Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Web
The stairwell was cold and echoed with the distant hum of the building's ventilation system. I took the stairs two at a time, my lungs burning, powered by the chemical surge coursing through my system.
Third floor. Pediatric ICU.
I pushed through the double doors, assuming the posture of a busy nurse. The pediatric unit was quieter, dim lights illuminating the hallway where framed cartoon posters hung on the walls.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" a young nurse asked, looking up from a desk.
"Dr. Aris sent me to check on Ryan Vance's vitals before his transfer," I said, keeping my voice low and steady behind the mask, praying the jargon sounded convincing.
"Oh, room 304," the nurse said, pointing down the hall without suspicion. "Transport is supposed to be here in ten minutes, but they haven't sent the paperwork yet."
"I'll handle it," I said, moving quickly down the corridor.
Room 304.
I pushed the door open.
Ryan lay in the small hospital bed, surrounded by heart monitors and intravenous lines. His skin was still pale, but his chest rose and fell in a steady, restful rhythm. The sight of him brought tears to my eyes, but I forced them back. There was no time for tears.
"Ryan... baby, wake up," I whispered, gently rubbing his cheek.
His eyelids fluttered open. "Mommy...?" he mumbled, his voice small and slurred. "My tummy hurts..."
"I know, baby. I know. But we have to go on a little adventure right now, okay? You have to be super brave for Mommy."
I quickly unhooked the heart monitor leads from his chest, leaving only the primary IV line. I grabbed a warm blanket from the chair, wrapped him tightly in it, and lifted him into my arms. He was heavy, but the booster drug in my system gave me unnatural strength. He rested his heavy head against my shoulder, clinging feebly to my shirt.
"Hold on tight to me, sweetie," I murmured.
I walked out of the room, steering clear of the central nurses' station, and headed straight for the service elevator marked Staff Only. I swiped the administrator keycard I’d found under my mattress.
BEEP.
The heavy steel doors slid open. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the basement.
As the elevator descended, my phone vibrated.
"Ethan's bail was just posted. He is out. Julia Vane's associates realized you are missing from your room. They are locking down the hospital exits. Use the laundry chute corridor on the basement level."
My thumb flew across the screen. "Who is Julia Vane? Why is she doing this?"
The response was cold and precise:
"Julia Vane is the CFO of Apex Horizon Holdings—the offshore firm where Ethan has been laundering stolen money from his clients' trust funds for three years. Your father's trust fund was his biggest score: twelve million dollars. You were going to discover the missing funds during next month's routine audit. Ethan didn't just want the insurance money, Claire. He needed you and Ryan dead so the trust would default to him as sole heir before the auditors flagged the missing millions."
The elevator doors chimed and slid open to the dark, cavernous basement of the hospital. The air smelled of detergent, damp linens, and motor oil.
I stepped out into the shadows, holding Ryan close against my chest.
"Who are you?" I whispered aloud to the phone in my hand.
A shadow detached itself from behind a massive commercial washing machine at the end of the corridor.
May you like
A woman stepped into the dim light. She wore a dark trench coat, her sharp features framed by short silver hair, and her eyes were fierce and intelligent. In her hand, she held a secure tablet displaying real-time hospital security camera feeds.
"My name is Marcus," she said, her voice low and resonant. "And three years ago, Ethan Vance and Julia Vane framed my husband for their financial fraud. He died in prison. I've been tracking them ever since."
