Chapter 2 - The Midnight Intruder
Before Ignacio could process the chilling realization, a floorboard creaked in the hallway.
It wasn't the settling groan of an old house. It was the distinct, heavy heel-strike of a shoe pressing down on pine.
Ignacio’s heart hammered against his ribs. He slid Marina’s phone into his sweatpants pocket, his hand instinctively curling into a fist. He crept toward the nursery door, every instinct screaming at him to protect the crib behind him. He reached the doorframe, peered out into the pitch-black corridor, and waited.
A shadow detached itself from the wall near the guest bedroom. A tall, bulky silhouette moving with practiced stealth toward the stairs.
"Hey!" Ignacio roared, lunging forward like a predator unleashed.
The intruder spun around, startled. Ignacio tackled him blindly, sending both of them crashing into the drywall. Dust plumed into the air as they tumbled down the first three steps of the staircase. The man grunted, throwing a vicious elbow that caught Ignacio squarely in the jaw. Pain flared white-hot across his cheek, but Ignacio didn't let go. He grabbed the intruder by the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the wooden banister.
"Who sent you?!" Ignacio snarled, pinning the man's throat with his forearm.
The emergency light from the hallway illuminated the intruder’s face. It wasn't a burglar. It was Lucas, Dr. Silva’s primary administrative assistant at the hospital.
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Lucas choked out a laugh, blood trickling from his nose. "You’re too late, Ignacio. The file at the clinic is already gone. And your baby... she’s next."
With a sudden, violent surge of adrenaline, Lucas kneed Ignacio in the stomach, slipped out of his jacket, and bolted toward the front door, slamming it shut behind him into the rainy night.
