Chapter 4 - Shadows in the NurseryThe nursery on the third floor of the Russo estate was larger than my entire former apartment.
It was a masterclass in modern luxury—paneled in dark mahogany, carpeted with thick, sound-absorbing wool, and outfitted with state-of-the-art medical monitoring equipment that had been muted to a soft, pulsing green glow. Yet, despite all the money poured into it, the room felt sterile and hollow. It was a room designed by people who bought things, not people who held things.
After Mrs. Vance showed me to the adjoining bedroom—a cozy, utilitarian space with a single window overlooking the sprawling winter gardens—she locked the door from the outside.
Locked.
Not as a precaution for the baby, but as a reminder of my status. I wasn't an honored guest; I was a hostage with a stethoscope.
I sat in the plush rocking chair in the corner of the nursery, Leo resting softly against my chest. He had drifted back into a deep, peaceful sleep, his tiny chest rising and falling in perfect sync with mine. I gently stroked his soft, dark hair, marveling at how something so fragile could hold so much power. Because of this little boy breathing against my skin, my brother Tommy was still drawing breath in some cold shipping container downtown.
Thirty days, I thought, closing my eyes as exhaustion washed over me in heavy, crashing waves. I just have to keep him calm for thirty days.
Suddenly, a soft creak broke the absolute silence of the room.
My eyes snapped open. The heavy mahogany door to the hallway was inching open, a thin slice of yellow light cutting across the dark carpet.
I didn't reach for a phone. I didn't call out. I instinctively slid my hand upward to gently cup the back of Leo’s head, dampening any sudden movement, and braced my feet against the floor.
A shadow slipped into the room.
It wasn't Daniel. The silhouette was slighter, shorter, moving with a fluid, nervous grace that reeked of adrenaline and panic. The figure crept toward the incubator on the other side of the room, completely unaware that I was sitting in the shadows of the corner.
"Who's there?" I whispered sharply, but low enough not to vibrate the air too harshly against Leo.
The figure froze instantly. A sharp gasp cut through the quiet.
"Don't move," I warned, standing up slowly while keeping the baby securely pinned to my chest.
The intruder turned around, and the dim green light of the monitors illuminated her face. She looked young—maybe early twenties—with wide, terrified eyes, pale skin, and a nurse's uniform that looked slightly too large for her. Her name tag read Elena.
"Please," Elena whispered, her hands trembling violently as she raised them in a placating gesture. "Please don't scream. Please don't let Daniel find me here."
"What are you doing in here?" I demanded, keeping my voice low and controlled. "How did you get past the guards?"
"I know the service stairs," she stammered, tears pooling in her eyes. "I used to be Leo’s primary day-shift nurse before... before they locked down the wing. I-I just needed to check on him. They said he was screaming for two weeks straight, that nobody could touch him. I thought... I thought he might be dead."
She looked past me, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief as she saw the baby sleeping soundly against my bare chest.
"He's... he's asleep?" Elena breathed, taking a tentative step forward. "How? What did you do to him? Every time I touched him, his heart rate spiked into the red zone!"
"I didn't drug him, if that's what you're asking," I said coldly, shifting slightly to keep a barrier between her erratic energy and the baby. "I listened to him. Something you and the other doctors were too arrogant or too terrified to do."
"You don't understand," Elena choked out, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "It’s not just the doctors. It’s the house. It’s him."
"Daniel?"
"Daniel doesn't just run the city, he runs everyone inside these walls," Elena whispered frantically, glancing nervously back toward the hallway. "And you think you're safe because you made his son fall asleep? Listen to me, Miss Jenkins. I know who you are. I know about your brother."
My blood ran cold. "What do you know?"
"I know that Daniel Russo never forgives a debt," Elena said, her voice dropping to a terrified whisper. "Do you really think he's going to let your brother walk free in thirty days? Men like Daniel don't keep bargains with people they consider beneath them. He's going to use you to fix his son, and the second Leo is strong enough, he's going to bury your family so deep nobody will ever find them."
The words hung in the cold air of the nursery, heavy and suffocating.
May you like
Before I could answer, a heavy, measured knock echoed against the outside of the door—followed by the deep, unmistakable voice of Daniel Russo himself.
"Miss Jenkins," Daniel called out, his voice cutting through the thick silence like a razor. "Are you awake? I need to speak with you."
