Practice the next day felt right.

I did my usual therapy with Taylor. We worked hard together, not letting our situation get in the way of what we had to do. Out on the field, I was back in the starting position, with Kennings acting as my backup.

That was the way things were supposed to be. Still, it didn’t mean I could slack off. Coach could change his mind at any time and shake things up. He was that kind of guy, and I respected that. It meant I had to work hard to keep him happy and to keep earning my spot.

Practice went well. I did what was asked of me and then some, and I didn’t slack off. Afterward, I hit the showers and then met up with Taylor to do my therapy.

She looked down at me as she stretched my knee. “Everything set?”

I nodded. “I’ll call after this.”

“I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be.”

“What if he overreacts?”

I shrugged. “I hope he does.”

“Owen, these guys are dangerous. They kill people.”

“I know that.”

“Do you? I mean really, do you get it? They could kill you.”

“No. I’m too high profile. They can’t just kill me and make me disappear. There would be questions, people wanting to know where I was. The police would get involved.”

“You said they owned the police.”

“They do, but now we’re talking murder.” I shook my head. “No. They wouldn’t risk killing me.”

“I’m still nervous.”

“That’s fine, but I’ll get us through this.”

She nodded and we went back to work, not mentioning it again.

I had a plan. Well, I had a plan only because of her. She had was smart enough to record the conversation, or at least smart enough to realize that she had. It was muffled, but we could definitely hear it. I had called a tech guy I knew, and he had helped us get the file from my phone to my laptop where I turned the volume on the conversation up nice and loud and then made a bunch of copies.

I knew Tony wasn’t going to like this, but if I wanted to get out from under the mafia, this was my best chance.

Once we were done with therapy, I got my stuff and Taylor met me out front.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“I’m sure.” I kissed her softly. “I’ll call you later.”

“You better. The second you can.”

“Go home. Go think about me.”

“I will be.” She bit her lip, looked like she wanted to say something else, and then walked away.

I watched her go for a second. Briefly, I wondered if I could call after her and tell her how I really felt, but she turned a corner and was gone.

I walked back to my apartment. I nodded at the doorman as I entered, went upstairs, and went into my place. I didn’t bother locking the door.

I got a glass and my bottle of whisky.

I sat down at the kitchen table.

I dialed Tony’s number while I poured myself a drink.

“Owen,” he said, answering the phone. I could hear the smugness in his voice. The asshole thought he had won. “Good to hear from you.”

“Think you can make a house call?” I asked him.

“Maybe.”

“It’s important. I need to talk.”

He paused. “I can be there in a half hour.”

“Fine. That’s good.”

“I’m glad you came around, kid. You’re making the right choice.”

“I think so too, Tony.”

“See you.” He hung up the phone.

I hung up mine and leaned back in my chair, sipping my drink.

I couldn’t begin to guess how this would go down. Tony might flip shit and try to kill me, or maybe he would calmly leave and tell his superiors about it. Or maybe he’d just let me go and we’d be finished with all this.

I had no clue. That uncertainty drove me nuts, but I did know one thing: I wasn’t backing down, and I never would, not ever again.

I would never do another man’s bidding against my own will ever again.

I sat at the table, nursing my drink and playing through the conversation in my mind. I kept seeing the worst-case scenarios, and my anxiety kept building. I slammed back my drink and felt the warmth spread from my stomach. I poured another one and sipped it, trying to make myself relax.

I watched the clock slowly tick by. Soon, it was time for him to show up, but there was still no knock at the door.

I closed my eyes and finished my second drink. I poured a third and thought about why I was doing this.

I was changing for the better. I was becoming a better man. I just had to get out from under the mafia and then I could move on.

But that wasn’t the truth. I realized it then in that moment, powerfully and clearly. I wasn’t doing this for myself.

I was doing this for Taylor.

I couldn’t let her be with a man who was owned by the mafia. She deserved better than that, and I wanted to become better for her. That was what this was all about in the end.

I wanted to be the man Taylor deserved.

There was a knock at the door, clear and insistent. I stood up, feeling a new wave of resolve wash over me. I walked over to the door and opened it.

Tony looked in at me. “Okay, I’m here,” he said. “Why did you make me come all the way down to South Philly for this?”

“Come in,” I said.

He followed me in and smiled at the bottle on the table. “Drinking?”

“Have one.” I grabbed him a glass.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

We sat across from each other. He poured himself a shot and knocked it back before pouring himself a second.

“We need to talk,” I started.

“No shit. Can we skip the foreplay?” He glanced at his watch. “I have places to be.”

“This won’t take long.” I took my phone from my pocket. “You’re going to call your bosses and you’re going to stop fucking bothering me.”

