Chapter 118 Cornered On The Glass Bridge
The drive back to the safe house offered no comfort.
I sat in the back of the black sedan and watched the frozen landscape blur past the tinted windows. I destroyed Vanessa Cole. I stripped away her career, her reputation, and her luxury loft. I left her crying on a white leather sofa, surrounded by the wreckage of her own greed.
The revenge tasted like ash. It did not heal the scars from three years ago. It did not erase the nights I spent crying in a dark, unheated apartment. It only confirmed the brutal reality of my past. I survived a war zone, and the casualties included everyone I used to trust.
Marcus steered the car down the long, winding road leading to the secure property. Tall pine trees cast long shadows across the pavement. The heavy iron gates parted, allowing the vehicle to enter the secluded driveway.
I stepped out into the freezing wind. Eduardo Valdez stood on the front porch. He held a digital tablet in his hand. His face was a mask of tense concentration.
"The local networks remain quiet," Eduardo reported. He closed the heavy front door behind me and engaged the steel deadbolts. "Tristan Johnston pulled his private investigators out of Port Sterling this morning. The sudden withdrawal is suspicious."
"He is regrouping," I said. I unbuttoned my wool coat and handed it to Lucia. "He knows the clinic records are a dead end. He is changing his strategy."
"We need to stay ahead of him," Eduardo warned. He tapped the screen of his tablet. "But we have a logistical issue. Elias is due for his scheduled pediatric checkup. He needs his standard immunizations today. The clinic called an hour ago to confirm the appointment."
I closed my eyes. A dull ache throbbed behind my temples.
I wanted to cancel the appointment. I wanted to keep my son locked behind iron gates and armed guards until Tristan Johnston forgot we existed. But I could not let my paranoia compromise my child’s health.
"We use the Sterling Medical Center," I decided. I opened my eyes. "It is a private facility. Aegis funds their burn unit. We hold high-level clearance. Call ahead and secure the underground VIP entrance."
Eduardo nodded and lifted his phone to his ear.
I walked into the living room. Elias sat on the thick woven rug, playing with a set of wooden trains. He wore a dark blue sweater and soft gray trousers. He looked up, his face breaking into a bright, innocent smile.
"Mama!" he cheered. He held up a wooden train car.
I knelt on the floor and pulled him into a tight embrace. I buried my face in his dark, curling hair. He felt warm and solid against my chest. He was a perfect, living piece of my heart, completely unaware of the billionaires tearing the city apart to claim him.
"We are going to see the doctor, my love," I told him. I smoothed the hair back from his forehead. "You get to be a brave boy today."
An hour later, the black sedan descended into the restricted subterranean garage of the Sterling Medical Center. The facility catered to the elite families of the capital. It featured marble floors, original artwork, and absolute discretion.
Marcus stepped out of the car and scanned the concrete pillars. He gave a short nod.
I unbuckled Elias from his car seat. I lifted him into my arms. He rested his head against my shoulder, his small hands clutching the collar of my blazer. Lucia walked beside me, carrying the diaper bag.
We entered the private elevator. I swiped my corporate access card. The carriage ascended to the fourth floor, bypassing the crowded public waiting rooms.
The doors opened into a quiet, pristine corridor. Soft instrumental music played from hidden speakers. A receptionist in a crisp uniform greeted us and immediately guided us into a private examination room.
The appointment took forty minutes. The pediatrician checked Elias's vitals, administered the scheduled immunizations, and pronounced him in perfect health. Elias cried for a brief moment during the injection, but he recovered the second I handed him a small, blue stuffed wolf from Lucia’s bag.
"He is growing perfectly, Miss Hayes," the doctor said, handing me a sealed medical file. "You are doing an excellent job."
"Thank you," I replied. I felt a rare, genuine spark of pride.
We stepped out of the examination room. I held Elias by his small hand. He walked beside me, his other hand gripping the blue stuffed wolf.
Eduardo met us in the corridor. He held a hand to the earpiece hidden in his ear.
"The private elevator is out of service," Eduardo announced. A sharp edge of irritation clipped his words. "Maintenance initiated an emergency recalibration. They locked the doors."
My chest tightened. "How do we get back to the garage?"
"We have to use the secondary VIP exit on the opposite side of the building," Eduardo explained. "It requires us to cross the second-floor mezzanine."
I did not like changes to the security plan. I liked controlled environments. But the facility was restricted. The public lacked access to this wing.
"Keep a tight formation," I instructed.
We walked toward the end of the fourth-floor corridor. We took a restricted stairwell down two flights of stairs.
We emerged onto the second-floor mezzanine. It was a wide, open walkway constructed entirely of reinforced glass and white steel. The mezzanine stretched across the center of the building, suspending us directly over the main hospital atrium.
Massive skylights filtered the afternoon sun, casting bright, geometric patterns across the glass floor.
Elias let out a delighted gasp. He loved the bright lights and the open space. He pulled against my grip, wanting to run across the smooth surface.