Chapter 3 - The Shadow in the Room
By the second day, Elena had consumed an entire bowl of broth and a liter of water.
The terrifying shadow of organ failure slowly began to recede from the medical charts.
Maya remained by the bed, singing the same lullaby whenever the little girl's heart rate spiked in panic.
Mateo cancelled all his underground meetings, refusing to leave the wing of the compound.
He watched Maya with a complex mixture of gratitude and deep, calculating suspicion.
"Where did you learn that song?" Mateo asked her that evening, pouring two glasses of expensive bourbon.
"My grandmother," Maya said, accepting the glass but not drinking from it.
"She said it was an old fisherman's tune to ward off storms."
Mateo frowned, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the glittering city lights.
"My wife used to sing something similar to Elena before she was killed," he murmured.
Before Maya could respond, a tall, sharply dressed man entered the room without knocking.
It was Victor, Mateo’s most trusted lieutenant and the head of cartel security.
Victor had a jagged scar across his jaw and eyes that looked like shattered ice.
"Boss, we have a problem at the docks," Victor said, his gaze lingering entirely too long on Maya.
Elena, who had been resting peacefully, suddenly let out a sharp, terrified whimper.
She pulled the yellow canopy completely over her head, trembling violently.
Maya instantly moved to the bed, placing a protective hand over the trembling blanket.
Victor’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous squint as he watched the little girl hide from him.
May you like
"The kid is still jumpy," Victor sneered, attempting a dismissive laugh.
Maya felt a sudden, freezing chill run down her spine as she looked at the lieutenant.
