Chapter 6 - The Safehouse in the Sky
The private elevator rose sixty floors up into the stormy Manhattan night, opening directly into the penthouse penthouse of the Callaway Tower.
Unlike the Ashworth Grand, which was designed for public luxury, the Callaway Tower was a hardened fortress. Bulletproof triple-pane glass, biometric security grids, and a private medical suite staffed twenty-four hours a day by trauma surgeons who asked no questions.
I carried Dela straight into the medical suite.
Dr. Aris, my personal physician, immediately rushed forward with two nurses, setting up ultrasound equipment and vitals monitors.
"Get her prepped," I ordered, my voice gruff, my hands still covered in dirt and dried blood. "Check the baby first."
Dela lay on the white examination table, her face pale, her breathing slow. She looked small, fragile, and utterly exhausted in her gray maid's uniform. As Dr. Aris spread the cold ultrasound gel over her stomach, Dela reached out, her small, trembling hand finding mine.
"Royce..." she whispered softly. It was the first time she had called me by my first name instead of 'Mr. Callaway.'
I squeezed her hand gently, bowing my head so my forehead rested against her knuckles. "I'm right here, Dela. You're safe now. I promise you."
On the digital monitor beside the bed, a soft, rhythmic sound filled the quiet room.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
The strong, steady heartbeat of a healthy five-month-old fetus echoed through the speakers. On the screen, the clear outline of a baby appeared.
Dr. Aris smiled warmly, looking up at us. "The placenta is intact, Mr. Callaway. No internal bleeding. The child is a fighter. Strong heartbeat."
A long, trembling sigh of relief escaped my chest. I felt a tight knot in my heart—one I hadn't even realized was there—finally break open. I looked down at Dela. Tears of joy were leaking from the corners of her eyes as she stared at the ultrasound screen.
"It's a boy," Dr. Aris added softly. "A healthy baby boy."
"A boy..." Dela whimpered, smiling through her tears. "He's okay... my baby is okay..."
I reached out with my thumb, gently wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "He's going to stay okay, Dela. I'm going to make sure of it."
Dr. Aris cleaned her wounds, wrapping the small cuts on her legs where Cordelia had shoved her onto the glass, before giving her a mild sedative to help her rest. Within ten minutes, Dela fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I stood by her bedside for a long time, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically.
Six years ago, I was a dying man in a dark alley, waiting for a bullet to end my life. A terrified teenage girl had risked everything to wrap my wounds and give me a second chance. She didn't know I was a billionaire. She didn't know I had power. She just saw a human being in pain and chose to save him.
And now, fate had brought her back to me.
Marcus stepped silently into the medical suite, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. "Boss. We have a situation downstairs. Cordelia Vance is at the security gate."
My eyes narrowed into two slits of cold steel. "Cordelia?"
"She escaped the lobby before the police arrived," Marcus explained. "She's begging to see you. She says she has information about Victor Thorne's main weapons depot."
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I looked down at Dela one last time, pulling the warm duvet over her shoulders.
"Let her up," I growled, turning toward the door. "It's time to deal with the Vance family once and for all."
