Chapter 8 - Cornered at the Pediatric Ward
The door burst inward, wooden shards flying across the tile floor.
A tall man in a dark charcoal overcoat stepped inside. His face was weathered, with a jagged scar running along his jawline. In his gloved right hand, he held a suppressed pistol pointed straight at my chest.
Behind him, Claire was on her knees in the hallway, clutching her bleeding lip, her eyes wide with terror. Beyond her lay two hospital security guards, unconscious on the floor.
"Mr. Carter," the man said calmly, his voice smooth and devoid of emotion. "You can put down the IV pole. Let's not make this messier than it already is."
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my grip tightening on the steel pole.
"A business partner of your wife. Or rather, of Eleanor Vance," he said, glancing casually around the room. "My name is Julian. Your wife was our lead financial accountant for four years before she decided to embezzle twelve million dollars and steal our encrypted client ledger."
I stared at Claire through the doorway. "Embezzlement? That's what this is about?"
"She wanted to start a brand-new life in Europe with your daughter," Julian explained casually, as if discussing the weather. "She was going to leave you to rot with the debt she took out in your name, Mr. Carter. You were nothing more than a convenient suburban disguise to keep her off our radar for eight years."
The truth struck me harder than any physical blow.
Eight years of marriage. Every kiss, every anniversary, every family vacation—all of it was a calculated camouflage for an international criminal on the run.
"I don't care about the money," I said, my voice steady despite the trembling in my legs. "Take it and leave."
"I don't care about the money either," Julian smiled faintly. "I care about the ledger. The thumb drive. Hand it over, and I leave you and your daughter alive. Eleanor, unfortunately, has an appointment with a shallow grave."
"David, don't give it to him!" Claire screamed from the floor. "He'll kill you anyway!"
Julian casually stepped back and kicked Claire across the jaw, knocking her flat onto the floor. "Quiet."
He turned his cold eyes back to me. "The drive, Carter. Three seconds. One... two..."
"Wait!" I shouted, reaching into my jacket.
I pulled out the metallic drive, holding it between my fingers. "Here. Take it."
Julian smirked and lowered his weapon slightly, extending his left hand. "Wise man."
As he stepped forward to take it, I didn't hand it to him.
May you like
With all the strength fueled by a father's desperation, I whipped the heavy steel IV pole diagonally, smashing the weighted iron base straight across his wrist.
***
