Chapter 7 - THE SHADOW IN THE DOORWAY
Nora reacted with lightning-fast instinct. She smoothly slipped her wrist out of Raymond’s weak grip, stepped back from the bed, and pulled a clean roll of medical tape from her scrub pocket, pretending to inspect the IV tubing as the door swung fully open.
Standing in the threshold, framed against the bright hall light, was Victor—Christopher’s primary personal enforcer. Victor was a towering, broad-shouldered man in a black leather jacket, carrying a cold, expressionless face and a heavy silenced pistol tucked discreetly beneath his coat.
Victor’s dark eyes scanned the dimly lit bedroom, settling first on Nora standing beside the IV stand, then shifting to the infant sleeping in the crib, and finally locking onto Raymond’s motionless frame.
"What are you doing up, nurse?" Victor asked, his voice low, gravelly, and entirely lacking in courtesy.
Nora turned around slowly, holding the roll of medical tape in her hand, keeping her posture calm and professional despite the icy fear gripping her chest.
"Checking Mr. Winslow’s IV line," Nora replied smoothly, her voice remarkably steady. "His pulse slowed down after Dr. Wallace’s visit. I’m monitoring his vitals every two hours as ordered."
Victor took two slow, heavy steps into the room, his leather boots sinking into the carpet. He looked closely at the transparent IV bag hanging from the chrome pole, then down at Raymond’s pale, shirtless torso.
"You don't need to check him anymore tonight," Victor growled softly, stepping closer to Nora until he was standing less than three feet away. "Mr. Winslow’s orders are changing. Christopher wants you and the baby packed up by six in the morning. A car will be waiting to take you to the train station."
Nora’s jaw set tightly. "My contract states I stay with the patient until—"
"Your contract is over," Victor interrupted sharply, his hand resting casually over the bulge beneath his leather jacket. "Get some sleep, nurse. You have a long trip ahead of you."
Victor turned his head, casting one last dismissive glance at Raymond’s still body, before turning around and stepping back out into the hallway, pulling the heavy double doors shut until the lock clicked firmly back into place.
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Nora stood motionless in the dark, her chest heaving as she let out a long, shaky breath. She turned back to Raymond.
His blue-gray eye was open wide, burning with a cold, ruthless fire.
