Chapter 2 - The Arrival of Derek Voss
The lawyer stepped forward, adjusting his glasses with the practiced arrogance of a suburban shark. "Mr. Cole, I advise you to step aside. My name is Arthur Vance, and I represent Mr. Voss. We have the biological birth certificate and a filed emergency petition for custody of Emma Voss. You have no legal standing here."
"This is a medical triage environment," Denise, the charge nurse, interrupted, her silver-threaded hair catching the harsh fluorescent lights as she stepped out from behind the desk. "The infant is currently undergoing emergency treatment for a severe respiratory infection and high fever. No one is taking her anywhere until the attending physician clears her."
Derek bypassed the nurse, locking his eyes onto Sadie, who was trembling in her chair. "Sadie. Get up. Where are your mother’s keys? Where is the folder from the desk?"
Sadie clutched the bent metro card tighter in her fist, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't look at Derek; she looked exclusively at the floor near Ethan's shoes.
"She asked you a question, Voss," Ethan said, moving his body to completely obstruct Derek’s view of the little girl. "Or are you so used to intimidating children that you don't know how to look a man in the eye?"
"Listen to me, billionaire," Derek hissed, taking a step closer until he was inches from Ethan's face. Ethan could smell the stale tobacco and expensive bourbon on the man’s breath. "Claire was a crazy clerk who thought she could keep my kid from me. Whatever she told this brat to say to you is garbage. I am Emma's father. The law says she’s mine. You’re just a guy who built some hospital software; you don’t own the state of Missouri."
"No," Ethan said softly, a dark smile touching the corners of his mouth. "But I own the software that manages every single patient record, financial transaction, and security log in this entire hospital group. And if your lawyer wants to talk about emergency petitions, let's talk about the fact that you haven't paid a dime in child support in twelve months, according to the public state registry my legal team just pulled while you were walking through those doors."
Arthur Vance shifted his briefcase, looking uneasily at Derek. "Derek, we should wait for the formal DCFS representative to arrive. Don't make a scene in front of the cameras."
Ethan caught the subtle glance the lawyer gave to the security monitors in the corner. He knew how these men operated—they loved the dark, but they withered under a spotlight.
"Mara," Ethan called out without breaking eye contact with Derek. "Take Sadie back to the pediatric bay. Let her sit with her sister."
"You can't do that!" Derek shouted, reaching out to grab Sadie’s arm as she scrambled out of the chair.
Ethan caught Derek’s wrist in a grip that had been forged in years of boxing gyms before he ever entered a boardroom. The crunch of bone against bone was quiet, but Derek gasped, his face flushing with sudden pain.
"Touch her," Ethan whispered, his voice vibrating with an ancient, protective fury he didn't know he possessed, "and I will have the security staff execute a citizen's arrest for assault on a minor in a medical facility. Let’s see what that does to your emergency petition on Monday morning."
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Derek pulled his wrist back, his jaw twitching. "This isn't over, Cole. You can't keep her from me forever."
"Watch me," Ethan said.
