Chapter 5
The hostile air in the hospital room shifted, replaced by an urgent, brittle cooperation. Julian lowered his phone, his screen glowing softly against the dim lighting of the room. The realization that they were common targets in a ruthless corporate conspiracy forced an immediate, albeit fragile, truce between the brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
"We need to get her out of here," Clara said, stepping toward the bed with renewed purpose.
Julian held up a hand, shaking his head decisively. "No. Moving her now would flatline her before we hit the elevator. Her autonomic functions are too weak. If Marcus wants her dead, moving her plays right into his hands. We have to secure this room and figure out who else on this floor is on his payroll."
"We can't trust the staff," Clara argued, her eyes darting toward the frosted glass of the door. "Remember the nurse who sent me in here? She had a temporary badge. Her name tag said 'Davis,' but I noticed the ID photo didn't match her bone structure. It was a fake badge."
Julian walked over to the door, pressing his ear against the wood. The hallway outside was eerily quiet, stripped of the usual clatter of rolling carts and hurried footsteps that characterized a major metropolitan hospital at night. "The floor has been cleared," Julian murmured, stepping back. "Security detail isn't ours. Marcus must have used his corporate security contract to replace the night shift."
Clara reached down, carefully picking up a shard of the broken juice bottle from the floor, wrapping it in a spare linen napkin she grabbed from the tray. "Then we use their own trap against them. If they think we're fighting and distracted, they'll make a move."
Julian looked at her with a flicker of begrudging respect. Underneath the glamorous gowns and the art gallery openings, Clara possessed a spine forged in something much tougher than he had ever given her credit for. "What do you have in mind?"
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"You pretend to lose your temper again," Clara whispered, stepping closer to him so her voice wouldn't carry through the heavy door. "Raise your voice. Make them think I'm cornered. When they open that door to finish whatever they started with Maya, we take the element of surprise."
Julian hesitated for only a second before nodding slowly. He stepped back, squared his broad shoulders, and slammed his fist against the metal frame of the door, producing a sound that echoed like a gunshot down the corridor. "You ruin everything you touch!" he bellowed, pitching his voice to carry through the barrier.
