Chapter 9 - The First Steps on Broken Bones
The next twenty-four hours were a blur of intense preparation.
While Leo coordinated with a small cadre of utterly loyal Mercer loyalists who had gone underground following the mansion raid, I monitored Liam’s physical condition with obsessive precision.
Every four hours, I checked the pin sites for signs of inflammation, administered anti-inflammatory injections, and helped him practice walking across the safe house gymnasium.
Despite the severe pain shooting through his healing bone with every step, Liam refused to slow down. His discipline was inhuman. He moved with a cold, terrifying grace, firing hundreds of rounds at the private shooting range, mastering how to pivot and shoot while keeping his weight balanced on his braced leg.
By 4:00 PM, my satellite phone buzzed.
It was an encrypted video call from Zurich.
I tapped the screen, and the face of a smiling Swiss pediatric nurse appeared, followed by the camera panning down to a bright, sunlit hospital room.
Tommy was sitting up in bed, color returning to his cheeks, holding a large stuffed bear.
“Clara!” Tommy’s small voice cheered through the speaker. “Look! They gave me chocolate for breakfast! And the doctor said my bad cells are going down!”
Tears of pure, unadulterated relief flooded my eyes. “Oh, Tommy... baby, how are you feeling?”
“I feel strong!” Tommy smiled. “A really nice man in a suit visited me and said his boss is taking care of everything. Clara, is your boss nice?”
I looked up at Liam, who was standing across the room, watching the screen with a gentle, genuine smile softening his rugged features.
“Yes, Tommy,” I whispered, wiping a tear from my cheek. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known.”
Liam walked over, his hand resting warmly on my shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“Tell him he has to eat all his vegetables if he wants to ride in my helicopter when he gets home,” Liam said into the microphone.
Tommy’s eyes went wide on the screen. “A real helicopter?! I promise, mister! I’ll eat all of them!”
After saying our goodbyes, I closed the phone and turned to Liam, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist and burying my face in his chest.
“Thank you,” I breathed. “Thank you for saving my brother.”
Liam wrapped his powerful arms around me, resting his chin on top of my head, holding me as if I were the most precious treasure in the world.
“You saved my soul, Clara,” he murmured into my hair. “Saving your brother was the easiest decision I ever made.”
He pulled back slightly, his blue eyes locking onto mine with fierce gravity.
“Tonight, I have to finish this. Leo will stay with you here at the safe house under full lockdown—”
“No,” I interrupted firmly.
Liam frowned. “Clara, it’s a war zone—”
“I am your medical officer,” I said, refusing to back down. “If that femur refractures, or if an artery ruptures under stress, you will bleed out before you reach a hospital. I am coming with you. I will stay in the armored command van outside the perimeter, but I will not sit here while you bleed for me.”
Liam stared at me for a long moment, the stubborn defiance in my eyes mirroring his own.
May you like
A slow, proud smile spread across his lips.
“You truly are fearless,” he murmured, leaning down to capture my lips in a fierce, lingering kiss. “Get your trauma kit ready. Tonight, we take back the city.”
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