Page 9 of Condor’s Vow

Chapter 4

It was two days before her date with Clay when Hattie walked out of the hospital cafeteria and walked straight into the man in question, her hands grabbing his biceps as he steadied her with his hands on her hips. It felt good, intimate, and made her wonder how good it would feel for his hands to be on other places.

“Clay, what are you doing here?”

“If I say I wanted to hear your voice and see you smile for just a few minutes, would it totally freak you out?”

Hattie noticed the five o’clock shadow and the way his clothes were rumpled and compassion squeezed her heart. “No, not freak me out. Surprise me maybe. Have you eaten?”

“Not since yesterday.”

“Come on, let’s get some food in you and you can tell me why the sudden need to hear my dulcet tones.”

Clay followed her and agreed when she ordered them both vegetable soup with a toasted cheese panini on the side. She let him carry the tray and didn’t fight when he insisted on paying. Hattie wasn’t an idiot; she picked her battles with care and now wasn’t the time to fight this man.

Once they were settled at the table in the far corner of the room and Clay had eaten a couple of bites of the panini, he looked better.

“So, want to tell me about it? It’s totally fine if you don’t, but I’m a good listener.”

Clay took another spoonful of the soup and sighed a deep, controlled sound. “We caught a case. As Lyric, one of my guys, put it, it’s a doozie. A nurse was killed. You may have heard about it?”

Hattie nodded slowly as she bit her lip. “Yes, I did hear about it, though I didn’t know her well. It’s incredibly sad for her family, but wait, you’re a serial killer task force. Does that mean we have a serial killer on the loose in downtown San Antonio?”

Clay had almost finished his meal now, and she realized he’d done the same thing she did, worked straight through and not realized how hungry she was until she was flagging.

“It’s worse than that. We have a serial killer targeting first responders and emergency staff. They’re going to release a statement later today to warn people to be extra vigilant.”

Hattie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, wow, that’s horrible. I guess you can’t tell me if you have any leads, but this is a tough first case for you guys.”

“Tell me about it. And now we’re about to have the press ready to get up our asses about it.”

“That must make life difficult, all that scrutiny.”

“It’s the job. It’s part of it. But the main reason I came is that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. This case means you’re a target, sweetheart.”

Hattie couldn’t deny the warm feeling that came over her at his words in that gruff growly tone he used. Clay reached out and took her hand in his, and she felt the callouses on his hand from the work he did as she linked her fingers with his, the intimate gesture making her feel cherished.

“I’m safe, Clay. I always park close to the lights at the front of the hospital, and I carry mace. My brothers even taught me some moves.”

“That’s good, sweetheart, just be extra careful. Okay?”

“I will and you be careful, too. You’re the one chasing this nut job down.” She was silent for a moment, not wanting to give him an out but knowing it was the fair thing to do when he was so busy. “Would you like to cancel our date until things calm down?”

Clay looked up sharply, his eyes now bright with energy. “No way, I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”

“Really?” Hattie felt shy delight at his words.

“Really.”

“Me too.”

“I really want to kiss you, Nurse Pollard.”

Hattie chuckled as he kissed her fingers, loving how soft his lips were against her skin, contrasting with the scrape of his stubble. It made her imagine him kissing her in more interesting places.

“I made you blush.”

Hattie held her hand to her warm cheek. “It’s a curse.”