Brad’s ego screamed at him to fight out of it. He gritted his teeth and tried to rip his arm free by pure force.
Maya shifted her weight just a fraction of an inch, tightening the torsion on his shoulder joint.
A sharp, agonizing spike of pain shot through Brad’s collarbone. The reality of his physical vulnerability suddenly overriding his pride, he frantically slapped the mat with his free hand.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
The second he tapped, Maya instantly released the lock. She stood up fluidly, untangling herself from him without a single wasted motion, and walked back to her starting corner. She kept her hands up, her eyes locked on his chest, waiting to see if he would honor the tap or try a cheap shot.
Brad stayed on the mat, clutching his right shoulder, panting heavily.
The gym remained dead silent. The heavy bags had stopped swinging. The treadmills in the back had been turned off. Every fighter, every trainer, every amateur in the building was staring through the chainlink fence.
Brad slowly got to his knees. The sting of the physical pain was nothing compared to the absolute, crushing humiliation burning in his chest. He looked at his three friends, who were now awkwardly looking at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at him.
“What the hell was that?” Brad yelled, pointing a trembling, taped finger at Maya. He turned his fury toward the edge of the cage. “Vic! Who is this crazy bitch? She tried to snap my arm in a sparring session!”
“You threw a kill-shot at her head, Brad,” Vic said calmly, picking up a white towel and throwing it over his shoulder. “She gave you a lesson in physics. You should be thanking her for not actually breaking it.”
“I’m the star prospect of this gym!” Brad roared, climbing to his feet and storming toward the cage door. He shoved it open, ignoring Maya completely now that he was safe from her grip. “I bring the cameras in here! I bring the money in here! You let some random housewife walk off the street and assault me on the elite mat?”
“You challenged her,” Vic replied, entirely unmoved by the tantrum.
Before Brad could scream another excuse, the heavy metal door at the top of the gym’s wooden bleachers banged open.
A man in a sharp, tailored navy suit and polished Italian loafers began descending the stairs, his face tight with anger. It was Damon Vance, Brad’s manager, sponsor, and the man who effectively subsidized half the rent of Apex Combat Academy. He held a smartphone tightly in one hand, having clearly watched the disaster unfold from the VIP viewing balcony above.
“What exactly is going on down here, Vic?” Damon demanded, his expensive shoes clicking sharply against the concrete as he approached the cage.
Damon didn’t look at Maya. He looked straight at the old coach, his expression dripping with corporate authority and condescension.
“Just a little sparring, Damon,” Vic said mildly.
“My fighter has a regional title bout in six weeks,” Damon snapped, pointing a manicured finger at Brad, who was currently pouting against the fence. “He’s the only reason this rusted-out warehouse of a gym hasn't been foreclosed on by the bank. And you let some off-the-street amateur nearly tear his rotator cuff?”
Inside the cage, Maya quietly peeled the velcro straps off her four-ounce gloves. She slipped them off, tucking them under her left arm. She walked out of the cage door, stepping directly past Damon and Brad without acknowledging either of them.
She walked back to her worn, faded duffel bag resting by the heavy bags.
“Hey!” Damon barked, turning toward her. “I’m talking to you. You don’t walk away when I’m talking.”
Maya stopped. She didn't turn around right away. She simply knelt beside her bag and unzipped the main compartment. Inside was a collection of frayed athletic tape, an old jump rope, and a heavily scuffed leather mouthguard case.
“You better find out who she is, Vic,” Damon sneered, turning back to the coach. “Because I’m having my lawyer draft an assault claim. If Brad’s shoulder is compromised, I will sue her for lost wages, and I’ll pull every dime of funding I give to this academy. She’s banned. As of right now, she is permanently banned from this facility.”