Chapter 7 - The Whistleblower
Pure, unadulterated panic ripped through my body at the thought of Ethan in the NICU.
I didn't care about my bleeding stitches or the IV lines currently tethering me to the bed.
I ripped the needles from my arms, ignoring the sting as drops of blood splattered onto the white sheets.
Caleb tried to gently push me back down, but I shoved him away with a desperate burst of maternal strength.
"Get me a wheelchair, right now!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Sarah grabbed a wheelchair from the hallway and practically threw it next to my bed.
We raced down the sterile corridors, the squeaking wheels echoing like a countdown to tragedy.
When we reached the neonatal intensive care unit, the heavy glass doors were chained shut from the inside.
Through the glass, I could see Ethan pacing like a trapped animal among the fragile incubators.
He was holding a heavy steel fire extinguisher, his eyes wild and completely unhinged.
"Ethan, don't do this!" I screamed, banging my fists helplessly against the reinforced glass.
He turned to look at me, a psychotic smile spreading across his pale, sweating face.
"If I can't have the Vance empire, nobody gets the heir!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the thick doors.
He raised the heavy steel cylinder above his head, standing directly over my daughter's incubator.
My world started to spin as I watched the weapon begin its lethal descent toward the fragile plastic shell.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the hallway, shattering the glass doors into a million sparkling pieces.
A tactical SWAT team, led by Julian Sterling, stormed into the room through the shattered entrance.
Julian tackled Ethan to the ground, sending the fire extinguisher skidding harmlessly across the linoleum floor.
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I dragged myself out of the wheelchair, crawling across the broken glass to reach my baby's side.
As I held my tiny, breathing daughter, Julian looked at me and revealed a badge from the Department of Justice.
