“Okay, can you take the stick out of your ass for all of five seconds and let me talk?” she argues.
He stares back at her, emotionless. “Not if you’re going to give me more reasons why you think it’s a good idea for Saxon to leave the house, no.”
She throws her arms in the air. “Oh come on. She’s been cooped up in the house—with the exception of your little murder party—which, don’t even get me started on that…”
Kage and I both laugh as he glances over at me. “That’s not true. I took her to the shooting range, too.”
Viola’s head falls back. “Ugh! Your relationship is doomed to fail if you think she’s not going to lose her absolute mind being stuck in here with you all the time. I could barely do it when we lived together.”
“False,” he claps back. “You were in love with me when I lived with you.”
She freezes then scrunches her nose like she forgot that was even a thing. “We don’t talk about that.”
“Agreed,” I chime in.
Viola looks at me like she finally remembers I’m in the room. “S, please. Tell him you need to get out of this place and see the world.”
Kage looks at me with brows raised as I purse my lips. “I mean… It has been months since I was able to go shopping.”
Viola shouts triumphantly while Kage’s jaw drops as he glares at me. “Traitor.”
I bring my energy drink to my mouth and sip through the straw, looking around the room innocently. Knowing she has my back, Viola redoubles her efforts and picks at Kage until his already short patience is close to eviscerated.
“Ah-ha!” She snaps her fingers. “I have an idea, and it is brilliant.”
“That’s new,” Kage drawls, but she ignores him.
Viola’s eyes meet mine and she looks me up and down, like she’s sizing me up. “How confident are you in your fighting skills?”
Kage looks around, as if she’s personally threatening him, and I chuckle as he waits, concerned about where this is going.
“I mean, I’ve been training with Ralph for about a week now, and I think I’ve gotten pretty decent,” I answer. “Why?”
A conniving smile appears on her face and she turns to Kage, crossing her arms over her chest. “The two of you spar. If you win, we don’t go. But if Saxon wins, we get to go shopping.”
“Not a chance in hell,” he says before she’s even done talking.
“Why not?” she teases. “Afraid you’re going to get your ass kicked by your own woman?”
He points at me while keeping his eyes on Viola. “She doesn’t fight fair, and my balls can’t take much more.”
I cover my mouth, giggling into the sleeve of my sweatshirt. “Oops?”
“Yeah, oops,” he grumbles.
Viola sighs. “Okay, so we set ground rules. Restricted no-no area for her, and you can’t lift her up off the ground.”
I’m not going to lie; it’s a good deal. One that Kage knows if he turns down, Viola will never let him live it down. She’ll forever harp on him about that one time he was too afraid to go up against a girl. And I think he knows that, because he leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees and turns his head toward me.
I wink at him and blow him a kiss, taunting him, and somehow it works. He rolls his eyes and sighs before standing up.
“Fuck it,” he murmurs. “Come on, Gabbana.”
“Yes!” Viola cheers.
Kage flicks her in the forehead. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. She has to beat me for you to win.”
“Are you kidding?” she snaps back. “I’m confident in my girl. We’ll be at the mall before sundown.”
Suddenly, he looks like he regrets his decision as he drops his head and starts walking toward the gym. I climb off the couch and follow behind. Viola waits for me and clings to my arm the second I’m close enough.
“Okay, so I’m thinking fuck the rules,” she whispers. “Go for the balls and while he recovers, we’ll book it out of here.”
I can’t help but laugh. “That sounds like it came straight from the manual on how to get yourself killed by a mafia don.”
She shakes her head. “Nonsense. He doesn’t have it in him to kill you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
The three of us get into the gym, and Kage seems so ready to get this over with that I’m almost afraid of how fast I’m going to lose. I stand across from him, the two of us taunting each other with our eyes. Viola puts her hand in between us and recites the terms.
“First one to get their opponent on their back wins,” she says. “And remember, Malvagio, no funny business.”
He snorts. “Yeah, because I’m the one here who fights dirty.”
“Go!”
We spin in circles, both of us holding up our hands and ready to swing. Knowing he won’t actually hit me, it gives me a little bit of an advantage as I throw punches in his direction. But each one, he manages to dodge.
The longer we go, the longer I realize I don’t stand a chance at beating him. The first time, when I took him to the ground in under ten seconds, was beginner's luck. He was taking it easy on me. But this time, he has a stake in it. If he loses, it doesn’t just mean I win—it means Viola does, too.
My mind wanders to the days I used to spend shopping all afternoon. I’d swipe my credit card until the strip was damn near worn off, and then I’d go home and try it all on, thinking about how I didn’t get enough. It was my one guilty pleasure—one I haven’t been able to indulge in since Beni all but snatched me from The Pulse.
I want this.
I fucking need it.
“Wait,” I say, stopping. “I have to pee.”
Kage straightens his back and looks at me in disbelief. “Seriously? Now?”
“Nope.”
Before he sees it coming, I swoop my leg behind his and throw the upper half of me at him, sending both of us to the ground. Kage puts his hands on my waist to keep me safe while he slams against the floor. And the next thing I know, Viola is jumping up and down, screaming and cheering.
“We get to go shopping!” she singsongs.
I climb off of Kage and bite my lip to contain my smile as he glares back at me. “Once a cheater, always a cheater.”
“If it works on you, it’ll work on anyone.”
He sits up and leans back against his hands. “Okay, fine. But can I make some conditions, for the sake of her safety?”
Viola stops cheering and rolls her eyes. “What now, buzzkill? And it better not be wearing that sad excuse for a disguise. She’s not looking homeless. The stores won’t even let her in.”
Ignoring her, he keeps his eyes on me. “We go tomorrow. I’ll get someone to bring us a professional quality wig and colored contacts. Viola will do your makeup, and the three of us will leave in the morning and go to Rhode Island, where there is a much lower chance of you being recognized.”
It’s not an unreasonable counteroffer. Everything he’s suggesting is in my best interest, and we can make a day of it. I glance over at Viola, surprised to see she’s actually willing to compromise.