Chapter 12 - The Shadow in the Corridor
"We have to get Clara out of here," Anaëlle panicked, heading for the door, but Julian caught her wrist, pulling her back into the room.
"If we move her now, we expose ourselves," Julian warned softly. "The hospital is monitored. Whoever poisoned Vance knows Clara is here. They’re watching."
"I won't let them touch her!" Anaëlle cried out, tears of rage brimming in her eyes. "She’s just a baby!"
"Look at me, Anaëlle," Julian commanded, holding both of her shoulders. His gaze was steady, unwavering, grounding her in the center of the storm. "I swore an oath to your father that I would protect you both with my life. Nobody touches Clara while I’m breathing. But you need to stay inside this room with Dr. Aris. I am going to clear the floor."
Julian pulled a concealed silenced pistol from beneath his jacket, checked the magazine with a practiced click, and slipped out the door.
Anaëlle collapsed onto the sofa beside Clara’s bed, listening to the quiet beep of her sister's heart monitor. She took Clara's small, warm hand, squeezing it tight.
Ten minutes passed in suffocating silence.
Suddenly, the lights in the hospital room flickered and died. The hum of the air conditioning shut off, leaving only the dark room lit by the distant streetlamps outside.
Click.
The lock on Clara’s hospital door disengaged.
Anaëlle froze. A tall figure stepped through the doorway, draped entirely in black, holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid. The figure didn't hesitate—they moved directly toward Clara’s IV line.
"Get away from her!" Anaëlle screamed, grabbing a heavy brass desk lamp and swinging it with all her strength.
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The lamp struck the intruder's shoulder with a sharp clang. The assailant grunted, dropping the syringe, and turned on Anaëlle, lunging forward with a combat knife.
Before the blade could reach her, a shadow darted from the hallway. Julian tackled the assassin through the glass window of the room, sending a shower of crystal shards cascading across the floor.
