They Sent Me to Prison to Break Me—But I Was Their Worst Nightmare

The Warden's Gambit

As Brody's massive fist cut through the air, Maya didn't flinch. At the very last microsecond, she slipped inside his guard, letting the punch graze her shoulder. Using his own forward momentum, she grabbed his wrist, pivoted her hips, and drove her elbow directly into his exposed ribs. A sickening crack echoed through the yard, followed by Brody's sharp gasp of pain. The crowd's cheering instantly died, replaced by a stunned, collective silence.

Brody stumbled back, his eyes flaring with humiliated rage. He spat blood onto the concrete and charged again, abandoning all form in favor of raw, brutal force. He tried to tackle her to the ground, but Maya was already moving. She stepped aside, grabbed his collar, and executed a perfect sweep. The three-hundred-pound giant went airborne before crashing heavily onto the concrete, the impact knocking the wind completely out of him. Before he could roll over, Maya pinned his arm behind his back, her knee pressed firmly into his neck.

"Who paid you to target me, Brody?" Maya whispered, her voice like ice. "Tell me, or I'll snap this arm like a twig."

Brody grimaced, his bravado entirely shattered. "The... the warden," he choked out. "Henderson said he'd clear my debt if I took you out." Before Maya could process the revelation, the heavy metal doors of the yard burst open. Warden Henderson himself strode out, flanked by a dozen heavily armed guards in riot gear. A sinister smile played on the warden's lips as his guards surrounded Maya, their rifles aimed directly at her chest. It was a trap within a trap, and Maya was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.