Page 77 of The Torturer's Target

Max lay in bed, tossing and turning. Despite the exhaustion that weighed heavy in his bones from a long, grueling day at the hospital, he couldn’t sleep.

His thoughts drifted to Tesiera. He couldn’t shake off the worry that filled him. How was her mission progressing? Was she alright?

A smile formed on his lips when he remembered their phone call from the night before. He’d smiled so much at work, Patty had even asked what was up. he’d fallen asleep smiling about their conversation.

The shrill ring of Max's phone came through. He fumbled for his phone, his eyes closed. “Hello?” he mumbled into the phone.

“Dr. Kingston,” the hospital’s answering service said. “A patient with a severe head injury has just been brought in. We need you to come in right away.”

Max rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his head. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he said before hanging up.

He scrambled to get dressed and raced to the hospital with Bose and Clinton . He was met by the emergency team, who quickly briefed him on the patient’s condition.

“The patient is a young man in his twenties. He was involved in a serious car accident, suffered a severe head injury, and was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital.”

Max quickly assessed the patient’s condition and announced that he should be prepped for immediate surgery. Then he scrubbed in, entered the theater, and got to work.

“Scalpel,” he said.

After several tense hours, Max had successfully repaired the damage to the patient’s brain. He sutured the incision and bandaged the wound.

Then he stood aside and watched the nurses wheel the patient into recovery. He followed them out of the operating room, exhausted but relieved.

“Great job, everyone,” he said, wiping his forehead with a towel. “Let’s keep a close eye on the patient during recovery. Let me know if there are any changes in their condition.”

“Definitely,” the nurse replied with a smile before walking away with the others.

Max was walking back to his office when Patty fell into step with him. “You did a great job, Doc. I admire the way you work.”

He gave her a polite smile. “Thank you, Patty. You did a good job, too. Go home and get some rest.”

“I’ll do that.” She paused. “Are you going to the department dinner tomorrow night?”

Max shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. Maybe another time.”

“Of course. Good night, doctor.”

He watched her leave. He had no intention of doing anything with anyone until Tesiera became available.

Anticipation sizzled through him; his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Who would have thought that he would prefer to spend his free time with The Torturer instead of his hospital family?

Tesiera’s heart raced as the alarm blared throughout the house. She grabbed the young woman’s hand and calmly led her through the door, pulling it shut behind them.

She glanced around, trying to decide which direction would be the best to go. No matter which one she chose, she’d still be screwed.

“I know a way. Follow me,” the young woman said, pulling Tesiera’s hand and began running. Tesiera was surprised but she allowed the girl to lead the way.

She led them to a large bookshelf on the far wall. It looked out of place, but Tesiera couldn’t see any advantage there. “What are we doing here?” she asked.

“He has a secret passages that run out of the house. He and his men talk about them when they don’t think I’m listening. There’s supposed to be one around here…” The girl trailed off, her eyes darting around frantically.

The bookshelf does look out of place in this hallway, Tesiera thought. She gently pushed the girl aside and scanned the books carefully, ignoring the heavy sounds of footsteps she heard in the distance.

Then she saw a hidden button and pressed it. The bookshelf slid away, revealing a narrow passageway.

“Hurry!” she urged the young woman, and they both squeezed into the tunnel. The space was tight, and the air was musty.

They followed the tunnel, which twisted and turned, and finally led them to a door. Tesiera pushed it open, and they emerged into a small room filled with dusty crates and old furniture.

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