Page 33 of The Torturer's Target

“I know you don’t.”

Silence descended between them as they resumed jogging. Tesiera tried to keep her mind away from the discussion they just had. After what happened that night, she’d decided to give it some time before restarting the search for her father’s killer. This time around, she vowed not to make any mistakes. She would catch Maximus Kingston, and she would make the bastard pay.

But what about the Kingston you almost killed? What about the Kingston you had wronged?

Tesiera gritted her teeth. She hated that annoying voice as much as she hated the mistakes she’d made.

“It’s pointless,” she said at last, slowing to a stop again.

“What is?” Venus asked.

“Being his protector. It’s not possible. I almost killed the man. What makes you think he would allow a person that tried to kill him to guard his life? Maximilian Kingston is a smart man; he would never employ me—an assassin that made two attempts at his life.”

“That’s right. A smart man would never do that. But a man who commands chains of hotels and also happens to be a neurosurgeon is probably smarter than most and unpredictable at best. You won’t know unless you try. Who knows—he might hire you if you show him your sincerity. After all, you have the skill it takes to get the job done, and he’s already seen a demonstration.”

“I doubt that. I failed the mission to kill the man. Twice. If anyone has a reason to doubt my skills, it’ll be him,” Tesiera stated.

Venus angled her head and thought about it. “True. But the man probably knows that you failed because you attacked him in his territory, and he caught you off guard twice. Not to mention that you didn’t know he was a fighter, but he turned out to be highly skilled.”

“All that shows incompetence. I would never hire me if I was in that position,” Tesiera stated.

Venus chuckled, unable to help herself. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

Tesiera resumed walking. Venus fell into step with her. “Try, Tesiera. Giving yourself all the reasons why it’ll never work wouldn’t counter the fact that you never made an effort in the first place. Try, and if you’re hired, you can work for a few months. Eliminate an enemy for him and resign. Puff, guilt disappears, and order in the world is restored.”

They didn’t talk about the job for the rest of the workout. Venus went into details about the politician she was currently working for and all his shady ways, and Tesiera half listened.

When they were about to go their separate ways, she turned back to Venus. “Can you send me the link to the ad?”

Venus grinned. “Of course.”

Three days later, Max was in his office reviewing his patients’ charts when there was a knock at his door. Harvey’s familiar voice announced his presence. Max paused his paperwork and gave him permission to enter.

“Sir, we have arranged for a new set of candidates. A total of twenty people, and they will begin their training next week. After two weeks, we will make our pick,” Harvey said. Max rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated groan.

“I’m getting tired of all this, Harvey.”

“I know, sir, but I assure you that we’re almost done.”

“If they end up being a disappointment again, we’re done with this search, and I will only work with Bose and Clinton. Those that are very skilled can be hired to guard the house and tighten security protocols, but I won’t have an amateur invading my space twenty-four hours a day. It’s bad enough that bodyguards follow me to work.”

Harvey exhaled deeply. “I apologize for the way things have been going, but I can't be at ease unless we bolster your personal security detail. You hired me to ensure your safety, and I'm committed to that. If we can't make this work, I'll resign from the company and offer my services directly to you.”

“Don't do that,” Max interjected, shaking his head. “It would cause quite a stir with Alexo. Besides, I'm reassured knowing the company's security is robust because you're at the helm. I don't want to change that arrangement.”

Before Harvey could reply, the air was suddenly filled with commotion.

“What’s going on?” Max furrowed his brows.

Harvey was already on his feet. “I will find out.” He was almost at the door when Clinton hurried in.

“She’s here,” Clinton gasped.

“Who’s here?” Harvey asked. From the pissed-off expression on Clinton’s face, Max had an idea who it was.

“The female assassin. That Torturer.” Clinton confirmed his thoughts.

“She’s got some nerve,” Harvey said, his eyes narrowed in anger. “What the hell is she doing here?”

---