Chapter 6
The estate’s private medical wing on the second floor was a state-of-the-art surgical suite, fully equipped to handle emergency trauma and obstetrics. Outside the reinforced double doors, two armed guards stood at rigid attention, their submachine guns resting beneath tailored blazers.
Inside the quiet room, Sienna lay on the delivery bed, an intravenous line running into her arm, a monitor beeping with steady, rhythmic precision. Mila sat quietly on a leather sofa in the corner, clutching a warm cup of hot chocolate that the estate housekeeper had brought her, watching her mother with wide, cautious eyes.
Nico stood by the window, his suit jacket removed, his crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, the cuffs rolled neatly over his muscular, scarred forearms. He held a small silver cup of black espresso, looking out over the sprawling pine forests that bordered the estate.
The heavy suite doors opened, and Cassian stepped inside. He carried a heavy, waterproof ballistic case under his arm.
Nico did not turn around. "What did you find in the SUV, Cassian?"
Cassian set the case on the corner table and opened the latches with two crisp snaps. "Everything, Boss. Three encrypted hard drives, two burner satellite phones, and four forged passports under Swiss aliases. Gavin had one for himself, one for Sabrina, one for Marjorie... and one for Mila."
Sienna gasped from the bed, her face draining of color. "He... he was going to take my daughter?"
"Yes, Mrs. Cole," Cassian said gently, his jaw set in a hard line. "The flight manifest was pre-filed out of Teterboro Airport for six-thirty tonight. Destination: Panama. They were liquidating the northern freight shell corporations through an offshore wire that was scheduled to execute the moment Gavin confirmed your... incapacitation."
Nico took a slow sip of his espresso, his gaze still fixed on the pines outside. "And the glass on her nightstand?"
Dr. Bennett stepped over from the medicine cabinet, holding a sealed evidence tube containing a clear liquid sample. "I ran a preliminary chemical screen on the residue from the bedroom, Nico. It was a massive dose of synthetic ergotamine combined with a paralytic agent. If Sienna had ingested it, it would have induced violent uterine contractions while paralyzing her diaphragm. She would have suffocated within eight minutes, mimicking an acute amniotic fluid embolism. The unborn child might have survived if delivered by C-section immediately... which Gavin had arranged at his private clinic in Jersey."
The silence in the room became absolute. The only sound was the rhythmic, mechanical beep of the fetal heart monitor.
Sienna began to weep, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders heaving with grief and horror. "He smiled at me this morning. He kissed my forehead and told me he couldn't wait to hold our son. How could someone be so evil?"
Nico set his espresso cup down on the windowsill. The porcelain met the marble with a soft, final click.
He walked over to the bed, sat on the edge of the mattress, and took Sienna’s trembling hands into his own. His rough, calloused thumbs wiped the tears from her fair cheeks with infinite tenderness.
"Because he is a coward, Sienna," Nico said, his voice deep, soothing, and immovable. "Cowards strike in the dark because they cannot stand in the light. But the dark belongs to me, my love. You have nothing left to fear."
May you like
The door opened again, and an estate security lieutenant stepped into the room, his face pale and tense.
"Mr. Ferrante," the lieutenant whispered. "The outer motion sensors along the south perimeter road just tripped. Three black SUVs. Running dark. No plates."
