Chapter 2 - THE TICKET THAT WAS NEVER FREE
The train was diverted to an unscheduled stop outside Philadelphia.
Emergency medical personnel boarded.
Leo was assessed first, followed by Oliver and Rose.
Gabriel refused to leave the babies.
He carried Leo to the ambulance himself.
I stood on the platform with my purse clutched against my chest, watching the red light blink beneath the torn lining.
A security guard approached.
"Miss Bennett, the boss wants you to come with us."
I stepped backward.
"My daughter is in Newark."
"She's being protected."
My stomach dropped.
"By whom?"
He hesitated.
I raised my voice.
"By whom?"
Gabriel appeared beside the ambulance.
"By nobody I sent," he said.
The guard went pale.
Gabriel looked at him.
"Who told you to say that?"
The man swallowed.
"Mr. Calder."
Something changed in Gabriel's face.
"Get away from her."
The guard obeyed immediately.
Gabriel turned to me.
"Claire, I have not sent anyone to your home. Call your friend. Right now."
My fingers shook so badly I almost dropped the phone.
Marisol answered on the fourth ring.
"Claire?"
"Where's Wren?"
"Sleeping. Why?"
"Lock the doors."
"What?"
"Marisol, please. Lock everything. Don't let anyone inside."
I heard movement.
Then the click of the deadbolt.
"What's happening?"
I closed my eyes.
"I don't know."
Gabriel held out his hand.
"May I speak to her?"
I hesitated.
Then put the call on speaker.
"My name is Gabriel Moretti," he said. "Someone may be watching your building. I'm arranging for local police to check the property. Do not open the door to anyone without verifying who they are."
Marisol went silent.
Then whispered, "The Gabriel Moretti?"
"Unfortunately."
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
Almost.
At the hospital, the triplets were taken into a pediatric emergency department.
The physicians evaluated their breathing, hydration, and possible exposure to an unknown substance.
Leo required oxygen support.
Oliver and Rose were monitored closely.
Gabriel stood outside the treatment room, staring through the glass.
I had never seen a man look so helpless.
"Where's their mother?" I asked.
His face hardened.
"Dead."
"I'm sorry."
He nodded once.
"Complications after delivery."
I looked toward the babies.
"Five weeks ago?"
"Yes."
Silence settled between us.
Then he said, "You have a daughter."
"Seven months."
"Her father?"
I looked away.
"Not involved."
Gabriel didn't ask why.
For that, I was grateful.
An hour later, a detective arrived.
Her name was Naomi Brooks.
She examined the device from my purse.
"A tracker," she said.
My stomach twisted.
"How did it get there?"
"We're investigating."
She looked at Gabriel.
"Mr. Moretti, we also need to know who had access to the babies' feeding supplies."
Gabriel named the nurses, his household staff, and his security team.
Then he stopped.
"Calder."
Naomi looked up.
"Who is Calder?"
"My chief of operations."
"Does he control travel arrangements?"
"Yes."
"Medical staff?"
"Sometimes."
"Your son's formula?"
Gabriel's face changed.
"Yes."
Naomi closed her notebook.
"Then we need to speak with him."
I sat in the hospital waiting room, staring at my phone.
Another message arrived.
YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT QUIET.
A photograph followed.
My apartment building.
Taken from across the street.
I began shaking.
Gabriel saw it.
He sat beside me.
"Claire."
I couldn't look at him.
"My baby is seven months old."
"I know."
"She doesn't even sleep through the night."
His expression softened.
I whispered, "I can't lose her."
Gabriel looked at the photograph.
May you like
Then said something I didn't expect.
"Neither can I."
