Chapter 3 - The Midnight Evacuation
Vance didn't waste ten seconds asking questions.
A former SAS operative who had served three tours in hot zones across the world didn't need a formal briefing when a situation turned toxic. He recognized the cold, unblinking truth in Nora’s eyes, and he recognized the chemical code on the IV bag.
"Stay in the car," Vance commanded, pulling a small silver key fob from his pocket and unlocking the heavy armored doors of the Maybach. "Keep the child low."
"I'm coming with you," Nora said firmly.
Vance glared at her. "Miss, this is about to become an active tactical breach—"
"I know the service routes," Nora interrupted him, her eyes burning with fierce determination. "I know which security cameras are disabled on the fourth floor for cleaning rotations, and I know how to get him out through the linen chute freight bay without passing the main nurses' station."
Vance stared at her for a fraction of a second, then gave a single, tight nod. "Move."
They sprinted through the basement service doors, dodging the laundry carts and maintenance staff. Nora led Vance up the narrow, concrete fire stairs, taking three steps at a time despite holding Maisie tightly against her shoulder.
They reached the fourth floor service door. Nora cracked it open two inches.
Outside Room 402, two private security guards hired by Lucien Vale were now standing watch at the entrance. Inside the room, through the glass partition, Helena March was standing over the bed, holding a pen, while a corrupt night doctor was filling out a medical death certificate on a clipboard.
"We have two minutes before that certificate is logged into the state registry," Vance grunted, reaching into his holster and pulling out a silenced 9mm sidearm.
"No shooting," Nora whispered urgently, grabbing Vance’s arm. "If you discharge a weapon in a hospital, the facility goes into automatic lockdown. The doors seal electronically, and we'll be trapped in the building."
Vance looked at her, impressed despite himself. "What's the plan, cleaner?"
Nora grabbed a heavy canister of industrial floor stripper from her cleaning cart near the door. She tossed it onto the tile floor, kicked it hard so it ruptured, spilling slippery, high-concentration chemical detergent across the entire corridor, and then hit the emergency fire alarm wall lever.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Intense red strobe lights began flashing down the hallway. The overhead emergency sprinklers burst open, flooding the floor with cold water mixed with the slippery detergent.
The two security guards outside the room instantly lost their footing, their boots slipping on the slick floor as they went down hard, crashing into the wall. The corrupt doctor inside the room dropped his clipboard in panic, rushing toward the window to see where the fire was.
Vance didn't miss his window.
He kicked the door open, stepped into the room, and delivered a devastating right hook to the doctor’s jaw, knocking him out cold before he hit the floor. Helena let out a high-pitched shriek, dropping her gold pen as she backed into the corner.
"Vance!" Helena screamed, her face contorting with rage. "What are you doing?! He’s dead! Get out of here!"
Vance ignored her completely. He stepped to the bed, threw off the white sheets, and gathered Cassian Vale’s heavy, six-foot-two frame into his arms.
Cassian was still semi-paralyzed, but his gray eyes were wide open, looking at Vance, then at Nora standing in the doorway.
"Got you, boss," Vance grunted, hoisting Cassian over his shoulder.
"Stop them!" Helena shrieked into her phone, her hands shaking as she dialed Lucien. "Lucien! Vance is stealing the body! They're taking him!"
Nora didn't wait to hear the rest. "This way!" she shouted, leading Vance down the rear service corridor toward the dirty linen chute.
They reached the heavy stainless-steel freight elevator at the end of the hall. Nora swiped her master employee keycard, punching the button for the underground boiler room.
The heavy steel doors slammed shut just as Lucien Vale and four armed men rounded the corner, their guns drawn, screaming for them to stop.
Inside the falling elevator, the air was thick with the smell of wet wool, iron, and sweat.
Vance laid Cassian gently against the back wall. Cassian’s breathing was shallow, his pulse still wildly erratic as the paralytic poison slowly began to wear off in his bloodstream.
Cassian raised one weak, trembling hand. His fingers brushed against Nora’s apron pocket, where Maisie’s teddy bear was tucked away.
"The... child," Cassian rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones.
Maisie stepped forward, completely unbothered by the emergency strobes or the cold water dripping from her hair. She reached out and placed Barnaby the teddy bear back onto Cassian’s chest.
"You have to stay awake now," Maisie said, her little voice sweet and clear in the rattling steel box. "Barnaby says no sleeping when the bad people are outside."
Cassian looked down at the battered three-dollar toy, then up at Nora’s tired, fierce face.
A small, genuine smile touched the corner of the billionaire's lips for the first time in five years.
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"What's... your name?" Cassian whispered.
"Nora," she said, leaning down to check his pulse at his neck. "Nora Reyes. And you, Mr. Vale, are going to live."
