Chapter 9: The File
The emergency lights flickered on.
Red.
Dim.
Unsteady.
For a moment, all I could see were shadows.
Then the stairwell door slammed open.
Arthur stood there.
His face was wet with sweat.
“Move.””
Natalie stepped backward.
“No.””
Arthur looked at her.
“You should've stayed dead.””
Derek moved between them.
“You're not going near her.””
Arthur's eyes hardened.
“Derek, you don't understand.””
“I understand enough.””
Arthur looked at me.
“Maya, come with me.””
“No.””
“They're coming.””
“Who?””
He didn't answer.
“Who, Dad?””
He looked toward the hallway.
“People who don't care about the hospital, the money, or your family.””
Natalie shook her head.
“He's lying.””
Arthur turned on her.
“You think they won't come for you?””
“They already did.””
He stopped.
I looked between them.
“What happened to you?””
Natalie looked at me.
“Your father tried to make me disappear.””
Arthur's face twisted.
“That isn't what happened.””
“You signed the transfer.””
“You were going to expose me.””
“I was going to expose the fraud.””
“You don't know what I was protecting.””
Natalie laughed bitterly.
“You were protecting yourself.””
A distant alarm began ringing.
Arthur flinched.
Derek looked toward the hallway.
“Security.””
Natalie shook her head.
“No.””
“What?””
“That isn't security.””
Footsteps echoed above us.
Slow.
Heavy.
Several people.
Arthur's expression changed.
“Everybody down.””
We crouched.
A shadow crossed the frosted window of the stairwell door.
Then another.
Jordan whispered,
“Dad, who are they?””
Arthur looked at him.
“I don't know.””
Natalie whispered,
“Yes, you do.””
Arthur stared at her.
She continued.
“They're here for the file.””
I looked at her.
“What file?””
She reached inside her jacket.
Pulled out a small black flash drive.
“This.””
Arthur's face went white.
“What did you do?””
“I copied everything.””
“What everything?””
“Every patient account. Every transfer. Every forged authorization.””
My eyes fixed on the drive.
“Does it have my records?””
“Yes.””
“Grandma's?””
“Yes.””
“Your father's?””
“Yes.””
Arthur stepped toward her.
Derek blocked him.
“You're not touching her.””
Arthur looked at me.
“Maya, listen carefully.””
I didn't move.
“If that drive leaves this building, you're all in danger.””
“Why?””
“Because it identifies the people behind the operation.””
“What people?””
He swallowed.
“The hospital isn't the only place involved.””
Jordan stared at him.
“Who else?””
Arthur's voice dropped.
“Banks. Collection agencies. Private lenders.””
Derek shook his head.
“You're saying this is organized?””
Arthur looked at him.
“Yes.””
“Then why were you working for them?””
Arthur didn't answer.
I felt the room spin.
“You were working for them?””
“I was trapped.””
“You chose them.””
“I had no choice.””
“You always had a choice.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“I thought I could get out.””
“How?””
“By paying them back.””
“With my money.””
Arthur closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
A crash echoed from the hallway.
The stairwell door shook.
Someone was trying to force it open.
Natalie shoved the flash drive into my hand.
“Keep this.””
I stared at it.
“Why me?””
“Because they don't know I gave it to you.””
Arthur looked at the drive.
“Maya, don't.””
I closed my fist around it.
The door shook again.
Jordan whispered,
“Where do we go?””
Natalie pointed upward.
“Roof.””
Derek shook his head.
“That's a dead end.””
“Not if we cross to the next building.””
Arthur stared at her.
“You remember the old maintenance bridge?””
“Yes.””
“It's sealed.””
“I know another way.””
Another impact hit the door.
The lock began to bend.
We ran.
Up two flights.
Then three.
My lungs burned.
Rose struggled behind us.
Jordan grabbed her hand.
“Come on, Grandma.””
“I can't.””
“Yes, you can.””
“I can't!””
“You can.””
They reached the top landing.
Natalie pushed open the roof door.
Cold air hit my face.
We stepped outside.
The city stretched beneath us.
Traffic moved far below.
Sirens echoed somewhere in the distance.
Derek looked across the roof.
“There.””
A narrow metal walkway connected the hospital to an adjacent medical office building.
It looked barely wide enough for one person.
Arthur stopped.
“We can't cross that.””
Natalie looked at him.
“We don't have a choice.””
A voice came from behind us.
“Actually, you do.””
We turned.
A man stood in the doorway.
Black suit.
Black gloves.
No hospital badge.
He held a phone in one hand.
Arthur immediately recognized him.
His face collapsed.
“No.””
The man smiled.
“Hello, Arthur.””
I stepped backward.
“Who is he?””
Arthur didn't answer.
The man looked at me.
“You must be Maya.””
I gripped the flash drive inside my fist.
“How do you know my name?””
He smiled wider.
“Your father has been telling us about you for a very long time.””
Jordan moved in front of me.
The man glanced at him.
“Move.””
Jordan didn't.
The man lifted his phone.
“Or I send the recording.””
Arthur's face went white.
“What recording?””
The man looked at him.
“The one from the night you opened Maya's account.””
My stomach dropped.
“What recording?””
Arthur whispered,
“Maya, don't listen to him.””
The man pressed a button.
Arthur's voice came from the phone speaker.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
*“She'll never know. I'll make sure of that.””*
Rose began crying.
I stared at my father.
“Dad…”
Arthur couldn't look at me.
The man put the phone away.
“Give me the drive.””
I slowly pulled my hand from my pocket.
But I wasn't holding the flash drive anymore.
I was holding my phone.
I had secretly started recording.
The man stepped closer.
“Now.””
I looked directly at Arthur.
“Tell me one thing.””
Arthur raised his eyes.
“Did you really do all of this for me?””
His lips trembled.
“No.””
The word was barely audible.
Then he looked at the man.
And said,
“I did it because they threatened to kill your mother.””
Rose gasped.
I froze.
The man behind us suddenly reached for his jacket.
May you like
And Arthur shouted,
“RUN!””
