“One or two,” Katarina lied. More like multiple nightmares every night, but she was afraid admitting as much would end in her being held prisoner here for an indefinite time period.
“How did you feel when you killed Clayne, and his blood spilled on your hands?”
Katarina went still for a heartbeat while a loud whoosh roared through her ears.
Had he really just…holy shit!
Her head whipped to the side. The doctor’s smile was like a razor now, and a cunning gleam sharpened his eyes. Even though he looked different now than he did when he took her daughter, Katarina knew.
“You bastard! Where is she? Where’s Bethany?” Katarina’s fingers curved into claws, and she launched herself at his face, but the restraints held tight, yanking her back to the bed. She screamed, ripping at the bindings again and again, thrashing and kicking her legs so hard that the metal headboard banged against the wall.
“There’s my beloved girl, always so full of piss and vinegar.” Kingsley leaned over the rail and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “Bethany’s blood is so much sweeter than yours ever was.”
With a howl of pure rage, Katarina bared her teeth and snapped. He yanked his hand away with a low chuckle before she could sink her canines into his flesh.
“You sick fuck! I swear I’ll kill you if you hurt so much as a single hair on my daughter’s head, do you hear me?”
As Katarina continued to thrash and spew hate at the smirking monster from her nightmares, two scrub-clad men rushed to either side of the bed and grabbed her arms.
“That’s him! That’s the man who—”
“Calm down, or we’ll have to call the nurse to give you another sedative. Do you understand?”
When Katarina nodded yes, Jasper turned to Kingsley. “What happened?”
“I was just walking by when I heard a woman moaning in pain, so I popped in to check. When I got closer, she attacked me, ranting about some missing daughter?” Kingsley raked a hand through his hair and flashed the CNA a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I was trying to help, but it seems I only made things worse. I best get back to my own patients and leave you two to this one.”
Katarina wanted to scream, but she couldn’t afford to lose more time to a sedative. Not now. Not when he was so close.
She dug her fingernails into her palms until they bled, forcing herself to let him walk away without a fight. When he reached the threshold, he glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. “Good luck.”
As he disappeared from view, Katarina fumed with helpless rage. The heart rate monitor beeped faster, in time to her galloping heart.
Laugh now, but I promise that if you’ve hurt Bethany, I’ll be the last one laughing when I carve you up one centimeter at a time and feed you your own flesh.
But before she could make good on her threat, she had to figure out a way out of here.
5
Detective Harold Fortis checked the time on his computer and logged out with a weary sigh. Two and a half hours past shift change. He should be home already, cracking open his second beer with his feet kicked up, catching that new comedy on Netflix. Instead, his chump ass was still stuck behind the desk like a true sucker. Guess that’s why they paid him the big bucks…half of which would start heading straight into his wife’s pockets if he signed those divorce papers she kept pestering him about.
He cracked his neck to both sides and arched his back in a deep stretch, but his spine still complained when he first stood up. Christ. He was only in his forties but already creaking like a damned rocking chair. At this rate, he’d be walking as stiff as a robot by the time he hit fifty if he wasn’t careful.
After gathering his bag and jacket, Fortis walked out of his office and into the bullpen. A curly headed detective with pale skin and a crooked nose waved him over to a desk near the door. “Yo, Fortis, long time, no see. Must be rough, working that nine-to-five grind. You sure you don’t want to clock in late with us big dogs? I’d even be willing to sacrifice myself and trade shifts. That’s how much you mean to me.”
The detective plastered his hand across his heart like he was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Fortis grinned as he detoured over to the desk. “Whatever. You’re all talk, O’Reilly. You moan and groan about the night shift, but deep down, we all know you crave the excitement.”
The brown-skinned detective sitting two desks over swiveled his chair toward them. “He might, but I’d pay good money to sleep normal hours again. My wife has been busting my balls lately, waking me up in the afternoon to do shit around the house or help the kids with their math homework. That woman, I swear.”
He shook his fist while Fortis and O’Reilly cackled.
“Please, Willis, you’re not fooling anyone. We all know you’d clean the floor with your tongue if Rita asked you to and say thank you afterward.” O’Reilly grinned as he made the jab. Fortis laughed and shook his head.
Willis flipped them both off. “Yeah, and so what if I would? That’s why I’m married with kids, and your ass is single.”
O’Reilly rolled his eyes at Fortis. “Because I won’t lick the floor on command? I think I’m okay with that trade-off.”
Fortis chuckled at their banter. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss seeing you two clowns.”
“Same here.” O’Reilly grinned. “We should try to get together for a round of golf soon if our schedules ever cooperate.”
“Sounds good to me.” Even with taking the kids a few times a week, Fortis had a lot more down time on his hands now that he’d moved into that crappy little apartment. It’d be nice to shoot the shit with the guys again. “I’ll
