Chapter 2 - THE DOCTOR WHO SMILED AT A FUNERAL
Roman Hayes had spent eight months believing his brother died because of injuries no surgeon could repair.
Now a waitress was telling him Julian's death might have been arranged inside the very hospital meant to save him.
"Who?" Roman asked.
Maeve's eyes remained fixed on the charity auction stage.
"Dr. Adrian Vance."
Roman slowly turned.
The physician stood beneath a banner celebrating the St. Catherine's Medical Foundation.
He was tall.
Silver-haired.
Expensively dressed.
A respected trauma surgeon whose face appeared in magazine advertisements and hospital fundraising campaigns.
He was also the man who'd personally called Roman to tell him Julian was dead.
Roman looked back at Maeve.
"Are you certain?"
"No."
Her answer surprised him.
She swallowed.
"I know he ordered a medication change. I know the order didn't make sense to me. And I know Julian deteriorated afterward."
"Then why didn't you report it?"
Maeve looked at him.
"I did."
Roman's expression hardened.
"What happened?"
"Three days later, hospital narcotics went missing. My access code appeared in the audit logs."
She laughed bitterly.
"Apparently, I had been stealing medication for months."
"Had you?"
"No."
The word came without hesitation.
Roman watched her.
"Who investigated?"
"The hospital's internal board."
"And Dr. Vance?"
"He supervised the review."
Roman went silent.
Maeve's voice trembled.
"They suspended my nursing license while the investigation continued. My attorney says I may never work in a hospital again."
She stared at her hands.
"I lost everything."
Roman looked toward the stage.
Dr. Vance raised his champagne glass.
The audience applauded.
For the first time that evening, Roman's expression showed something dangerously close to rage.
But he didn't move.
Instead, he asked:
"What exactly do you remember about Julian?"
Maeve took a breath.
"He arrived with two gunshot wounds and severe blood loss. We stabilized him. He was conscious briefly."
Roman leaned forward.
"Conscious?"
She nodded.
"He asked for you."
The words struck Roman harder than he expected.
"What did he say?"
Maeve closed her eyes.
The memory returned with terrible clarity.
Julian gripping her wrist.
His face pale.
His voice barely audible.
Tell Roman... the shipment...
Then the monitor alarm.
The sudden rush of staff.
Dr. Vance ordering everyone away from the bed.
Maeve opened her eyes.
"He tried to tell me something about a shipment."
Roman's jaw tightened.
"What shipment?"
"I don't know."
"Anything else?"
Maeve hesitated.
"Yes."
Roman waited.
"He said not to trust someone."
"Who?"
She lowered her voice.
"Someone named Victor."
Roman's expression changed instantly.
Maeve noticed.
"You know him."
Roman didn't answer.
At that moment, Dr. Vance looked across the ballroom.
His eyes settled on Maeve.
Then Roman.
His smile disappeared.
Roman saw it.
And suddenly, Maeve understood why the powerful man had summoned her.
He hadn't been interested in her serving skills.
He'd been searching for the nurse who'd cared for Julian.
Roman stood.
"Miss Carter, I'd like you to leave the gala."
Maeve's stomach dropped.
"What?"
"Not because you've done anything wrong."
He signaled to Vincent.
"Because someone just recognized you."
She looked toward Dr. Vance.
The physician had already disappeared behind the stage.
Maeve stood.
"I have to finish my shift."
Roman looked at her.
"Your shift can wait."
Her anger rose.
"Easy for you to say."
He paused.
She continued.
"I have rent. Legal bills. A father recovering from a stroke. I can't just walk out because a billionaire tells me to."
Roman studied her.
Then nodded.
"You're right."
She blinked.
He turned toward Vincent.
"Ask the hotel manager to ensure Miss Carter is paid for the entire evening. No threats, no deductions."
Then he looked at Maeve.
"And I'd like to offer you transportation home. You can refuse."
Before she could answer, her phone vibrated.
A text from an unknown number.
You should have stayed invisible, Nurse Carter.
Her blood turned cold.
Another message appeared.
Your father's room at Mercy General is very quiet tonight.
Maeve stopped breathing.
Roman saw her expression.
"What happened?"
She handed him the phone.
He read the messages.
His face changed.
Then Maeve received a photograph.
Her father asleep in his hospital bed.
Taken less than five minutes earlier.
May you like
Beneath it were six words.
STOP TALKING OR HE DIES NEXT.
