Former gladiator Saevius is certain Fortuneās smiling on him when a Pompeiian politician buys him to be his bodyguard. That is until his new master, Laurea Calvus, orders Saevius to discover the gladiator with whom his wife is having a sordid affair. In order to do that, Saevius must return to the arena, training alongside the very men on whom heās spying. Worse, heās now under the command of Drusus, a notoriously cruelāand yet strangely intriguingālanista.
But Saeviusās ruse is the least of his worries. Thereās more to the affair than a wife humiliating her prominent husband, and now Saevius is part of a dangerous game between dangerous men. He isnāt the only gladiator out to expose the Lady Verinaās transgressions, and her husband wants more than just the guilty manās name.
When Saevius learns the truth about the affair, heās left with no choice but to betray a master: one heās come to fear, one heās come to respect, and either of whom could have him killed without repercussion.
For the first time in his life, the most dangerous place for this gladiator isnāt the arena.
This 52,500 word novel was previously published under the pseudonym L.A. Witt, and has been lightly revised.