Chapter 6 - The Bloodline Trial
Inside the reinforced panic room, the sound of gunfire was muffled into distant thuds.
Hunter sat on the padded floor, holding Leo against her chest beneath the tactical vest. The baby whimpered slightly at the vibration, but Hunter rocked him steadily, humming a soft lullaby she had once planned to sing to Lily.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
The silence inside the vault was suffocating. Hunter’s heart pounded against her ribs. Thoughts of Lorenzo bleeding out in the hallway tore through her mind. In the span of a few short weeks, this dangerous, complex man had gone from a terrifying stranger to her protector, her anchor, and the father of the child she loved as her own.
Suddenly, the mechanical lock on the panic room door whirred.
Hunter grabbed a heavy steel rod resting near the emergency supply kit, raising it high above her head as the thick door slid open.
Standing in the doorway was Dr. Harrison Gallagher.
He wasn't wearing his medical coat. He wore a dark tactical turtleneck, holding a suppressed pistol in his gloved hand. His medical bag hung over his shoulder.
“Put the pipe down, Hunter,” Dr. Gallagher said smoothly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
Hunter backed up against the wall, shielding Leo with her body. “Harrison... where is Lorenzo?”
“Lorenzo is currently busy dealing with his uncle’s men in the main foyer,” Gallagher smiled thinly, his eyes cold and calculating. “Silvio was very generous. He promised me five million dollars and the chairmanship of the Boston General Hospital board if I ensured young Leo never reached his first birthday.”
Hunter’s eyes widened in horror. “It was you. You put the poison in the milk!”
“Of course it was me,” Gallagher sneered, taking a step closer. “I was Elena’s physician. I was the one who tipped off the Moretti family about her route the night of the explosion. But the stubborn little bastard survived the C-section! I had to finish the job slowly so no one would suspect foul play.”
“You’re a monster,” Hunter spat, her voice laced with venom. “You took an oath as a doctor!”
“I took an oath to serve my own interests,” Gallagher corrected coldly, raising his gun toward her chest. “And unfortunately, your maternal instincts ruined an elegant plan. Hand me the baby, Hunter. I’ll make your death quick.”
“Touch him and I’ll tear your throat out,” Hunter growled, stepping forward despite the gun pointed at her.
Gallagher laughed, aiming directly at her forehead. “Goodbye, Ms. Hayes.”
BANG!
A deafening shot echoed through the small vault.
Gallagher’s eyes widened in shock. A bloody hole appeared in the center of his chest. He dropped his gun, stumbling backward before collapsing onto the steel floor, dead before he hit the ground.
Standing behind him in the doorway was Lorenzo.
His white shirt was splattered with blood, his dark hair disheveled, holding a smoking pistol in his hand. Behind him, Marco and two guards held a battered, handcuffed Travis Cole by the collar.
Lorenzo dropped his gun to his side and rushed into the vault, pulling Hunter and Leo into his arms in a crushing, desperate embrace.
“Are you hurt?” Lorenzo rasped against her hair, his body trembling with adrenaline. “Did he touch you?”
“No,” Hunter sobbed, leaning into his solid, blood-stained chest, weeping with relief. “No, we’re okay. We’re okay, Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo held them tightly before turning slowly toward Travis Cole, who was kneeling in the hallway, sobbing hysterically.
“Please! Please don't kill me!” Travis begged, his nose bleeding. “I didn't know they were gonna try to kill a baby! I just wanted the money!”
Lorenzo stepped out of the vault, his face turning into a mask of terrifying judgment. He looked down at the man who had hurt Hunter and caused the death of her unborn daughter.
“Marco,” Lorenzo said softly.
“Yes, boss?”
“Take Mr. Cole down to the docks,” Lorenzo instructed calmly. “Hand him over to the federal authorities alongside the evidence of his involvement in interstate extortion and manslaughter. Let him spend the next forty years in a federal supermax facility.”
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Travis shrieked as Marco dragged him away down the corridor, his pleas echoing into nothingness.
Lorenzo turned back to Hunter. He reached down, gently taking her hand, and pulled her out of the shadows into the light.
