Don didn't answer her with words.
He gave it a heartbeat—long enough to steady the tension in his body—then burst forward.
The alloy floor thundered under his step.
Red Star stayed where she was, arms loose at her sides, the faint curl at her lips daring him on. But Don's eyes caught what others would've missed: the microscopic flicks in her thighs, the tightening of tendons at her hip.
Her body was already preparing.
The moment he entered her reach—her leg snapped up.
A brutal vertical kick, fast as a guillotine.
Don's head jerked back just in time, the arc slicing so close he felt the rush of air sting his nose. For a flash, relief—then gone. Her other leg was already in motion, a blur from the ground that whipped sideways.
CRACK—!
Her shin collided against his ribs before his guard could shift. The impact tore through him, a sledgehammer blow that made his chest clench tight. His body lifted and hurled back, no control left.
