With a smirk, Hinx lumbered away, entering the bunker and disappearing. In his absence, Dr. Payne became emboldened, her glare burning like the sun. As she approached, her countenance transformed mid-stride from a consuming fire to a silky-smooth stare. She slinked up to Bond and ran a finger down his cheek, her lips parting with a sigh, eyes beholding him with obvious gratification. Her slight grin seemed sensuous. Her touch equally the same.

"Would you like to know about the implant I put in your head?" Her cheeks blushed a rosy hue as she leaned against him, giving his bicep a firm squeeze.

"Not really."

"I will tell you, anyway." She backed away, her gaze turning as cold as ice. "It emits electrical pulses that radiate through your brain. It is quite painful. At full strength, it will kill you. I will save that for last." She grinned, her eyes alighting with satisfaction, like she had him right where she wanted him. "I would like to have fun with you first."

Bond rolled his eyes. "You wish."

"No, Mr. Bond!" Hinx said, appearing from the bunker. "Dr. Payne will have her way with you, and after that, both you and your tender flower will die." The assassin strong-armed a woman and forced her out into the open. Bond's heart sank like a stone in the River Thames as he glimpsed Madeleine Swann with her shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin diastema. He suspected Hinx's flower reference was a jab at the fact Lyutsifer Safin had engineered the pool in his poisonous garden to target Madeleine. The heaviness Bond felt at the sight of her pressed upon him even more. He had only loved a handful of women in his life—women that could distract him in more ways than the obvious—and she was one of them. She had his heart, something that thrilled him and also frightened him to the core.