Chapter 3 - The Empty Corridors
I opened my mouth to scream, but a large, gloved hand instantly clamped down fiercely over my lips.
I thrashed wildly in the dark, clutching my baby tightly as I tried to break free from the powerful grip of the attacker.
"Stop fighting me, Mrs. Bennett," a deep, unfamiliar voice whispered harshly directly into my right ear.
The man slowly removed his hand from my mouth and stepped back into the dim red glow of the emergency lights.
He was wearing a dark tactical uniform that lacked any official hospital security badges or standard local police insignias.
Nurse Mara raised her fists defensively, fully prepared to physically fight this massive mercenary to protect me and my child.
The man raised his hands in a mocking gesture of peace and smiled cruelly at both of us.
"Your father sent me to quietly escort you to the basement parking garage," the mercenary stated flatly.
I shook my head violently and pressed my back firmly against the cold, hard wall of the corridor.
"I am never going anywhere with you," I told him, trying to keep my shaking voice as steady as possible.
The mercenary sighed heavily and reached slowly toward the black tactical holster strapped securely to his right thigh.
Before he could even draw his weapon, Mara grabbed a heavy metal IV pole from a nearby abandoned supply cart.
She swung the heavy steel pole like a baseball bat, striking the massive man squarely across the side of his head.
The mercenary grunted loudly and stumbled backward, completely disoriented by the sudden and violent blow.
Mara did not hesitate to strike him a second time, hitting him directly in the kneecap with absolute, ruthless precision.
The massive man collapsed onto the linoleum floor, completely unconscious before his head even hit the ground.
I stared at the gentle, soft-spoken nurse in absolute, breathless shock as she quickly wiped sweat from her forehead.
"My husband was a marine, and he taught me a few valuable things," Mara explained while breathing heavily.
She quickly dropped to her knees and thoroughly searched the unconscious mercenary's heavy tactical vest.
She successfully retrieved a two-way radio, a heavy flashlight, and a set of master electronic keycards.
The radio suddenly crackled loudly with harsh static, filling the silent hallway with my father's demanding voice.
"Team two, report your current status immediately," my father ordered through the cheap radio speaker.
Mara clicked the transmission button and perfectly mimicked the deep, gruff voice of the mercenary we had just defeated.
"Target acquired, moving to the designated extraction point now," Mara lied smoothly into the heavy plastic radio.
My father chuckled darkly on the other end of the line, completely believing the clever deception.
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"Excellent work, because the buyers for the newborn are already waiting at the private airstrip," my father replied.
My blood instantly ran ice cold as I fully realized they were not just trying to steal my inheritance.
