. They’ve always been better suited to the brutal life of the mafia. They like the control over their own lives and the lives of those around them.

And here I am, wishing I could have had another life, but this is the one I got saddled with.

But now, it’s doesn’t feel that foreign to me anymore.

Kara sighs and grabs her bottle of water from the side of the room, taking a long drink before putting the cap back on. “I know this isn’t what you wanted for yourself, but this is what it is. You wouldn’t have been able to move to the other side of the country without Aiden dragging you back and you know it.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “I would have missed my sisters too much to be that far from them.”

“Good, then let’s get you ready for everything you have to deal with now and we can worry about everything else later.”

The door to the gym opens and Sean strides in. “Mind if I take over?”

Though it’s phrased like a question, Kara knows it isn’t. She dips her head and nods, heading for the door.

I scowl as I turn to him. “Why did you kick her out? We’re supposed to be training.”

He whips his shirt over his head, tossing it off the mats. “Figured I could use some training time with you. Noah is closer to my size than Kara’s.”

“What do you think about me going back to work?” I ask, the mention of Noah bringing the night at the marina to mind.

That night—though horrific—was the first time I felt like myself in a long time. It was thrilling to be able to be back in the action, helping and making people feel better instead of threatening them with guns to tell me where the hell my husband is.

Sean presses his lips together, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he brings his hands up in front of my face. “I think it’s a bad idea right now and it’s not going to be happening.”

I stay light on my feet, shifting as his fist shoots out. I get my arm up to block him, his wrist colliding with my forearm before I shove it away.

As he’s pulling back, I lunge into his bubble, driving my shoulder into his stomach and sending him back a couple steps before hooking him around the back of the knees.

He groans as he slams into the ground. “Alright, so you can fight when you’re pissed off.”

“Because you’re being entirely unreasonable and thinking that your word is law when I have an opinion in how our lives are going to work together.” I launch myself on top of him before he can get up. “You’re not going to control everything.”

He chuckles, flinging his arms to the side and breaking the grip my straddle has on him. “My word is law.”

“Fuck that.” I yelp as he shoves me to the side before straddling me, grabbing me by the wrists and pinning them above my head.

A rush of heat floods through my body at the feeling of his body pressed against mine, his cock hardening where it grinds into my pelvis.

If he’s trying to get me too horny to argue with him, he’s got a big surprise in store.

I drive my knee up between his legs and he gasps, rolling to the side. He struggles to get to his feet, glaring as I spring to mine.

“What the hell was that for?” He lunges at me, grabbing me around the waist and tossing me onto his shoulder.

He carries me over to the pool at the opposite end of the gym, opening the little gate that surrounds it as I pound on his back. He tosses me in.

I fight to get to the surface as the cool water rushes around me.

When I come up gasping for air, he’s standing at the side of the pool looking smug.

“You’re being ridiculous.” I grab the edge of the pool and haul myself out, only to be tossed back in.

I’m fuming when I come back up, and there’s a little voice in the back of my mind urging me to drown him just to be done with this controlling shit.

“Next week, I’m going to be going back to work whether you like it or not.”

“You don’t think I already thought about you going back?” he asks as he crouches down at the side of the pool, his hands clasped together. “I considered knocking down the security surrounding you at work, but then I remembered the brand on your back that’s barely healed.”

My stomach drops to my feet. “Sean, this is important to me.”

“And having you trained and ready for whatever comes your way is important to me.” He holds out a hand and helps me out of the pool. “Which is why next week I’m going to hunt you through the property.”

“Like I’m an animal?” I scoff and wring out my hair straight onto his feet. “That’s not happening.”

“More like someone who is trying to escape Noah and needs to be able to find her way around when she’s scared.”

“This is overkill.”

His gaze drops to my chest and the way the already tight sports bra clings even more to my breasts.

The front of his shorts is bulging more than it was when he had me pinned to the ground and for just a moment, I lose track of what we’re arguing about.

And then I remember and I’m more annoyed than ever.

“Stop looking at me like you want to fuck me to distract me.” I snap my fingers in his direction. “We need to get on the same page about all of this and fast because I’m not going to sit around for the rest of my life being reduced to nothing but your wife.”

“It’s not for the rest of your life. But until this issue with Noah is settled, you’re going to do what I say.”

My blood boils as I bite down on the inside of my cheek, trying to keep calm and resist shouting that this isn’t fair like a child.

I know this isn’t fair, and I’m well aware of the fact that life has never been fair. I have to work with the hand that I’m dealt, but right now, it feels like the dealer keeps switching cards on me.

Sean sighs. “We’re not going to keep arguing about this right now, Ellie. I have work I need to get done.”

“At least one of us does.”

I shoulder past him, heading for the door.

Though I have no clue how I got to this point in my life, I know I’m not going to spend the rest of it just sitting to the side and being a mafia wife.

Somehow, there has to be a way to blend my two lives together, though that would involve cooperating with Sean.

And at this point, it seems like dying would be easier than getting along with Sean for more than a day at a time.

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.