Chapter 1 - THE STANDOFFThe man in the suit didn't look like a thug; he looked like a professional undertaker. His eyes were cold, scanning the little girl in my arms before settling on my face with a terrifying indifference.
"Put the child down, Miss Williams," he said, his voice flat. "You have no idea what you’ve involved yourself in."
I clutched the girl tighter, my nursing uniform damp with the sweat of my own terror. "I’m not putting her anywhere. I’m taking her to the police."
He took a step forward, his hand still inside his jacket. My mind raced. I was twenty-four, I had no weapons, and I was holding a child who had stopped breathing out of pure shock.
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"She’s sick," I lied, my voice steadying despite the adrenaline. "She needs medical attention immediately. You stop us, and you’re an accessory to child abuse. You think your boss wants that kind of heat?"
He hesitated. That one-second pause was my window. I didn't run; I lunged. I threw a heavy metal cleaning supply canister at his head, ducked, and bolted for the service stairwell. I heard the thud of the canister hitting him, a grunt of pain, and then the heavy clatter of shoes sprinting after me.
