“Then you won’t mind if we suspend Sophie’s treatment until the balance is paid?” Marcus smiled. It was a cold, reptilian smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Effective immediately. She doesn’t get so much as an aspirin until we find out who hacked the system.”

“She needs her medication, Marcus! She’s on a transplant list! You cut her off, she dies. It’s that simple.”

“Not anymore,” he turned to leave, checking his Rolex. “Find the hacker, Dr. Evans. Or tell your little friend to find a new heart somewhere else. You have 48 hours before I hand this over to the police.”

Chapter 2: The Ghost in the Machine

I stood there for a full minute, listening to the hum of the air conditioner, trying to process the brutality of what had just happened. Sophie was going to be sacrificed because of a clerical witch hunt. The system didn’t care about her life; it only cared about the ledger.

I couldn’t let that happen.