Chapter 2 - Ethan Confronts Victor Dane In The Hallway
Ethan stepped backward out of Lily’s ICU room, his boots making no sound on the freshly waxed hospital floor. Victor Dane stood leaning against the opposite wall, his silver hair catching the fluorescent glare overhead.
“She’s resting,” Ethan said, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that carried a lifetime of tactical discipline. Victor adjusted his gold Rolex with deliberate slowness, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
“A brave woman, your wife,” Victor murmured, his tone dripping with patronizing condescension. “It’s a shame gravity is so terribly unkind to people who walk down stairwells.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes, tracking every micro-movement in Victor’s shoulders. “That wasn't a fall, and you know it.”
Victor chuckled softly, shaking his head as if dealing with an ignorant child. “In this city, Mr. Cole, official reports are whatever the people in power decide they are. You’d do well to remember that.”
The seven younger men behind Victor shifted in unison, their hands sliding casually toward their coat interiors. Ethan didn't blink. He knew the precise posture of hired muscle, and these men were carrying suppressed sidearms under their designer jackets.
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“If she stops breathing again, you won't live long enough to enjoy whatever you're stealing from her,” Ethan whispered. Victor’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating glare.
“Threats are so unbecoming of a returning soldier,” Victor replied smoothly. He turned on his heel, signaling his crew to follow him down the corridor. Ethan stood frozen, watching them vanish toward the elevators.
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