Arthur didn't say a thing. He had the kind of silence that makes you feel guilty just for breathing. His expression stayed flat. He watched Warren as if he'd been waiting a long time for this.
Warren wiped blood from his lip with his thumb and looked straight at Ryan. "You the leader? That's why these people jumped to save you."
Ryan didn't answer. He didn't need to. His crew had already told the truth without words.
Then it started properly.
Arthur moved first. He didn't shout. He didn't let his anger speak. He moved with the steady, terrifying focus of someone who had folded his life into motion.
Warren met him. The two of them traded blows the way storms trade light and shade. Fists hit flesh. Elbows clipped ribs. They were close enough that their breaths mixed, hot and hard.
Arthur's punches were precise. Not many wasted moves. Each one had a task. Warren's strikes were rougher, more like a battering ram at times.
