Page 21 of The Torturer's Target

Big Cat leaned against the door to Tesiera’s bedroom, watching as she busied herself with preparations for her mission. The room was dimly lit, with only a small lamp on the nightstand casting a faint glow over the leather-clad figure in front of the mirror. Tesiera was strapping various weapons to her body, fastening a variety of knives to her boots and waist, and concealing two more in her jacket. She checked her gun, loaded it with bullets, and placed it in her hip holster.

“Tesiera,” he said in a low tone, trying to reason with her once again.

She ignored him, concentrating solely on the task at hand. She had expected his attempt to stop her, especially after he had called her the day before, a call she had chosen not to answer. It wasn't a surprise when he showed up at her doorstep hours earlier. She knew, however, that he wouldn't forcefully stop her from going on the mission, as he would with one of his soldiers.

In Big Cat's world, what he wanted, he got. He was a powerful man, greatly feared in the underworld, and she was the only person who’d ever seen the softer side of the fearless, authoritarian godfather.

“I don’t feel good about your mission tonight,” Big Cat said, trying to persuade her to back down. “What if you walk into a trap?”

Tesiera paused and looked at him over her shoulder, considering his words. But then she shook her head. “Nothing is stopping me tonight,” she replied firmly. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Tesiera, please,” Big Cat pleaded. “Rethink this.”

She turned to face him, her face expressionless. “I have to do this,” she said. “For my father.”

Big Cat shook his head, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Just two more months, and you can have the man’s head on a platter.”

Tesiera stepped towards Big Cat, her eyes gleaming with anger. “I’m not putting this off another day.”

Big Cat sighed, his shoulders slumping. He had raised this woman until she was eighteen years old, and he knew how stubborn she could be.

“I appreciate your concern, Big Cat,” Tesiera said. “But I have to do this. It’s something that should have been done a long time ago.”

Big Cat looked at her, his eyes sad. He knew he had failed, and he couldn’t convince her otherwise. He stepped aside as Tesiera walked towards the door.

“Tesiera,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Be careful.”

Tesiera nodded, not looking back. A bad feeling churned in her gut—as if even her instincts were wary of tonight's mission. For the first time, she chose to ignore it. She was acutely aware of the risks, yet willing to take them. She had waited for too damn long.

As she stepped out of the house, with moonlight casting shadows around her, she knew this was it—the moment she had been waiting for. Tonight, she would attempt once again to kill Maximilian Kingston.

This time, she would succeed.

After successfully picking the lock, Tesiera pushed the window open and entered the boat, relieved to have found a way in despite the potential risks. She quickly surveyed her surroundings, finding herself in a corridor leading to Maximilian’s location further down the hallway. Moving slowly, she wasn't overly concerned about noise; her bare feet were quiet on the floor. Checking the map, she identified the third room on the left as her target. Just as she reached for the door handle, the sound of footsteps and chattering reached her ears.

Noticing a ladder leading to a hatch, she realized it was her only option. Quickly, she climbed up and slipped through the hatch to avoid detection.

And there she was, on a glass ceiling. Who the fuck has glass ceilings? she thought in disgust, before quickly realizing the advantage it offered. From her vantage point, she could see everything happening below, across several rooms. The crawlspace she found herself in was dark, rendering her virtually invisible to anyone below unless they were specifically looking up.

As she watched, three men came into view, and Tesiera’s instincts homed in on the man in the middle. It was Maximilian Kingston. He was talking with his two bodyguards, and from the look of it, they were headed to his suite of rooms.

Tesiera followed them by crawling on the ceiling above them until they finally reached their destination, a large golden door with Maximilian’s name on it. Tesiera rolled her eyes as she stayed as still as possible and watched. They spoke for a while, before his two bodyguards left and took the elevator. Then Max opened the door and entered it.

Bingo.

A smile hinted at the edge of Tesiera’s lips as she realized that her target was right where she wanted him. She moved until she was above his room and could see everything happening inside. He was preparing for a shower.

Perfect. She would have a surprise waiting for him in the bathroom.

She made her way towards the bathroom, but then her eyes caught another glimpse of the man, and she paused, watching him. Maximilian took off his shirt, but his phone started to ring just as he was about to take off his pants. He answered the call and began pacing around the room.

“Yes. I want everything to be in place by the time I arrive. I’m meeting with all the executives.”

Tesiera’s eyes momentarily ran over his impressive features. Now shirtless, she could see how gracefully toned Maximilian was. His muscular frame spoke volumes about the time he spent working out. Each muscle was well-defined, his body fat extremely low. He was a work of art.

“Exactly! I trust you, Jones. I know you will do a great job handling everything.”

Tesiera ripped her eyes from her enemy and scanned for a way to drop down from the perch into the bathroom, preferably with as little noise as possible. She used the wrench she’d grabbed from the engine room, pushed the board aside, and slipped through the space, lowering herself onto the toilet. Her thoughts were on the look on his face when she finally had a gun to his head.

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