Chapter 7 - The Enforcers in the Corridor
The four men in tailored black suits moved with military precision, cutting off both ends of the hospital hallway in seconds. Their shoulders were broad, their jaws set, and their eyes scanned the corridor with the cold detachment of professional protection agents.
"Mr. Miller," the lead enforcer said, his voice flat and devoid of any human warmth. "Mrs. Miller requests your immediate departure from hospital premises. Voluntarily, or we assist you."
Jax didn’t flinch. He stepped in front of Lily and her mother, shielding them with his massive frame. The bandaged knuckles on his hands throbbed with a dull, rhythmic pulse, but his grip on the toy stethoscope tightened until the plastic began to bend.
"Tell Clara I’m not going anywhere," Jax growled, taking a slow step toward the lead enforcer. "Not while my daughter is under the same roof as a woman who tried to cook her alive."
The enforcer didn't blink. He reached inside his jacket, his hand hovering over the silhouette of a concealed baton. "Mrs. Miller holds absolute power of attorney and emergency guardianship as of twenty minutes ago. Your parental rights have been formally suspended by Judge Callahan's emergency order."
The nurse gasped, clutching Lily’s shoulder and pulling the little girl back against the vending machines. "That's impossible! A judge wouldn't sign an emergency suspension without a formal hearing!"
"Money expedites paperwork, Nurse," the enforcer replied coldly. "Now, Mr. Miller. Move."
Jax’s mind raced. He knew how the system worked; Clara had spent a decade buying judges, prosecutors, and corporate regulators. If they took Chloe out of this hospital tonight, she would vanish into the sprawling labyrinth of Clara’s offshore estates, and he would never see her face again.
He needed time. He needed the nurse’s husband to testify.
"I'm leaving," Jax said suddenly, his tone shifting from defiant to defeated. He dropped his shoulders and held out his hands as if surrendering. "Just... let me grab my jacket from the waiting room chair."
The enforcer eyed him suspiciously, weighing the compliance against the bruised, dangerous reputation attached to Jax's name in federal files. "Two minutes, Miller. We are watching every move you make."
Jax turned on his heel and walked briskly toward the empty waiting area. The moment he rounded the corner out of their direct line of sight, he didn't grab his jacket. Instead, he slammed his shoulder against the heavy fire exit door at the end of the corridor, throwing his weight against the emergency latch.
The heavy metal door burst outward into the cool night air of the hospital alleyway, the alarm klaxon blaring a deafening, piercing wail that echoed off the brick walls.
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Jax sprinted into the darkness, leaving a trail of blood drops on the asphalt, but as he reached the corner of the alley, a pair of headlights blinded him, and a black sedan pulled up sideways, blocking his escape while the passenger window rolled down to reveal an unexpected face.
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