Chapter 6
The bright, hyper-vibrant colors of the hospital room seemed to sharpen as the adrenaline flooded Maya’s system. She was no longer an exhausted, postpartum widow; she was a cornered lioness. She stepped entirely away from the bed, her bare feet planting firmly on the cold tile floor. The oxygen mask swung wildly around her neck as she advanced on the patriarch of the Vance family.
“Give me my son,” Maya commanded, her voice dropping to a low, lethal register that sent a chill through the room.
“Stay back, Maya,” Richard warned, taking a step backward. His polished leather shoes squeaked against the floor. He pulled the wailing newborn closer to his chest, his knuckles turning white. “The deal is done. The money is already in motion. If I don't walk out of here with this child, the syndicate will come to this hospital and take all three of them.”
“If you don't hand him to me right now,” Maya said, her eyes burning with an unholy fire, “I will tear your throat out with my bare hands.”
“Sir, this is your final warning,” the lead security guard interjected, raising his baton. “Place the baby back in the bassinet. The police have already been dispatched. They are two minutes away.”
“You idiots don't understand who you are dealing with!” Richard barked, the veins bulging in his neck. His fair, rosy skin was now flushed a deep, angry purple. He looked frantically at his son. “Daniel! Get over here and help me clear a path to the service elevator! We take the boy and we leave now!”
Daniel didn't move. He remained pressed against the wall, paralyzed by fear.
“Daniel, do something!” Jessica yelled, her high heels clicking as she backed away from the guards. “If we don't deliver the baby, they’re going to kill us! Grab the guard!”
“I’m not fighting an armed guard, Jessica!” Daniel wept, his hands shaking violently. “It’s over! The police are coming!”
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“You useless, pathetic coward!” Richard spat at his son. “I built an empire from nothing, and you throw it away because you don't have the stomach to do what is necessary!”
Maya didn't wait for Richard to finish his rant. Moving with a sudden, explosive burst of speed that defied her physical condition, she lunged directly at Richard.
