Page 79 of Shifting Gears

His eyes narrowed as he glanced at me from over his shoulder.

Quick little bitch.

Round one became a goddamn dance. A show of me pressing my attack, throwing calculated combos and him looking like he was taking the hit, but they weren’t doing the damage they should be. It was like he was letting me burn energy and wear myself down without him breaking a sweat. His defense wasn’t flashy; it was textbook perfect.

I managed to graze his shoulder with a glancing hook, and the crowd roared like I’d dropped him. Their desire for one of us to make the other bleed fed into my movements, tightening my fists, sharpening my focus.

I adjusted. Changed angles and threw a sharp shovel hook to the liver—one of my best shots.

Koroshi tilted, letting it roll off his hip with barely a wince. But he acted like I’d slammed him into a concrete wall.

Motherfucker!

He wasn’t countering much. He didn’thaveto. He let me swing. Let me sweat. Let mechasehim. And each time, he made it look like I had been landing solid hits while still not really taking the brunt of them.

I didn’t know what he was playing at, but I was done with his games.

I rushed him, throwing a flurry of blows. A high jab to mask a low gut punch, then a fake-out uppercut, followed by an overhand right. Mixing my moves, speed, and angles.

He danced back, thinking he was going to be able to slip out of my reach once more.

Not this time.

I caught the rhythm of the way he moved. I wasn’t only swinging to land a hit; I was observing his natural behavior. He would dodge, pivot, half step—then rinse and repeat.

I lunged forward, faking a right cross, and when he shifted sideways, I drove a brutal left elbow toward his ribs.

Crack!

Ifeltthe hit this time. And it was solid and heavy.

He staggered half a step.

The crowd shouted and gasped as he fell to his knee.

Got you that time.

The ref stepped in to end the first round, and I jumped back, keeping my eyes on Koroshi.

His eyes showed no emotions as he looked up at me. He straightened up this time, turning slightly. His fist curled, and that was when I knew that I had broken through that cold exterior and pissed him off.

Finally taking this seriously, huh? About damn time.

I walked over to the gate that Sydney was standing at, and she offered me water and a towel. I used the towel on my forehead and handed it back to her, refusing the water.

“Are you all right? I saw those hits he landed. They really seemed to hit some tender spots.”

I shrugged. “Nothing I couldn’t work through. He is quick, but there’s something weird going on,” I said as I leaned against the wall, glancing across the ring at him.

“Weird how?” Sydney asked in a hushed tone.

“Not sure yet. It feels like I’m not actually hitting the guy, even though it looks like I am. It just feels off,” I said.

Sydney peered around me to look at Koroshi. Her eyes narrowed as a frown formed on her face. Hopefully, she was going to be watching him even closer this round.

“Be careful. It won’t take too much longer, I think,” she said as she turned her head toward the front entrance.

I knew she meant for the cops to show. I nodded and then gave her a smirk as the ref walked into the middle of the ring once more.

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