Page 12 of Eden and her Mercenary
Mack tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I might know someone—a neurosurgeon who left the mainstream medical community after some... ethical disagreements. Dr. Eliza Chen. She specializes in experimental procedures now."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"About three hours north. She has a private clinic in an old, converted hunting lodge." Mack pulled out his phone. "I'll call her, see if she'll help us."
As Mack stepped away to make the call, Eden's shoulders slumped slightly. I moved closer, placing a hand on her arm.
"Hey," I said softly. "We'll figure this out."
She looked up at me, exhaustion and determination warring in her eyes. "I can't let them get her back, Royal. You didn't see how she was when I first picked her up—terrified, broken. Whatever they did to her..." She shook her head. "No living creature deserves that."
Ryker had been checking the windows periodically,keeping watch. "We should move the vehicles," he suggested. "Too conspicuous all parked together back here."
I nodded. "Good idea. I'll take mine around front, make it look like I'm just shopping."
"I'll find somewhere less visible for the van," Eden said. "Those guys know what it looks like."
"I can hide it at my place," Ryker offered. "It's just outside town."
Eden hesitated, then handed him her keys. "Just... be careful with them. The dogs, I mean."
"Yes ma'am," Ryker replied with unusual deference. Something about Eden's fierce protectiveness seemed to have earned his respect.
Mack returned, phone in hand. "Eliza will see us, but there's a catch."
"Of course there is," I muttered.
"She needs specialized equipment for this kind of procedure. Equipment she doesn't have."
Eden frowned. "What kind of equipment?"
"A neural mapping system. It'll show her exactly how the implant is connected to Stella's brain before she attempts removal." Mack's expression was grim. "Without it, the procedure would be too risky."
"And where do we get this equipment?" Ryker asked.
"That's the catch. The nearest one is at Prophecies Biomedical."
The silence that followed was heavy with implication.
"So we need to steal from the very people hunting us," Eden finally said, her voice flat.
I exchanged a look with Ryker. "Wouldn't be the first time we've done something like that."
"You can't be serious," Eden said, turning to me. "That place will be locked down tight, and what do we do with Stella? They can track her.”
“I hate to say it, but it’s time to call Declan,” Royal said, looking at his brother. “See if we can keep Stella at their place in the panic rooms.”
“Good idea,” Mack chimed in.
Ryker grimaced. "Calling Declan means bringing the MacGallan’s into this."
"We don't have a choice," I replied. "The panic room at their place is the only place I know that can block tracking signals completely. He had military-grade signal jammers installed, remember?"
Eden looked between us, confusion evident on her face. "Who's Declan?"
"Declan MacGallan," I explained. "The family's oldest son. He runs security for their operations after his brother Connor took over from him as captain ofthe clan. If anyone can keep Stella safe while we get what Dr. Chen needs, it's him."
Eden's hand protectively covered Stella's scarred head. "And we can trust him?"
