The crowd gasped.
“Did she just—”
“She hit him!”
Laura didn’t give him time to recover. Another strike to his ribs. Quick jab to his side. She wasn’t trying to knock him out with one blow. She was cutting him down piece by piece.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice came out breathless but steady. “Can’t hit what you can’t catch?”
A vein pulsed in Garrick’s temple. His jaw clenched so hard she could hear his teeth grinding.
He came at her again—faster this time, more aggressive. But also sloppier.
Laura spun behind him, using his own momentum against him. He lurched forward, arms windmilling as he tried to catch his balance.
Just for a second.
But a second was all she needed.
“Not so easy now, is it?” She couldn’t help the smirk that pulled at her split lip.
“Fight properly!” Garrick’s con
