The Devil's Sweetheart

Pacing back and forth in the corridor impatiently, Leena waited as the doctors performed tests on Heather in the hospital room.

"I am sorry mam. We couldn't protect Heather madam." The two security guards apologized in fear.

"It's not your mistake," Leena retorted. Mary is her mom's regular nurse. Considering her not a threat, the security let her inside. Who would have thought she is a wolf disguised in sheep's clothing.

When Leena observed Francis and Margaret coming, she rushed and hugged her meemaw. "Meemaw!..mom was almost_"

"Don't panic, Leena. We are here." Margaret consoled Leena stroking her head to ease her tension.

A wave of fury crashed through Francis. Without a warning, he pushed the room door open. Heather was sleeping under anesthesia, a few other doctors were performing series of tests on her.

"Roman!"

Francis's chilling voice echoed in the room, goosebumps raised in Roman's neck, his mouth went dry, his bones turned to jelly.

"F_rancis." His voice stammered watching his friend's bloodshot eyes. "N_urse Mary has been serving Heather for a long time. I didn't think she would betray me." Roman turned to Leena begging for her help. Francis would not even think to destroy him in his stilled rage.

"Francy." Leena held his hand and gently spoke to him. "Please calm down. It's not uncle Roman's fault."

"I am taking Heather with me. Start with the discharge procedures now!" That was all Francis spoke.

"But we do have to run some tests before_"

"I.am.taking.Heather.today." He enunciated each word crisply. "Do you have any objections?"

"N_o," Roman whispered in a low voice. Damn that nurse.

"How is mom, uncle? What kind of drug was that?" Leena asked.

"She is out of danger, Leena," Roman said. "The drug's name is Lincomycin. If absorbed, it will result in neuromuscular paralysis. The drug is not used in human beings anymore. Thanks to heaven, your mom identified the drug." Roman said. Despite Heather did not practice medicine for years, he was surprised that she still recognized the rare drugs also.

"Neuromuscular paralysis!" Leena muttered in disbelief. Who is this person? Why do they have animosity towards mom? When she almost healed from the accident, it is now back to square. If not for her mom's quick reflexes today, Leena stopped imagining the disaster that would have happened.

"Paralysis."Wordlessly Francis strolled out in outrage. He was angry at himself for not able to protect Heather. He doesn't know whom to trust and whom not to trust now. Heather would be safe only when she is in front of his eyes.

"Was mom's accident planned two decades ago?" Leena asked tugging the hem of Francis's shirt.

"I suspect it is planned but until now we couldn't get any evidence." Francis knew Leena would not believe it if he fibs now that she has seen with her own eyes. Besides, it's time Leena should know. The attacker has tried to kill Leena also and he wonders what exactly they are getting benefit from it.

Just then Nick arrived carrying a laptop.

"Were you able to catch her?" Leena asked gravely.

"No. She escaped the moment she injected the drug. We were a second miss." Nick opened the laptop showing the CCTV footage to Leena and Francis.

"I got her address from the hospital record and sent our men to check on her home. The neighbors informed them that Mary's dad didn't return home after work for the past three days and the same is with her mom. Both work on a construction site. They must have been secretly abducted while going back home and Nurse Mary might be forced to do this task to save her parents. I have hacked her call records also and the anonymous number is operating under a fake address."

"What about the CCTV footage of the construction site."

"Perfectly executed. Not a single trace."

"If we can find Mary's parents before they are killed, we can get the bottom of it." Leena turned to Francis asking him to check.

"I will inform Arnold then." Francis made a quick call and gave the details for his investigation.

But Something was not sitting well. Both Francis and Leena were in deep thoughts. The information inside the hospital is strictly protected and the criminal will not know if Mary is doing her job correctly unless someone tells. Either the criminal must be in the hospital to keep a close eye or

Francis and Leena looked at each other as if they reached an understanding. "Another mole should be there in the hospital," Leena and Francis uttered in unison.

"Nick, call Roman urgently," Francis ordered.

Leena watched the CCTV cameras while Francis checked the list of hospital staff. Leena fast-forwarded the video and looked only for Mary's footages. Of all the three days footage Leena observed, she could see a woman moving closely wherever Mary goes. If Leena was not suspicious of Mary, she would have brushed past this incident but now she has to get confirmation. "Uncle Roman, Who is this woman?" Leena asked pointing to the screen.

"Nurse Lidiya. She belongs to the Cardio department."

"Can you ask the in-charge to bring her here without any suspicion?" Leena asked.

"Alright."

"Meanwhile check on her background. I need every detail of this woman, Nick." Francis said.

"On it."

