Chapter 2 - The Ghost in the System
The medic’s revelation hung in the air like a shroud. The man, a veteran named Elias, didn't back down. He pulled a radio from his belt and hit a specific, non-emergency channel. "Unit 4-Alpha, I have a code 52 in progress. I need backup. Now."
My parents exchanged a look—not of concern for Eli, but of panic. The "church-face" vanished from my father.
"You don't know who you're dealing with," my father hissed at the medic.
"I know exactly who he is," the medic said, his voice dropping an octave. "Julian Vance. Or should I call you by the name you were using when you were under investigation for the theft at the St. Jude’s facility? We’ve been waiting for a reason to pin you down."
May you like
As they loaded Eli onto the gurney, I didn't follow them blindly. I followed with intent. I realized then that my family wasn't just a group of cruel people; they were a syndicate. They had used my trust, my house, and my son to build a perimeter of lies around their own criminal history.
At the hospital, while Eli was being whisked into a trauma bay, I wasn't just a mother waiting for news. I was a strategist. I started making phone calls—not to my family, but to the people I worked with, the ones who handled the firm’s compliance and data security. If my brother was hiding a past that the police were hunting, there was a digital trail.
