Chapter 7 - The Empty Bed
The cold Chicago wind whipped through the shattered bay window of Trauma Room 3, carrying the acrid scent of cordite and rain.
Arthur stepped into the room, his chest heaving, his weapon raised as if scanning for an invisible enemy. The IV stand lay twisted on the linoleum, the plastic tubing dripping a slow, steady rhythm onto the broken glass. The heavy wool blanket was crumpled on the mattress, still holding the faint indentation of Chloe’s body.
She was gone.
“Leo!” Arthur roared, spinning toward the doorway as his head of security jogged into the room, trailing smoke and secured prisoners.
“Boss, the perimeter is locked down—we got three of Croft’s men—” Leo stopped dead, taking in the empty bed and the shattered window overlooking the alley five stories below. “What happened? Where is she?”
“Check the security feeds!” Arthur’s voice cracked with a raw, primal panic that none of his men had ever heard before. “Find out who breached the west wing while we were pinned in the hallway!”
Leo pulled his tablet, his fingers flying across the glass with desperate speed, overriding the hospital’s scrambled emergency protocols. “The hospital surveillance system... it was looped ten minutes ago. Someone bypassed the mainframe using an executive administrative override code.”
Arthur’s eyes narrowed to lethal slits. “An executive override. Only two people in the city besides myself hold master clearance for this hospital network.”
“Malcolm Croft?” Leo suggested grimly.
“No,” Arthur said, his voice dropping into a dark, frozen register. “Malcolm’s a blunt instrument. He didn't hack the mainframe. That requires corporate credentials.”
Arthur turned and walked back out into the corridor, where Malcolm Croft was still being hauled to his feet by two Romano guards. Arthur grabbed Malcolm by the lapel of his tailored coat, lifting him off his toes.
“Your daughter,” Arthur snarled inches from the old man's face. “Where is Vivien?”
Malcolm coughed, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but a harsh, triumphant laugh rattled in his chest. “You thought... you thought she was just a spoiled society bride playing dress-up? Vivien built this syndicate’s digital ledger while I was still counting cash in back rooms. She didn't want a wedding, Arthur. She wanted your empire. And now she has the leverage to take it.”
“What leverage?” Arthur demanded, shaking him.
“The woman,” Malcolm wheezed. “And the child. My daughter’s private extraction team has been watching that room since sunrise. While you were busy playing hero in the hallway, they took her out through the service gantry.”
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Arthur dropped Malcolm back onto the floor with a heavy thud. He didn't waste another second. He turned to Leo, his face carved from stone.
“Lock down every tunnel, bridge, and highway leaving Cook County,” Arthur ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority. “Track every private aircraft code tied to the Croft estate. If Vivien thinks she can disappear with Chloe, I’ll tear this city apart brick by brick until I find them.”
