Chapter 8 - Shadows Outside the Cabin: The Predator Tracks His Prey
By midnight, the storm over Maine had intensified into a howling coastal gale. Freezing rain lashed against the hospital windows, coating the roads in black ice.
Victor Rinaldi stepped through the sliding automatic doors of Penobscot Bay Medical Center.
He didn't bring armed guards. He didn't bring enforcers. He wore a simple dark wool coat, his hair soaked with rain, his face hollow, pale, and ravaged by two weeks of self-inflicted torment. The two hospital security guards at the front desk stepped forward to challenge him, but one look at Victor's eyes made them freeze in their tracks.
"Pediatric ICU," Victor said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. "Room four."
He didn't wait for permission. He walked past them down the brightly lit corridor. Every step felt like walking toward a firing squad. He had faced rival bosses with automatic weapons without a flicker of fear, but approaching this plain hospital door made his hands shake uncontrollably.
He reached room four. The blinds were partially drawn.
Victor looked through the small glass pane.
Nora was sitting in the plastic chair beside the incubator. She had Mia strapped to her chest in a cloth sling, while her right hand reached through the incubator’s rubber portal to stroke Leo’s tiny, sleeping cheek. Her face was gaunt, her skin pale, dark circles bruising the delicate skin beneath her eyes. She looked like a ghost of the vibrant woman he had married three years ago.
Victor's breath caught in his throat. A searing wave of shame, guilt, and agonizing love crashed over him.
He gently turned the brass handle and pushed the door open.
The soft click of the latch was enough. Nora’s head snapped up.
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Her eyes locked onto him. In an instant, the exhaustion on her face transformed into sheer, unadulterated terror. She jumped out of the chair, backing away toward the corner of the room, shielding the incubator with her body while clutching Mia tighter against her chest.
"Get out," Nora hissed, her voice trembling violently. "Get out of here, Victor!"
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