Chapter 3 - INSIDE THE VOSS FORTRESS
The iron gates of the Voss estate swung open automatically.
The vehicle wound through a dense grove of frozen oaks before the grand limestone mansion came into view.
Floodlights illuminated towering pillars and polished stone paths.
Armed guards stood at every entrance.
The SUV slid to a halt beneath the grand portico.
Harland carried Belle out before the driver could open the door.
“Follow me,” Harland ordered over his shoulder.
Ru didn't hesitate.
She stepped out into the freezing night air and hurried after him through the heavy oak double doors.
Inside, the foyer was a museum of marble, dark wood, and oil paintings.
An older man in a tailored gray suit rushed down the grand staircase carrying a medical case.
Dr. Vance.
“Mr. Voss, what happened?” the doctor asked breathlessly.
“Her heart rate dropped in the car,” Harland said, laying Belle gently on a velvet sofa in the private parlor.
“She’s stable now, but cold.”
Dr. Vance immediately opened his kit, pulling out a stethoscope.
Ru stepped forward instinctively.
“Her pulse was irregular by four beats per minute in the garage,” Ru stated professionally.
“It could indicate a mild ventricular arrhythmia.”
Dr. Vance paused, looking up in shock.
“Who is she?”
“She’s the one who kept my daughter alive until I arrived,” Harland answered flatly.
“Dr. Vance, check her vitals now.”
For the next ten minutes, the room was filled with the quiet rustle of medical equipment and steady breathing.
Finally, Dr. Vance straightened up.
“She’s sleeping,” the doctor exhaled, wiping his brow.
“The crisis has passed.”
He looked at Ru with renewed respect.
“Your intervention in the garage prevented a dangerous drop in blood pressure.”
Harland exhaled a slow, heavy breath.
The tension in his broad shoulders finally eased by a fraction.
He looked down at his sleeping daughter.
Then he turned his dark eyes back to Ru.
“You saved her life,” Harland said.
“I did what any nurse would do,” Ru replied, rubbing her cold bare arms.
“Most people walked past her,” Harland reminded her.
“Most people aren't nursing graduates with rent due on Monday.”
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Harland let out a sudden, gravelly laugh.
It was the first time Ru heard him sound human.
