The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 195

Over a dozen burly men materialized from around the parked trucks, boxing us in.

They wore Thorne Logistics uniforms, their faces weathered and menacing as they glared at us with raw hostility.

They formed a tight semicircle, trapping us completely.

A moment later, Manager Madden and Dr. Kendrick hurried over. They stared at us trapped in the crowd, their expressions twisting with fury.

Dr. Kendrick spoke first. "The moment they walked into the clinic, they asked for Dr. Dalton. I thought they were old employees, but they claimed to be new applicants. How would new hires know Dr. Dalton's name? They stalled in my clinic for way too long. They're up to something!"

I finally realized my mistake, recalling Leon asking for 'Dr. Dalton' when we walked in.

I thought I had fooled him with my medical acting, but Dr. Kendrick was far too observant.

"No, doctor, it's a misunderstanding," Julian tried to smooth things over. "We just saw the name tag on the door that said Dr. Dalton."

Julian was trying to salvage our cover.

"We'll know soon enough if it's a misunderstanding," Madden interrupted smoothly. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over our faces before asking, "You wouldn't mind a quick pat-down, would you?"

He wore a polite smile, but his eyes carried the ruthless, predatory glint of a hardened criminal.

It was the vicious aura of someone accustomed to violence.

But if they searched us, everything would be over.

"Hey, Manager Madden," Julian said, reverting to his thick country accent. "We might be from the sticks, but we still have rights. You can't just search us for no reason."

"From the sticks?" Madden sneered, his eyes dropping to Julian's waistline. "Since when do country bumpkins wear Calvin Klein underwear?"

Julian glanced down and immediately panicked. "It's a knockoff! A fake!"

He blurted it out rapidly in perfect, unaccented English.

Even he didn't know how to talk his way out of that one.

Leon leaned in close to me, keeping his voice barely a whisper. "I checked the layout when we came in. There's an employee exit just on the right. I'm going to distract them. You and Julian make a run for it, understand?"

The employee exit was a metal revolving turnstile. It was locked, but there was just enough space at the top for someone my size to squeeze through.

Julian crouched down to form a step. "Climb over, Selena! They're jamming the cell signals in here. Call the police the second you get out."

Just as the word 'police' left his mouth, the thugs caught up. As I scrambled over the top of the turnstile, Julian was dragged violently backward by the mob.

"Take one more step, and I'll kill him!" Madden snarled, arriving at the gate. He pulled a switchblade from his pocket and flashed it in front of Julian's face. "I'm not playing games with you."

The glint of the blade blinded me. I froze on the other side, staring at the mob in horror. Before I could process my next move, Julian let out an agonizing scream. Madden had driven the blade straight into his thigh.

"Leave the pills, or else."

Madden twisted the knife. Blood soaked rapidly through Julian's pants, his face twisting in excruciating pain.

I knew I couldn't run.

Taking a deep breath, I held up my right hand, showing the pills, and shouted with every ounce of courage I had. "I have the evidence. I'm not leaving."