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“I’ve always had a fondness for sharp things,” he mused, pulling a single blade from the sleeve. He took the silver blade gingerly between his fingertips. I felt okay for a second too long as he moved quickly to my face and put the blade where I felt it against my neck.
“As I was saying. Jalik has one chance to do the right thing. When my guy steps into that ring with him tomorrow, he’s going to throw the match. He better. I’d hate to have to make a carving of such a pretty face.”
JALIK
Ijust wouldn’t think about her.
I held my gloved hands up high, elbows in, rocking the swinging bag back and forth in a peaceful rhythm. With each knock of the bag, I felt my pulse slow.
I would be steady. I would be focused. But above all else, I wouldn’t think about her.
In truth, I couldn’t afford to. I got lucky the night before that Ratuka didn’t pummel me into next week. To think at that brief moment, my ears thought they heard her voice. It was all he needed to send me back on my ass.
Years of training, and a lifetime of fighting, were nothing to the injured mind. If I wasn’t careful, Serena would become my tell. My weakness.
“Nice form, Jalik,” Thelev said, coming into my sparring gym. “You seem to be a little more centered today.”
Since he mentioned it, I realized I was. What was different about this day? Was I getting over her, or was I finally regaining control over myself?
“I know what it is,” Thelev said, looking around the room. “It’s quiet here today.” He was right. It was quiet.
Too quiet.
“Why aren’t they practicing today?” I said out loud. I didn’t expect Thelev to answer me, but I stepped out of the gym to the practice stage beyond the hall.
The band was there, holding their instruments askew and laughing together without their band leader.
“Hey!” I called them to rapt attention. “Where is she? Where is Serena?”
The trombone player stood up. “She didn’t come in for rehearsal. We don’t get paid if we don’t play, so we’re hanging around and hoping she’ll show.”
“But she didn’t cancel?”
“No, not that we know of.”
Things didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like Serena to miss anything. Even in the short time she’d been there, she’d been a dedicated professional. It didn’t add up.
Thelev shot me a curious look, grabbing his percomm to contact the others. “Draven, any sign of Serena today?”
I heard his voice through the comm. “No, not today.”
“I think something’s up.”
“Me, too. Jalik, I’m going to go to Sakkar at the security office and see if there’s any video feed of her last whereabouts.” Thelev left me standing there with the confused twenty-piece band.
I started to feel guilty. Somewhere in my brain, I convinced myself that the championship was my priority now that she was safe. But something told me I’d fucked up in more ways than one. I might have planned to make things up to her after the fights were over, but if I didn’t find her, there’d be nothing to fix.
I panicked, and that worry became my new focus. As much as I told myself I wouldn’t let her consume my thoughts, I was already running details through my mind and looking for answers that weren’t there.
I heard footsteps heading in my direction. My breath quickened, hoping it was a mistake and she’d come into the room laughing at us.
But that didn’t happen.
The doors burst open and Sampson, one of my surveillance guards, ran into the room with Sakkar right behind him.
“We spotted her on the sensors.” He pulled up his percomm in his hand with the previous night’s surveillance footage.
It was all there right in front of my eyes. Serena and her stylist entered her dressing room. A flicker. Then nothing. I leaned closer, thinking I spotted something interesting in the background.
