Chapter 4

A couple of weeks passed and training at the MMA gym was as intense as ever. As the tournament grew closer, Luca was stepping up his efforts and pushing his body like never before.

The shadow of Olex may have still been lurking at most training sessions, but Luca was adept at keeping his distance and not giving Olex a reason to start firing off his stupid insults and trash-talking.

Luca may have been a ruthless and often violent criminal, but he had been trained well enough to know that sometimes the best way of handling an opponent was by not giving them oxygen to thrive on – and that form of oxygen in Olex's case being Luca's attention.

Luca's approach seemed to be working too.

From what Luca was hearing from the other guys in the gym, Olex had been skipping sessions and not quite putting in the same ferocious effort as he was renowned for.

Perhaps Olex was so confident about beating Luca that he felt he could cut corners? If he was taking this approach, then Luca felt like half the battle was already won.

Luca knew from countless bank heists that mistakes happened and people were either fatally shot or arrested when they got sloppy with their preparation.

One of the most important things to Luca and his brothers was that everyone knew how well prepared the Sorrento men would always be, no matter what. It set them apart, and Luca knew that it made others fear them too.

Luca would never let a detail slide when he was plotting a robbery, and he was determined to take this exact approach when it came to the fight with Olex too.

It was true that Olex had size and youth on his side, but increasingly Luca was feeling confident that he had the superior mentality and attitude. And those two factors counted as much as, if not more than, pretty much anything else.

Another strategy that Luca knew to lean on was to compartmentalize. So rather than thinking of the fight the whole time, Luca was making the most of a rare opportunity to socialize with his friends.

After doing some early morning planning on a bank job, Luca was feeling fresh and clear-minded as he arrived at the Velvet Iron to meet up with Damian and Antonio.

Luca was wearing his customary tailored shirt, but had paired it with some slightly more casual but still super-chic chinos. He wasn't exactly a regular at the Velvet Iron, so wasn't entirely sure whether he was still too formally dressed.

Fortunately for Luca, he had his close friends to set him right…

‘Brother, you look superb,' Antonio said, arching his eyebrow and shaking Luca's hand firmly. ‘I mean… you do realize they won't have table service here, right?'

‘Grrrr. Very good, bring the jokes,' Luca said, unbuttoning an extra button on his shirt to at least try to look more casual.

‘Luca, you look great,' Damian said, embracing Luca. ‘We've got a round of doppios on the way. It's not exactly the primo coffee we normally have, but it's not total shit either.'

The three men laughed and took their seats around the reserved table that was slightly set back from the subs as they charged around and had what looked like the time of their lives.

‘Jake, be careful!' Damian hollered, noticing that Jake was attempting to balance a big mug of apple juice on his head. ‘You're already on a yellow warning. One more and it's red!'

‘Y-y-y-yes, sir,' Jake replied, giggling and blushing as he took the mug off his head and returned to cavorting with his friends.

‘Yellow warning?' Luca said curious as to what this meant.

‘Yellow means a hand spanking later,' Damian said, a wicked grin on his face. ‘Red means… the paddle.'

‘I see,' Luca replied, sipping on his freshly delivered and piping hot doppio. ‘Damn. You guys have it good.'

‘So could you,' Antonio said, finishing his coffee and signaling for another. ‘You just need to find the one boy you connect with. When you know, you know. You know?'

Luca nodded.

It was good to see just how happy Damian and Antonio were with their boys. It genuinely filled Luca's heart with happiness to see his two brothers finding true love with a pair of great, obedient and submissive boys.

I'm happy for Luca and Damian.

They deserve it more than anyone.

I just wish that I had what they have…

Luca then saw that Antonio was returning from the café area with a plate full of the creamiest looking cakes. There were cupcakes, swirly-creams, and cookies loaded with the whitest frosting imaginable.

‘These aren't for us, right?' Luca said, disdainfully.

‘Relax man,' Damian said. ‘I know we're Doms, but that doesn't mean we can't indulge in some sugary subtreats from time to time.'

‘For sure,' Antonio said, adding his two cents. ‘If I'm up late and Lyle is fast asleep in bed, I'll sneak into his treat cupboard in the kitchen and grab a quick handful of candys for myself!'

Antonio and Damian high-fived one another, but Luca was less than impressed.

‘I'll pass, guys,' Luca said. ‘My pre-fight diet is too strict to go wasting calories like that. Hmph. Maybe the single life suits me better.'

But as Luca watched Antonio and Damian scoffing the cakes, Luca couldn't help but notice a boy over on the reception desk.

He's cute as hell.

But he looks so sad. Almost… scared?

Maybe he needs a sugary snack of his own…

With that, Luca grabbed a small selection of cupcakes and put them on a paper plate before walking over toward the reception desk.

