The underground fight ring was pulsing with energy as the crowd’s shouts echoed off the concrete walls. JJ Maybank stood in the center of it all, his eyes sharp and focused, the faint glow of a streetlamp above casting shadows across his bruised face. He was used to this—the adrenaline, the raw energy of the crowd, the way his fists flew in a blur of motion. This was his world.

“Last round, Maybank! Finish him!” someone shouted from the back of the crowd, and JJ barely registered it. His opponent was tired, sloppy, desperate. JJ had fought men like him a hundred times, and tonight would be no different. He was about to deliver the final blow when something shifted in the air—like the entire atmosphere had changed.

He caught sight of her in the crowd.

She was standing just a few feet from the edge of the ring, her eyes wide, face painted with a mixture of awe and shock. She wasn’t like the other girls who came here, the ones who were into the violence for all the wrong reasons—looking for a quick thrill, a dangerous kiss, a night of empty adrenaline. No, this girl had something different about her.

He couldn’t help it. His mind wandered for a split second, and in that moment of distraction, his opponent lunged.

JJ’s body reacted before his mind could catch up. He ducked, twisted, and brought his knee up, knocking the guy down with ease. The crowd roared in approval as JJ stepped back, breathing heavily, his knuckles already starting to bruise.

The fight ended with JJ’s opponent down for the count, and the crowd surged in to congratulate him, but JJ barely heard them. His focus was entirely on the girl who had him captivated.

JJ made his way toward the exit, his body sore but his mind elsewhere. He didn’t know why, but he had to know who she was.

The girl was leaning against a brick wall near the alley behind the warehouse, her arms folded, her gaze distant. JJ’s heart was pounding as he walked toward her. He had no idea why he was drawn to her.

“You still here?” he asked, his voice rough from the fight.