Chapter 4 - The Fragile ShieldBack at the Thorne estate, the nursery was warm, heated by a cast-iron stove that hummed with steady radiance. Elena sat beside the cradle, rocking the newborn with mechanical rhythm. The baby—whom she had named Thomas—slept deeply, oblivious to the storm outside.
Noah Vance walked in carrying a basin of warm saline and clean dressings. "You're bleeding through your bandages, Elena."
She didn't look up. "Pain is a reminder that I'm still breathing to fight for Leo."
"Sit," Noah commanded gently, pulling a chair closer. With practiced hands from years of military duty before the police force, he unwrapped the blood-crusted gauze around her forearm. "Leo is tough. He’s smarter than most kids his age."
"He's an eight-year-old child, Noah," she said, tears catching in her throat. "He still needs the hall light left on when it rains. When the car flipped, all he said was, 'Mom, hold my hand.' And then the glass broke, and I couldn't reach him."
Julian appeared in the doorway, his overcoat dusted with fresh snow. "Noah's right, Elena. But Marcus made a mistake. He used an unencrypted relay to ping a maritime receiver down by the dockyards. He wants to negotiate."
Elena rose instantly, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs. "Take me to him."
May you like
"No," Julian said, his eyes hardening. "He wants the encrypted ledgers. If you show up, he takes both you and the ledgers, and none of us leave that yard alive. Vance and I go alone."
"You don't understand my son," Elena countered, stepping into Julian’s personal space. "He will not listen to anyone else. If he hears shooting, he will run into the cold, and he will freeze. I go. Or I walk there myself."
Related Stories
