Chapter 6 - The Transfer
Clara stared at the black phone resting on the white sheets.
She was trapped between a corrupt doctor and a ruthless mafia boss.
But Liam Mercer was offering the one thing she couldn't buy on her own: a guaranteed chance at life for Tommy.
She slowly walked over to the bed and picked up the phone.
"Do it," Clara whispered, handing the device back to Liam.
Liam didn't waste a second.
He dialed a secure number and held the phone to his ear.
"It's Mercer," Liam said, his voice surprisingly strong despite the blood loss.
"I need an extraction team at County General, Pediatric Oncology wing, room 412. The target is Thomas Bennett, nine years old."
He paused, listening to the voice on the other end.
"I don't care who gets in your way. Bring the boy to the safe house clinic and put him under twenty-four-hour guard. Execute anyone who tries to stop you."
Liam ended the call and dropped the phone on the mattress.
"It's done," he told Clara. "My men will have him secure in twenty minutes."
Clara let out a breath she felt she had been holding for days.
She collapsed into the chair beside his bed, completely emotionally drained.
"Thank you," she whispered, the words feeling strange in her mouth.
Liam turned his head slightly, studying the nasty bruise forming on her cheekbone.
"You didn't run when they breached the room," Liam noted quietly.
"I didn't have time," Clara deflected, opening her trauma kit to check her supplies.
"You stood between a rifle and my bed," Liam corrected her, his tone analytical.
"Why?"
Clara looked down at her hands.
"Because you were my patient, Mr. Mercer. I don't abandon my patients."
A heavy silence filled the underground bunker.
For the first time, Liam didn't look at her with hostility or arrogance.
He looked at her with genuine, unmasked curiosity.
Two hours later, Leo's radio crackled to life.
"Package is secure," a voice reported over the static.
"The boy is safe at the clinic. He's stable."
Clara closed her eyes, tears of sheer relief finally spilling over her eyelashes.
Tommy was safe. The nightmare was over.
But the relief was shattered instantly by the next transmission on the radio.
"Boss, we have a massive problem at the hospital," the voice continued, sounding panicked.
Leo grabbed the radio. "Report."
"We found Dr. Evans in his office," the voice explained.
"He's dead, boss. Someone slit his throat before we even got here."
Clara's eyes snapped open, terror gripping her chest once again.
If Dr. Evans was dead, he couldn't have been the mastermind behind the attack.
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He was just a pawn.
And the real traitor was still alive, and they knew exactly where to find them.
