Chapter 4 - Waking Up
The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the first thing Emma heard. It was a steady, metallic metronome that anchored her to the living world.
She opened her eyes slowly. The harsh fluorescent lights of the ICU stung, forcing her to blink away the blurriness. Her body felt impossibly heavy, stitched together with fire and dull, throbbing pain.
She moved her hand to her stomach. It was flat.
Panic, sharp and suffocating, spiked in her chest.
“Emma. Emma, look at me.”
A warm, strong hand enveloped hers. She turned her head and saw Caleb sitting beside the bed, his face lined with exhaustion. Dylan and Luke were standing guard by the closed door, their eyes constantly scanning the hallway through the glass blinds.
“My baby,” Emma croaked, her throat feeling like sandpaper. “Where is my son?”
Caleb offered a soft, reassuring smile. “He’s safe, Em. He’s in the NICU. He’s small, but his lungs are strong. You have a beautiful little boy.”
Tears spilled hot down Emma’s cheeks. The last thing she remembered was the cold tile of the kitchen floor, the agonizing pain tearing through her abdomen, and Grant’s eyes—empty, calculating, and devoid of any humanity as he placed his wedding ring beside her face.
“Grant…” she whispered.
“He’s in the wind,” Luke said, stepping closer to the bed. “He made bail an hour ago. We know everything, Emma. We know about the device. We know about Arthur Vance. And we know about the syndicate he owes money to.”
Emma closed her eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them again, the fear was gone, replaced by a cold, brilliant clarity that had made her one of the most ruthless and respected CEOs in the medical tech industry.
“You think I didn’t know he was planning something?” she asked, her voice gaining strength.
The three brothers stared at her in shock.
“Em, what are you talking about?” Dylan asked.
“I didn't know about the device,” Emma admitted, shivering slightly at the thought of the weapon that had been hiding inside her. “But I knew he was stealing. Three months ago, I noticed discrepancies in the R&D budget. Arthur Vance was requisitioning microscopic biometric components that didn’t match any of our approved projects.”
She shifted uncomfortably against the pillows, wincing. “Grant thought I was blinded by the pregnancy. He thought I was weak. But I hired a forensic accounting firm in Geneva to track his offshore accounts. I knew he was plotting a hostile takeover. That’s why I refused to sign the revised corporate agreement.”
Caleb shook his head, amazed by his sister’s resilience. “Emma, he took out an eight-million-dollar life insurance policy on you.”
“I know,” Emma said flatly. “The broker is an old friend of mine. He flagged it immediately. I let Grant think he was getting away with it because I needed to know who his buyers were before I went to the FBI. I needed the name of the syndicate.”
Luke smiled, a proud, dangerous grin. “Madison brought us a file. We have a picture of his contact. A guy with a snake tattoo.”
Emma nodded slowly. “Marcus Thorne. He’s a fixer for a European defense contractor. Grant promised them our biometric tech. If they don’t get it, they’ll kill him.”
“They’re going to have to get in line,” Dylan growled.
Suddenly, the ICU door swung open. Dr. Mercer rushed in, her face pale.
“We have a problem,” the doctor said, locking the door behind her. “The hospital’s security cameras just went blind on the ground floor. The system is entirely locked out.”
Dylan drew his licensed concealed carry weapon from his shoulder holster, checking the chamber. “Grant.”
May you like
“He knows the police have the evidence,” Luke said, his legal mind analyzing the threat. “He knows he can’t win in court. His only play is to kill Emma, claim the insurance money, and flee the country before the DA can freeze the payout.”
“He’s not leaving this hospital,” Caleb said, his eyes turning cold. He looked at his younger brothers. “Nobody touches our sister.”
