Eli stepped out of Olivia’s hospital room with Delaney beside him, the door closing quietly behind them. Noah was waiting just outside with Vivian and Grant, both of them looking anxious.
“She’s awake,” Eli said, addressing Vivian. “She asked to see you.”
Vivian let out a breath that trembled in her chest. She moved forward instantly, but Grant stepped with her, clearly intending to follow.
Eli shifted into his path and held up a hand. “She only wants to see her mother.”
Grant stopped short. His jaw tightened and something flickered in his eyes. Disappointment. Irritation. Maybe both.
“She said that?” Grant asked.
“She was very clear,” Eli replied, not budging.
For a beat, it looked like Grant might argue. But then Noah stepped up behind him and gave a subtle nod to the security officer. The guard moved into position beside the door, his stance casual but unmistakably firm.
Vivian hesitated, looking between them, and then gave Grant a soft pat on the arm. “It’s okay. I’ll talk to her. Just give her time.”
Grant said nothing. He stepped back slowly, his expression unreadable.
Vivian disappeared into the room, and the nurse closed the door behind her.
Noah turned to Delaney and Eli. Without a word, he tipped his head up the hall and started walking.
They followed, putting distance between themselves and the guarded doorway.
Eli felt the shift as soon as they rounded the corner. Out of sight. Out of earshot.
Whatever Noah needed to say now, it was not something Grant Maddox was meant to hear.
They stopped near a nurses’ alcove, far enough from the waiting room and Olivia’s door that no one could overhear.
Noah glanced down the hallway, then back atthem. His voice dropped to practically a whisper. “I just got the update. The search warrant for the Hale Institute is finally coming through. It’ll be signed and executed within the hour.”
Delaney straightened. Eli could see the shift in her posture, the immediate readiness. She was locked in.
“That’s not all,” Noah continued. “We’ve had drones running quiet surveillance over the property since this morning. About ten minutes ago, a van left the grounds through the back service road.”
Eli felt the hairs on the back of his neck lift. “You think it was a patient transfer?”
“I think it was a scramble,” Noah said. “The van was moving fast, and the institute hasn’t answered a single law enforcement call since the attack on the safe house.”
Delaney’s voice was tight. “You believe Ava’s in that van.”
Noah nodded once. “That’s my guess. They’re trying to move her before we can get boots on the ground.”
Eli exhaled slowly, the pieces locking into place in his head. This was not just about corruption. It was about containment. Exposure.
“How long until we can intercept the vehicle?” he asked.
Noah’s eyes were already cold. “We’re working on tracking it now. You and Delaney need to get geared up. If she’s in that van, we are not losingher.”
Eli didn’t need more than that.
He turned to Delaney, and they moved together, already walking fast. The chase had started. And this time, they were going to end it before anyone else disappeared.
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Chapter Five
