It's here! The highly anticipated cover for Fight For You!
Nicky Ragusa
lives his life inside the cage, circuiting the underground ring to escape his
fate as the mafia prince. When Jackie Marks crashes into his life, he’ll take
the fight outside the cage.
But the battle for Jackie’s heart comes with a
steep price. Nicky’s father has wanted him to take over the family business for
years, and the time for running is over. Now Nicky is right where his father
has always wanted him: in the middle of a war.
All Nicky has
ever wanted to do was fight. Now all he has to do is fight for her.
Expected Release Date: April 11th, 2014
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And OKAY...I guess y'all really came because you wanted behind the scenes photos with my cover models, right? Okay. here are some to keep you happy!
And an excerpt! **Warning: This does contain language and some violence.**
Every time my fist smacked against the bag, I expected a surge
of pain, but nothing came. I was numb. All I did was hit the bag for days,
trying to get my head somewhere else, anywhere else but my reality.
“Nicky, I think you killed it. That plastic thing isn’t
going to ever see its little punching bag babies again.” Coach stood next to
the bag, looking at me with his eyebrows creased and a bead of sweat glistening
on his forehead like it always did when he was nervous.
“Just lemme get a few more punches in. That’s all I need.” I
took a few more jabs at the bag. I wanted to feel something. Anything. But
still there was nothing.
Coach grabbed my wrists, stopping them in mid air. “Nicky,
you’ve had enough. It’s late. Tracy’s called at least twenty times to tell me to
get my ass home. It’s past nine. I’ve missed dinner and putting the kids to
bed.”
He gripped tighter onto my wrists. “It’s time to leave. The
fight’s this weekend. You’re ready, kid. You know that as well as I do.”
I slumped my shoulders and shook my head. I’d been at the
gym a lot longer than I thought. Every part of my body groaned from those tiny
movements. Finally some sort of feeling. “Yeah, say that when el Lobo has his
foot in my ass or some other move he pulls out. I need to be ready for him.
That fucker fights dirtier than he looks.”
Coach sighed, dropping my wrists. “You’re your father’s son,
Nicky.”
I stared at him. The defeat in his eyes. He didn’t mean the
words as an insult but they hit me harder than punch ever could. My father was
never who I wanted to be.
“You’re right, Coach.” I turned away slowly and walked to
the weight bench, sitting down. I slowly peeled back the tape that bound my hands.
They were so worn from the day’s wear that they looked more gray than the
bright white they were when I first got to the gym after work.
Coach walked over and patted my shoulder. “You’re a good
kid, Nicky. You just have a hard head sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I didn’t look up from my hands, just focused
on unwrapping each one, instead of looking up at the disappointed glint in his
eyes. It was the same conversation we had every night. He’d ask me to come to
stop by his house, make some crack about his old lady making too much food anyway
and how the kids wouldn’t bother me too much. I’d, of course, say I had some
work to catch up on from the office or that my mom was making pasta and asked
me to stop by. None of which were true and he knew it.
But tonight he didn’t fight me.
“All right, Nick, think ya can lock up when you’re done? You
know, the old lady has been on my ass out being out late every night and with
the fight this weekend ...” his words trailed off. I didn’t need to look up to
know that he was raking his fingers through his salt and pepper crew cut, the
way he always did when he was nervous. I’d seen it a million times when I was
in the cage.
“Yeah, Coach, you’re fine. Go, be with Tracy and the kids.
You don’t need to babysit me. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
I stopped unwrapping my hands and looked up at him, forcing
a smile. Did I really want him to leave so that I would be alone? No. Sure, I
could have called up my cousin Dominic, but he would probably still be at the
Candy Shop. Some guys enjoyed going to the strip club every night. To me, it
would always be the place that my father did his backroom deals with some
battona on his lap. I knew all of this because he started taking me when I was
in middle school. He said I had to learn the family business young if I was
going to take over.
“Yeah, Coach, I’m positive. Now go on. Don’t make me kick
your ass.” I patted him on the back.
“Not before the fight, Nick. Save that for the scumbag wolf,
will ya?” He stepped back, holding his hands up. I imagine that at some point Coach
was a good fighter and could probably still hold up with the best of them, but
now in his early forties, he wasn’t as spry as he used to be and I was pretty
sure I could take him out with one kick. Though I’d never try, but if someone
else did I’d kill them. That was a fact.
“Will do.”
He nodded and stared at me, shoving his hands in his
pockets. I knew he wanted to say something else, but we both knew that he
wouldn’t. That wasn’t his style. He kicked the shit out me in training and in
the cage. Other than that, he tried to stay out of it too much. That’s why he
had stayed in my life so long.
“Goodnight, Nick.”
“Night, Coach.”
Love it! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteAhhh!!! LOVE!
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