Chapter 2 - The Surgical ICU
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The armored SUV screeched to a halt in the ambulance bay of Mercy Children’s Hospital. Wade didn't wait for his men to open the door. He kicked it open himself, ignoring the freezing rain as he sprinted through the sliding glass doors, flanked by four heavily armed enforcers wearing tailored black suits.
The emergency room waiting area fell dead silent as the mafia boss strode through the corridors.
“Surgical ICU. Third floor,” Wade barked at Silas, his right-hand man, who was already holding a terrified security guard by the collar to get directions.
They bypassed the elevators, taking the concrete stairs three at a time. When Wade kicked open the heavy fire doors of the third floor, his eyes instantly locked onto a heartbreaking scene at the end of the sterile white hallway.
Audrey was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Two hospital security guards stood awkwardly nearby, keeping their distance but watching her closely.
Wade’s heart shattered. He hadn't seen her in a year. She looked devastatingly thin, her dark hair tangled, wearing a faded oversized sweater he recognized as one of his own from their marriage.
“Audrey,” Wade breathed, his voice breaking.
She looked up. Her green eyes were bloodshot and swollen, filled with a mixture of profound relief and sheer terror.
“Wade,” she choked out, scrambling to her feet.
He crossed the hallway in long, desperate strides, ignoring the guards. He wrapped his massive arms around her trembling body, pulling her flush against his chest. She didn't fight him. She buried her face in his neck, her tears soaking his expensive dress shirt.
“They took him, Wade,” she wept, her fingers gripping his lapels like a lifeline. “His little heart just stopped. They took my baby.”
“Our baby,” Wade corrected softly, pressing a fierce kiss to her hair. “Why didn't you tell me, Audrey? Why did you hide him?”
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She pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a devastating honesty. “Because of who you are. I couldn't let my son grow up with a target on his back. But now... now he might not grow up at all.”
Wade’s jaw tightened into steel. He looked at Silas. “Lock down this entire floor. Nobody gets in or out without my permission.”
