Chapter 3 - The Whispering Ghost
By midnight, Lily had swallowed half a cup of warm broth spooned directly from Claire’s hands.
The little girl refused to let Claire leave her side, gripping the hem of Claire’s faded sweater like an anchor.
Dr. Nolan Price had returned to check the child’s vitals, shaking his head in disbelief at the stabilized numbers.
Gabriel watched from the leather armchair in the corner of the nursery, a glass of untouched bourbon in his hand.
He had dismissed the armed security team from the interior hallway, trusting only his personal instincts.
"You can name your price," Gabriel murmured in the dim light, his voice stripped of its earlier hostility.
"Stay until she is fully recovered, and I will clear your mother's hospital debts before sunrise."
Claire looked up from the bed where Lily was finally drifting into an exhausted slumber.
"Money won't fix what is broken in this house, Mister Varrick."
"Someone here is actively trying to silence your daughter."
Gabriel’s eyes hardened into flint.
"My people have been vetted by three separate security intelligence firms."
"They would die for my family."
"Then why does she stop breathing whenever anyone reaches for the nightstand?" Claire challenged softly.
Lily suddenly twitched violently under the pink duvet, crying out in her sleep.
Claire leaned over and began to hum the soothing Appalachian melody again, stroking the child's damp curls.
Lily’s eyes snapped wide open, filled with a sudden, suffocating panic.
"No," Lily rasped, her voice cracking like dry autumn leaves.
"Do not sing the car song."
Claire froze, her hand pausing mid-stroke on Lily’s forehead.
Gabriel stood up so fast his heavy armchair scraped against the floor.
"What did you say, Lily?" Gabriel asked, his voice shaking with restrained terror.
Lily buried her face deep into Claire’s ribs, trembling so hard the bedframes rattled.
"The pretty lady sang that song in the car," Lily whispered into Claire’s sweater.
"Before the loud bangs broke Mommy."
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Claire’s blood ran cold as she stared across the room at the crime boss.
Her grandmother had taught that song to only two people in the entire world: Claire, and Claire's estranged older half-sister.
