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He froze, eyes darting.

I pushed him away and he fell to his knees, then got up again and lunged at me. His knuckles aimed for my throat.

The shot echoed through the space.

He collapsed.

Silence.

Then screaming.

I stood there, shaking, lungs burning, alive.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jase lowering his gun.

I gave him a grateful nod, and took just a moment to breathe.

That was when I knew.

I would never become them.

Not for money.

Not for fear.

Not even for survival.

And as the room exploded into motion, one thought anchored me:

Chloe.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The sound of the gunshot ripped through the speakers.

I jumped out of my chair so fast it rolled back into the wall.

“What the fuck is going on?” I shouted.

My heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest. The room felt too small. Too loud. Every screen was chaos—movement, bodies, flashing lights.

“It’s fine,” Code said sharply into his mic. “Zarek’s standing. He’s upright.”

“That is not fine,” I snapped. “Where is he?”

“In the cage,” Code replied. “But he’s on his feet.”

“Get him the hell out of the fight cage,” I demanded.

There was screaming coming through the audio feed now—shouts, panic, a sound like a hundred voices all trying to occupy the same space. It clawed at my nerves, made it impossible for me to think.

“I need to talk to him,” I said. “Now.”

“Chloe, calm down,” Jase said through the speakers, his voice strained but steady. “I’m getting to him. The cage is locked.”

“Well then unlock it!”

Another voice cut in, too close to the mic, swearing. Metal clanged. Boots hit concrete.