CHAPTER 9 — ROOM 614
Detective Grant fired first.
The bullet struck the doorframe beside Dr. Ward’s head.
Ward stumbled backward.
Nathan rushed him.
The gun fell to the floor, but Ward drove the syringe into Nathan’s shoulder.
Nathan collapsed almost instantly.
Emily screamed his name.
Grant struck Ward against the wall and forced his arms behind his back.
“What was in the syringe?”
Ward laughed.
“Ask Charles.”
Nathan’s breathing slowed.
Claire dropped beside him.
“He needs help now.”
“There is an emergency cart in the next room,” Ward said. “But only I know the code.”
Grant pressed the gun against his back.
“Tell me.”
Ward looked at Emily.
“Room 614.”
“What does that mean?”
“It is where this began.”
His expression changed.
Then a red light appeared on his chest.
Grant saw it one second too late.
“Down!”
A shot came through the window.
Ward fell before he could reveal anything else.
The glass shattered.
Everyone dropped to the floor.
The shooter had fired from the building across the alley.
Grant searched Ward’s coat.
Inside was a key card marked 614.
They placed Nathan on a stretcher and moved through the abandoned wing.
Claire found medication that slowed the effects of the sedative.
Nathan opened his eyes briefly.
“Don’t leave Emily alone with her.”
He meant Claire.
Claire heard him.
Pain crossed her face, but she said nothing.
Room 614 stood at the end of a locked corridor.
The key card opened it.
Inside was not a hospital room.
It was a hidden archive.
Shelves covered the walls.
Each shelf contained medical records, photographs, and frozen-storage logs.
A large screen displayed a family tree.
At the top was Charles Bennett.
Below him were Emily and Nathan.
But beside Nathan’s name was a red line.
IDENTITY UNCONFIRMED.
Emily turned toward the man on the stretcher.
“What does that mean?”
Nathan looked away.
Claire opened a drawer labeled PROJECT HEIR.
Inside were photographs of several infants, fertility records, and contracts signed by members of the Bennett legal team.
One document showed Lydia Shaw’s signature.
Another showed Daniel Mercer’s.
Both attorneys had been involved.
Grant examined the dates.
“These records go back fifteen years.”
Emily pulled out a video file.
The screen showed Charles speaking to Dr. Ward.
“The Bennett trust cannot fall into Ashford control,” Charles said. “If Nathan cannot produce an heir, we will create one.”
Ward asked, “And Emily?”
“She is the only compatible carrier.”
Emily stepped away from the screen.
Compatible.
Not willing.
Not informed.
Compatible.
Claire opened another file.
Her face went pale.
“What is it?” Emily asked.
Claire handed her the page.
It was a consent form authorizing the use of Claire’s frozen eggs.
Her signature appeared at the bottom.
“I never signed this,” Claire whispered.
Emily examined it.
The witness was Lydia Shaw.
Nathan struggled to sit up.
“Lydia was at the clinic the night of the transfer.”
Claire looked at him.
“How would you know?”
Nathan froze.
Emily noticed.
“You said you were imprisoned in another facility.”
“I was.”
“Then how did you know Lydia was here?”
Nathan’s eyes moved toward the family tree.
“I remembered something.”
“That is not an answer.”
Before he could respond, the large screen changed.
A live video feed appeared.
Charles Bennett sat inside a dark room.
Lydia Shaw stood beside him.
Her hand rested on his shoulder.
“Emily,” Charles said, looking directly into the camera. “Leave Room 614 immediately.”
Lydia leaned toward him.
“Tell her why.”
Charles closed his eyes.
“Because the man calling himself Nathan is not your brother.”
Everyone turned toward the stretcher.
Nathan pulled the medical line from his arm and stood.
May you like
Then he reached inside his coat.
He had taken Dr. Ward’s second gun.
