The hospital had always smelt of weakness. Disinfectant and steel covered the truth underneath: people came here to bleed, to hope, and often to die. I had never trusted these walls. They belonged to men in coats who could be bought by anyone willing to write the right check.
The mistake was letting Elara believe this place was safe.
I stood at the window before dawn, watching the parking lot below. A black convoy waited outside…three SUVs, tinted, bulletproof, sitting in silence. The driver of the lead car checked his watch, a man too disciplined to fidget. I had handpicked all of them and if I sensed any hint of betrayal, their families will pay. No one outside my circle would lay a hand on Camila or her. Not anymore.
My phone buzzed once on the nightstand. A message from Ashford, my