The in-charge arrived as she was called by the authorities. "Dr. Roman, Nurse Lidiya left for home."

"What? She is in the day shift right?" Leena asked picking the roster from Roman's hands.

"Yes, but something came up in her home suddenly so she exchanged for the night shift at the last minute yesterday."

"Okay. You may go." Roman massaged his temples in frustration.

"Uncle France," Nick added getting confirmation from the men they have sent for Lidiya's home. "Lidiya has not yet reached home."

"I am not understanding what's happening here, France." Roman's mind was blocked seeing the turn of events.

"It's simple. By now, the attacker might have kidnapped Lidiya along with Mary." Francis was disgusted by that woman's antics again. "Backtrack it. If injecting the drug onto Heather's body was successful, she should be paralyzed by now." Francis's voice trembled at the thought of it. "But it did not happen because Heather saved herself from the danger. In either case, I will get to know that someone has tried to harm her."

"The attacker has already foreseen we will begin the investigation from the two nurses and that's the reason they have abducted the two women." Leena completed. "If we cannot locate the two girls fastly, we can never find them."

Roman and Nick were stunned at once.

"Nick, call Kurt and inform about it," Francis said. His hands were itching to bring the end of that woman.

....

In a shabby and greasy dungeon, two women were tied to a chair, eyes blindfolded, a piece of cloth was put on the mouths muffling their voices.

In the midst of it, the rustic iron door was pushed open, as the footsteps drummed in their ears, terror also filled in their hearts.

"Remove the blindfolds, Wilson." A woman's commanding voice boomed.

The moment their blindfolds and cloth were discarded, both squinted their eyes to accustom the light before their gaze fell on the woman's face. A woman!

"Are you the woman who hired me for the job?" Lidiya asked studying her features. If looks could mask, the woman would be an example of an innocent maiden.

"Of course my dear Lidiya."

"Lidiya!" Mary sharply turned to her right, shocked to see her friend here. "You were monitoring me?"

Ignoring Mary's words, Lidiya turned to the woman. "Why did you kidnap me?" Lidiya shouted at the top of her lungs. As she was keeping a tight observation on Mary, she saw doctors running into VIP room in anxiety. Lidiya informed whatever happened in the hospital through a text message and then she was called to a place to get the money for completing her mission but not in her dreams she expected that she would get betrayed for helping. "My job was to see if Mary has executed her task or not."

"Quiet both of you!"The woman's voice boomed. "Get the gloves, Wilson."

With a sardonic smile, she grabbed a pointed dagger from the table and pulled Mary's hands. "You failed the mission, Mary. Heather is still alive. Leena is searching for your parents. What do I do with you?"

"I_I don't know anything about it. I did as per your instructions. Please don't kill my family." Mary's voice trembled as she spoke. She betrayed her profession for her family but still, she couldn't save her family.

"If I spare your family, who is going to save me from Francis?" In one smooth movement, she chopped Mary's pinky finger watching in satisfaction. She wiped the thick liquid that splattered across her fair skin with a gruesome smile.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" A strong yelp escaped from Mary's mouth. Lidiya's body went cold with dread as she watched the finger tossed on the ground.

When the woman's gaze landed on Lidiya, raw panic shrouded in her voice. "It's not my responsibility if Mary failed her mission or not. Please leave me, I beg you. No one knows that I have been monitoring Mary. I will stay silent."

"Jose hacked into the CCTV cameras of Lidiya's area." Wilson came in and added. "A group of men is surveying Lidiya's house. Since she is an orphan, we don't need to get panic about her family."

"See, they have caught you, my dear Lidiya." Grinning wildly with an evil laugh, she said. "It has escalated to Francis already."

"Please don't_"

In a thrusting grip, a dagger has cut down Lidiya's vocal cords silencing her voice. Blood squirted from her carotid until there was not enough to pump. Lidiya took gasping breaths gargling and coughing blood until she lost consciousness. Mary watched her friend die in a gush of blood. Is it that easy to take a life?

Throwing the dagger to the ground, her gaze shifted to Wilson. "Finish her." And then she strolled out.

....

Wiping the blood which bubbled across his face, Wilson walked into the room. "Chapter closed."

"Good job, Wilson Norton. One more thing. Kill Mary's family before Francis could get bottom of it. Bury all the evidence related to Lidiya."

"Already on it." We should stop this for a while. It was a close call today." Wilson said.

"We were not careful. that's all."

"But_"

"I, Ruth Vaughan, have vowed to destroy Francis Hayes. I will go to any extent to wreak havoc in his life. He has to grieve in pain while I wipe out his beloved's one by one the way he did to me.." Ruth's voice boomed like a violent windstorm in the chilly winter.