Page 94 of Celestial Combat

Kali scoffed, arms folding in defiance. “I just got here.”

Tony looked up then, finally noticing me. He smirked, dragging on his cigarette one last time before flicking it to the pavement and grinding it out with his heel. “Good luck,” he murmured to Kali, voice amused before he opened the door of the red Ferrari parked right at the starting line beside hers – sleek and arrogant, just like him.

Of course that’s what his Italian ass would drive.

I turned back to Kali.

I exhaled slowly. A controlled breath. Holding myself back. She had no idea how thin she was stretching my patience.

“I’m not gonna ask again.”

She smirked, loving every damn second of this.

“You work for me now,” She reminded, tipping her chin up slightly. “You go where I go, remember?”

I smirked right back, finding it hilarious that she thought that would hurt my ego. I deserved more credit than that.

Leaning in, my voice was low, deliberate. “Doesn’t mean you do whatever the hell you want.”

Kali grinned. Slow, wicked. Like she was baiting me. “Relax, tough guy. I’m just here for a little fun.”

I stepped closer, cutting the space between us, so close I could smell her – vanilla, leather, and cherry blossoms.

“We’re leaving.”

Something flickered in her eyes. A split second of something deeper before she masked it again.

Then – she leaned in.

Close enough that I felt the brush of her breath against my jaw, her lips just inches away from my skin.

My head buzzed.

“Then stop me,” She whispered

A muscle in my jaw ticked.

Everything about this moment was wrong.

Too close.

Too much.

And yet – I didn’t step back.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself to exhale slowly.

The sharp shatter of breaking glass cut through the night air. It wasn’t close – not close enough to be a threat – but my head still turned on instinct, forcing me to assess my surroundings, scanning the chaotic blur of the crowd.

I turned back to Kali, eyes locking onto the sleek lines of the deep metallic blue Porsche GT3 RS, the modified body reflecting streaks of green and red neon from the cars around it.

It was too late.

Engines roared to life, drowning out the music, the shouting, the conversations happening around me.

Somewhere in the chaos, a voice called out, counting down, but my focus was already locked on her.

The flag dropped.

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