Page 39 of The Torturer's Target

“Hello? Answers, anyone?” Bose questioned, his gaze finding Clinton again, who averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Max exhaled audibly and took a step forward. “Tesiera is my new bodyguard. The three of you, will be working together starting today.”

“She almost killed you! Why would you hire her to be your bodyguard? Why are you making it easy for her?” Bose asked.

“I told you that this was a case of mistaken identity. She came here to make amends.” Max stared after her. “Even though she’ll never admit it, I think that’s actually why she’s here.”

“Making amends would be to beg for forgiveness, while rolling around and making puppy eyes,” Clinton injected with a grumble, a small smile forming on his face at the image he created.

Max rolled his eyes. “To make amends in her own way,” he corrected.

“But why are you giving her this chance, sir?” Clinton asked, turning serious. “You don’t owe her anything. I mean, the woman was gonna murder you without a second thought.”

Silence descended. Max knew that he had a point. That wasn’t what a rational person would have done, so why did he do it?

“Her eyes,” he said at last.

Bose and Clinton shared a confused look. “You hired her because of her eyes?” Clinton inquired.

“Those are damn fine eyes, boss—a sparkling brown as cold as ice and as glittery as topaz,” Bose said. “I could understand wanting to get lost in them if they couldn’t cut you like glass. But do you really think you should be employing someone because you like their eyes, boss.”

Max groaned and shook his head. “That wasn’t what I meant. That day at the boat, when I explained things to her, the look in her eyes…” He paused. “That unguarded pain I glimpsed when she realized she had almost killed an innocent man has stayed with me. Then today, when I dismissed her, I saw that look again. This time, it was laced with heavy guilt. One that will probably stay with her for the rest of her life. I figured she already had enough demons, and since I had the power to rid her of this one, I would do it.”

Max still wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision, but he knew what it felt like to carry long-term guilt.

Both guards shared another look, an understanding in their eyes. They knew why the boss had hired her.

“We understand, boss. Thank you for clarifying,” Clinton said and bowed his head. “You didn’t owe us any explanation, but you still gave us one. Thank you.”

Max waved it away. “Now that everything is settled, I have to get back to work and magically finish everything within thirty minutes.”

“You’re good-hearted, boss, but I don’t trust her,” Bose muttered.

“But you trust me, Bose, don’t you?” Max replied, his voice calm and steady.

That question, more than anything, put the stubborn man’s mind at ease. Max saw the tension dissolve from Bose’s hunched shoulders and his body relaxed,

“I trust you,” Bose stated firmly, his voice filled with unwavering loyalty.

Max nodded once, stepped forward, and patted the man’s shoulder. “Then trust me on this.”

Bose nodded once, then sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know how I’m going to get along with her. I don’t know if I can.”

“You gotta try, big guy. Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?” Max stepped back. “She won’t be with us for long—perhaps a month at most—but I expect cooperation while she’s here. I trust you both to make that happen.”

“Okay, boss,” Clinton replied. Bose simply nodded.

“Great, now that we’re all on the same page, I’ll see you later.” Max turned and walked out of the rom. “Have one of the nurses look at those bruises, Bose. I’m sure you don’t want to go around looking like you got beat up by a woman,” he threw over his shoulder with a smile.

“Hey! She looks worse than I do,” Bose growled, and Clinton snickered.

“I doubt that. Bro, you look like you wrestled with a lion.” Clinton tried to hold back his laughter, but couldn’t.

Bose glared at Clinton, spitting blood into a garbage can and giving Clinton the middle finger. Clinton’s snickering turned into full-blown laughter that echoed in the room. “I’m glad she didn’t completely defeat you. You wouldn’t have been able to live that down.”

Bose rolled his eyes, and it hurt a lot. He felt his jaw and knew it was broken or dislocated. “She’s skilled,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“That’s a good thing. The boss will be safer.”

---