Chapter 4 - The Safe House
The storm cleared just as the sun began to red-line the horizon over the Mississippi River. Dr. Vance—no relation to the sleazy lawyer—had officially cleared Emma for discharge, provided she remained on a strict antibiotic regimen and stayed in a temperature-controlled environment.
"We can't send them back to Claire’s apartment," Mara Leland said, joining Ethan and Marcus in the hallway. "Derek has the keys, and the landlord has already initiated an abandoned-property hold. If they go into temporary state housing, the emergency petition will give Derek immediate access to Emma because the state always prioritizes the biological parent over a foster home if no criminal charges are active."
"Then they aren't going to state housing," Ethan said, closing his laptop. "They're coming with me."
Marcus frowned. "Ethan, from a legal standpoint, taking two minors who are not related to you into your private residence while a custody dispute is active is incredibly risky. Voss’s lawyers will scream kidnapping."
"Let them scream," Ethan said, standing up. "We have the documentation proving Voss’s corporate fraud and his connection to the destruction of ColeCare property. We file an immediate counter-suit for corporate espionage and request an emergency protective order for the minors based on immediate threat of retaliation against a whistleblower’s heirs. Can you get that in front of a judge by noon?"
Marcus looked at his boss, seeing a expression he hadn't seen in the ten years they had worked together. Ethan Cole wasn't calculating a profit margin; he was protecting a perimeter.
"I can get it done," Marcus said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "But you need to move them now. Before Voss realizes the hospital isn't going to let him just walk out with the baby."
Ten minutes later, Ethan walked into the pediatric room. Sadie was awake, her small hands neatly folding the hospital blanket she had used. She looked up as Ethan entered, her defensive stance instantly returning.
"Sadie," Ethan said, crouching down to her eye level. "We’re leaving the hospital now. But we aren’t going back to your old house. You and Emma are coming to my house. It has a big yard, a lot of security, and Derek cannot get inside the gate. Do you trust me?"
Sadie looked at him for a long, agonizing moment. She looked at his expensive clothes, then at his face—specifically his eyes, searching for the lie she had probably learned to expect from adults.
Slowly, she reached into her oversized hoodie pocket and pulled out the bent metro card. She didn't offer it to him this time. Instead, she flipped it over. Glued to the back of the blue plastic was a tiny, ultra-thin micro-SD card, sealed with a piece of clear packing tape.
May you like
"Mama said if you looked at me like you cared, I should give you this," Sadie whispered. "She said the truth is inside it."
Ethan took the card, his fingers brushing her small, cold hand. "I’ve got it now, Sadie. The storm is over."
