Page 35 of The Torturer's Target

CHAPTER 15. THE LIFEGUARD ASSASSIN.

Max blinked twice, his mind trying to process the unexpected proposal that Tesiera had just made. He straightened in his chair, his brows knitted together in confusion.

“Excuse me, what?” he asked, hoping that he had misheard her.

“I want to come and work for you,” she repeated, her gaze locked on his with an inscrutable expression.

Oh, he heard her right. Max shook his head in disbelief, wondering what had led her to come to him with such a request. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He rose from his chair and approached her, causing her to turn to face him, her face blank. His mind raced with questions, suspicions, and doubts.

He surveyed her carefully, taking in every detail of her appearance, her eyes, and her body language. He tilted his head slightly and let out a small chuckle. “Let me get this straight. You’re the same assassin who tried to kill me just a few days ago, and now you want to keep someone else from killing me?”

She nodded, “Yes, that’s correct.”

Max shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. Why would you want to protect the same life you tried to take—twice?” he asked incredulously.

Tesiera’s lips curved into a small smile, but her eyes remained impassive. “I saw your ad for a job vacancy and thought I could use the extra money.”

Max stepped away from her and walked towards the wall, where a painting hung. It was a birthday gift from Valerie, two years ago. The painting was of a beautiful sunrise over the ocean, and Max found it to be a calming and peaceful piece of art. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before turning back to face her.

“You tried to kill me, and now you want to work for me? I’m sorry, but I find that hard to believe,” he said, his tone firm.

Tesiera looked him in the eye and held his gaze, her expression unreadable. “It’s the truth. I have the skills, and I promise to do a good job.” She swallowed tightly, “Sir.”

He couldn’t help but notice the woman’s immense effort to address him with such honorifics as “sir”, a struggle that seemed more challenging than the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. The irony of it was amusing enough to make him laugh if the situation wasn’t so grave.

Max folded his arms across his chest, studying her carefully. It was apparent to him that she wanted to make amends. “You feel guilty, don’t you?” he asked her, his voice softening.

Tesiera’s eyes widened slightly, and a muscle twitched in her jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You feel guilty about trying to kill me. You know I’m not your father’s killer,” Max took a step closer to her, his eyes piercing.

Tesiera remained silent, but her body language betrayed her. Her shoulders sagged, and her gaze dropped to the floor. Max knew that he had hit a nerve.

“You only want this job to soothe your conscience, don’t you?” his voice was gentle but firm.

He was right and she hated that he could see right through her. She did feel guilty, and she did want to make amends. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it out loud to him.

When she remained silent, he stepped closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes. “Does it mean that Tesiera the Torturer still has a conscience?” he drawled, a small smile playing on his lips.

Tesiera could feel the anger rising inside of her, threatening to spill over. “That is not what this is about,” she said in a crisp voice at last. “I know you’re offering to pay for this position and I need that money; that’s what I’m here for. The money. I’m not here for guilt, forgiveness, or whatever you think.”

Max raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Hmm. For the money, right?” he said, his tone skeptical. “Are you sure about that, Tesiera? Because I went through your records, and I know you have a lot of money. Finances aren’t an issue for you.”

He stood there, just a few inches away her, and their eyes met. In this proximity, he could see the emotions that she had been trying so hard to conceal laid bare in front of him.

He saw defiance. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, and she didn’t like the fact that he was trying to force her, either. Well, too bad for her because she either admitted it or he would send her out and pretend this conversation never happened.

“You’re getting it all wrong,” she said, this time her voice was strained.

But Max knew the truth, and he wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily. He turned away from her and walked back to his desk. “Well then, you can see yourself out, Miss Anderson. I’m afraid that I can’t hire a person who obviously hates me, and almost murdered me twice.” He sat down and gave her a hard look. “I can’t entrust my safety to such a person.”

A look he couldn’t read crossed her face for a second before it disappeared. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you for hearing me out.” She turned and made her way to the door.

Max watched her, saying nothing.

She pushed the door open, paused and turned back to look at him over her shoulder. “I understand that you can’t hire me. I expected that before I stepped into this hospital today, but at least I had to try.” She exhaled. “There is a man after your life: Carter Walker. You don’t need to hire me as a bodyguard. But I can assassinate him before the end of today. You don’t need to pay me for it, but I will do it. All you have to do is say the word.”

He leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms. “Why would you want to do that?” That was the most he’d heard her say at once.

---