Chapter 6 - The Last Race Before Dawn
By sunrise, Claire had forgotten what exhaustion felt like.
There was only motion.
Adrian in intensive care.
Lily in renal crisis.
A donor kidney missing somewhere between Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Vincent Rourke still free.
And Grant Cole exposed as the man who had fed Rourke information from inside Mercer Estate for months.
Mason stood beside Claire in a quiet hospital conference room.
A map covered the wall.
“The organ transport vehicle left Baltimore at 4:37,” he said. “GPS stopped transmitting at 5:19.”
“Where?”
“Interstate 95, north of Elkton.”
“Was it Rourke?”
“We don’t know.”
“You always say that.”
“Because guessing gets people killed.”
Claire stared at him.
“That sounds like Adrian.”
“I’ve worked for him twelve years.”
“Then help me.”
“I am.”
“No. Help me the way he would.”
Mason looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“It means stop treating the missing kidney like an unrelated accident.”
He was silent.
Claire stepped toward the map.
“Rourke knew about Lily’s dialysis schedule. He knew which hospital she was transferred to. Grant had access to Adrian’s security reports. If Grant knew Lily was being evaluated for transplant—”
“He could have seen the medical transport notifications.”
“Exactly.”
Mason’s expression sharpened.
He pulled out his phone.
Ten minutes later, they had confirmation.
Grant’s encrypted laptop contained a screenshot of Lily’s transplant case number.
Someone had opened the organ allocation portal through a compromised hospital administrator account at 2:11 that morning.
Before the donor kidney had even left Baltimore.
Claire felt sick.
“He knew.”
Mason nodded.
“Rourke knew.”
“What would he gain from stealing a kidney?”
“Leverage.”
“He already had me.”
“He lost you.”
Claire looked through the glass wall toward the ICU corridor.
“And Adrian survived.”
“For now.”
The words hurt.
Claire turned away.
At 8:03, Adrian woke.
The first thing he did was try to pull out his breathing tube.
The second was attempt to sit up.
The third was glare at the doctor who stopped him.
Claire entered just as the tube was removed.
“You are the worst patient I’ve ever seen.”
Adrian’s eyes found her.
Everything else in the room disappeared.
“Claire.”
“I’m here.”
He looked at her bruised face.
His jaw tightened.
“Rourke?”
“Still missing.”
“Ethan?”
“Safe at the estate with three times the security necessary.”
“Lily?”
Claire hesitated.
He saw it.
“What?”
She sat beside him.
“A donor kidney became available.”
“That’s good.”
“It disappeared in transit.”
Adrian tried to sit again.
Pain stopped him.
“What do you mean disappeared?”
“The vehicle was intercepted.”
His expression changed from patient to predator in one breath.
“Mason.”
“He’s working on it.”
“Phone.”
“No.”
Adrian looked at Claire.
“Give me my phone.”
“You have a hole in your lung.”
“I’m aware.”
“You were in surgery four hours ago.”
“Claire.”
“No.”
His eyebrows rose slightly.
“You just told Adrian Mercer no,” the nurse murmured.
Claire looked at her.
“I do it all the time.”
For the first time since the warehouse, Adrian almost smiled.
Then his expression softened.
“Come here.”
“I’m already here.”
“Closer.”
She moved her chair.
He reached for her hand.
Claire looked at their joined fingers.
“I thought you died.”
“I didn’t.”
“I had your blood all over me.”
“I know.”
“You stopped answering.”
“I’m sorry.”
Her eyes filled.
“Don’t apologize like that fixes it.”
His thumb moved over her knuckles.
“What does?”
“Staying alive.”
“Working on it.”
For several seconds neither spoke.
Then Adrian said quietly, “I owe you an apology.”
“For getting shot?”
“For bringing this into your life.”
Claire shook her head.
“Rourke kidnapped my sister because of you.”
“I know.”
“He kidnapped me because of you.”
“I know.”
“Ethan was almost taken because of you.”
His hand loosened.
Claire tightened her fingers around his.
“But Lily would already be dead if you hadn’t stepped in.”
Adrian looked at her.
“And I would have walked straight into Rourke’s trap if your people hadn’t followed me.”
“I told you not to leave the estate.”
“Yes, and I ignored you. We can discuss my character flaws later.”
“Could take a while.”
She laughed.
It hurt her split lip.
Adrian’s expression changed when he saw it.
“Claire.”
“I’m fine.”
“I hate when you say that.”
“I learned it from you.”
The ICU door opened.
Mason entered.
“We found the transport van.”
Adrian’s hand tightened around Claire’s.
“Where?”
“Abandoned outside Wilmington.”
“The kidney?”
