Chapter 6 - Shadows on the Fifth Floor
Marcus ended the call without another word. He scooped Leo up in his arms, ignoring the dull ache in his chest. ""We have to play a game, Leo. We’re going to be completely silent, okay? Like ninjas.""
The boy nodded solemnly, wrapping his arms tightly around Marcus’s neck.
Marcus bypassed the main bank of elevators, instead slipping through the heavy fire exit door into the stairwell. The concrete steps echoed faintly with distant footsteps coming from below—heavy, deliberate dress shoes clicking rapidly upward.
Marcus climbed upward toward the sixth floor, the administrative ward that was mostly dark after hours. He pushed through the door and ducked into an empty consultation room, locking the deadbolt quietly behind him. He set Leo down beneath a wide mahogany desk, pulling the privacy chair in front of the space.
""Stay under here. Don’t make a sound, no matter what you hear,"" Marcus instructed softly.
He walked to the window overlooking the ambulance bay. Below, two black SUVs were parked diagonally across the emergency lane, blocking any easy exit. Men in dark suits were stationed near the sliding doors. This wasn’t a family dispute anymore; Arthur had mobilized his corporate security detail—men paid exorbitant salaries to handle problems that legal channels couldn't fix.
Marcus's phone buzzed in his pocket. A text message from an unknown number.
‘Bring Leo and the safe's contents to the lobby, Marcus. Or the surgeon's hands might slip during Elena’s procedure. You have ten minutes.’
Marcus stared at the glowing letters on the screen. The surgeon was compromised.
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A cold, lethal calm washed over Marcus. The fear that had paralyzed him since Elena collapsed burned away, replaced by a calculated, predatory clarity. They thought he was a cornered animal. They had forgotten that before he took over the company, he had built its security division from the ground up.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keycard—an all-access master pass he kept from his days managing the hospital's private wing donor committee.
