The sewers reeked of decay and desperation. Aria's boots sloshed through murky water, the echo of black ops helicopters fading above as Kael led her deeper into the labyrinth. His broad shoulders blocked the dim glow of his flashlight, casting her in shadow. Men are anchors,she reminded herself, gripping the knife hidden in her sleeve. They'll drag you down to drown.
"Keep up, little mouse." Kael's voice bounced off moss-caked walls. "Unless you want to become government target practice."
She slowed deliberately. "Why do you care?"
He stopped so suddenly she nearly collided with him. When he turned, his mismatched eyes glinted like broken glass. "Your father owed me a debt." His thumb brushed the scar on his throat. "Now you'll pay it."
Aria's pulse spiked. "I don't owe you shit."
Kael's laugh was a dark, dangerous thing. He resumed walking. "We'll see."
The tunnel opened into a cavernous chamber vibrating with bass. Neon lights stained the air crimson as cheers erupted overhead. Aria froze at the base of rusted stairs leading up to a steel door.
"Welcome to the Crimson Cage," Kael said, stripping off his soaked Henley. Muscle rippled beneath ink-black tattoos—a snarling wolf on his chest, barbed wire around his biceps. Aria's traitorous gaze traced the scars crisscrossing his abdomen before she forced herself to look away.
"You fight here?" She injected venom into the words.
"I rule here." He smeared blood across his cheekbones like war paint. "Stay close. Or don't—I enjoy chasing you."
The door exploded into sound. Hundreds of rabid fans packed the underground arena, their screams shaking the chain-link cage at its center. Kael ascended a scaffold draped in black velvet, arms raised as the crowd chanted GHOST! GHOST! GHOST!*
Aria melted into the shadows, watching. Always watching.
A shirtless bookkeeper materialized beside her, reeking of cigar smoke. "Betting's closed, sweetheart. Ghost already gutted his last opponent in two minutes."
She stared at the man's gold-capped teeth. "I don't gamble with animals."
His laugh sprayed spittle. "Honey, that's not a man—it's a weapon with a pulse."
The lights dimmed. Kael stepped into the cage wearing only low-slung sweatpants, his body gleaming under spotlights. Across the ring loomed a mountain of muscle—seven feet tall, knuckles dragging the floor.
"TONIGHT'S MAIN EVENT!" The announcer's voice crackled. "THE BEAST OF BAYVIEW VERSUS YOUR REIGNING CHAMPION—THE GHOOOOOST!"
The bell clanged.
Beast charged. Kael stood motionless.
Aria's nails bit her palms. Why isn't he moving?
At the last second, Kael pivoted. His elbow smashed into Beast's trachea. The giant crashed into the cage wall, rattling the chain links.
"Pathetic," Kael taunted, circling his wheezing opponent. "I've seen infants hit harder."
The crowd roared. Beast swung a meaty fist. Kael ducked, sweeping the giant's legs. When Beast fell, Kael mounted him, fists rising and falling in a brutal rhythm. Blood sprayed.
Aria's stomach churned. This isn't fighting—it's slaughter.
Kael's strikes slowed. He leaned close, whispering something that made Beast's remaining eye widen in terror. With a roar, the giant bucked him off.
The fight transformed.
Kael stopped dodging. Took punches that cracked ribs. Laughed when blood streamed from his split lip.
"Yes!" he growled as Beast's fist shattered his nose. "Finally someone who hurts!"
Aria's breath hitched. There was something wrong in his eyes—a feral hunger that transcended survival.
Beast aimed a stomp at Kael's skull. Kael caught the foot and twisted. Bone snapped.
"More," Kael demanded, rising on unsteady legs. "Give me more!"
The crowd's cheers turned uneasy. Aria pushed through bodies toward the cage.
"Yield!" she shouted, gripping the chain links.
Kael's head snapped toward her. For a heartbeat, the madness cleared. Then Beast tackled him.
They crashed through the cage door, rolling into the crowd. Kael ended up pinned beneath a concession table, broken bottles digging into his back. Beast raised a jagged shard of glass.
Aria moved without thinking.
Her knife found Beast's kidney. He collapsed. Silence fell.
Kael stared up at her, chest heaving. "You… saved me?"
She wiped her blade on his sweatpants. "I hate messes."
His laugh turned into a wet cough. "Liar."
As medics dragged Beast away, Kael gripped Aria's wrist. His thumb found her racing pulse. "You want to know why I tried saving your father?"
She jerked back. "Don't."
He stood, blood dripping down his abs. "He uncovered something. Something worse than government corruption." Leaning close, he breathed the words into her ear. "They didn't just kill him, Lena. They replaced him."
Ice flooded her veins. No one knows that name.
The pocket watch burned against her thigh—the one he'd returned, the one she'd kept hidden for years. When she looked up, Kael was gone.
Aria finds Kael's locker. Inside: surveillance photos of her from the past six months… and a bloodstained file labeled PROJECT DOLLHOUSE—SUBJECT: LENA BLACKWOOD.