“Not there.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“But,” Mason continued, “state police recovered the driver alive.”
Her eyes opened.
“He heard one of the attackers mention Camden.”
Adrian was already pulling off the oxygen monitor.
Claire caught his wrist.
“No.”
“I know every Rourke warehouse in Camden.”
“You are not leaving.”
“I don’t need to.”
He looked at Mason.
“Old Cooper shipyard.”
Mason’s expression changed.
“You think?”
“Rourke used it in 2022.”
“Police searched it last year.”
“Exactly why he’d use it again.”
Mason called his team.
For the next forty minutes, Claire sat beside Adrian while federal agents and Mercer security converged on the abandoned shipyard.
This time, Adrian did not go.
Not because he wanted to stay.
Because Claire threatened to physically sit on him if he tried to get out of bed.
At 9:17, Mason’s phone rang.
He answered.
Then looked at Claire.
“We have it.”
She stopped breathing.
“The kidney?”
“Still inside the transport cooler. Temperature is within range.”
Claire covered her face.
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
Mason continued.
“Police also arrested two of Rourke’s men.”
“Rourke?” Adrian asked.
“Not there.”
Of course.
Vincent Rourke always found a door.
The organ was rushed to Riverview under police escort.
At 10:46, Lily’s transplant surgeon met Claire.
“We’ve rechecked compatibility.”
“And?”
“It’s an excellent match.”
Claire started crying before he finished.
“When?”
“As soon as we can prepare her.”
“Do it.”
“We need Lily’s consent.”
“She’ll give it.”
Lily did.
Her voice was weak but clear.
“Does this mean I don’t need Claire’s kidney?”
Claire sat beside her.
“That’s generally how one kidney transplant works.”
Lily smiled faintly.
“Good.”
“Why good?”
“Because you’re terrible at sharing.”
Claire laughed through tears.
Lily reached for her hand.
“You look awful.”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“Did scary rich guy survive?”
Claire glanced toward the ICU wing.
“Yes.”
Lily’s tired eyes sharpened.
“You love him.”
Claire froze.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You are heavily medicated.”
“And you’re changing the subject.”
“Lily.”
“Claire.”
“You almost died.”
“Yes. Which means I’m allowed to say uncomfortable things.”
Claire looked away.
“I don’t know what I feel.”
“That means yes.”
“It means my entire life has exploded in three days.”
“Also yes.”
At noon, Lily was taken into surgery.
Claire walked beside the gurney until the doors.
Lily squeezed her hand.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“If something happens—”
“No.”
“Claire.”
“No. I’m done with everyone trying to give me final speeches this week.”
Lily smiled.
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“I love you.”
Claire leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I love you too.”
The doors closed.
Claire stood alone.
Then a wheelchair rolled up behind her.
She turned.
Adrian sat in it wearing a hospital gown beneath a dark robe.
The nurse pushing him looked furious.
“He threatened to walk.”
Adrian corrected her.
“I informed her I was capable.”
“You fainted standing up,” the nurse said.
Claire folded her arms.
Adrian looked offended.
“Briefly.”
Claire nearly laughed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Sitting with you.”
“You need rest.”
“So do you.”
She sat beside him.
Hours passed.
At some point, Claire fell asleep with her head on Adrian’s shoulder.
At some point, he rested his cheek against her hair.
Neither mentioned it when they woke.
At 4:51 p.m., the surgeon finally appeared.
Claire jumped up.
Adrian tried, winced, and remained seated.
“How is she?”
“The kidney is functioning.”
Claire’s hands flew to her mouth.
“She’s okay?”
“The transplant itself was successful.”
Claire began to cry.
The surgeon raised a hand.
“But there’s a complication.”
Everything stopped.
“What complication?”
“She developed significant bleeding near the vascular connection.”
Claire’s face emptied.
“We’re taking her back into surgery immediately.”
“No.”
“We need to control it.”
“Is she going to die?”
The surgeon hesitated.
And that hesitation terrified Claire more than any answer.
“We’re doing everything we can.”
Claire backed into the wall.
Adrian pushed himself out of the wheelchair despite the pain.
He reached her before the nurse could stop him.
Claire grabbed his robe.
“I can’t lose her.”
“You’re not losing her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No.”
His arms closed around her.
“But you’re not standing here alone.”
She pressed her face into his chest carefully, terrified of hurting his wound.
Then Adrian’s phone rang.
Mason.
Adrian answered.
“What?”
Mason spoke for several seconds.
Adrian went completely still.
Claire looked up.
“What happened?”
He lowered the phone.
“They found Rourke.”
“Where?”
May you like
Adrian’s eyes moved toward the operating-room doors.
“Outside Ethan’s school.”
