Chapter 3 - THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS
Room 603 had been empty for months.
I arrived at 11:40 p.m., carrying nothing but my phone and a small flashlight. The corridor smelled of disinfectant, and the overhead lights flickered as I approached the door.
Inside, a man stood beside the window.
He wore a black suit and leather gloves. A thin scar crossed his jaw.
"You're Emily Carter?"
"Who are you?"
"Someone who doesn't want you dead."
"That's a terrible way to introduce yourself."
He almost smiled.
"My name is Marcus Reed. I used to work for Owen."
Used to?
Marcus explained that Owen's organization had fractured after the accident. His enemies had seized businesses, bribed officials, and convinced the public that their leader would never return.
But Marcus believed the crash hadn't been an accident.
"Two years ago, Owen was driving to meet someone who claimed to have evidence of an internal betrayal," he said. "His vehicle went off the road before he reached the meeting."
"Who betrayed him?"
"Someone who knew his route, his security arrangements, and the exact time he'd leave."
I thought about Dr. Shaw.
"Why tell me?"
"Because Owen woke up, and the people responsible are frightened."
Marcus handed me a small envelope containing photographs of the hospital staff.
One image showed Dr. Shaw entering a restricted pharmacy at 2:13 a.m.
Another showed him meeting a man outside the hospital garage.
I recognized that man.
He was Owen's older brother, Nathan Hartley.
"That's impossible," I whispered. "Nathan visits Owen every week."
"Exactly."
My phone suddenly rang.
Marcus glanced at the screen.
"Don't answer it."
But the caller ID made my blood run cold.
It was Suite 914.
I answered.
For three seconds, I heard nothing but static.
Then Owen whispered, barely audible, "Emily, get out of that room."
A crash sounded through the phone.
His breathing turned ragged.
May you like
And just before the line went dead, he said something that changed everything.
"Marcus isn't the only one who survived the crash."
