Chapter 9 -after the attack

The helicopters hovered over the orphanage, their searchlights sweeping across the broken windows and smoke-filled courtyard. The sound was deafening, but somehow it wasn’t the helicopters that frightened Emily the most. It was the silence that had settled over the men around her.

Adrian stood in front of her, his body tense as he watched the aircraft above. Dante remained a few feet away, his gun raised and his eyes moving from one window to another. Neither man seemed willing to explain what the symbol meant, and Emily was beginning to realize that whatever secret they were hiding was much bigger than she had imagined.

Then she heard it.

A child crying.

Emily’s attention immediately shifted away from the helicopters.

“The children.”

She looked toward Adrian. “We have to get them out.”

Adrian turned toward her. “Stay close to me.”

Emily shook her head. “I know where they’re hiding.”

Before Adrian could stop her, she hurried down the smoke-filled hallway.

“Emily!”

Dante followed, motioning sharply toward his men.

“Get every child out of this building. Check every room. Nobody gets left behind.”

“Yes, Boss!”

The men scattered through the orphanage.

Emily moved quickly, coughing as smoke filled her lungs. She knew these hallways. She knew which rooms the children used when they were frightened, which closets they hid inside, and which beds they crawled beneath whenever something scared them.

Then a loud crash came from the eastern wing.

Emily stopped.

Someone was still fighting.

Dante’s expression hardened.

“They’re still here.”

Adrian immediately stepped in front of Emily.

“Stay behind me.”

This time, she didn’t argue.

They reached the end of the hallway just as two masked men burst through a doorway, fighting Dante’s men. One attacker raised his weapon, but Dante reacted before he could fire.

The gunshot echoed through the building.

The weapon flew from the man’s hand.

He turned and ran.

“Don’t let him get away!” Dante shouted.

Two of his men immediately chased after him.

The second attacker lunged toward Adrian.

Adrian blocked the man’s punch and drove his fist into his jaw. The attacker staggered backward, but before he could recover, Dante seized him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Who sent you?”

The man laughed through the blood on his lip.

“You think this is about you?”

Dante’s eyes became colder.

“Then tell me what it’s about.”

The attacker slowly turned his head.

His eyes went directly to Emily.

“Her.”

Emily froze.

The man’s smile widened.

“Subject Zero.”

Adrian’s expression darkened.

“Don’t call her that.”

The attacker laughed.

“You still don’t understand what she is.”

Dante tightened his grip.

“Talk.”

The man suddenly reached inside his jacket.

Dante reacted instantly, slamming the man’s hand against the wall before he could pull anything out.

A small metal device dropped onto the floor.

One of the guards picked it up.

“Boss…”

Dante looked at it.

“What is it?”

The guard examined the strange device, then shook his head.

“We don’t know.”

A single beep sounded.

Everyone froze.

Dante’s eyes dropped toward the device.

“Get everyone out.”

The guard stared at him.

“Now?”

Dante’s voice thundered through the hallway.

“NOW!”

Adrian grabbed Emily’s hand.

“Run!”

They rushed down the hallway as Dante dragged the captured attacker behind them. His men moved quickly, carrying frightened children out of their rooms and guiding them toward the exits.

They had barely reached the courtyard when a small explosion rocked the eastern wing.

Emily screamed.

Adrian immediately wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the flying debris.

“Are you hurt?”

Emily shook her head, still staring at the burning building.

“No.”

Then her expression changed.

“The children.”

“They’re safe.”

“How do you know?”

“Because my men got them out.”

Emily looked around frantically.

Children were being led into the courtyard, some crying, some wrapped in blankets, others clinging desperately to the adults around them.

But one face was missing.

Emily’s heart dropped.

“Where’s Lily?”

Adrian frowned.

“Who?”

“The little girl in the pink sweater.”

Before he could answer, Emily turned toward the burning building.

“She isn’t here.”

She started running.

Adrian caught her around the waist.

“Emily!”

“She’s still inside!”

“It’s too dangerous!”

“Let me go!”

Dante turned sharply.

“What happened?”

“There’s still a child inside!” Adrian shouted.

Dante didn’t hesitate.

“Find the girl!”

Several of his men immediately ran back into the building.

Emily stood trembling in the courtyard, staring at the smoke.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Then, through the haze, she saw someone emerge.

One of Dante’s men was carrying a small girl in a pink sweater.

“Lily!”

Emily rushed toward them.

The moment the little girl saw her, she began crying.

Emily dropped to her knees and pulled her into her arms.

“You’re okay. You’re okay.”

Lily buried her face against Emily’s shoulder.

“I was scared.”

“I know.”

Emily held her tighter.

“But you’re safe now.”

The little girl nodded weakly.

“Big Sister…”

Emily closed her eyes, fighting back tears.

“I’m here.”

A few feet away, Dante watched them silently.

Something about the sight affected him more deeply than he expected. He had seen Emily frightened, angry, confused, and even in pain, but this was different. She had nearly run into a burning building for a child who wasn’t even related to her.

Adrian noticed the same thing.

Neither man said anything.

They simply watched as Emily held Lily close, completely forgetting about her own injuries.

⸻

Within minutes, ambulances arrived.

The injured children were carefully loaded into them, while the adults were checked by paramedics. Emily refused when one of them tried to guide her toward a waiting ambulance.

