Page 6 of Savage Seduction

I rip the frayed twine string from which it hangs and stare at it as I turn it over in my hand. I squint at the tiny hieroglyphic symbols covering the back surface of the ankh. As I rub my finger along the carved edges, my stomach tightens, sending the gorge from my belly rushing to my throat. I stagger and brace myself against the car door. How could this happen? My former attacker had been declared dead.

Someone is fucking with me. I search the parking lot for signs of something being off, but there’s nothing. Couples walk hand-in-hand, and children pull away from their parents as they hurry to go inside the restaurant. I’d seen the man’s body convulse with each shot my partner had fired. Saw hisbody tip over the side of the Sixth Street Bridge. Heard the slap of his body on the L.A. River.

But they’d never found the body. The river was flowing high and fast that rainy night. Everyone assured me he’d become fish food.

It’s been years. I’ve changed my life. I’m not a cop anymore. So why now? I straighten to full height and smooth my shirt, clenching the ankh against my palm. If I’m being watched, I need to show strength, but who is doing this to me? Willing myself to move, I open the car door and get inside, slamming it closed behind me.

After locking the door, I open my palm and look at the ankh again. Tears fill my eyes. A hot point of phantom pain starts under my pec and slowly burns along the path the madman had cut down my abdomen—a large, mirrored image of the symbol I hold in my hand. My finger goes to the scar. I swallow hard and take a deep breath.

I flip the glovebox open and hurl the pendant inside. Slamming the compartment shut, I set my jaw and grit my teeth. This better not be someone’s idea of a sick joke. I start the car and peel out of the parking space onto Western Avenue.

CHAPTER 3

Ben

Ican’t believe I had to leave the scene of the accident. I could have been a help to people, but I was forced back to the hospital by the chief of surgery. Smiling, I shake my head as I slowly drive toward work, down a nearly empty street since it’s blocked off behind me with multiple cars strewn across the intersection, all lanes blocked.

Max was a force of nature tonight. Watching him fight to save that girl trapped in the burning car, his determination and strength seemed almost otherworldly. Like a guardian god from old Greek mythos. The scene flashed in my mind’s eye once again, the flames crackling around him, casting flickering shadows on his face. He never once flinched, didn’t hesitate. Every movement he made was precise, powerful, and full of purpose. My belly flutters with nerves as I think about how close I’d come to making a real connection with him at the restaurant.

My phone buzzes again, pulling me back to my own reality. The ringtone cuts through the noise in my head, a harsh reminder of my responsibilities. I fumble to answer it, my gaze fixed on the road aheadof me.

“Dr. Ben,” the voice on the other end says, urgent and unyielding. “We need you back at the ER immediately. I know Chief called you, but there’s a big one coming in. We’re receiving reports of a multi-car, multi-victim accident. Your presence is required for surgery.”

My heart sinks. It’s going to be a really long night. “I understand. I’ll be there right away.” I hang up the phone and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

Thankfully, before I left, I’d gone back into the restaurant and located the nice man who’d taken my order, Hector. I’d explained how I was needed back at the hospital for an emergency, and he nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. I’d handed him a piece of paper I’d scrolled my name and phone number across and folded it twice before giving it to him. He took it and looked back up in my face, “What’s this?”

I’d said, “Remember the nice-looking guy I was sitting next to tonight.”

He nodded.

“I am hoping you’ll give this to him if you see him again tonight. There wasn’t time for me to give it to him myself.”

Hector’s eyes lit up as the understanding of what I was hoping he’d do settled in his mind. “I’d be happy to, Doc.”

“Thank you so much, my friend.” I tapped the counter with my fingers for emphasis and rushed out the door.

“Be safe out there,” Hector called out to me as I left.

A honk from an angry driver brings me back to the present. I’m getting closer to the hospital parking garage, but I can’t stop thinking about Max. He was so handsome and kind. Strong and brave. The perfect man for me.

I shake my head, trying to focus on the road. It’s been so long since I’ve dated. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. But then again, those vibes between us were unmistakable. I haven’t lost all my swagger, have I?

I pull into the hospital parking lot, my mind still racing. A car comes toward me, high beams on, blinding me for a moment. I squint against the light, seeing a flash of bright light in the shape of a cross. It triggers something in the back of my mind, a memory that I can’t quite grasp. Something about tonight feels so nostalgic, so familiar. Déjà vu.

Shaking off the unsettling feeling, I park and head inside, ready to face the chaos awaiting me. But as I push through the doors, my thoughts drift back to Max. Something in the back of my mind can’t seem to let go of a feeling I’m having. A memory of something I can’t quite put my finger on. There’s no time to dwell on any of this right now. Whatever it is, I just hope he’s okay. And I hope I hear from him soon.

The emergency room is a storm of activity, nurses and doctors moving in a carefully orchestrated dance of urgency. I’m immediately swept into the whirlwind, donning my scrubs and snapping into professional mode. My surgical nurse is running down a list of injuries my first patient of the night has and I’m to fix. Without taking a breath, she says, “Doc, the first patient is already prepped for surgery.

“Thank you,” I say as I process in my head the young female motor vehicle accident victim with severe internal injuries. It’ll be a race against time to get to all of her injuries before she bleeds out.

I quickly scrub in, my mind laser-focused on the task at hand. Hours pass in a blur of blood, sweat, and adrenaline. Not once, but twice, this young woman’s heart stopped, but we’d managed to bring her back. She was strong, a fighter. We manage to stabilize her, but there are more coming in. Behind me, I can hear gurneys being brought into the next room with the latest victim being prepped.

The night is relentless. Between surgeries, I catch snippets of news from the accident. It was a chain reaction, a pile-up on the highway. The number of vehicles involved was mind-bending.Our trauma hospital isn’t able to take all the injured survivors and they are now being rerouted to the next closest trauma centers.

Each passing hour, the numbers keep rising. More victims. More chaos.

During a brief lull, I lean against the wall, exhaustion tugging at me. My phone buzzes again, and for a moment, I hope it’s Max. But it’s just another update from the ER. I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. The memory of Max’s determined face flickers in my mind, giving me a small surge of strength. He did his part back at the intersection accident and now I must do mine, here in the OR.

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