Page 28 of Goodnight, Sinners

“Five,” Shaun said, studying the image. “Which is why we call them inoperable. He’ll have another six months to a year if you leave it.”

“He knows, and he still wants the surgery.”

“Who is he?” Shaun asked, still studying the image. She was feeling the pull of a surgery. Even if it wasn’t hers, she could live vicariously through Elisa for a few moments.

“Can’t say. It’s classified.”

Shaun nodded. She’d had those patients before. Either celebrities or politicians. She guessed the patient was high up in the government since the hospital director was stepping in with an order for his staff, despite their clear opposition to the surgery.

Shaun kept her expression neutral as Elisa carefully watched her. Shaun knew exactly how Elisa was feeling, because she felt the same thing when presented with a challenging surgery.

“His chances would be closer to fifteen percent if you took lead on this surgery,” Elisa said bluntly.

Shaun had suspected that this was the reason Elisa had shown up on her doorstep, on the Koba doorstep, despite her better instincts. She needed a skilled surgeon with a reputation for operating on the inoperable, and one had dropped into her lap.

“Twenty,” Shaun admitted, snatching the file from Elisa and settling back into her chair to look it over more thoroughly.

“Is that a yes?” Elisa said, trying to suppress the excitement in her voice.

“No,” Shaun said without looking up.

“Oh.” Elisa was disappointed. “Well, I would appreciate any advice you can give me.”

“It wasn’t a no either.”

The two women talked over the images for the better part of an hour, neither noticing when the maid slipped into the room to leave a tea service tray.

Finally, Shaun handed the file back to her guest and stared thoughtfully into nothing, murmuring, “When is the surgery?”

“Next week.”

One week to convince Jozef.

Shaun stood and waited for Elisa to realize she was being dismissed. Elisa smiled wryly and reached for her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Patterson.” She reached into the outside pocket of her purse and retrieved a card. “Please call.”

Shaun nodded. “I’ll let you know my decision in a few days.”

“Thank you.”

Shaun stood on the doorstep, watching as Dr. Elisa Cerný drove her Prius up the winding driveway and out of sight. The moment the doctor had left the property, Shaun let out a whoop of joy.

A surgery!

Grinning, she slipped past a startled Atlas and ran up the stairs to her room to prepare her argument for Jozef. He was going to let her do the surgery. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Chapter Fourteen

Shaun didn’t see Jozef again until late that evening. He’d skipped supper and sent a servant to tell Shaun not to wait up for him. She’d been disappointed. Even though the mansion was huge, it wasn’t so big that Jozef couldn’t come find her and tell her himself when he was going to miss a meal.

She was tempted to go find him, assuming he was closeted in the study, but decided against a confrontation. They could work on his manners any time, but complex, exciting surgeries definitely did not happen every day. She needed him in a good mood if she was going to convince him to let her do the surgery.

In preparation, she pulled out the notes Jozef had copied while he was in prison. It still boggled her mind that he’d read everything she ever wrote. He was insane. But also very romantic, which she couldn’t fault. She was getting used to his intensity.

When he finally entered their suite of rooms, it was clear he was expecting her to be in bed. He walked right past her, heading for the bedroom.

“Hello,” she said softly from the couch.

To his credit, he didn’t immediately reach for his gun, which was a common move when someone startled him. He was always so vigilant, it was rare that she startled him anyway. But in his own suite he wasn’t expecting to be attacked.

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