Chapter 4 - The Blood Oath in the Basement
I looked down at the incubator, adjusting the digital airflow regulator before meeting the Sheriff’s fierce gaze.
"When I walked into that basement theater yesterday, I thought it was a routine emergency delivery," I began my confession.
"The patient was barely conscious, strapped to the surgical table with heavy leather restraints on her wrists.
"Dr.
Vance told me she was an unidentified surrogate who had suffered a severe psychotic break.
"He ordered me to take the child the moment she was pulled from the womb and secure her in the transport pod.
"He told me an agency courier would meet me at the state border to take custody of the newborn.
"He offered me twenty thousand dollars in cash as an off-the-books transport bonus.
Miller paced the small cabin, his hand resting on his service weapon, his jaw clenched tight.
"What made you turn against him?" Miller asked.
"What made you risk your life to steal my grandchild away from his security team?
"Julianne woke up," I said softly, the memory sending a cold shiver down my spine.
"The anesthesia was wearing off, and while Vance was washing his hands in the scrub alcove, she grabbed my wrist.
"Her fingernails dug into my skin so deeply they drew blood, Sheriff.
"She whispered your name, Marcus Miller, and told me she was the Sheriff’s daughter.
"She shoved a crumpled photograph into my pocket—a picture of you holding her when she graduated from the police academy.
"She looked at me with pure terror in her eyes and whispered: 'He killed me once to steal my land, and he will kill my baby next.'
"She made me swear on my own mother's soul that I would not let Conrad Vance put his hands on this little girl.
"I saw the coldness in Vance's eyes when he walked back into the room with two private security guards.
"He handed me the infant and told his guards to escort me to the loading dock in an unmarked van.
"I knew right then that neither the baby nor I would ever make it to the state border alive.
"Once we reached the highway, I used my medical trauma shears to stab the driver's leg when he stopped at a red signal.
"I shoved him out the door, took the wheel, transferred the incubator to my personal car at a truck stop, and fled.
"I was trying to reach the Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Atlanta because I didn't know who to trust in this county.
"I thought you were in on it, Sheriff.
"Everyone in this state knows Sheriff Marcus Miller runs Blackwood County with an iron hand.
Miller stopped pacing and stood before me, his towering frame casting a long shadow against the cabin wall.
"My daughter believed I would save her," Miller said, his voice trembling with devastating grief.
"And instead, I was patrolling the highway like an ignorant dog, doing the devil's bidding.
Suddenly, a bright pair of high beams illuminated the trees outside the cabin window.
The low rumble of an engine broke through the sound of the rain.
Miller instantly drew his Glock, clicking the safety off with practiced precision.
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"Get behind the table, Maya," Miller whispered, his voice deadly calm.
"We are not alone out here.
