again she was afraid to trust her legs to support her. She considered asking Conlan for help but rejected the idea. She might not have much left in her life, but her pride was worth something. There was something odd about all of this. As far as she could tell, there was no one else around. Had he really turned his back to allow her that small bit of privacy?
Sliding down off the table, she asked, “Conlan, what’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later. Hurry up and get dressed. We need to get the hell out of here.”
She stripped off the hospital gown and tossed it aside. At least Conlan had brought her some of her own clothes. He’d gone for comfort rather than style, but she guessed there wasn’t a dress code for the condemned. It showed how far gone her thinking was that she found some humor in that.
Conlan had also brought the bag that held all of her toiletries, so she took advantage of the moment to make a trip across to the bathroom. At least this time she managed it on her own. She felt better after brushing her teeth and running a comb through her hair. A shower would’ve been even better, but she’d settle for what she could get.
She slipped her feet into her shoes and carefully bent down to tie the laces. So far, so good, except for the paralyzing terror that was making it hard for her to think straight. A couple of deep breaths helped to calm her nerves.
“I’m ready.”
Conlan walked back into the room and held out a pair of handcuffs. “Hold out your hands.”
She raised her arms, which still bore the scars from the shackles three years ago. Conlan froze briefly, staring down at the circle of ridges around her wrists. He gently slid the pad of his thumb over her skin as if in apology, but that didn’t stop him from clamping on the cuffs. She shuddered at the familiar feel of cold steel snapping tight but drew comfort that at least Conlan was keeping his promise about not doing this in front of the girls.
His pale eyes met hers. “If we run into anyone, all they’ll see is me escorting a prisoner to the gate to be retrieved by the Coalition chancellors.”
With that cryptic remark, he picked up her bags and led the way out of the clinic. What was he talking about? When she started to ask, he hushed her.
“Not now, Kat. We need to play the part. I’ll explain more when I can. Now come on. We don’t have much time.”
Outside, the bright sunshine all but blinded her. She stumbled into Conlan, who muttered something under his breath even as he put his hand on her elbow to steady her. The brief touch heightened her awareness of him walking close beside her. He was running hot, his body thrumming with tension. Once her eyes adjusted to the unexpected brightness, she saw they were headed toward a transport parked at the end of the sidewalk. At the moment, there was no one else in sight. Since she’d been unconscious when they’d brought her to the infirmary, this was her first real look at the O’Day estate. From where she stood, she could see only a handful of well-maintained buildings. The rest of the area was divided between woods, pastures and cultivated fields. All in all, a very different world than the one she was used to.
Conlan hustled her down the path, guiding her into the transport with his hand on her head to make sure she didn’t bump it. Once inside, she didn’t have much time to look around anymore, but her impression was that the estate was a good place, a peaceful place and maybe a place where her nieces could thrive. No matter what lay ahead for her, she drew comfort from that.
Once she was buckled inside, Conlan tossed her pack in the backseat and hurried around to the driver’s side. He remained grimly silent as he maneuvered the vehicle along the road. Although she was certainly not in any hurry to reach their destination, she wondered at the slow, steady speed he was maintaining. The Conlan she’d known three years ago had driven like a maniac.
Not to mention they were going in the wrong direction to reach the main gate. She might not have been conscious after being shot, but she had studied a map of Rafferty’s estate before setting out, and based on the