The cheers and applause followed them long after the arena emptied.
It felt like a dream,walking away with the belt one last time, paparazzi, reporters shouting questions,questions Kairo didn't answer. His body ached, adrenaline still burning through his veins, but something else unsettled him. A quiet pressure. Like being watched by someone patient enough to wait until the noise died down.
Security moved fast. Too fast.
"Change of route," Naya said into her mic as they entered the underground corridor. Her eyes flicked to a security feed on her wrist screen. "We've got a blind spot coming up."
Kairo frowned. "That wasn't in the plan."
"It is now." The tunnel lights blinked once.
Just once but it was enough.
They made it to the Cars , engines already running, guards in place. As Kairo slid into the back seat, his phone buzzed. Unknown number.He hesitated, then opened it.
A single message appeared.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WIN. YOU'VE JUST MADE YOURSELF VERY USEFUL.His jaw tightened.
"Problem?" Naya asked, sensing the change of mood instantly.
"Maybe," he said, handing her the phone.
She read it. Her expression didn't change but her grip on the device did.
"Delete it," she said. "And don't respond."
The convoy pulled away from the arena, city lights blurring past. For a moment, everything seemed fine.
Then one of the lead SUVs slowed.Too much.
"Why are we stopping?" Kairo asked.
"We're not supposed to," Naya replied, already reaching for her weapon.
The driver's voice crackled over comms. "Control, we've lost visual on Unit Three."
Silence. Then static.
Naya's screen went dark.
At the same time, Kairo's phone buzzed again.
Another message.
YOU CAN'T FIGHT WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE.
WE'LL BE IN TOUCH.
Naya looked out the window, scanning the empty street, her instincts screaming.
"Who are they?" Kairo asked.
She shook her head slowly. "Not the businessmen. Not Raven."
"Then who?"
Before she could answer, the convoy turned a corner and every streetlight ahead went out at once. Darkness swallowed the road.
The car jerked to a halt.
Somewhere in the shadows, something moved.
And the question hung heavy in the air:
Had the fight ever really ended or had it only just begun?