Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Massimo parked the car in one of the designated spots in front of Roger’s Arena. I had to admit I was nervous about tonight. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone. I hopped out of the car, and Nevio joined my side, strolling along like this was business as usual. A few customers stood outside of the bar to smoke, and they mustered us curiously as we passed them by.
“Nervous?” Nevio asked as we headed toward the steel door of Roger’s Arena. I’d never been inside before, but Carlotta had told me many stories because she had accompanied Diego there during closing hours on occasion to visit Antonia.
I gave him an embarrassed smile. “Shouldn’t I ask you that question? I’m not going to enter a cage for a brutal fight.”
Nevio flashed me a grin that was full of eagerness. “Are you nervous before you step on your skateboard?”
“No, but it’s not the same.”
“Why? Fighting is in my blood. When you step on the skateboard, you risk your health too.”
“The risk is low. You know you’ll get hurt when you step inside the cage. It’s inevitable. If I perform a trick well, I definitely won’t even suffer a bruise.” I had had a few harder falls in the past, but nothing too bad, not even a broken bone so far. My brother, though he’d been skating for fewer years, had already suffered a broken arm and rib. Of course, he sometimes acted like a lunatic, which made accidents more likely.
“I don’t mind getting hurt, and I know my opponent will be far worse off than me.”
There wasn’t a bouncer at the door. I suppose if you entered the arena intending to cause trouble, there would be many willing participants to teach you a lesson you wouldn’t soon forget.
“It’s more unsettling for spectators to watch Nevio fight than for him to actually do it,” Alessio muttered as he stepped up to us. It was the first time he’d taken his earphones out, but an air of concentration still surrounded him.
Nevio opened the door for me and winked at Alessio. “That’s just how I like it.”
When we stepped inside, my breath halted. The bar was filled to the brim with guests, mainly men. Every table was occupied and even the booth along the concrete walls. People who hadn’t found a seating place stood against the walls to watch the spectacle as well. The wall beside the bar was decorated with red neon tubes encircled with barbed wire that said words like Blood, Sweat, and Courage. The stench of smoke, sweat, and alcohol carried in the air. Some guests smoked inside, so I wasn’t sure why the others had fled outside to do so. My eyes were drawn to the huge fighting cage in the center. The mesh looked like chicken wire, but I knew it was much sturdier to withstand the impacts. Two men and a referee were inside of it as the first fight of the evening was about to begin.
Nevio threw his arm around my shoulders with a teasing smile and took a deep breath. I was momentarily startled by his closeness, especially in such a public place. Even if this was a solely friendly gesture, people in our circles loved to draw the wrong conclusions and spread false rumors.
“This is the scent of pure adrenaline. Isn’t it intoxicating?” Nevio asked in a low, compelling voice.
I drew in another, slightly deeper breath, and was once again hit with the odor of sweat and alcohol. I gave Nevio a doubtful look.
I spotted Carlotta in a booth with Diego. Antonia was at their table too, but you could tell from her stressed expression that she was on the jump to get back to work behind the bar. Her cocktails were famous, so she was definitely needed back there.
Carlotta spotted me, her eyes darting between Nevio and me, then his arm around me, before she waved me toward them.
“Do you need to get changed?” I asked the guys.
“Not yet,” Nevio said. We all headed over to Diego and Carlotta. Dozens of gazes followed us, and I could see that many of them lingered on Nevio and me. Rumors would definitely be floating around soon. Just what I needed to get Dad off my back.
“You realize people will think you’re staking your claim on Aurora, right?” Carlotta said the moment the guys and I arrived at the table.
I gave her a shocked look. She was usually such a calm person, but Nevio really brought out the tiger in her.
Nevio bared his teeth. “Let them draw whatever conclusions they want. That’s not my problem.”
“But it’s Aurora’s. If guys think she’s yours, nobody will approach her parents to ask for her hand.”
Nevio let out a laugh. “How about you worry about your own untouchable status because it’s firming up.” He looked at Massimo, who had his eyes on Carlotta with a look everyone around would understand as possessive.