Page 53 of Condor’s Vow

Chapter 19

Hattie had gone through a range of emotions on the drive from her home to wherever the fuck they were now. Paddy had stopped along the way and cuffed her wrists and blindfolded her before giving Mr. Chester another injection. He’d told her to lie down on the back seat and stay still, or he’d kill her. Now they had stopped, and she felt her heart kick up as she heard the front car door open and then the door beside her.

A rough hand on her upper arm pulled her from the car, and she stumbled, going to her knees. Yanking her up hard, he shoved her forward, and the sunlight disappeared. The room smelled of bleach and cleaning solution, and felt cool on her skin.

“Sit.” He pushed her, and she awkwardly fell into a chair. She felt him tie her wrists to the chair and then stand, whipping the blindfold away.

Hattie blinked against the bright lights and looked around, knowing in the back of her mind that her seeing this wasn’t good. She was never leaving this place. Her head moved around the room, and she realized it was an operating theater of sorts with a table, surgery equipment, and bright, overhead spotlights.

Gasping, her eyes landed on another woman who was cuffed to a chair and gagged. She was wearing green scrubs, had long brown hair, and frightened blue eyes. Hattie would guess she was in her late twenties, but it was hard to tell.

Paddy Wood looked between them and smiled. It was almost friendly if she didn’t count the gun in his hand and the fact he’d killed people. She just couldn’t figure out his connection to the Clarks, except that Malone Clark was also a vet.

“Almost ready to get started. I’m going to go and get Mr. Chester. Behave while I’m gone.”

The second he was gone Hattie tired testing her bonds, pulling and wriggling her wrists to no avail.

She looked over at the other woman. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

The woman nodded and then shook her head. That was good at least, but it still didn’t bode well for either of them.

“My name is Hattie, and I’m going to get us out of here.” She had no idea why she said it or how she was going to make it happen, but there was no way this asshole was killing her without a fight.

Hattie fell still as she heard him coming back and her heart almost broke when she saw he was carrying Mr. Chester. That dog had come to mean so much to her and to think he might die because of his association with her seemed so unfair.

“What are you going to do with him?”

Paddy laid him on the floor where a dog bed was already waiting. He looked at her in surprise at the question. “Why, nothing. Mr. Chester isn’t really injured. I poisoned him, which forced him to collapse. He’ll be perfectly fine now he’s had the antidote. A little dozy for a day or so but no lasting effects. I’d never hurt an innocent animal. I’m not a monster.”

Hattie snorted, feeling humor well up in her belly.

Paddy was on her in a second, his hand grasping her chin tightly enough that she couldn’t move, and she knew she’d have bruises. “What’s funny, bitch?”

Hattie wanted to spew out every word of hatred she felt for this man but knew it would be foolish. She had to give Clay time to find her and antagonizing a serial killer wasn’t sensible. “Nothing, I’m nervous, that’s all.”

He carried on glaring before he dropped her face as if it physically repulsed him. “You should be. Your death won’t be as quick as the others. You tried to run away from your responsibilities a second time, and for that, you’ll pay.”

“How?” The word was shaky, and she hated that, but if she could get enough information and get him talking, it might buy them some time.

“How?” He cocked his head in question, frowning.

“How did I run from my responsibilities?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You should’ve been there the night my children were brought in, and then when my Stephanie was brought in after your boyfriend shot her, you helped someone else instead of her.”

“The children weren’t Malone Clark’s?”

“No, that pathetic excuse for a man couldn’t father children, so she came to me. We made those beautiful angels. I gave her what she needed so she’d see it was me she loved not Malone. He was never good enough for her and I knew it. I bided my time, and eventually, she came back to me, but she said she couldn’t leave him. It would break his heart if he found out the kids weren’t his.”

“But you told him.”

Paddy shrugged. “I had to. It was only right. Then as I was about to take my place, Stephanie had the accident and you lot killed them.” Paddy was pulling at his hair, his face red with anger as he paced. “Now you have to die for it.”

Hattie felt real bone-deep fear claw at her insides as he dragged her from the chair. Not ready to die, she fought him, not willing to make this easy in any way. A blow to the head caused her to step back, her vision going white as pain exploded on her cheek.

“Stop fighting me, or I’ll kill nurse Singleton.”

Hattie froze for a second when he pointed the gun at the other woman. “Nurse?”