Page 43 of Condor’s Vow

Chapter 15

Hattie stood behind Callie as Reid went through her front door and cleared her home to make sure it was safe. It was something she’d never considered would ever be in doubt. This house was her sanctuary, her safe place. It always had been, her family life had been wonderful growing up. Her parents were so in love and while they’d had the usual family angst and falling out sometimes, they’d always resolved them quickly.

Reid walked into the entryway from the back of the house, his expression controlled and fierce. It was a look she’d seen on Clay so many times, his protector’s face.

“House is clear.”

“Thanks. I need to let Mr. Chester out.” Hattie walked toward the back where she could hear her new pet growling from the laundry room where she’d left him that morning.

“He sounds fierce. What kind of dog is he?”

Hattie turned to look at Callie who had followed with Reid. “He’s a Pitbull Rottweiler cross.”

“Oh my God, I have a Rotti called Bono. They’re such a lovely breed.”

Callie smiled. It was still slightly surreal to see this famous person in her home, acting precisely as Mack or Mickie would.

“Is he dangerous?”

Hattie saw Reid move to step between Callie and the dog behind the door. “Not from my experience, but he’s protective of me. He’ll be fine as soon as he sees that I accept you.”

Callie looked at Reid with exasperation. “Reid, chill out, will you?”

He took her chin in his fingers and kissed her hard before pulling back to look at her intently. The way Callie instantly softened and leaned into him was telling. She may be exasperated, but she understood and accepted his overprotective nature.

“I’ll never chillout when it comes to your safety, so don’t ask me to.”

“Okay, Reid.”

Hattie felt almost voyeuristic watching these two together, so she turned toward the door and her now silent dog. Opening it slowly, she smiled when she saw his tail wagging so hard his entire backend was moving.

“Hey, boy, how you been? You miss me?” Hattie petted him, giving him lots of attention before moving out of the way so he could greet Reid and Callie.

The pair had evident experience and a love for animals and stood back, giving him space to say hello, which he did with a few well-placed sniffs.

Once that was done, Hattie let him out for a pee and moved to the coffee pot. “Coffee or tea?”

“Coffee for me please. I just love that I can drink and eat what I want now I’m not in front of the camera in a swimsuit.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine how awful that must be.”

Callie winked at Reid as they shared a look. “It has its moments.”

Reid took the coffee she handed him a few minutes later. “Tell me about your renovation plans. Clay says it’s a pretty big project.”

“I have the plans if you want to see?” Hattie didn’t want to bore anyone, but she was excited about her plans for the house.

“God, yes.” Callie laughed and held her hands out, wiggling her fingers. “Reid and I are addicted to home improvement shows. We want to build our own place next year.”

“Okay, give me a sec, and I’ll run up and get them.”

Hattie ran up the stairs to the spare room and got the plans from where she had put them in the wardrobe. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took a minute to get her bearings. Today had been a roller coaster and she needed a sec to process it. Reid and Callie were terrific, keeping her focused on the house and other things, and she loved them for it, but she also needed a moment to breathe and evaluate.

The fact this killer would go to the lengths of setting fire to a hospital with hundreds of innocent victims inside was terrifying. Clay thought it was the fear that had made her almost pass out on him and poor Squirrel, but it wasn’t, it was guilt. All those people had burns because she’d wanted to have dinner with her brother and swapped her shift.

Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she tried to quell the tide of emotion she was feeling. She knew in her heart the killer wouldn’t stop until she was dead and how many would lose their lives in the process? God forbid her brothers or Clay got hurt because of this. She’d never survive it.

She wished for a second she was some badass woman who could protect herself the way some of her friends could, but the fact was, she was a nurse, not a cop or an FBI agent.