His Hidden Treasure (Completed)

Eight

I paced back and forth in Eric's office, my nerves on edge as I waited for Dr. Kinnen to finish assessing my brother. The minutes dragged on like an eternity, each second feeling heavier than the last. Finally, the doors opened and I was greeted by both doctors.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, agent," Dr. Kinnen said with a warm smile, gesturing for me to take a seat. He and Dr. Chen sat in their respective chairs.

"Please, just call me Nila. Will you be performing the surgery?" I asked anxiously, unable to contain my impatience any longer. Dr. Kinnen let out a sigh before responding.

"I won't sugarcoat it for you, Nila. This surgery is risky and not many doctors are not willing to take it on. But yes, I will do it," he replied honestly. Relief flooded over me and I let out a joyous laugh, clasping my hands together in gratitude.

"Thank you so much! Thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaimed, feeling a spark of hope ignite within me after three long years of despair.

"I'll be in town for another three days. If it's alright with you, I'd like to speak with my team and Dr. Chen to come up with a plan. By next week, we should have everything scheduled. Now, I need to make this clear - there are no guarantees with this surgery," Dr. Kinnen explained. Tears of happiness welled up in my eyes but I nodded in understanding.

"I know there are risks involved but right now, my brother's life is at a standstill. If there's even a chance that this surgery could give him some semblance of a normal life again, I have to take it. He would want that," I said firmly, shaking the doctor's hand before thanking Eric and heading off to see my brother one last time for the day. I had a busy schedule ahead at headquarters and Elsa had messaged me, wanting to meet up, so time was of the essence.

* * *

As I returned to HQ, ready to make my way down to the tech room to meet up with Elsa, Dante walked into my office and closed the door behind him, drawing the blinds shut.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the disappointment etched on his face. "Why are you looking at me like a disapproving father?" I could tell he was expecting an explanation from me but I was still unsure of what exactly he was upset about.

"That man from yesterday - the supposed witness at the restaurant. How do you know him?" My heart skipped a beat as I froze, avoiding eye contact with Dante as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Please talk to me, Nila. How do you know him?" His voice was gentle but firm, urging me to open up to him. But I couldn't find the words to explain it all at that moment.

"Not here, Dante. After work, we'll grab dinner and I'll tell you everything," I finally managed to say. He didn't seem satisfied with that answer but he let it go for the time being, knowing that he would get answers soon enough.

"Alright, but I'm taking you out to dinner myself. You're not getting away from this," he declared with determination. I forced a small laugh, grateful for his understanding and support.

"Come on, let's go see Elsa. That guy we arrested isn't giving us anything and with Terry dead, we can only hope this USB has some viable information." As we walked into Elsa's workspace, she was completely engrossed in her work and didn't even notice our arrival.

"Elsa," I shouted, causing her to jump in surprise and clutch her chest. She blushed slightly when she saw Dante, a faint smile creeping onto her face. I couldn't help but wonder why these two still hadn't gone on a date yet. "You said you had something for me?" I prompted, eager to get any new information about the case.

"Ah, the USB. It took me quite some time to crack it, but I finally managed to gain access. However, I must warn you, what I found on it is rather unsettling. Brace yourself." Elsa clicked open a folder and quickly scrolled through a series of photos depicting young children. Most of their faces were unfamiliar, but a few sent chills down my spine as they were recognizable from missing person reports. She then loaded a video that revealed a disturbing scene of children being auctioned off to easily identifiable buyers. It suddenly dawned on me the gravity of what we had stumbled upon.