Come alone
Chapter 71: Come Alone
Nobody slept.
Not Amara.
Not Lorenzo.
Not Daniel.
Not Victoria.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Chicago spent the night holding its breath.
The city knew something was coming.
Not consciously.
Not logically.
But cities were living things.
And living things recognized storms.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
By sunrise, Queen Medical Center had become a fortress.
Again.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
Soldiers occupied rooftops.
Security teams monitored every entrance.
The underground hospital buzzed with activity.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
And at the center of it all sat Amara Queen.
Alone.
In her office.
The letter resting on her desk.
The same letter she'd read twenty-three times.
Not that she was counting.
The betrayal.
The obsessive-reading betrayal.
Undefeated.
Her eyes lingered on the final sentence.
Come as yourself.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
What did that even mean?
The phrase annoyed her.
Deeply.
Dangerously.
Because it implied everyone else saw something she didn't.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Immediately.
The betrayal.
The interruption betrayal.
Undefeated.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Lorenzo entered.
Of course he did.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The king looked exhausted.
A rare sight.
A concerning sight.
Very concerning.
Because Lorenzo Vitale didn't look tired.
He looked dangerous.
There was a difference.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He closed the door behind him.
Then locked it.
Immediately.
Amara raised an eyebrow.
Dangerously.
"What."
Silence.
The king crossed the room.
Stopped in front of her desk.
And simply looked at her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then:
"You're not going."
Absolute silence.
Amara blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
Because apparently Lorenzo had decided to be funny today.
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Undefeated.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not going."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The surgeon leaned back in her chair.
Calmly.
Professionally.
Dangerously.
"I wasn't asking permission."
Silence.
Lorenzo looked unimpressed.
Immediately.
The king had built a criminal empire.
Being glared at by Amara ranked somewhere around Tuesday.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then he made a mistake.
A terrible mistake.
The kind men made when emotions got involved.
He said:
"I'll lock you in the basement if I have to."
Absolute silence.
The room froze.
Immediately.
Because Lorenzo Vitale had apparently lost his mind.
The betrayal.
The threatening-a-surgeon betrayal.
Undefeated.
Amara slowly removed her glasses.
The most dangerous thing she could possibly do.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Lorenzo realized his mistake instantly.
Of course he did.
Unfortunately...
It was already too late.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
"You'll what?"
Her voice came out soft.
Quiet.
Terrifying.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The king visibly reconsidered his life choices.
Reasonably.
Very reasonably.
Before he could answer—
Daniel burst through the door.
Immediately.
The betrayal.
The dramatic-entrance betrayal.
Undefeated.
Victoria followed behind him.
Looking furious.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
"They found Evelyn."
Absolute silence.
Everything stopped.
Immediately.
Amara stood.
So did Lorenzo.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Daniel looked pale.
Actually pale.
The ghost handed over a tablet.
Without speaking.
Without blinking.
Without moving.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The screen displayed a live video feed.
The room froze.
Because there she was.
Evelyn Hart.
Alive.
Sitting in a chair.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The same room from the photograph.
The same chair.
The same expression.
Only now she was moving.
Breathing.
Watching.
Alive.
The realization hit everyone at once.
Then Evelyn spoke.
Directly into the camera.
Immediately.
"Amara."
Absolute silence.
The specialist looked exhausted.
Tired.
Resigned.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Like she'd already lost an argument nobody else had heard.
The woman looked directly into the camera.
Then smiled.
Sadly.
Dangerously.
The smile of someone accepting a fate they couldn't change.
A terrible smile.
A very terrible smile.
"Don't come."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The room froze.
Again.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
Evelyn continued.
"They want you there."
A pause.
"They've always wanted you there."
Another.
"They don't care about me."
Silence.
The video crackled.
Briefly.
Then stabilized.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then a new voice appeared.
A male voice.
Calm.
Pleasant.
Terrifying.
The room immediately recognized it.
Not because they'd heard it before.
Because they'd been waiting to.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The man who stole the model.
The ghost behind the curtain.
The architect.
The enemy.
Finally.
The voice laughed softly.
Almost warmly.
Then spoke.
"Good morning, Dr. Queen."
Absolute silence.
The world stopped.
Immediately.
The voice continued.
Calm.
Patient.
Certain.
"I've waited fifteen years for this conversation."
A pause.
Another.
Then:
"Please don't be late."
The video feed ended.
Instantly.
Gone.
The screen went black.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody spoke.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then Amara picked up her coat.
Immediately.
The room froze.
Again.
A recurring problem.
Very recurring.
Lorenzo looked horrified.
Daniel looked resigned.
Victoria closed her eyes.
Because all three of them knew exactly what was about to happen.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara slipped her arms into her coat.
Adjusted her glasses.
Then headed for the door.
The surgeon's voice came out calm.
Cold.
Certain.
The way it always did when she made a decision.
And everyone in the room knew there was no changing her mind.
No stopping her.
No saving her from herself.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I'm going."
And somewhere in Chicago...
A man who had spent fifteen years preparing for this moment smiled.
Because Dr. Amara Queen was finally on her way.
End Chapter 71: Come Alone