Chapter 8 - The First Cry
The silence in the ballroom was absolute as every federal agent watched Mara fight for my baby's life.
I lay paralyzed on the cold floor, silently begging the universe to take my life instead of my child's.
Mara continued the delicate chest compressions, her face a mask of intense, unbreakable focus.
She grabbed a small suction bulb from the medical kit and rapidly cleared the fluid from the infant's tiny airway.
"Come on, little one," Mara whispered fiercely.
"Breathe for your mother."
Time seemed to entirely stop as she gently rubbed the baby's back to stimulate the fragile lungs.
Suddenly, a tiny, sputtering cough echoed through the silent hall.
The cough was immediately followed by a loud, angry, and incredibly beautiful wail.
Tears of pure joy streamed down my face as the baby's skin slowly turned from terrifying blue to a healthy, vibrant pink.
"You have a beautiful, loud little girl, Claire," Mara smiled, gently placing my crying daughter onto my bare chest.
I wrapped my arms securely around her, pressing my lips to her damp forehead as relief washed away all the pain.
"Get a medical transport helicopter to the terrace right now!" an agent yelled into his radio.
As the agents prepared to move us, the heavy wooden doors of the wine cellar violently burst open.
Julian Vance had somehow slipped his handcuffs and brutally knocked out the two agents guarding him.
He was holding a massive, waterproof hard drive that contained the master ledger for his entire global syndicate.
Julian sprinted toward the terrace doors, ignoring the federal agents shouting for him to freeze.
He raised a small, black remote detonator high into the air and smiled maliciously.
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"If I go down, this entire estate burns to the ground!" Julian screamed, pressing the red button.
A series of small, fiery explosions immediately erupted in the structural pillars of the ballroom, causing the ceiling to groan violently.
