“In particular, we’re facing a major problem with the Russians. Yesterday, two of our soldiers were sent back to us with a message about a deal we have allegedly backed out of, so we’ll have to figure out what Sal’s done and find a way to smooth things over.” A message was a polite way of saying they’d been beaten half to death. The Russians were fucking ruthless and only slightly less crazy than the Irish. It was never a good idea to cross either of them.

Not wanting to push our luck by keeping everyone in one room for too long, Enzo finished his speech and closed out the meeting in a matter of minutes. I received several more congratulations on my way out and was introduced to some of the men I’d never met. The older men easily accepted me into the fold, and I was relieved to be so well received.

So why in the hell did the meeting leave me wanting to put my fist through somebody’s face?

The entire time I sat there, agitation bubbled up inside me like water in a boiling pot. It wasn’t until an hour later when I was taking out that unprovoked emotion on my sparring partner, Leo, when I finally caved and accepted the reason behind my anger. Seeing Enzo had taken me back to the lowest point in my life. He was a stark reminder of everything I’d lost. Not just the life I’d lost, but her—Enzo’s daughter, Sofia.

Seeing him reminded me of her.

Thoughts of her weren’t necessarily uncommon, but I no longer suffered the crushing anger and regret that came along with them. At least, not until I looked at Enzo and recognized her same hazel eyes in his. I had thought the emotions brought on from our separation had finally dissipated.

Clearly, I’d been mistaken.

It appeared all I’d done was bury the anguish deep inside me. One look at him, and it all came rushing back to the surface like water bursting through a dam.

I shot my fist out in a wicked left cross that caught Leo on the chin.

His head flew to the side, and he took a steadying step back. “Jesus, man! You tryin’ to break my jaw? I thought we were sparring here.” He took off his glove and massaged his face, the swelling already setting in.

I let out a long sigh, my eyes drifting up to wander along the dusty rafters. “Shit, I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind and got carried away.”

“I think you need to get back in the ring. When’s the last time you fought?” Leo leaned himself against the ropes, sweat dripping from his short blond hair down into his eyes.

“It’s been a while. Guess I may not be doing that anymore … not sure. They made me capo today.” I removed my gloves and began to unwind the wraps from my hands without looking up at my longtime friend.