Chapter 1 - The Mechanical Heart
The room went entirely still as Damian Volkov kept his hand over my daughter’s tiny fingers.
His dark eyes searched Lila’s innocent face with a desperate intensity.
“She can hear what none of you can,” he whispered again.
I pulled Lila back into my arms, terrified of his sudden focus on her.
“I am so sorry, Mister Volkov,” I pleaded while backing toward the heavy wooden door.
He raised a pale hand to stop me.
“Do not apologize, Clara,” he said, struggling to breathe.
He knew my name, a detail that sent a cold shiver down my spine.
“Your daughter just saved my life by feeling the subtle vibration in my chest.”
The two armed guards at the door exchanged confused glances.
Damian ripped his silk shirt open to reveal a faintly glowing scar over his heart.
“My pacemaker is not failing because of a disease,” he growled.
“It is failing because a micro-explosive is drawing power from its battery.”
My heart slammed against my ribs as I realized someone was trying to assassinate him from the inside.
“Lila felt the mechanical ticking of a bomb,” Damian explained while wiping sweat from his forehead.
Just then, the head physician walked into the room with a confident stride.
Doctor Aris smiled warmly, holding a silver tray with a syringe.
“Time for your pain medication, sir,” the doctor said smoothly.
Damian reached under his pillow and pulled out a black pistol.
He aimed it directly at the doctor’s chest.
“Who paid you to rig my heart, Aris?” Damian demanded softly.
The doctor froze, dropping the silver tray to the marble floor.
Instead of begging for mercy, a sinister grin spread across the doctor’s face.
He pulled a small remote control from his coat pocket and pressed a red button.
The heavy steel security doors of the bedroom slammed shut, locking us inside.
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“I am not here to medicate you, Damian,” Doctor Aris sneered as he drew his own weapon.
“I am here to watch you explode.”
