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“Apologize to her.”

“I’m s-s-sorry,” Garret stammered, his head hanging.

“No.” Takeshi jerked Garret’s head up, forcing him to meet Khalani’s gaze. “Lookat her when you apologize.”

Garret’s lips trembled as a drop of blood fell from his nose. He choked out, “I’m sorry.”

Khalani crossed her arms, staring down at him likehewas the parasite. “You better not touch any girl like that again without their permission.”

Garret nodded vigorously, sighing in relief.

But then, Takeshi hauled Garret by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to the center of the ring and tossing him to the ground like a useless rag. Garret scrambled to his feet, pure dread in his eyes as Takeshi marched toward him.

“What are you doing? She accepted my apology!”

“She did.” Takeshi wiped his lips. “But I didn’t.”

Garret’s eyes widened as Takeshi launched at him like a bullet. Khalani could barely follow the movement as Takeshi struck him in the face, chest, and ribs. Garret flailed, uselessly attempting to defend himself as Takeshi moved like a phantom.

Eventually, he curled into a ball, crying and covering his head.

But Takeshi’s wrath was far from quenched.

He moved behind Garret, circling his chest with one arm and wrenching his wrist out to the side.

The same arm Garret used to slap her.

With a savage pull, Takeshi hyperextended Garret’s arm behind his back, eliciting a scream of pure agony.

“That’s enough, Steele! You proved your point,” Patreus yelled.

Takeshi didn’t seem to hear him and kept pulling like he was about to rip his arm clean off.

The sound of a gun cocking filtered through the stiff air, and everyone froze as Patreus pointed a pistol at Takeshi.Hergun.

“STOP.”

It wasn’t Patreus that yelled.

It was her.

She didn’t know if it was her voice or the gun pointed at Takeshi’s head that stopped him, but Takeshi released Garret, who collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder.

Takeshi’s chest heaved with each breath, and he didn’t even flinch at the loaded gun aimed at him. His black gaze turned to Khalani, brimming with resentment and vitriol.

“I’m done for the day,” Takeshi hissed. “If you want him to stay alive,” he gestured toward Garret, still writhing on the ground, “keep him away from me.”

With that, he walked past Patreus, who clutched the gun so tight, she thought it might break.

Everyone held still, afraid to move a muscle.

But Patreus quickly regained his composure, glaring at the trainees.

“What are you all staring at? Back to work! Pair off for fighting exercises. Garret, stop crying like a littlebitch.”

No one initially moved but then he yelled, “Now!”

Khalani quickly seized the moment to escape. She gathered the dirty clothes on the ground, ignoring the wayward stares, and anxiously made her way back to her cleaning duties.