Prisoner to Mr. Mafia (Book 1 In PTMM Series)

Chapter: 26

"Tough times never last, but tough people do." —Robert H. Schuller

---------------------------------------------------------

Gianna Pov~ 

Today was the day! Training was set to begin, and a mixture of excitement and nervousness coursed through me. While Adriano and Matteo had described the training, I couldn't deny that I was secretly freaking out on the inside. I was determined not to show it, though. Yana, on the other hand, wasn't bothering to hide her anxiety.

"I don't wanna go, Gia!" Yana whined beside me. Adriano and Matteo shared a laugh. We were all standing outside the doors of the training room, and it felt like the boys were seeing us off as if we were going into battle.

"You know, Yana, you don't have to do this," Adriano offered, seeing her hesitation. Her eyes lit up with hope, but I quickly interjected, "No, you're going."

Yana huffed in frustration, slumping against Matteo, and muttered something about wishing she were the older sibling. "I know how you feel, love," Matteo chuckled, patting her back.

"Okay, you two, you've got three minutes left. We wouldn't want to be late to training," Adriano said with utmost seriousness. I nodded and took Yana's hand, helping her stand a little taller. She took a deep breath and asked, "We got this, right?" Her question carried a hint of uncertainty.

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. With one last look at the guys, they each planted a kiss on our foreheads before we walked down the hall toward the training room.

I took a deep breath and peered inside the room, where I estimated there were about 30 men. They were all built, muscular, and towering over Yana and me. My stomach plummeted as I took in the intimidating sight before us. Giving myself a mental pep talk, I urged Yana forward, and we entered the room. As we walked in, it seemed like all eyes were on us.

I mustered a small wave, even though my stomach felt like it was full of rocks. A man approached us, and I recognized him as Stefano, one of Adriano's most trusted men. "Welcome to training, ladies. Please join us," Stefano said in a monotone voice, his expression devoid of warmth. He had transitioned from the friendly guy we knew to full-on trainer mode.

Why hadn't Adriano mentioned that Stefano was going to be our trainer? I huffed in annoyance and pulled Yana along with me to the side where the men were lined up in a single file, awaiting instructions. The setup resembled military training, with various exercise machines scattered around. In one corner, there was something resembling a shooting range, located all the way on the other side, and nearby, there was a wall adorned with targets, surrounded by an assortment of knives in different shapes and sizes. At the center, there was a boxing ring, and on the floor, I noticed red splatters—blood. I shuddered and quickly averted my gaze from that unsettling sight.

Stefano commanded everyone's attention as he moved toward the front of the room. "We have two new additions to our training sessions. Treat these two just like any other man. Understood?" he ordered, and in unison, they all replied with a crisp "Yes, sir."

"Now, form pairs and begin sparring. I'll get to the rest of you shortly," Stefano instructed. Following his lead, the men began pairing off and started their sparring sessions. Stefano then walked over to us and said, "You two, follow me," as he headed toward the target area.

Stefano explained, "The way this works is we assess your strengths and weaknesses and then work on bringing them up to a battlefield level. Now, is there anything specific you're interested in—boxing, MMA, daggers, guns, swords, or anything else?" His stern gaze settled on me.