“You need to be checked,” Adrian told her.

“I’m fine.”

“You have blood on your arm.”

Emily looked down.

A thin cut ran across her wrist, dangerously close to the glowing symbol beneath her skin.

She barely seemed to notice it.

“It isn’t bad.”

Dante approached them.

“The children are going to a private hospital.”

Emily looked at him immediately.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

Dante nodded.

“I promise.”

Only then did some of the tension leave her face.

But her eyes soon moved toward the captured attacker.

He was being placed inside a black vehicle by two guards.

Emily watched him carefully.

“Where are they taking him?”

Dante followed her gaze.

“Somewhere secure.”

“Why?”

“Because he knows who sent them.”

Emily looked back at him.

“Then I want answers.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’ll get them.”

“I want to know why they’re after me.”

Adrian stepped beside her.

“So do I.”

Emily looked between the two men.

“Then let’s find out.”

Neither man disagreed.

⸻

The children were transported to a private hospital owned by one of Adrian’s companies.

The moment they arrived, doctors and nurses rushed to meet them.

The pediatric ward quickly filled with activity. Nurses carried blankets into the rooms, doctors examined bruises and cuts, and frightened children called for people they trusted.

Emily refused to leave.

She stayed until every child had been examined.

Eventually, she sat beside Lily’s hospital bed, holding the little girl’s hand.

Lily’s eyes were heavy with sleep.

“Are you staying?”

Emily smiled softly.

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Satisfied, Lily closed her eyes.

Emily gently brushed the girl’s hair away from her forehead and watched until her breathing became steady.

Across the hallway, Adrian stood watching her.

Dante joined him.

“She cares too much,” Dante said quietly.

Adrian glanced at him.

“She cares about children.”

“She nearly ran back into a burning building.”

“She wasn’t thinking about herself.”

Dante remained silent.

Adrian’s eyes returned to Emily.

There was something about her that made his chest ache.

He had spent fifteen years searching for his daughter. For fifteen years, he had imagined what she might be like, what she might say, whether she would recognize him if they ever met.

But standing there now, watching Emily hold a frightened child as though protecting her was the most natural thing in the world, he felt something he couldn’t explain.

It wasn’t simply concern.

It was something deeper.

Something painfully familiar.

Dante looked at Emily too.

For a man who had spent years convincing himself that emotions were weaknesses, he found himself strangely unable to look away.

⸻

A few minutes later, the doors to the pediatric ward opened.

A doctor walked in, carrying several medical files.

“Where are the injured children from the orphanage?”

A nurse immediately approached him.

“Dr. Vale, we’ve already prepared the rooms.”

“Good.”

The doctor nodded and began looking through the files.

He was tall, composed, and dressed in a white coat that had clearly seen a long night of work. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and there was a tiredness around his eyes that suggested he had spent more hours in hospitals than he had spent sleeping.

Then he looked through the glass wall.

And stopped.

Emily was sitting beside Lily.

She was still holding the child’s hand.

Something about the sight caught his attention.

He couldn’t explain why.

It was the way she sat.

The softness in her expression.

The slight crease between her eyebrows as she watched the sleeping child.

Something about her felt strangely familiar.

But the thought was so irrational that he pushed it away.

He had never met this girl before.

At least…

He didn’t think he had.

He walked toward the room.

Emily eventually noticed him and looked up.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The doctor finally smiled politely.

“I’m Dr. Alexander Vale.”

Emily returned the smile.

“Emily.”

Alexander glanced at Lily.

“She’s lucky to have you here.”

Emily looked down at the sleeping girl.

“I couldn’t leave her.”

Alexander studied her for a moment before nodding.

“Most people would have gone home after what happened tonight.”

Emily shrugged.

“They’re children.”

Something softened in Alexander’s expression.

“Yes.”

His eyes moved to the cut on Emily’s wrist.

“You should let someone treat that.”

Emily glanced down.

“It’s nothing.”

Alexander almost smiled.

“That’s what stubborn people always say.”

A quiet laugh escaped Emily.

“You sound like my friends.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was.”

For some reason, Alexander smiled.

He turned toward the children.

“I’ll make sure they’re all taken care of.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded and walked away.

Emily watched him disappear down the hallway.

She couldn’t explain why she felt strangely comfortable around him.

There was something about his voice.

Something about the calmness in his presence.

She had only spoken to him for a few minutes, yet she felt as though she had known him much longer.

Alexander continued down the hallway.

Then, without realizing it, he looked back.

Once.

Then again.

And finally a third time.

He didn’t understand why.

He simply knew there was something about Emily that he couldn’t ignore.

⸻

Later that night, Adrian returned to the hallway.

Dante was waiting near the elevators.

“The prisoner?” Adrian asked.

“Alive.”

“Talking?”

“Not yet.”

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“He knows something.”

Adrian looked toward the pediatric ward.

Emily was still there.

“She doesn’t know what she’s involved in.”

Dante followed his gaze.

“No.”

For a moment, neither man spoke.

Then Dante’s voice became quieter.

“We need to protect her.”

Adrian nodded.

“For now.”

Neither of them noticed Alexander standing farther down the hallway.

He was looking through the glass at Emily.

And for reasons he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t seem to look away.