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The doctor or nurse—I couldn’t tell which—proceeded to check my vital signs and then blind me with a penlight. “I think you were having a night terror.” Finished with her assessment, she took a step back and adjusted the stethoscope dangled over her neck. “It would make sense considering what you’ve been through.”
If she only knew . . .
The events at the church were a walk in the Garden of Eden compared to the vileness of the past ten years.
“You’ve been given something for pain. In two hours, you can have another dose, if necessary. The pill on the nightstand will help you sleep if you’re having trouble.”
Panic erupted in my chest. I didn’t need to know the name of the drug I’d been given to know the effects it would have on my sobriety. This was a setback I didn’t want.
I ran my tongue over my dry lips. “I did not give you permission to drug me.” Cottonmouth limited the severity of the delivery, but the meaning couldn’t be missed.
She stared back at me like a beautiful doe caught in headlights. “I was just following Raphael’s orders.”
This girl was in desperate need of a come-to-Jesus moment.
“What is your name? And are you a doctor? A nurse?” The undercurrent of my displeasure seeped through even though I tried to bury it.
She shifted uneasily on her feet. “Katarina,” she replied. “I’m Mr. Flynn’s—Lachlan’s—nurse.”
The mention of the Flynn patriarch recast the energy around us.
“Okay, well, as you can see, I’m fine now. Please, take all your drugs, including that one.” I pointed at the harmless-looking white tablet next to a glass of water. “Mr. Flynn is the priority.”
Katarina gave me a look of uncertainty but followed my instructions.
When she was prepared to leave, I realized I had one more question. “Katarina—wait ... Who—” I cleared the cobwebs from my throat. “How did I end up in these clothes?” I’d gone from wearing a dress covered in blood and brains to one of my satin nighties and nothing more.
“I changed you out of your dirty clothes, Ms. Brennan. Lucifer asked me to. I also cleaned you up the best I could, but you’ll still want to shower as soon as you’re able. There was some ... dirt ... in your hair that I couldn’t get out.”
Dirt. Right.
“Thank you,” I replied with sincerity. “And Raphael? When did he arrive?”
“About an hour after you, Lucifer, and Keegan.”
Keegan? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t recall why he would have been with us.
I gave Katarina a nod, dismissing her for the second time.
The bedroom door eased shut, and I fell back into the plush bedding. My ankle throbbed, and my muscles ached. The drugs must not have been as potent as what Tiernan would force on me until I eventually begged for whatever mind-altering or body-numbing gift they had to give.
Bile burned the back of my throat.
More memories I could try to outrun.
I tossed the covers back and then swung my legs over the side of the bed, immediately regretting the speed with which I’d moved.
That’s when I remembered I’d killed a man tonight. I sat on the edge of the bed, letting that sink in a little deeper.
It was self-defense.
But had it been too ... easy?
A heavy sigh moved through me. Maybe when the drugs wore off, I wouldn’t feel so indifferent to murder. Some might call this shock. Or was I destined to be a serial killer?
The dark thoughts had my gaze drifting to the most important piece of luggage I’d brought with me—the secure wooden chest everyone believed contained expensive jewelry, family heirlooms, and gifts from my departed husband. I’d held my breath during the private flight from Dublin to Boston, never letting it out of my sight.
I hobbled across the room, accepting the pain with each stride. Hopefully, Lucifer and not Raph had the knife I’d used to kill the Russian, but I wasn’t about to sleep in this house unarmed.
