The Heist Plan

Rossi drew her weapon, a sharp, metallic sound that cut through the sterile noise of the ER. "Fourth floor," she shouted into her radio. "Code three. Possible abduction in progress."

Elena was already moving, pushing through the crowd of patients and staff. She hit the stairwell door, her boots slipping on the linoleum. Four flights. She took them two at a time, her lungs burning, her mind racing.

They couldn't take Thomas. He was the anchor. The only living proof of the affair, the only link to Arthur's bloodline. If he went back to Serenity Hills, he would vanish forever. Or worse, he would be "corrected" like Sebastian almost was.

She burst onto the fourth-floor landing.

The hallway was quiet. Too quiet.

Halfway down, outside Room 404, a gurney was being wheeled out.

It was surrounded by three men in dark suits. Arthur's men. They moved with the efficient, predatory grace of sharks.

One of them was holding a clipboard, arguing with a nurse who looked small and terrified.

"Transfer orders," the suit was saying. "Signed by the power of attorney. Get out of the way."

"But Dr. Evans hasn't cleared him," the nurse stammered. "He's unstable."

"We have a medical team in the van," the suit said, shoving past her.

Elena didn't wait for Rossi. She didn't wait for backup.

"Hey!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the tile.

The suits turned.

"Federal Agents!" Rossi shouted from the stairwell behind her, leveling her gun. "Step away from the patient!"

The suits didn't step away. They accelerated.

They shoved the gurney toward the service elevator. The wheels squeaked on the floor.

"Stop!" Rossi fired a warning shot into the ceiling. Plaster rained down.

The suits didn't flinch. They hit the elevator button. The doors were already opening.

Elena sprinted. She wasn't going to make it. The gurney was rolling into the car.

But then, the gurney stopped.

It slammed into something.

A cleaning cart.

It had been pushed into the path of the elevator. And behind it, holding a mop like a spear, was Mrs. Vance.

She looked terrified. Her uniform was stained, her hair a mess. But she stood her ground.

"You're not taking my son," she said, her voice shaking but loud.

The lead suit reached for his jacket. A gun.

"Drop it!" Rossi yelled, advancing down the hall.

The suit hesitated. He looked at Rossi, then at Elena, then at the elevator.

The doors were trying to close, bouncing off the cleaning cart.

He made a choice.

He shoved the cart aside, knocking Mrs. Vance to the floor. He grabbed the gurney and hauled it into the elevator.

"No!" Elena lunged.

She grabbed the rail of the gurney just as the doors started to slide shut again.

She pulled. The suit pulled back.

It was a tug of war for a life. Thomas lay unconscious between them, a pawn in a game he didn't know he was playing.

"Let go," the suit snarled, kicking at Elena's hand.

His heel connected with her knuckles. Pain exploded up her arm.

She didn't let go.

"Rossi!" she screamed.

Rossi was there. She jammed the barrel of her gun into the gap between the doors.

"Open it," she ordered. "Or I fill this box with lead."

The suit stared at her. He calculated the odds. Three agents were coming up the stairs now. The element of surprise was gone.

He let go of the gurney.

He hit the emergency stop button, then the roof hatch.

"Go!" he yelled to the other two.

They boosted him up. He disappeared into the shaft. The others followed.

The elevator doors chimed and slid open fully.

Thomas was safe.

Elena slumped against the wall, cradling her bruised hand. Mrs. Vance was on the floor, weeping.

Rossi checked the patient. "He's alive. Stable."

She looked at Elena. "You did good."

Elena nodded, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked at Mrs. Vance.

"We need a sample," Elena said gently. "We need his DNA."

Mrs. Vance looked up. "Why?"

"To prove who his father was," Elena said. "To prove why they tried to kill him."

Mrs. Vance wiped her eyes. She stood up, smoothing her apron.

"His father was a monster," she said. "But Thomas... Thomas is a good boy."

She reached out and took Elena's hand.

"Do it," she said. "Take what you need. Just promise me you'll stop them."

"I promise," Elena said.

Rossi called for a tech. A swab was taken. The chain of custody was started.

But as the tech sealed the bag, Elena's phone buzzed again.

It was Marcus.

*Subject: The Gala.*

*Body: I found the guest list. It's tonight. And guess who the guest of honor is?*

Elena looked at the attachment.

It was a schedule for the "St. Clair Charity Gala," happening tonight at the estate.

The guest of honor wasn't Victoria. It wasn't Julian.

It was *The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.*

Elena stared at the screen.

"We need a distraction," she whispered.

"What?" Rossi asked.

"The Gala," Elena said, looking up. "Everyone will be there. Even the Director."