She sprang to her feet and pivoted toward the center of the circle. Sam recovered from his miss, spun around and charged her again, his joust lower this time, aiming at her chest. Lara waited until the last second and jumped left. She twisted in the air and jabbed her weapon into his kidney. He moaned softly, a sound no one heard but her.
In the background, the commentator’s voice and the shouting of the audience blended into a muffled roar, like a train in the distance.
Switching tactics, Sam came at her more slowly, joust lengthwise across his chest. Knowing she would take a hit, Lara leapt and aimed for his carotid artery with the jabbing end of her weapon. She nailed him a split second before he broadsided her with his pole. Lara went down, chest aching from the blow and loss of air. She scrambled to the right, hoping to stay out of his reach.
The strike to his neck stunned him momentarily, but he was soon coming for her again. Lara scrambled to her feet but couldn’t get out of the way of his next blow. His joust hit her in the chest again, knocking her on her ass only a few feet from the edge of the platform. Lara tried to roll out of harm’s way, but he caught her with the jabbing end and pushed her to within inches of the edge.
She couldn’t scramble away without going over. Panicked and infuriated with herself, she swung her weapon at his, hoping to knock it from his hands. When her joust hit Sam’s, a shock of electricity zapped them both. Fuck! The crowd gasped, and she gritted her teeth against the intense and unexpected pain. The Battle had never used shock in the weapons before. Being on the ground, Lara took less of a charge. In the moment it took Sam to recover his bearings, she sprang from the mat and landed a jabbing blow to his sternum.
She spun and leapt again, ramming the round end of her weapon just under his jaw where the carotid sinus met the vagus nerves. The crowd roared in surprise and approval, and Lara sensed movement, as though spectators had sprung to their feet. She kept her eyes on her opponent. Sam’s arms dropped below his waist as blood drained from his brain and his heart rate slowed. He staggered forward, eyes glazed over in shock. The audience made gasping noises, then went silent. Lara willed the big man to faint or drop to his knees. If she had hit him with her fist instead of the padded joust, he’d be on the ground by now. Lara sucked in oxygen and waited.
She considered going in for another blow but it didn’t seem sporting, and the crowd might hold it against her. All she needed was to still be standing when the gong sounded again. How much time was left?
Sam shook his head and gulped in air. Lara circled him to keep him off balance. After a moment, he charged at her, but with little speed, like a man who’d had too much to drink. She outmaneuvered his jabs and came in behind him. With a powerful thrust, Lara rammed her joust into the back of his left knee. He buckled and dropped forward just as the gong sounded.
Relief washed over her. She was still standing, and the big man was on the mat. Would the judges give her the match even though she’d been dominated for a moment and pushed to the edge? Audience members high in the bleachers began to shout her name. Lara turned and saw a group of young men standing. Joy flooded her like an intake of helium and she felt like she was floating. She smiled at the group of fans and gave a small wave. More spectators joined the chant.
After a minute, the announcer’s voice cut through the noise of the crowd. “That was a hell of an opening match! The electrical shock component is new to the tournament this year, and it kept underdog Lara Evans in the game. I think she’s a winner, but we’ll see what the judges say.”
The announcer kept up his chatter, but Lara couldn’t focus on it. Sam had climbed to his feet, and she approached him with a wary eye. Last year, the contestant from Idaho had attacked his opponent after the match was called against him. As she neared Sam, she held out her hand for a fist bump. He sportingly responded and the crowd cheered.
Lara backed away, pain spreading through her chest as the adrenaline wore off and the bruising began. She did her best to ignore it and kept smiling for the crowd as the platform lowered to the ground.
In silence, they waited for the judges’ decision. Lara’s joints felt stiff with tension, as if they would snap if she moved.
Finally, the announcer said, “The judges have unanimously called the match for Lara Evans of Oregon! She earns 50 points for winning and advances in the tournament. Now let’s see what the viewers have awarded her.”
After an unbearable wait, he said, “Another 22 points out of a possible 25 from the voters. Stunning! Congratulations, Lara, you’re in second place for now.”
Joy and pride overwhelmed her as Lara looked up at the scoreboard, now flashing her new totaclass="underline" 186. The young man in black rushed out of the judges’ box again. He took her weapon and raised her arm in victory. The thunder of the crowd and the sense of triumph were new to Lara. The moment engulfed her and made her uncomfortable. She wanted to take her victory and run.
When the attendant finally let go of her arm and left the circle, Lara bowed to the audience, then jogged toward the locker room. She knew she would face another round of camera interviews, but she was eager to get back to her hotel and make a few contacts. Jackson came to mind first, but then she realized she wanted to see Caden and share her joyous moment with him. He was just a one-night stand, she corrected. No point in thinking about him.
Lara passed through the empty locker room, grabbed her bag, and headed into the lobby. Minda and Serena were taping another session for the viewers, and a small crowd of contestants and spectators had gathered around them. The co-host signaled Lara to come over. As she approached, Minda made an announcement:
“After reviewing the footage of yesterday’s Puzzle rounds, our behind-the-scenes experts think Jodie Hansen may have received advance information, which is strictly forbidden.” She paused for dramatic effect. “So we’ve asked Jodie to complete the Puzzle again in a different cube. Without proof of wrongdoing, we’ll combine her times from the two efforts and credit her with the average. She’ll have to complete the second Puzzle before advancing to the Battle. We’ll update you soon with more information.”
The Puzzle winner had cheated! But who had given her the information? And why? Lara vibrated with excitement. If Jodie didn’t do as well in her second round, her average time would be longer and Lara might end up the winner. The extra points would put her in the lead.
Minda’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Here’s Lara Evans now, just emerging from an amazing victory over Sam Duggar of Texas. How did you pull that off?”
“I’m not sure. Speed and luck mostly.”
“What about the next round of the Battle? Do you think you’ll be one of the three contestants to enter the Obstacle?”
“Why not? I’ve made it this far.”
The interview went on, and Lara tried to say all the right things, sounding both humble and confident at the same time. She repeated the performance for two broadcast reporters and a writer from an online sports magazine. When she finally broke free of well-wishers, Lara strode out the main doors to catch a shuttle to the hotel.
Detective Caden Harper was parked out front, waiting for her.
Chapter 28
Caden reluctantly climbed out of Lara’s bed and dressed to leave. Every fiber in his body wanted to stay and keep her safe from the assailant, yet he knew the best way to protect both her and the commissioner was to find the perp. He couldn’t do that from a hotel room and he’d already spent too much time here.