Chapter 6: Access and Escalation
The black SUV cut through the midnight rain, its tires hissing against the slick asphalt of the downtown bypass. I sat in the passenger seat, the platinum-engraved access card Dominic had given me cold against my palm. The skyline blurred into streaks of slate and neon through the armored glass. Beside me, Dominic kept one hand on the steering wheel, his jaw set in a hard, uncompromising line. He wasn't just a man accustomed to power; right now, he was a man going to war for his family.
We pulled into the subterranean ambulance bay of the municipal hospital where I had worked until three days ago. The red emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows across the concrete pillars. It was the exact place where my career had been dismantled with a pink slip and a false pretense of insubordination.
"Stay close," Dominic instructed, cutting the engine. The heavy thump of the doors locking sealed us inside the quiet cabin for a heartbeat before we stepped out into the damp chill.
The automatic sliding doors of the emergency entrance parted with a familiar chime. The lobby smelled of bleach, wet rubber, and stale coffee. A lone security guard looked up from his desk, his eyes widening in recognition as I stepped past the threshold in my grey hooded sweatshirt and scrubs.
"Lin?" The guard stood up, reaching for his radio. "You're not supposed to be here. You were terminated—"
Before he could finish, Dominic stepped into his line of sight. The sheer physical presence of the man in the charcoal suit stopped the guard cold. Dominic didn't raise his voice; he simply flashed a gold-trimmed corporate identification badge that made the guard's throat work in a frantic swallow.
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"She's here under Vale Enterprises audit authority," Dominic said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifyingly calm register. "Touch that radio, and you won't just lose your shift. You'll lose the precinct contract your uncle manages."
The guard's hand dropped away from the radio. He looked between Dominic's cold stare and my steady expression, then slowly sat back down, turning his monitor away from us. We didn't waste another second. I punched the elevator code into the restricted keypad, my fingers flying over the buttons as the stainless steel doors slid open to take us down to records.
