Chapter 9 - The Silent Extraction
""She’s hooked to a medical monitor!"" Elena shouted, jumping between the agents and Lily’s bed, her bruised body screaming in protest. ""She was poisoned! Julian poisoned her with an unreleased compound from his own laboratory! Look at her blood work!""
Agent Miller didn't flinch. Her eyes were empty, bureaucratic glass. ""The independent lab tests run by the hospital this morning showed only trace amounts of over-the-counter pediatric sedatives, consistent with motion sickness medication administered by her father before a scheduled flight. The court has deemed you an immediate threat to the child’s psychological and physical stability.""
""The hospital lab is funded by Vance Biologics,"" Elena said, her voice dropping into a desperate, furious whisper. ""He owns the board. He owns the diagnostic equipment. You are walking my daughter directly into the hands of a butcher.""
One of the grey-suited men stepped forward, his hand moving to the inside of his jacket. ""Ma'am, do not make this difficult. If you interfere with a court order, you will be restrained and transferred to the psychiatric detention facility in Chester immediately.""
Lily began to stir, the harsh voices penetrating her drug-induced sleep. She opened her eyes, seeing the unfamiliar men looming over her bed. ""Mommy?"" she whimpered, reaching out a pale hand. ""Mommy, my head hurts...""
""Lily, stay calm,"" Elena pleaded, tears burning her eyes as she tried to reach her daughter, but the two men closed ranks, physically blocking her path. Their shoulders were solid brick.
Elena watched in agonizing paralysis as a hospital orderly, wheeled in by Miller, quickly disconnected the IV lines and transferred Lily onto a mobile gurney. Lily started crying, weak and disoriented, her small hands clawing at the hospital sheets.
""Mommy! Don't let them take me! Mommy!""
""I'm coming for you, Lily!"" Elena screamed, lunging forward, but the second agent grabbed her injured arm, twisting it ruthlessly behind her back and slamming her down onto the hospital mattress. Elena gasped in agony as her cracked ribs compressed against the bed frame.
Through the window in the door, Elena saw Julian standing in the corridor.
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He was dressed in a pristine charcoal suit, a neat white bandage covering the laceration on his cheek. He watched the gurney being wheeled out into the hallway, his face completely expressionless. Before turning to follow the orderly, he looked through the glass, met Elena’s tear-drenched eyes, and tapped his wristwatch twice.
He was telling her that her time was up.
