Marcello swayed to the side, narrowly dodging Mattia’s blow, and caught his fist mid-swing. Without hesitation, his other hand came around in a sharp slap across Mattia’s face. The strike wasn’t meant to injure it was meant to humiliate.

But Marcello wasn’t finished. His grip on Mattia’s captured hand tightened like an iron shackle, and he drove a punch into him with brutal force. Again. And again. Each time Mattia sagged, Marcello hauled him upright only to slam another blow into ...