But Jana kept pulling, not releasing her hold on Isra’s cold hand.

“I said, let her go!”

The kick came so suddenly and was so violent that Jana landed on her side. Pain shot through her rib cage.

“I’m not letting go,” she said.

But after the second kick, she had no choice. Her chest was burning and she lost her grip on Isra.

Jana forced herself up on all fours before standing. She heard his dark, rumbling laughter. It filled the calm that spread through her. She had longed for this moment, longed to stand face-to-face with him. There were no rules between them. Just her and him.

She released the knife from her back.

“No weapons,” he said.

When she saw his outstretched, empty hands clench, she dropped the knife. It stuck upright in the pier.

His eyes had narrowed and he took a step forward, holding up his fists. She didn’t let herself be fooled into following his fists with her eyes, instead focusing on his feet. She tuned out everything else around her and went straight at him.

He hit her full force, straight at her kidneys. She took the blow, looked for her opportunity and seized it. She kicked him in the ribs, whirled around, switched her legs for the next kick and made contact with his face.

He looked at her, surprised, before he struck back. She saw the blow coming through the air as if in slow motion, ducked and parried with her left shoulder, but she couldn’t parry the third and fourth blows, which seemed to come out of nowhere. She collapsed onto the pier and immediately felt blood streaming down her face. She had to close her eyes, trying to understand what had happened. She smelled frosty wood. She heard ice crystals falling with a faint patter into the water. With her cheek pressed to the cold planks, she saw him coming toward her. She heaved herself to the side, got her arms up and avoided his fists. He backed up three, four steps.

“Get up,” he screamed.

She stood and assumed a defensive position, but before Danilo lurched forward with a new strike, her foot was on the way toward his kneecap. She made contact from above, but not with enough force to knock it out of place. She kicked again, but this time he was ready. He grabbed her foot and wrenched it around. She followed with the rest of her body. She twirled around, landed, rolled and struck out. She no longer kept her rage inside. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, making her hit even harder. Right, left, right, right again, duck, turn, kick, turn, kick. One of the blows connected with his chin, and she backed up a step, noticing her gloves were bloody.