Chapter 7 - The Confrontation at St. Jude’s
At two o'clock in the morning, St. Jude’s Private Hospital stood like a silent monolith of glass and white marble against the rain-soaked sky. The private medical floor on the sixth storey—where Dr. Julian Sterling maintained his executive offices—was dark, save for a single light burning behind the frosted glass doors.
Dr. Sterling sat at his mahogany desk, frantically packing stacks of encrypted hard drives into a leather briefcase.
He was a man in his mid-fifties, with thin silver hair, a manicured beard, and expensive gold-rimmed glasses. His hands were shaking so violently he dropped a flash drive onto the Persian rug.
He had heard about the failed hit at the penthouse. He knew Marcus Cole had been taken. He knew Gideon Vale was coming for him.
“Come on, come on...” Sterling muttered, snapping the briefcase shut. He picked up his coat, turned toward the private elevator behind his desk, and stopped dead.
The elevator doors were already open.
Standing inside the car was Gideon Vale.
Gideon wore a dark tactical coat over his suit. In his right hand, he held his heavy silenced pistol. Beside him stood Mallerie, holding a secure digital tablet connected directly to the hospital’s main server room downstairs.
Behind them, three of Gideon’s enforcers stepped out, quietly sealing the office doors behind them.
Dr. Sterling dropped his briefcase. His face went as white as his lab coat.
“G-Gideon...” Sterling stammered, backing away until his thighs hit his desk. “What... what are you doing here? It’s two in the morning!”
Gideon walked slowly into the office. His footsteps made no sound on the soft carpet. He stopped three feet from the doctor, his towering height casting a long, terrifying shadow over the trembling physician.
“Ten months ago,” Gideon said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying rumble, “you sat in this very office and told me you were helping a young woman in distress. You told me you were giving a child a good home.”
Gideon raised his gun, resting the cold steel suppressor directly under Sterling’s chin, forcing the doctor to tilt his head back.
“You lied to me, Julian,” Gideon whispered. “You made me an accomplice to stealing a child from his mother.”
Sterling’s eyes darted frantically toward Mallerie, who was standing near the door, staring at him with pure, unadulterated hatred.
“Mallerie...” Sterling whimpered, sweat pouring down his forehead. “Listen to me... it was business! Marcus Vane forced me! He threatened my family! If I didn't supply the infants, he was going to kill me!”
“You stole my baby!” Mallerie shouted, stepping forward, her hands clenched into tight fists. “You took my newborn son out of my arms while I was sedated! You told me he died! You gave me a box of ashes!”
“I... I gave him to a good man!” Sterling squealed, his eyes wide with terror as the cold steel of Gideon’s gun pressed deeper into his skin. “I gave him to Gideon! He had a life of luxury! He had everything!”
“He had everything except his mother!” Mallerie spat, tears of rage springing to her eyes.
Gideon’s jaw locked. “Where is Marcus Vane right now, Julian?”
“I... I don't know!” Sterling gasped.
Gideon clicked back the hammer of the pistol. The loud CLICK sounded like a bone snapping in the quiet room.
“I’ll ask once more,” Gideon said softly. “Where is Vane?”
“The docks!” Sterling broke instantly, weeping like a child. “Pier 42! He has a cargo ship leaving for South America at four o'clock! He’s loading the offshore servers and the cash reserves right now! He’s fleeing the country!”
Gideon looked at Mallerie.
Mallerie tapped her tablet screen. “I’ve already downloaded the master registry from his server. All ninety-four cases. Every name, every date, every hospital record. It’s backed up on three secure cloud servers.”
Gideon lowered his gun slightly, looking down at the pathetic, weeping doctor.
“You’re going to sign a full written confession right now, Julian,” Gideon said coldly. “Then Declan is going to hand you and this briefcase over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
“No! Please!” Sterling begged. “Vane will have me killed in prison!”
“Then you better hope the police put you in solitary confinement,” Gideon growled.
He turned to Declan. “Secure him. We’re heading to Pier 42.”
Gideon walked over to Mallerie, reaching out to gently take her hand. Her fingers were cold, but her grip was fierce and unyielding.
“Are you ready for the final piece?” Gideon asked her softly.
May you like
Mallerie looked into his eyes, seeing the absolute devotion and unwavering strength he had offered her from the moment they met at the gala.
“Let's finish it,” Mallerie said.
