The roar of the crowd shook the arena like a living thing.
Kairo Blackwell stood in the center of the ring, sweat dripping down his spine, blood blooming at the corner of his mouth. The lights were blinding, the noise deafening but inside him, there was only silence.
This was where he belonged.
Pain made sense here. Violence had rules.
The bell rang.His opponent lunged.
Kairo moved on instinct—duck, pivot, strike. His fist connected with bone, and the impact sent a thrill through his arm. The crowd screamed his name as the other man staggered back. Three punches. Clean. Brutal.The champion fell.Knockout!
The arena erupted.Kairo barely reacted.
He raised his hands because that was what was expected of him. Billionaire boxer. Undefeated. Untouchable.
But as he stepped down from the ring, his security team closed in fast too fast.
"Threat confirmed," someone muttered into an earpiece.Kairo frowned. "What threat?"
That was when he saw her.
She stood near the tunnel entrance, dressed in black tactical attire not flashy, not feminine, not trying to impress anyone. Her hair was pulled back tight, eyes sharp and scanning, hand resting near a concealed weapon.
She didn't look at him like a fan. She looked at him like a liability.
And that annoyed him more than it should have.
"Who the hell is she?" Kairo asked.
His head of security leaned in. "Your new private bodyguard. Naya Cross."
She finally met his eyes.No awe. No curiosity.
Just assessment.
Like she was already measuring how hard it would be to keep him alive.
Later that night, in the private locker room, Kairo peeled off his wraps and winced.
"Sit still."
Her voice was calm. Controlled.
He looked up. "I didn't say you could touch me."
She met his glare without blinking. "You hired me to protect you. Hard to do that if you bleed out."She cleaned the cut with professional precision.
Her hands were steady.
Military steady.
"You always this bossy?" he muttered.
"Only with men who think money makes them invincible."That earned a sharp laugh from himunexpected and real.
"Interesting," he said. "You don't seem impressed."
She tied off the bandage. "I don't get paid to be impressed."Their eyes locked.
Something unspoken flickered between them dangerous, electric.
Kairo felt it immediately. And it terrified him more than any opponent ever had.
Because for the first time in years…
Someone had gotten close enough to hurt him.