Page 43 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

Before she could open her mouth to scream, to warn her babies, a fist slammed against her jaw, knocking her head back. She fell to the ground, agony sending shockwaves through her system.

He stood over her and kicked his booted foot into her ribs then couched low. “I’m taking my kids, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ll never find them, you useless piece of shit.”

With the speed of a rattlesnake, he pressed a taser to the side of her neck. A jolt of electricity shot through her system. Her eyes slid closed, and her world went black.

16

Heath’s heart raced faster than his speeding tires as he rushed toward the county hospital. Each mile that brought him closer to his mom took him farther from Clara, causing his anxiety to spike so high he thought it’d shoot through the top of his head.

A quick call to Owen had reassured him that Tommy would swing by his mom’s house and keep an eye on things while he was gone. And as much as he appreciated the extra set of eyes, it wasn’t the same as being there to protect her himself.

But he had to get to the hospital. Mila hadn’t told him much. Just that his mom had been unconscious when the ambulance arrived and took her away. He tightened his fists around the firm leather of the steering wheel and forced the tears to stay away. His mom had to be okay. No way he could imagine a world without her.

In record time, the gridded streets of downtown were behind him, and the country road sprawled ahead of him. He pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal, and a tiny sliver or relief pushed through the fear as he pulled into the parking lot and found the nearest spot to the emergency room entrance.

Jumping out of the vehicle, he ran through the automatic doors to the woman sitting behind a desk. She stared up from a computer monitor with a pleasant smile and kind eyes, her blond hair tied back in a low ponytail. He couldn’t recall her name, but he’d made enough visits to the hospital while on duty to recognize her.

“I’m Heath Sterling. I’m here to see my mom.” His throat tightened around the last word.

“Hi, deputy. If you’ll have a seat in the waiting room, a doctor will come out to see you as soon as possible.”

“Thanks.”

Unspent adrenaline pushed through his veins, leaving him shaky. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure if he could sit still. He made his way to the waiting area but skipped the cluster of empty chairs to stand in the corner of the room. News played quietly on a mounted television and an empty coffee pot was the centerpiece of the messy refreshment station.

Needing to use his hands, he made quick work of tossing empty sugar packets and wiping away stray crumbs. A memory of the mess he’d cleaned up earlier came to mind and he’d give anything to go back there, to be back in that moment with the people who meant the most to him in this world—his mom, Clara, and the kids.

“Heath?”

He turned at the sound of Mila’s voice.

She stood with her arms crossed around her middle. Stitches on the side of her forehead and red puffy eyes announced her trials.

“Are you okay?”

Sniffling, she shrugged. “I guess. Just shaken up. And being here,” she swept a hand through the air. “Brings back a whole host of bad memories.”

He winced, recalling the horrible ordeal Mila had survived not long ago. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry.” She pressed a hand to her heart. “It was my job to get your mom to her appointment safely. I swear, the truck came out of nowhere.”

He opened his mouth to ask more questions, when a doctor rounded the corner, his gaze searching the room until it latched onto Heath. “Mr. Sterling?”

“Yes.”

Mila shifted to stand beside him, both facing the doctor in blue scrubs with tired eyes.

“Your mother is about to go into surgery,” he said. “She has a collapsed lung we need to take care of.”

“Is she awake?” he asked.

“She woke momentarily. She hit her head on the passenger window of the vehicle. She sustained some small injuries on her face, but we aren’t worried about those. I’ll come back out and let you know as soon as we’re done.”

“Thanks,” he said. His stomach sunk to the scuffed linoleum floor as the doctor hurried away. He scrubbed his hand over his face and lowered himself onto the edge of a chair. “I didn’t think I’d be back here waiting for her to get out of surgery. Seems like we were just here.”

Mila sat beside him and squeezed his arm. “She’s strong and feisty. No way she’ll let this get her down.”

Clearing the emotion from his throat, he slumped against the chair. “Do you have anyone coming to pick you up?”

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