I hoped they heard.
By the time the last note played, a tear rolled down my cheek. Even though Lino had disguised it as a request for himself, he'd given me another piece of myself back.
"We're taking it home," Lino said, and I gave him a watery smile. When he sat next to me on the bench, I turned to straddle his lap and kissed him. I kissed him the way I’d always wanted to do all those years ago that I was never able to do. When I pulled away, the smile on his face erased anything his father had done and would say for the rest of the night.
"Okay."
Thirty-Two
Samara
Emilio eyed my clothes curiously a few days later. I wasn't particularly feeling up to working out with Sadie, but we'd set the date. Mondays were her only opening, because who the Hell wanted to go to the gym on a Monday? As if Mondays weren't evil enough without torture in the form of physical activity.
My hatred of working out could be seen with just a glimpse at my closet. Leggings I had in spades, but they were all cotton. Comfortable. Not the spandex from Hell that I'd had to rummage to the bottom of my drawers to find. I had precisely one sports bra, and one workout top that draped in the back to show the racerback of my bra. I'd been trapped with what I might have wanted to wear and torn the tags off when I changed into my gym clothes after work.
"Where to, Mrs. Bellandi?" he asked, opening the car door for me to slide inside.
"Fists of Fury, please."
"Sure thing," he said, but I didn't miss the way he discreetly typed a text out on his phone. Informing my husband of my itinerary, I was sure. Like Lino was unaware of the fact that I would be home later than normal. Considering that he most often stopped working before he should so he could come and have dinner with me and then settled in to work remotely, I wasn't so much of an inconsiderate asshat that I wouldn't let him know I wouldn't be home.
It still bothered me that my security felt it necessary to inform my husband of every step I took. I hoped that once everything died down with Connor, the security on me might be just a little looser. I knew it would never go away, but I could hope for less, right?
Probably not.
Even if it pissed me off to admit it.
I sighed, watching the city streets as Emilio navigated through traffic. When we finally pulled up to the gym on the other side of town, the brick exterior caught me off guard. I'd expected a monstrosity of a gym, with clean modern lines and huge windows of glass where you could see everyone's misery as they ran on the treadmill.
I'd known it was a boxing gym of course, I just didn't anticipate that it would be quite so different from a regular chain gym.
I loved it.
As soon as my door opened, I was out and striding through the front doors with Emilio rushing to keep up. The converse on my feet felt comfortable but wouldn't do for the workout I knew Sadie was about to throw my way. So I found the cubbies where people stored their belongings and swapped out my converse for a pair of violet and grey sneakers that had never seen the light of day.
I'd bought them when I intended to start going for a jog in the morning. Almost a year ago.
I hadn't gone once.
"Samara!" Sadie called, drawing my eyes over to her where she helped a man through some complicated series of punches.
I swallowed, waving back before making my way over to her. There was no question about whether or not half the guys were there to work out or check her out, considering the way they all stared as they went through the motions of jabs at their opponents or bags. "Hey, I don't mind waiting."
"Nope. You're my appointment." She grinned, tossing her dark hair behind her and gathering it up into a high ponytail that looked magazine worthy with her long, layered dark hair. Combined with the sports bra and tight, high-waisted spandex shorts, she was a poster child for a good exercise routine.
Her petite body was toned to perfection, her curves slight but seeming emphasized by the fact that she was tiny.
Below five feet tall, kind of tiny.
"Come on," she said, guiding me over to a bench where there was a case of cotton wraps. When she turned, I hung my head. I'd heard stories from Ivory about Sadie's bubble butt that brought all the boys to the gym. Seeing it for myself made me burst out laughing.
"I find it very hard to believe that your father lets you dress like that," I said, holding out a hand so that she could wrap me up in the cotton wrap.
"Psh. I'd like to see any man tell me what to do," she scoffed. "Even my daddy knows he ain't man enough for that." I roared in laughter. I'd met her father maybe twice, and he terrified me. Then again, Sadie scared the shit out of me. I had no clue who would win in a battle of wills, but it certainly sounded like it would be Sadie who came out victorious. “How goes the hunt for Connor? Ivory said something happened last week. Did they catch him?” The cotton wound around my hand quickly and efficiently.
“The guy who tried to grab me, yes. I didn’t ask for details, but—”
“Yeah, he dead,” Sadie huffed a laugh. “But Connor got away, I take it?”