Chapter 3 - THE MASK SLIPS
Elena stepped further into the study, her blue eyes wide with innocent concern as she glanced between Lorenzo and Maya. Her gaze lingered on Maya for a fraction of a second longer than necessary—a subtle flash of annoyance that didn't escape Maya's trained eye.
"Oh, you're still here, Nurse Ellis," Elena said, forcing a warm, polite smile. "I assumed Dr. Crane would have sent you home by now given Nico's condition. How is my little nephew?"
"Nico is resting comfortably, Ms. Vance," Maya replied, keeping her voice entirely neutral, giving nothing away.
Lorenzo walked around the desk, his expression carefully masked in a veneer of exhausted grief. He took the cup of tea from Elena’s hands, setting it down on a nearby table without drinking it. "Dr. Crane had an emergency and had to leave, Elena. But Nico's fever broke a little while ago. He's sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks."
For a split second, a micro-expression of sheer panic flickered across Elena’s face before she quickly plastered her sweet smile back on. "Oh... thank God. That’s wonderful news. I was so terrified we were losing him. Those seizures—or whatever mysterious condition he has—are just tearing my heart out."
"Indeed," Lorenzo said, his voice dangerously low. "It makes you wonder how someone could be so cruel as to let an innocent child suffer like that."
Elena blinked, her lower lip trembling just slightly. "Who could be cruel to a baby? Whoever is running those tests at the hospital must be incompetent. Maybe we should look into transferring him to a clinic out of state?"
"Maybe," Lorenzo agreed, stepping closer to her. "Or maybe the problem is much closer to home than we think."
Elena swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously toward the door. "What do you mean, Lorenzo?"
"Nothing, Elena. Go back to sleep. You've had a long night," Lorenzo said, dismissing her with a cold finality that made her hesitate. She turned and walked toward the door, but just as her hand touched the brass handle, she paused and looked back.
"Make sure the new nurse doesn't give him any unapproved medications, Lorenzo. You know how fragile he is," she warned softly before slipping out into the hallway, closing the heavy door behind her.
As soon as the click of the latch echoed in the silent room, Lorenzo slammed his fist against the walnut desk, the wood groaning under the impact. "She’s acting. Every word she speaks is calculated."
"She’s nervous because Dr. Crane hasn't checked in with her," Maya analyzed quickly. "Crane was probably her primary link to the medical compound. Now that he's locked in your vault, she's flying blind. She doesn't know what Crane told you before he left."
"Which means she’ll try to contact her source or cover her tracks by tomorrow morning," Lorenzo said, his mafia instincts fully taking over. He walked over to a secure wall safe, spun the dial, and pulled out a sleek, encrypted satellite phone. He dialed a quick sequence of numbers. "Vince? I need a full sweep of the western wing. Check every trash bin, every air vent, and every personal item belonging to Elena Vance. I want to know where she's hiding her stash."
"On it, Boss," a gravelly voice responded through the speaker before the line clicked dead.
Lorenzo turned back to Maya. "You should get some rest. You've been awake for nearly twenty hours."
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"I don't sleep when there's an active threat on a patient," Maya said firmly. "I'm going back to the nursery. If Elena is panicked, she might try to finish what she started before sunrise."
Lorenzo stared at her, a profound sense of respect replacing the initial suspicion he had held just hours ago. In a world full of liars, killers, and sycophants, Maya Ellis was the only person standing beside him who couldn't be bought, intimidated, or fooled.
