Chapter 6: The Woman They Chose to Hunt
At 6:12 the next morning, Jenny Reeves woke to the sound every parent fears.
Silence.
No coughing.
No wheezing.
Just silence.
For one terrifying second she bolted upright beside Noah's hospital bed, panic exploding through her chest.
Then she saw it.
Her son was sleeping peacefully.
The oxygen mask still rested over his face, but for the first time in weeks, his breathing was slow and steady instead of desperate.
Tears filled her eyes before she even realized she was crying.
She reached out and gently brushed a curl from his forehead.
"You scared me," she whispered.
Noah smiled in his sleep.
Outside the room, Marco Vitelli had not slept.
Neither had Vincent.
Two of Marco's security men remained disguised as maintenance workers near the elevators.
Another sat reading yesterday's newspaper in the waiting room.
One more stood outside the emergency entrance pretending to smoke.
Every entrance to the pediatric floor was covered.
Marco trusted very few people.
Hospitals weren't among them.
His phone vibrated.
Luca.
"They made their move."
Marco didn't even blink.
"Report."
"The eviction crew arrived at Jenny's apartment at six this morning."
Marco glanced at his watch.
"They're early."
"They wanted to remove everything before she got home."
"Police?"
"They brought one off-duty deputy."
Marco's jaw tightened.
"Legal?"
"Not even close."
Marco stood.
"Get the car."
Twenty minutes later...
A white eviction truck blocked the narrow street outside Jenny's apartment building.
Cardboard boxes already covered the sidewalk.
Children walking to school slowed to watch.
An elderly woman argued with one of the workers.
"She isn't even home!"
"Orders," the foreman answered.
"We're just doing our job."
Inside Apartment 2B...
Two movers emptied cabinets.
Another disconnected medical equipment.
One worker unplugged Noah's breathing machine without even asking what it was.
"Throw it in the truck."
"Don't touch that!"
Mrs. Hernandez, Jenny's seventy-year-old neighbor, stepped into the hallway.
"That belongs to her little boy!"
The foreman shrugged.
"Not my problem."
A black Rolls-Royce quietly stopped across the street.
Every worker froze.
Nobody expected a luxury car in this neighborhood.
Marco stepped out.
Perfect charcoal suit.
Black overcoat.
Calm expression.
Vincent followed behind him.
The foreman frowned.
"This is a private eviction."
Marco looked around.
Children watching.
Neighbors filming with their phones.
Furniture scattered across wet pavement.
A little blue backpack lying in a puddle.
Then he asked one question.
"Who gave the order?"
The foreman smirked.
"Who wants to know?"
Marco walked closer.
"I asked first."
The foreman laughed.
"Buddy, unless you're her lawyer—"
"I own the pawn shop where she sold her phone yesterday."
The man blinked.
"So?"
Marco smiled faintly.
"And now..."
"...I'm curious."
Across the street...
Anthony Russo watched from inside his SUV.
"There he is."
His driver swallowed.
"You sure that's Marco Vitelli?"
Anthony's confidence suddenly weakened.
"...Yes."
"Why is he here?"
Anthony had no answer.
Back on the sidewalk...
Marco bent down.
He picked up Noah's small inhaler spacer from the wet ground.
It was cracked.
Someone had stepped on it.
His eyes darkened.
He looked at the mover holding another medical box.
"Set it down."
"No."
The mover laughed.
"You deaf?"
Marco repeated himself.
"Set."
"It."
"Down."
The mover rolled his eyes.
"What are you gonna do?"
Nobody saw Marco move.
One second the mover was standing.
The next he was flat on the sidewalk, gasping for air as the medical box landed safely in Marco's hands.
Marco carefully brushed dirt from the equipment before handing it to Vincent.
Then he looked back down at the man.
"I asked politely."
The street went completely silent.
Even traffic seemed quieter.
The off-duty deputy finally stepped forward.
"Sir..."
Marco handed him a business card.
The deputy read the name.
His face immediately changed.
"Mr... Vitelli..."
Marco spoke softly.
"I have three questions."
"One."
"Did you verify the eviction order?"
The deputy looked nervous.
"No."
"Two."
"Did you confirm the tenant had been notified?"
"...No."
"Three."
"Did you inspect the medical exemption filed six months ago?"
The deputy's mouth opened.
Medical exemption?
Marco already knew the answer.
"No."
Vincent handed Marco another folder.
Luca had worked quickly.
Inside were copies of every document.
Medical protections.
Housing protections.
Court filings.
Everything.
Marco passed them to the deputy.
"You may want to read."
Five minutes later...
The deputy lowered the papers slowly.
"This eviction..."
"...is illegal."
The foreman went pale.
"What?"
"The order is invalid."
He looked toward the movers.
"Stop immediately."
Across the street...
Anthony cursed.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
His phone rang.
The caller ID read:
Richard Calloway.
Owner of Reeves Property Management.
Anthony answered.
"We've got a problem."
Richard's voice exploded through the speaker.
"What do you mean a problem?"
"Marco Vitelli is protecting her."
Silence.
Then...
"...Who?"
Anthony repeated the name.
The line went completely quiet.
Richard whispered,
"Leave."
"What?"
"NOW."
Too late.
Marco was already walking toward the black SUV.
Anthony's heart skipped.
Marco stopped beside the driver's window.
Knocked once.
Anthony slowly rolled it down.
Marco smiled politely.
"Anthony Russo."
Anthony forced a smile.
"Mr. Vitelli."
"I hear you've been looking for Jenny Reeves."
Anthony hesitated.
"Business."
Marco nodded.
"I thought so."
He leaned slightly closer.
"If your business comes within one hundred feet of that woman or her son again..."
His voice never changed.
"...they'll never find enough of your business records to finish the investigation."
Anthony understood exactly what he meant.
Not a threat.
A promise.
Marco walked away.
Anthony didn't breathe until the Rolls-Royce disappeared.
Meanwhile...
Back at the hospital...
Jenny was helping Noah eat breakfast when the television mounted on the wall switched to breaking news.
"Federal investigators have opened an inquiry into alleged illegal evictions connected to Reeves Property Management."
Jenny frowned.
"What?"
The screen showed reporters gathering outside corporate headquarters.
Then another headline appeared.
CEO Richard Calloway unavailable for comment.
Jenny looked confused.
She hadn't called anyone.
She hadn't contacted lawyers.
She hadn't spoken to reporters.
Then she noticed Marco quietly entering the room carrying a fresh bouquet of sunflowers.
He smiled gently at Noah.
"Morning, buddy."
Noah grinned.
"You came back."
"I said I would."
Jenny looked from the television...
...to Marco.
"What did you do?"
Marco set the flowers beside Noah's bed.
"I simply made sure..."
"...the right people started asking the right questions."
Jenny stared at him.
For the first time, she realized something terrifying.
The city feared Marco Vitelli.
But somehow...
He was using that fear to protect her.
Neither of them noticed the woman standing outside the hospital entrance wearing dark sunglasses.
She quietly photographed Marco entering Noah's room.
Then she texted a single message:
Confirmed. Marco Vitelli has chosen her.
May you like
The reply came seconds later.
Then eliminate both.
