Chapter 2 2

The lobby of NY Presbyterian Hospital was less a medical facility and more a transit hub for the afflicted. It roared with the noise of hundreds of conversations, the squeak of rubber soles on polished terrazzo, and the incessant chime of elevators.

Harper stood near the entrance, her damp trench coat feeling heavy on her shoulders. She had two massive suitcases flanking her like sentries. She had just seen the ambulance off to the intake bay, but she knew the intake team wouldn't admit Rose to the specialist wing without authorization.

She stepped up to the reception desk. The nurse behind the high counter didn't look up. She was typing furiously.

"Name?" the nurse barked.

"Harper Sinclair. I need to speak with Dr. Collins' office. It's urgent."

The nurse finally looked up. Her expression was a mix of boredom and irritation. "Do you have an appointment code?"

"No, but my grandmother is en route via ambulance transfer from Boston, her condition is critical, and Dr. Evans said-"

"No code, no access," the nurse interrupted, pointing a pen toward the back of the room. "The general inquiry line is over there. Next."

Harper stood her ground for a second, her jaw tightening. "This isn't a general inquiry. It's a matter of life and death."

"Honey," the nurse sighed, "this is a hospital. Everything is life and death. Move along."

Harper's phone rang. She fumbled for it. It was the moving company. The truck with the rest of her things had blown a tire in Queens. They wanted another two hundred dollars to finish the job.

"Fine," Harper snapped into the phone. "Just get it there."

She hung up, feeling the walls closing in. The noise of the lobby seemed to swell, pressing against her temples. She looked around, desperate for an alternative.

That was when she saw the movement.

Near the far wall, a phalanx of men in black suits was moving with fluid precision. They were cutting through the crowd like a shark fin through water. In the center of the formation was a man.

He was tall. Even from this distance, Harper could see the cut of his suit was bespoke. He wasn't looking at the crowd; he was looking at his watch.

They were heading toward a set of brass elevators marked Authorized Personnel Only.

Harper knew those elevators. She had studied the hospital schematics online. They led directly to the executive suites and the private research wing. Dr. Collins' wing.

A crazy idea sparked in her brain. It was reckless. It was unprofessional.

It was her only shot.

Harper grabbed the handles of her suitcases. She didn't walk; she ran. The wheels clattered loudly over the tile, drawing stares.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

She ignored it. She aimed for the gap in the security detail.

A large hand shot out, blocking her path. A bodyguard, built like a vending machine, stood in front of her. "Step back, Ma'am."

The elevator doors were sliding open. The man in the suit stepped inside. He turned around to face the doors.

Julian Sterling.

Harper recognized him instantly from the photos in the financial journals. The sharp jawline, the dark hair, the eyes that looked like they could calculate the value of your soul in three seconds.

"If you're in a hurry," Harper shouted over the bodyguard's massive shoulder, "you shouldn't let your security waste time handling a woman with luggage!"

Julian's eyes shifted. They locked onto hers.

Time seemed to dilate. The noise of the lobby faded into a dull hum.

He didn't speak. He just looked at her. He took in the wet hair, the cheap suitcases, the white-knuckle grip on the medical file. His gaze was clinical, dissecting. He wasn't looking at a person; he was looking at a variable in an equation.

The elevator doors began to slide shut.

Harper felt a surge of despair.

Then, Julian raised a hand. He placed it against the rubber bumper of the door. The doors retracted.

He nodded once at the bodyguard. The wall of muscle stepped aside.

"You have luggage," Julian said. His voice was a deep baritone, smooth and utterly devoid of warmth. "Get in."

Harper scrambled forward, dragging the heavy cases. They bumped over the threshold, the noise echoing in the small, carpeted box.

The doors closed, sealing out the chaos.

The silence in the elevator was heavy. It smelled of rain and expensive sandalwood cologne. Harper was breathing hard, her chest heaving. Julian stood perfectly still, watching the floor numbers climb.

"You have thirty seconds," Julian said, not looking at her. "Explain why you were worth holding the door for."

Harper swallowed. She didn't plead. She didn't cry about her grandmother. Men like this didn't care about grandmothers. They cared about competence.

"Dr. Collins is currently at risk of losing his grant for the mitral valve study because his financial disclosures show a discrepancy in asset allocation," Harper said. The words tumbled out fast but clear. "I analyzed the hospital's public 990 forms and cross-referenced them with his research output. He doesn't need a medical breakthrough; he needs a forensic accountant to restructure his funding before the board freezes his accounts. I can show him how to fix it in ten minutes."

Julian turned his head slowly. He looked at her properly for the first time. There was a flicker of something in his eyes. Amusement? Respect?

"You're bribing a doctor with financial restructuring," Julian said.

"I'm leveraging an asset," Harper corrected.

The elevator chimed. The doors opened onto a plush hallway that looked more like a hotel than a hospital.

Julian stepped out. He didn't look back.

Harper felt her heart sink. She had failed.

Then, the young man walking beside Julian-his assistant-stopped. He turned and handed Harper a card. It was thick, matte black, with a gold embossed number.

"Mr. Sterling's private line," the assistant murmured, voice barely audible. "He appreciates people who do their homework. Don't abuse it."

Harper took the card. Her fingers brushed the assistant's hand. She was trembling.

She watched Julian Sterling walk away down the corridor. He moved with the arrogance of a man who owned the very air he breathed.

She pulled out her phone and stared at the number. Under the name, she didn't type Julian Sterling.

She typed: Hunter or Prey?

High above in the penthouse office, Julian stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass. He watched the tiny figure of the woman wrestling her suitcases into a taxi below.

He pulled out his phone. He typed a message to his head of security.

Find out who she is. And why she looks like she's ready to burn the city down.