Love, Evangeline

25.

Walking down the stairs, Gio and Leo walked out of the dinning hall. " Hey," Gio said nodding to me. I smiled at them as they headed towards me. " You doing anything right now?" Gio asked. " I was going to get breakfast, but I can wait," I said. Glancing at Leo's attire, I averted my attention back ag Geo before asking, " are you guys training?" " Yes, which is why we need you," Leo said. I held back a smile, " you wanna have some fun?" Gio asked smirking. I scoffed, " I don't know, what's your idea of fun?" " We just need you to spot us," Leo informed me. I sighed, " I don't know." " Oh come on, you won't fight with us," Gio assured me. As I smiled at him, Gio promised, " Domenico won't know, it'll be our little secret." I chuckled, " alright." Leo grinned, " I mean, unless you want to train with us." Shaking my head, I said, " that is a terrible idea."

Turning, Leo led us down to the training room. Gio frowned slightly as he eyed me, " what?" I asked. " We're you with Domenico this morning?" My stomach tightened up, " no," I said, " why?" " You just smell like him," Gio said. " But the whole house seems to, so." I awkwardly chuckled as Geo walked past me. Grabbing a loc of hair, I sniffed it, Domenico's cologne instantly seeping into my nose. My heart fluttered as I tucked a strands of hair behind my hair, I Inhaling deeply as I turned around and following Gio down to the training room.

" Alright," Leo said as I entered the training room. As he held two long wooden sticks in his hands, I asked, " what exactly do you need my help for?" " An audience, of course," Gio said grinning at me. I scoffed and shook my head, " better than fighting without one," Leo said as Gio grabbed two wooden sticks off the wall. " What are you guys doing?" I asked eyeing the stick in both Gio and Leo's hands. " A warmup," Gio answered. " With sticks?" I asked confused. Leo chuckled, " trust me, they hurt me than just normal sticks." I inhaled, " don't worry about us though," Leo teased. I smiled and shook my head at him, " can you a set up a stopwatch?" Gio asked. " What for?" I asked as I pulled out my phone. " To see how long this lasts," Leo informed as both him and Gio began circling each other. " Okay," I simply said. " Start it," Leo instructed as he gripped the sticks in his hands.

Hitting the start button, Gio and Leo immediately started fighting each other. I flinched slightly as I took a step back, the splintering and banging sounds of the wooden sticks hammering against each other echoing off the walls. Everything seemed to go by so fast, It was like Gio and Leo both knew what move the other person was going to do. I began to see bruises form on Gio's arms while many began to form on Leo's neck. Immediately pointing their sticks at each other, Gio said breathing heavily, " stop." Tapping he stop on my phone, I looked back up at Gio. " Time?" Leo asked as his chest heaved up and down. " forty five seconds," I read off. Gio chuckled as he turned, placing his sticks back on the wall.

" Is that good or bad?" I asked. " We're getting faster," Leo said as he set his wood sticks up on the wall before walking up to me. " Getting faster, for what exactly?" " I'm case we have to kill someone," Gio suddenly said. My eyes flashed over to him, " In case?" Smiling, Gio asked, " what, did you think our work was all sunshine and flowers?" " No, but I didn't think it was that, dark," I simply said. " Your brothers do the same things we do," Leo assured me. " They kill people too, they just don't come home with blood on their hands," Leo said. I shook my head, " I was young when they came home after work, so I was already asleep in bed," I sighed. " Your childhood sounded fun to me," Gio teased. I chuckled, " if being locked up my whole life sounds fun to you," I began to say. Leo smiled, " hey, we were hard on Mya and the others as well." I looked at him, " why'd you stop?"

" Because they're a pain in the ass now," Gio said before downing half a bottle of water. I
Looking at him, I said, " they get to leave the house and do whatever they want." " Being the most dangerous family in Italy comes in handy," Leo said. " You're also wanted dead, but that's besides the point." I grinned at Leo's comment, making Leo chuckle softly.