Chapter 2 - The Hidden Lens
I dropped my phone onto the floor as if it had suddenly caught fire.
Cole followed my terrified gaze down to the shattered screen on the linoleum tiles.
He picked up my phone and saw the live photograph of us.
His jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth might shatter.
He immediately looked up at the acoustic ceiling tiles above the examination chair.
Right next to the circular air conditioning vent, a tiny red light blinked in the shadows.
It was a pinhole camera, expertly wired into the hospital’s electrical grid.
Cole grabbed a metal stool, stepped onto it, and ripped the plastic vent cover clean off the ceiling.
He reached into the dark space and yanked a cluster of black wires out with a violent pull.
The tiny camera fell to the floor, crushing the lens under his heavy medical shoe.
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling completely violated and exposed.
This hospital was supposed to be one of the most secure medical facilities in the city.
Someone with elite security clearance had installed that camera specifically to watch me.
Cole climbed down from the stool and grabbed my hand.
His touch was warm, familiar, and fiercely protective.
He told me we were leaving this room immediately to find hospital security.
We walked toward the heavy wooden door of the exam room.
Cole reached for the brass handle, but it refused to turn.
He pulled harder, rattling the door against the frame, but the electronic lock was engaged.
The digital keypad on the wall flashed a solid, glowing red.
A cold, synthetic voice suddenly crackled to life through the intercom speaker on the wall.
The voice announced that Doctor Cole Jacobs was now under a mandatory psychiatric lockdown.
A loud printer in the corner of the room suddenly whirred to life.
It began spitting out hundreds of pages of forged medical documents.
I picked up the first page and felt the blood drain completely from my face.
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It was a highly classified psychiatric evaluation bearing Cole’s forged signature.
The document stated that Cole had intentionally prescribed me a lethal dose of medication because he could not let me go.
