Bound To The Mafia King

Apologies

A few days later I was cleared to workout again and I immediately took advantage of it. The gym was my release. Where I went when the stress became to much. Every time I saw Vincent I would come down here and run or kick box. Every time I missed home I came down here. Every time life became to much to handle I came down here. This place was my sanctuary.

I punched the punching bag and then I kicked it imagining it was Melissa's face which made me kick it harder. I got carried away taking my anger out on the punching bag for a while before I felt a calmness spread over me.

"Feels peaceful doesn't it?" Someone said from behind me. I turned around and saw Matteo standing there in his workout clothes. Ever since I got here he hasn't talked to me, touched me or anything.

"Yeah it is." I answered him before I took a sip of water. I didn't know what to say to him. I mean we weren't exactly friends or any thing.

"Look Annabelle I know I was an asshole to you. I had no reason to hit you. I promise I'm not an asshole to or hit women. I apologize for how I've treated you in the past few weeks. I know it's hard being here with strangers." He was actually apologizing to me? Hell must be frozen over by now but I'm a believer in second chances if they are deserved.

"I know I'm a handful. I'll admit that. Don't sweat it. I'm sorry I bit you." I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of that day. His reaction to me biting his hand was priceless.

"Let's just pretend it never happened." He smiled and I nodded gratefully. We shook hands in a truce.

"So you kick box?" He asked me seriously.

"Yeah not very well but I try." I joked.

"I could train you you know." He offered and the idea of him training me was slightly awkward.

"Train me? How?"

"I used to be a personal trainer. I can teach you how to kick box and all sorts of martial arts if you want." He smiled at me. That explains his extremely muscular build and the strength behind his hands.

"Okay I can't pass this up. Teach me!"

After hours of training my body felt like jello. I had used muscles I didn't even know I had.

"You're tired already? I'm just getting warmed up!" Matteo teased as he jogged circles around me. He was showing me some self defense moves. We circled around each other before I pounced on him and he shoved me sending me flying backwards on my back. This happened like fifty more times before I finally tackled him.

We circled around each other again and I faked right but went left. I sent punch after punch into his arm. I quickly kicked my right leg under his knee which caught him off guard and he fell backwards. I jumped on top of him and pinned him down.

"One. Two. Three. Knockout!" I cheered and got up off of him and ran circles around him. A round of applause stopped me in my tracks and Matteo stuck his foot out tripping me on purpose. I fell backwards smacking my back on the mat groaning as my back made contact with the floor.

"You're just mad you got beat by a girl." I stuck my tongue out at him and he gasped.

"I went easy on you woman!" He practically yelled trying to defend himself while he narrowed his eyes at me playfully.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I teased a patted him on the back. At first I couldn't stand Matteo but the more I got to know him the more I actually started to like the guy.

"You should go on a few runs with us." Vincent added from across the room.

"Vin you can't be serious! She will get killed." Matteo yelled spitting with anger.

"She has you training her. Just up the training a few levels. I'll teach her how to shoot and by the end of the week she will know everything she needs to know. Don't question me Matteo that's an order." Vincent snapped and Matteo bowed his head in surrender.

"Okay boss." He sounded so torn between keeping his cool and respecting Vincent's demands or arguing with him and telling him that he was crazy for bringing me on one of their runs.

Why in the hell does he want me to go on runs with them? Is he trying to get me killed? What were runs like? What did they do on these runs? Am I really going to have to shoot a gun? Could I even pull the trigger?

All those thoughts started running through my mind and my head was spinning so fast I couldn't come up with an answer to a single question except for why he wanted me to go on these runs. He was trying to get me killed. That was the only thing that made sense. He wanted to get rid of me, but why teach me to shoot? So he would feel like it wasn't completely his fault when I get killed? I'll show him. I'll do these training lessons and I'll learn how to shoot a gun but when I don't die and he looks surprised that I can actually defend myself because I'm not a bitch then maybe he will respect me. I'll show him if even if it's the last thing I do.