Page 156 of Cavern of Silence

Cold surrounds me.

"Maureen?"

She doesn't answer.

"Maureen," I yell again.

But the coldness only digs into my bones, and my shouting echoes against the walls. I throw the tray at the metal door and the contents go flying everywhere.

I pace my cell, replaying our conversation, hoping for the millionth time since being held captive that I'm not hallucinating.

Maureen has always been right.

Any message she gave me turned out to be true.

If it wasn't her and my mind is playing tricks on me, one wrong move and Julieta could die.

I pull at my hair. "Argh!"

For hours, I stretch, and pace, then stretch some more, waiting for Jonas's thug to lead me to the ring, trying to ignore the throbbing in my ribs.

And I wonder who Maureen was talking about.

When the door finally opens, and I am put on display to show my branded back for the crowd to cheer, I spin and face my opponent.

Louis Couture, my boss with Interpol, stares at me, and I wonder once again if I'm seeing things. The normal suit he wears is nowhere to be seen. He only wears red shorts, similar to my green ones. His shiny bald head, arms, and legs, have scrapes of dried blood on them.

Evandro steps to him. "This man traded our secrets with the President of the United States."

The crowd yells obscenities and boos.

"He tried to get the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to denounce our right to his territory."

He must not know about the Global Leaders.

"He set you up. All of you. It was a trap, spun behind closed doors,"Maureen shouts in my ear."Go straight for his heart."

Louis has the same training I do. He knows all the ways to kill someone on impact and spends several hours a day in the gym, keeping his body fit. And for the first time ever, I see the beast in his eyes.

He has no problem taking me out.

"Place your bets," Evandro yells.

The men who become part of my fan club pat me on the back.

Evandro clears them away and screams, "Fight!"

One advantage of participating in multiple fights is that you start to anticipate your opponents better. I no longer attempt to make the first move. By waiting for them to come at me, I have better control.

But unlike other nights, Louis doesn't rush me. We both wait as the crowd urges us to kill each other.

My fists twitch, and I almost move.

"Patience,"Maureen coaches.

The crowd gets antsier.

Evandro steps between us. "Fight, or your loved ones die!"