Page 148 of Villainous Intent

“Almost there, Ms. Bishop,” Five said.

I checked my watch. Fifteen minutes until the match. Usually, I’d have been here an hour ago, going through the pre-match publicity routine with Cipher. The late arrival was another piece of the strange puzzle that had formed since yesterday.

Havoc’s behavior was equally perplexing. I’d expected him to forbid me from attending tonight’s match, to rage against Cipher for failing to protect me. Instead, he’d been unnervingly calm, almost distant. When I mentioned the League’s summons for tonight’s appearance, he’d simply nodded.

“Remember,” he said, his voice oddly flat, “the League has different rules.”

The cryptic statement had been rolling around in my mind ever since.

“Shouldn’t we be heading to the prep area?” I asked as Five and Eight guided me toward an elevator instead of the corridor that would lead to Cipher.

Five exchanged a quick glance with Eight before answering. “Cipher requested we take you directly to his box tonight, Ms. Bishop.”

I fell silent, my mind racing. My anger and dread built with each floor we passed. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was the one who’d been attacked, who still wore the bruises. If anyone had the right to be distant, it was me. Was he blaming me for the attack?

That was the only conclusion I’d been able to come to.

Especially since Baron Ash had leaked footage from the tunnels. It had been on the forums and plastered all over the morning programs, altered to cut out any part of the fight, and only show Ash with his hands on me. Strangers had talked about my assault, about how it was going to affect the match today. Like it didn’t matter how it affected me.

Cipher would have seen the footage. He would know that everyone else knew that Ash had tainted me. Someone else had touched his plaything.

Which made me wonder why was I even here? Unless Cipher was being forced to continue the charade of our relationship for my cover.

When we reached the upper level, Five and Eight flanked me again. I moved along with them mechanically, my thoughts churning with unanswered questions and growing frustration.

I entered Cipher’s private box but slowed. The boxes surrounding his should be filled with League members. But they sat empty. The entire section had been cleared, leaving Cipher’s box isolated in a sea of vacant seats.

That couldn’t be right. The match had sold out within minutes. All those boxes should be filled.

Eight and Five positioned themselves at the back of the box, a respectful distance away, but still watchful, as I took my seat. I turned my attention to the arena below, where the crowd roared in anticipation of the match but the emptiness of the surrounding boxes nagged at me. This wasn’t normal. Nothing about this was normal.

“Was Baron Ash’s kill request for the match granted?” I asked suddenly, turning to face them.

Five and Eight exchanged uncomfortable glances. Finally, Eight cleared his throat.

“Yes, Ms. Bishop,” he admitted. “The League approved it yesterday evening.”

“I see.” My voice sounded hollow. I turned back toward the arena, my fingers unconsciously reaching for the bruises hidden beneath my high collar.

I stared at the Nexus, trying to focus on the spectacle rather than the knot of dread tightening in my stomach. The crystalline dome that normally dazzled me with its prismatic light patterns now felt like the lid of a coffin. The combat platform’s white surface gleamed below, soon to be stained with blood. Maybe Cipher’s.

I’d been to dozens of fights here before, but this was different. This was sanctioned murder. The crowd seemed to sense it too. Their cheers and screams sounded ravenous. They wanted carnage, and the League had given them permission to witness it.

The flooring pulsed with subtle light as the technical crew made final adjustments, each flash making my heart stutter. Above, drones hovered like vultures, their lenses ready to capture every moment of the violence about to unfold. The referee platforms seemed like a sick joke. What was there to referee in a death match?

My body tensed when the lights dimmed. My fingernails dug into the armrests as the crowd’s roar intensified. As the announcer’s voice boomed through the sound system, all I could think was: This could be the last time I ever see Cipher alive.

“Welcome to the Nexus!”

The cheers became deafening.

“Making his way to the arena first—the master of fire, the nightmare in human form, BARON ASH!”

Sweat broke out along my skin as flames erupted at the far entrance. The flames seemed to become one mass, forming the silhouette of a man before Baron Ash materialized fully. The crowd erupted, but all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears.

My stomach twisted violently at the sight of him. Those hands had been around my throat just yesterday, squeezing until black spots danced across my vision. Those same hands had pushed up my dress, had pinned me down.

He’s going to kill Cipher.