Chapter 2 - Into the ShadowsThe descent down the metal service ladder was a nightmare of agonizing pain and adrenaline. Every rung rattled against the concrete walls, and Leah’s recent surgical incision screamed in protest, sending sharp, blinding flashes of white-hot agony through her abdomen. She bit down on her lower lip so hard she tasted copper, cradling her newborn son tightly against her chest with one arm while gripping the railing with the other.
Don’t look down. Don’t stop.
When she reached the basement level, the air smelled of industrial bleach, damp concrete, and exhaust fumes. The massive laundry loading dock was a labyrinth of towering canvas hampers and rolling wire carts. In the center bay, a delivery truck idled, its engine rumbling a low, throbbing beat.
Just as Leah crept past a stack of folded sheets, heavy metal doors at the far end of the corridor slammed open.
“Code grey in the maternity wing! Patient and newborn missing from supply corridor!” a disembodied security voice blared over the hospital intercom.
Leah’s heart leaped into her throat. She sprinted—ignoring the searing fire in her body—toward the loading dock exit. But as she burst out into the damp, grey Columbus afternoon, a pair of security guards stepped out from behind a parked ambulance, cutting off her path to freedom.
“Ma’am! Stop right there! Step away from the exit!” one guard shouted, reaching for his radio.
Trapped between the locked hospital walls and closing guards, a black sedan screeched to a halt right beside her. The passenger door flew open, and a gloved hand grabbed Leah by the arm, yanking her inside just as the security guards lunged forward.
May you like
The car tore away from the curb, leaving the shouts of the guards behind in the exhaust smoke. Leah fell back against the leather seat, gasping for air, and looked over at her unexpected rescuer.
It was Simone, the glamorous woman from the hospital bed by the window, wearing dark sunglasses and an unbothered smirk.