As Luca got closer, he found himself totally blown away by the boy. He was undeniably cute, and despite looking under the weather he had a hint of mischief about him.

Physically, the boy was exactly what Luca looked for. Slender, athletic, and with just a hint of muscle on his arms.

But Luca couldn't spend all day staring. He was now standing directly in front of the boy with a plate of food in his hands…

‘Um, can I help you?' the boy said. ‘My name's Tommy, I'm on reception today. Anything you need, just ask.'

‘Well, it was more what I could do for you,' Luca said, handing the plate over. ‘I hope you don't mind me saying, but you looked like you could do with some cheering up.'

There was a pause as Tommy eyed up the plate of food.

For a moment, Luca wasn't sure whether he'd crossed a line. After all, he may have been a Dom, but Tommy was a member of staff at the Velvet Iron, it might not have been entirely appropriate to approach him like this.

‘Sorry, I stepped over the mark,' Luca said, feeling disappointed that his advance had seemingly been rebuffed. ‘Please forgive me.'

‘No! No! Thank you,' Tommy said, his voice all over the place but a smile breaking out. ‘I was miles away. I've had a rough couple of weeks to tell you the truth. Sorry, I didn't catch your name?'

‘That's because I didn't say it. Force of habit, I guess,' Luca replied. ‘But it's Sorrento. Luca Sorrento. I'm here with Antonio and Damian.'

‘Ah, I see, yeah,' Tommy said, his face lighting up. ‘I'm friends with their subs, Lyle and Jake. Oh, so you must be…'

‘I'm in the same line of work as Antonio and Damian, yes, that's right,' Luca said, making it clear that he wasn't about to go into any unnecessary details. ‘But tell me about you. Something's clearly eating you up inside. You can trust me, I'm good when it comes to this kind of thing.'

Luca could see and feel that Tommy needed his help.

It may have been instinct, but every bone in Luca's body was telling him that this boy needed his assistance. It might have been a small problem, or something a whole lot bigger. Luca didn't know either way. But one thing that Luca knew for absolute certain was that Tommy needed to get it off his chest.

There's something up.

I know that look on his face.

And I know that I'm the man he needs to help him…

It didn't take long before Tommy started to open up. And in truth, it was way worse than Luca could have imagined…

‘So you're saying that this… Xane Troppo… beat you, threatened you, and is still after you?' Luca said, barely able to believe that someone would be so cruel to a boy as sweet and genuine as Tommy. ‘I can't allow this. Not on my fucking watch.'

‘But… you don't know me?' Tommy said, clearly emotional. ‘I couldn't ask that of you. And anyway, it doesn't matter what you say to Xane. He wants to kill me, I know he does. I even heard that he's been going to kink clubs across the city and telling other subs that I'm on his hit list. At first I thought it was a cruel game, but now I'm convinced he means it!'

‘Tommy, calm down,' Luca said, a little abruptly. ‘You need to breathe. Take a moment. Focus. You won't make this better by letting your emotions run away with you.'

Luca's words seemed to work.

Tommy took a moment to compose himself. But it was clear as Tommy continued to explain the situation that Xane Troppo was a loose cannon, and a twisted, evil one at that.

Luca was beginning to realize that this wasn't going to simply be a case of giving the boy some advice and then walking away. This was something altogether bigger. And it would require more work on his part too.

‘He's just a big asshole of a bully,' Tommy said, his eyes filling with tears again. ‘I used to have so much fun. Now I'm scared to leave my apartment. I'm even scared when I'm in there!'

The moment got too much for Tommy and before Luca could stop him, Tommy had burst past him and ran into the bathroom.

Suddenly, Luca was joined by both Damian and Antonio.

‘Looks intense,' Damian said. ‘This wouldn't by any chance be about Xane Troppo would it?'

‘Yup,' Luca replied.

‘Hell no,' Antonio said. ‘I'd heard about him from Lyle but hadn't had time to find out more. You know how busy things have been. I honestly didn't realize it was so serious.'

The three brothers looked at one another.

‘I fucking hate bullies,' Luca growled. ‘And I hate to see a boy like Tommy suffer. I'm going to put an end to Xane Troppo. Scum like him don't deserve to be walking the streets. Don't worry guys, I've got this.'

Damian and Antonio nodded in approval.

Luca thought back to how helpless and distraught he felt as a child when his mother and father were assassinated. Being so small and young meant he hadn't been able to do anything but watch on as his parents were murdered. Feeling powerless was the worst feeling in the world, and it was exactly how Luca imagined Tommy was feeling with regards to Xane Troppo and his gang.

Luca was determined to set this situation right for Tommy. However before he could do that, he needed more information, and he needed it right now…