Semua Bab Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception : Bab 141 - Bab 150

RICARDOI drove like my life depended on it, because in some cruel way, it did. Or at least, his life did.The moment I got the location from Rafael, I didn’t stop to think. I just grabbed my keys, gun holstered at my side, and headed out.The address led to an abandoned railway track on the edge of the city. Overgrown grass. Rusted metal. Faded warning signs swaying in the wind. My mind wasn’t at rest, not even close, but I kept reminding myself that he was still alive. That as long as Rafael was still playing games, Ryan had a chance.I had to believe that.The steering wheel creaked under my grip the closer I got. My heart was pounding fast, like a war drum in my chest. I’d tried to calm myself down countless times during the drive. Tried to breathe. To stay collected.Didn’t work.Not when the man I loved could be bleeding out somewhere while I was stuck following breadcrumbs.I pulled up to the tracks and cut the engine.Nothing.Just empty silence and the whisper of wind. I step

RYANHis hand was cold.And my heart?Shattered.Scattered into a million jagged pieces I could never piece back together.“No…” I whispered, gripping his limp fingers tighter. “No, no, no, Ricardo… please… don’t do this to me. Don’t…”I choked on a sob and shook him gently, then harder. “Come back,” I breathed, pressing my forehead to his. “You promised. You said we did it. You said you wouldn’t let me die. So don’t you die on me now!”Blood streaked his lips. His skin was pale. Too pale.My hands fumbled in my pocket, trembling as I yanked out my phone. I didn’t even know how I managed to hit the numbers, but somehow I dialed.“911, what’s your emergency?” the voice came through.“My partner… he’s unconscious. He’s not breathing well, he’s cold… please, just send help to the old tracks off Briar Ridge Road. Please!”“We’ve dispatched an ambulance. Stay on the line…”But I’d already dropped the phone.Because something snapped in my head.Ricardo’s voice.“Put him in a room… lock it…

RAFAELI was shaking.Profusely.Not from the cold… no, not from that.It was fear. Raw, primal fear that dug its claws into my spine and refused to let go.I never thought Ryan could be like this.Not him.Not the Ryan who used to flinch at the sight of blood… who once looked at me with something close to admiration.But this? This was a different man.I still didn’t understand how things had turned so quickly.How he’d survived. How Ricardo had found him… how they turned the tables.I remembered bits and pieces… flashes, maybe. The sound of my men screaming, something sharp sliding into my skin.Then nothing.It was like my memory had been shredded and thrown into the wind.Was I dreaming?Or had I gone mad?I was in a bag. Trapped. My body was burning, sore in ways I couldn’t describe. The venom from the first dose still made my limbs feel like molten iron, and my brain like mush.And then…I felt it. Something cold. Something alive.Slithering.A slow, coiling movement across my l

RAFAELI was pissed.Not scared, not confused.Just… pissed.I remembered the car slowing. Voices. Officers.A checkpoint.My heart had damn near leapt out of my chest when I heard them ask Ryan to open the trunk. For a moment… a sweet, breathless moment, I thought I was finally going to be saved.Freedom.That word danced in my head like a miracle.They were going to find me. Pull me out. Get me away from this psycho.But then…Nothing.No hands unzipping the sack.No flashlight blinding my eyes.No voice shouting, “We got a live one!”Just silence.And now I was here. Still here.With him.My mouth was dry, my limbs weak, and my body still recovering from the venom that had nearly stopped my heart.I didn’t know what he was going to do to me next. Didn’t know what twisted plan he had buried in that calm face and steady voice.But whatever it was...I was ready.Because I’d already been through hell.What more could he possibly do?He’d already broken my body. Already sliced me open

RYAN“What…?” I whispered, stumbling back a step. “Oh God. Oh God.”I pressed my hand to my chest, like it could steady the riot inside. My heart was pounding, thundering so hard it felt like it was trying to escape.That wasn’t Ricardo.The body in the drawer… whoever it was, wasn't my Ricardo.He wasn’t dead.My knees almost buckled again.I staggered to the counter, bracing myself against it.The morgue attendant blinked at me, awkward now. “Sir? You okay?”Before I could speak, the door opened and a doctor in navy scrubs walked in, holding a clipboard.“What’s going on here?” he asked, eyes flicking from me to the drawer to the attendant.“I… I came to see Ricardo,” I choked out. “Ricardo Dantes. They said he died. But that’s not him. That’s not the man I came here for.”The doctor narrowed his eyes slightly, then stepped closer. “You were here yesterday, right?”I nodded quickly. “Yes. Yes, I was here to see Ricardo. But when I came back today… his room was empty. And they told m