He smiled. “Nah. Is that all?”

“Listen.” I hit play on the sound file.

I watched Tony’s face as he listened to his own muffled voice talking to Taylor. He went from mildly amused to confused to angry over the course of the two-minute recording.

“What the fuck is that?” he demanded when it finished.

“Should I play it again?”

“No. Don’t play it again, you fucking idiot.” He finished his drink and poured another. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You say some shit in that recording that I bet you don’t want out.”

He looked at me for a second and then burst out laughing. “Hot damn, Rack. I didn’t expect this.”

“You’re going to leave me alone, or I’m going to send my story to a journalist. Taylor will corroborate me and so will this recording.

Tony shook his head. “No. That won’t happen. We’ll just kill you.”

“My lawyer has a copy. If anything happens to me or Taylor, he releases it, along with your name and information.”

“You’re fucking serious, aren’t you?”

“Very serious.”

“Fucking hell, Rack.” He shook his head. “This simply won’t do.”

“You have my proposal. Make your decision. I’ll take your guys down or you let me go.”

“You can’t take us down,” he said, laughing. “We’re the fucking mafia.”

“Maybe not, but I bet I’ll cause you guys a lot of problems and lose you a lot of money.”

He processed that for a second, and slowly I could see his surprised amusement turn into anger.

“Listen to me, you little punk,” he said. “I’ve been nice to you, a lot nicer than a lot of guys in my position would be. I’m done being nice. You do what we ask, or I will ruin your career, torch your grandmother, and fuck your pretty little girlfriend with a knife until she bleeds to death. Understand?” He stood up.

I stood up along with him. “You’re making a mistake,” I said.

He walked toward the door. “You dumb fuck.”

“Don’t test me, Tony. I’m done with you fucking pricks.”

He stopped and turned toward me. “Did that dumb bitch put you up to this?” He shook his head, amazed. “Before her, you were a decent guy. That fucking whore destroyed you.”

“Don’t talk about her that way.” I stepped toward him.

“Or what?” he said, laughing. “She’s a fucking herpes slut. She sucks donkey cock for change. She’s fucking worthless, and so are you.”

I punched him in the jaw. There was no thought in my mind but blinding, dark rage. I punched him so hard that his head snapped back and I heard his jaw crack. He stumbled backward and moved to come back at me, but I was already moving.

I punched him again in the face and then took him by the jaw and slammed him back into the wall. I smashed his head backward. He tried to knee me and punch me, but he was already too weak.

I was blinded with red rage. I beat him over and over before throwing him to the ground. I realized that I was bigger than him, stronger than him, and it was Tony who should be afraid of me.

I released all of my pent-up anger and rage on him in that moment. I beat him within an inch of his life, his face broken and bleeding, some of his teeth snapped from his skull. I shoved his face into the floor and got down on my knees next to him to whisper into this ear.

“We’re done,” I said. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” he groaned. “Okay. You’re not worth it.”

“Good.”

I released him. He rolled onto his back and spit out blood, groaning.

“Get the fuck out,” I said.

He slowly got to his feet, opened the door, and left without a word.

That had felt so fucking good. Maybe it had been stupid, but I knew it was the right thing. Tony needed to get his ass beat, and he needed to know that I wasn’t fucking around.

As I stood there, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Tony was going to let me go. I knew they had other guys and still would, but they were going to leave me alone. I wasn’t worth it.

I was a free man.

Feeling elated, I called for a car. It showed up ten minutes later. I got in and told them to take me to Taylor’s address.

The whole car ride over, I just kept thinking about my fist smashing into that asshole’s face. My knuckles were bruised, but I should have done that weeks ago. I should have beaten his ass the second I first met him. I should have killed him.

I took a deep breath. There was no need for that. It was over.

The car pulled up out front. I climbed out and rang her apartment.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me.”

She buzzed me up right away.

I felt like I was floating as I walked up the stairs and headed toward her apartment. The door was already open, and she was coming toward me down the hall

“Owen?”

“It’s done.”

I threw my arms around her as she ran to me. I grabbed her and pulled her close, feeling her body pressed up against mine.

“It’s over,” I said in her ear. “I love you.”

She kissed me hard, so hard that my lip nearly bled, but I loved it. It was exactly what I needed. She didn’t have to say it back. I knew what she felt.

I loved her. I’d been falling in love with her since the moment we first met. I had known she was the one the second I saw her, and every second I was around her just confirmed that belief. She was right for me, and she made me better.

That was love. It lifted you up, made you stronger, made you want to move past all the petty differences we had in this world. Love made you want to transcend and improve.

Our kiss slowly broke apart. “I love you too.”

“I know you do.”

We walked down the hall together, hand in hand, and went into her apartment.