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“You look like you’ve seen a ghost you weren’t expecting, Miss Clay. What is it?”
It was showtime, but I couldn’t tell him that. I scrambled to my feet. “I need to go.”
“What about the baku?”
I stuffed the talisman in my pocket. “I’ll try again later.”
“Not without supervision. It’s too dangerous,” he said.
And so was the next opponent I was about to face.
CHAPTER18
Imanaged to dodge all Kane’s questions as we left the crossroads. I was relieved when I finally arrived at my motorcycle and could escape his inquisition.
I rode as fast as I could to reach the Castle before Albert did. By the time I entered the house, I had a message from Gun to say that he and Dusty were about to be escorted to the private location.
I barely had time to shove a handful of blueberries in my mouth and down a glass of water when I received a text that Albert had arrived. I shook off my nerves and strode to the sedan outside the gate.
Albert offered an encouraging smile. “How are you feeling, champ?”
“Like I’m being arrested and will need to fight my way out of prison.”
His head bobbed. “I can see that.”
I slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. “Do you need to blindfold me?”
“No.” He pressed a button, and all the windows became too tinted to see through, including the driver’s portion.
“Um… This seems problematic,” I said.
He settled against the seat. “It’s like driving on autopilot. The car goes where it needs to go, and nobody’s the wiser.” He glanced at me. “It’s perfectly safe. Mr. Magnarella isn’t going to risk injuring his moneymaker.”
I double-checked my seatbelt and tried to relax.
“It isn’t too far.” He reached into a duffel bag and produced a snack. “Glazed donut?”
“No, thank you.”
He took a generous bite. “I’m rooting for you, Lorelei,” he said, although it was hard to understand him with all the donut in his mouth.
The car finally came to a stop, and Albert walked around to open my door. I was amazed to see we were either inside a building or underground. There were no distinguishing features to note.
“This way,” Albert urged.
I followed him through a doorway to where Dr. Edmonds and Imani awaited me.
He broke into a pleased grin. “There she is. Our future champion.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“He does,” Imani said, unsmiling.
“Albert, please wait outside to escort Miss Clay to the ring.”
Imani handed me a square of folded red material. “You need to change into this. Leave your shoes. You both fight barefoot.”
“Your opponent will be wearing a green version of the same outfit,” Dr. Edmonds added.
