Despite the fear, despite the tension, Kate found herself catnapping in her tiny prison. She felt totally exhausted, feverish almost. When Swagger opened up her locker and dragged her out on to the floor, she barely reacted.

‘Time to get you ready for your big night,’ Swagger said quietly. ‘Let’s go.’

Two familiar henchmen, Shaun and Eric, hauled her up without comment and half-carried, half-dragged her out of the locker room.

‘You know, your daddy’s come to watch the show, too,’ Swagger informed her. ‘Quite a reunion. Shame you’ll miss out on it.’

Kate felt doubly dismayed. To know her father was condoning this horror … Her mother had been psychotic most of her life; Kate expected nothing better of her – but her dad had always been cautious and careful. He hunted only sparingly, and had always tried to keep Marcie’s bloodlust under control.

Often he’d failed. Perhaps now he had given up entirely.

‘I thought about picking up where we left off,’ Swagger told her lightly as they moved through the dingy corridors, ‘but then I thought why should I give you pleasure when I could give you pain?’ He flashed that macabre smile at her. ‘Anyway, I know you got off on watching the fight before. So how’d you like a real ringside seat?’

Kate closed her eyes as fear crept back into her disinterested body. She didn’t bother to ask his meaning. She knew she’d find out soon enough.

Swagger kicked open the double doors that led to the rink itself; this must be the same route she’d seen Eric lead the fighters down when she was here before. A dark, brooding atmosphere hovered over the quiet arena, a cold air of anticipation.

Between two of the many supporting pillars that ringed the periphery of the arena, a great length of chicken wire had been strung like a hammock several metres above the arena.

‘What’s this?’ she asked.

‘Your hiding place, sweetheart,’ said Swagger. ‘See, that wire net there’s gonna hold the victory feast. Three hundred pounds of raw, tender meat fresh from the slaughter –spiked with serum, of course – and little old you packed in alongside.’ He giggled like a kid. ‘When Takapa calls the winners, my boys are gonna slash those supporting ropes and – WHOOSH! – down comes the food.’

Kate shuddered. ‘And me with it.’

‘You got the idea.’ Swagger nodded.

‘But Takapa needs me!’ she argued desperately.

‘You really shoulda been nice to me, sweetheart. I don’t know what your mommy and the boss had planned for your pretty little ass, but they ain’t never gonna get it now. ’Cause when you come tumbling out of that net, you’re gonna be eaten up alive.’ He laughed in her face. ‘And what a beautiful sight it will be!’

‘They’ll know you did this,’ she whispered. ‘They’ll kill you.’