Chapter 3 - The Hospital Siege
"Marco, execute Protocol Bravo," I commanded smoothly, standing up from my chair. "Clear the private garage on the basement level. Get the armored van ready."
"On it," Marco replied, hanging up.
I turned back to Carmen. She was staring at me in absolute terror, having heard every word of the conversation.
"Mr. Victor... please..." she panicked, trying to sit up, her hand clutching at the IV lines. "Don't let him take Isabella! Hector will kill her if he finds out Julian left the drive with me!"
"Where is the drive, Carmen?" I asked calmly, stepping over to the couch and gently waking Isabella.
Isabella blinked her big eyes, rubbing her face, looking up at me sleepily. "Mister Boss Man?"
"The drive isn't in a safe or a bank," Carmen whispered, looking at her daughter with profound sorrow. "Julian hid it inside Isabella’s old plastic locket. The one she wears around her neck."
My eyes snapped down to Isabella’s neck. Hanging from a simple black string was a cheap, scratched pink heart-shaped plastic locket.
"Isabella," I said gently, crouching beside her. "Can I see your necklace?"
She looked at me, then at her mother, who gave her a reassuring nod. Isabella reached up with her tiny hands, unclasped the pink plastic heart, and handed it to me.
I pressed the small latch on the side. The locket popped open. Beneath a faded photo of a younger Carmen and Julian sat a micro-SD card, sealed in clear waterproof resin.
The forty-million-dollar ledger. The key to destroying Hector Vance and clearing Julian Rossi’s name forever.
Suddenly, the red emergency lights in the hospital hallway began to flash, accompanied by the deafening blare of the fire alarm.
WAAAH! WAAAH! WAAAH!
"They're inside," I said coldly.
I grabbed a thick wool coat, wrapped it around Carmen, and scooped her up into my arms. She was so light it felt like holding a child.
"Isabella," I said, holding out my hand. "Hold onto my jacket and do not let go, no matter what you hear or see. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir," she whispered bravely, her small fingers gripping the edge of my suit coat with all her strength.
We moved fast down the service corridor toward the private freight elevator. My two security guards marched ahead with drawn weapons, their eyes scanning every corner, every doorway.
As we reached the double doors leading to the elevator bay, three men in heavy tactical gear, armed with automatic rifles, burst through the stairwell doors at the end of the hall.
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" one of the tactical men shouted.
He wasn't a police officer. His uniform lacked official department insignia, and his movement was too sloppy for SWAT. They were Hector’s hired mercenaries dressed in fake tactical gear, sent to eliminate Carmen and retrieve the drive under the cover of a staged raid.
"Get behind me!" I roared, lowering Carmen onto a bench behind a heavy steel pillar.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunfire shattered the silence of the hospital hallway, sparks flying off the metal doorframes as plaster exploded from the walls.
My two guards returned fire instantly, providing suppressive cover while I pulled my own customized 9mm handgun from my shoulder holster.
"Isabella! Keep your head down!" I shouted.
I leaned out from behind the pillar, took two rapid shots, and took down the lead shooter before he could adjust his aim. The second mercenary stumbled back, hit in the shoulder, while my guard pinned the third against the wall.
"ELEVATOR IS HERE, BOSS!" my guard yelled, jamming his thumb against the door button.
The heavy steel doors of the freight elevator slid open. I grabbed Carmen back into my arms, pulled Isabella inside, and slapped the button for Basement Level 2.
As the doors closed, cutting off the sound of screaming alarms and distant gunshots, Isabella huddled against my leg, shaking uncontrollably.
"Are we going to die, Mister Boss Man?" she whimpered, her tiny voice drowned out by the mechanical hum of the descending elevator.
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I reached down, placing my hand over her small shoulder.
"Nobody dies on my watch, kid," I said, my voice as hard as stone. "Tonight, we finish this."
