Star-Crossed(35)

Tino came at him, fast and furious, catching Romeo in the left eye before he could dodge him. He might have been playful, but in their family playful was dangerous and weakness was never an option. Mad that Tino had gotten such a solid hit in, Romeo punched back, catching his brother in the jaw and laughing when Tino shook his head 90



from the force of Romeo’s hit. Since this was a mock fight to the death, Romeo went ahead and knocked Tino’s feet out from under him once more.

Tino hit the mat but didn’t take more than a second to sweep his right leg out, knocking Romeo onto the mat with him. Romeo landed hard on his back, and it was a very good thing Nova owned the apartment beneath them, because it was a sure bet the chandeliers were shaking.

Tino was on him in the blink of an eye, hitting Romeo hard enough he tasted blood. Deciding this was exactly what he needed to work off the excess frustration, he hit his brother back, using the full force of the strength that earned him more knockouts than any other fighter in UFC history.

Tino looked stunned by the pain before a slow smile tugged at his lips. He was a bloodthirsty bastard. The dirtier the fight the happier he was, which was obviously genetic.

“I’m playing,” Nova suddenly announced, closing his laptop and leaping over the back of the couch. He ran a hand through his short, dark hair and rolled his shoulders.

“Two on one, winners get to choose what we do tonight.” Two on one was hardly fair: Romeo might be bigger, but Tino and Nova were faster on their feet and neither of them could be considered small. They both tipped the scales at just over two hundred pounds of pure muscle and were extremely gifted black belts. Even still, there was always an element of nostalgia in fighting the two of them that he could never resist. It reminded Romeo of a time before his mother was sick, before prison and the mafia had ruined their perfect little family. Days when Romeo was constantly dodging two playful kids kicking at his heels, begging for a fight.

“You’re on.” Romeo shoved Tino off him and then rolled back and leaped to his feet. Held up his hands and faced both his brothers. “Bring it, Morettis. I face death smiling.”

Now standing next to Tino, his hands held in the same fighter’s stance, Nova glared. “I wish you wouldn’t joke about that.”





91

“I smile too, Romeo-san,” Tino said, still goofing around despite Nova’s dramatics. He kicked, but Romeo blocked him. “Burying you will be—” He gasped when Nova slammed his fist sideways into his solar plexus. Tino wheezed, his eyes wide as he turned and gave Nova a look of disbelief. “I’m on your team, asshole!” Nova kicked Tino’s feet out from under him in response. With Tino down, Nova jumped at Romeo, launching a kick that Romeo blocked. Then he was fighting with his fists, catching Romeo in the shoulder, before he started aiming his strikes at Romeo’s face, making Romeo realize he was fighting completely on the defensive with Nova.

This wasn’t a playful fight; this was something vicious coming from a dark place in Nova’s soul, and that level of fury was hard to keep up with.

“Anger issues?” Romeo deflected another hit from Nova, whose strikes were flying at him almost faster than he could keep up. “What’s your friggin’ problem?”

“You’re my problem.” Nova attempted another strike that Romeo blocked. “Stop talking ’bout dying.” He changed course and kicked back at Tino, catching him in the thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. “And you’re always encouraging him.” Tino grunted, frowning at the back of Nova’s head. “It’s a joke, dumb-ass.”

“It’s not a joke to him.” Another furious punch aimed at Romeo, who was being forced to the edge of the mat from the force of Nova’s anger. “That’s what he wants, to face death smiling, doing something stupid for a ridiculous ideal like integrity.” Tino jumped on Nova from behind, getting him in a choke hold as he announced,

“You have betrayed me. I will die beside my true brother with honor.” He smiled at Romeo. “Do it.”

Romeo punched Nova, doing it harder than usual because his preaching was getting old and Nova had been in a genuinely bad mood since Las Vegas. But all Tino’s speech and Romeo’s punch served to do was to anger Nova further. They were playing, but Nova wasn’t.



92



Despite the split lip from Romeo’s punch that was bleeding badly, Nova dipped down, throwing Tino over his shoulder. He stepped on Tino, using the extra leverage to aim a kick at Romeo’s face. This time Nova didn’t miss.

Romeo bit his tongue on impact, tasting blood once more from the blinding power of Nova’s kick. Before Romeo could retaliate, Tino did the dirty work by grabbing Nova’s foot, forcing him to fall hard against the mat over him. Then Tino rolled out from under him and jammed his elbow into Nova’s chest before he could catch his breath.