Chapter 5 - The Deal
Clara stared at the grainy security footage, her blood turning to ice.
Dr. Evans, the man she trusted with Tommy's fragile life, had deliberately placed her inside the Mercer estate.
She wasn't hired because of her nursing skills.
She was hired because Dr. Evans knew she was desperate enough to take the job without asking questions.
Clara collapsed into a metal folding chair, burying her face in her hands.
"Why would an oncologist sell out a mafia boss?" Clara whispered, her voice trembling.
Leo checked the magazine of his pistol before sliding it back into his holster.
"Mercer owns the medical supply routes in the city," Leo explained coldly.
"A rival family wants those routes, and they likely paid your doctor a fortune to leave the back door open."
Clara looked up, panic setting in as she realized the true danger of her situation.
If Dr. Evans was working for a rival mafia family, Tommy was no longer safe at the hospital.
They could use her sick brother as leverage to force her to finish the assassination herself.
"I have to get to my brother," Clara said, standing up quickly. "I have to get Tommy out of that hospital right now."
Leo stepped in front of the heavy steel door, blocking her path.
"You leave this bunker, you're dead in ten minutes," Leo stated bluntly.
"The people who hired your doctor know you're down here. They'll be waiting for you."
"I don't care!" Clara shouted, pushing against Leo's massive chest. "They'll kill Tommy if I stay!"
Suddenly, a weak, raspy voice echoed from the hospital bed.
"Leo, let her go."
Clara turned around.
Liam was awake, his pale blue eyes locked onto her face.
He looked weaker than ever, but the commanding authority in his voice was absolute.
"You can't let her leave, Merc. It's a death sentence," Leo argued.
Liam slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, wincing in pain.
"I owe her my life," Liam grunted. "If she wants to walk into a trap, let her."
Clara stared at him, surprised by his sudden willingness to let her leave.
But then Liam reached under his pillow and pulled out a sleek, black smartphone.
He tossed it onto the edge of the bed.
"Make a deal with me, Clara," Liam offered, his voice low and dangerous.
"You stay here and keep me breathing for the next forty-eight hours."
Clara shook her head. "I can't leave Tommy alone!"
"If you stay," Liam continued smoothly, "I will make one phone call."
He locked his eyes onto hers, offering a terrifying promise.
"I will have my men pull your brother out of that hospital, move him to my private clinic, and pay for every single experimental treatment he needs."
Clara stopped fighting Leo.
The offer was everything she had been praying for, but it came from the devil himself.
"And if I refuse?" Clara asked.
May you like
Liam's expression turned brutally cold.
"Then you walk out that door, and we see who gets to your brother first."
