by Katie Ruggle
What if he’s dead? Oh God, what if he sacrificed himself to save me? Her breaths started coming in short pants at the thought of Hugh being gone, of him never teasing her, or laughing, or picking the lock on a bathroom door ever again. She let out a gasping sob.
“I’ve got you, Hugh,” a male voice said, sounding muffled, and the weight on top of her lightened. Strangely, after nearly being crushed by it, she didn’t want it gone. What if that was the last time she could be that close to Hugh? As soon as he was lifted enough that her arms were freed, she tried to push off the ground so she could follow wherever they were taking him.
“Hang on, Grace.” That was a different voice, but it had that same strange, underwater sound to it as the first one did. Gentle but firm hands held her still. “Let’s get you checked out before you move.”
She struggled, but the hands were too strong, or she was too weak. Her ears began to clear, that odd muffled sensation easing, and she started to hear other things, like sirens and people crying and Lexi whining and voices shouting urgently and truck engines and even more sirens.
Grace tried to turn her head to see what was happening, where they were taking Hugh, but those hands held her in place.
“Better not move until they make sure your neck’s okay.” She finally recognized the voice—it was Theo. He crouched behind her, his hands surprisingly gentle as they supported her head, keeping it still. “Should just be a minute.”
“How’s Hugh?” she asked, her voice still coming out rusty, little more than a croak. A flash of stark fear crossed Theo’s face before he blanked his expression.
“They’re taking him to the hospital,” he said.
“He’s not dead?”
He gave her a little smile. Grace was sure it was supposed to be reassuring, but having serious Theo smile at her unnerved her more than if he’d burst into tears. “No. He’s not dead.”
Her body went limp in relief as she closed her eyes. Hugh was hurt, but he wasn’t dead. There was hope.
“Grace?” Theo sounded worried. “You still with me?”
“Yeah.” She opened her eyes and smiled. “Hugh’s alive.”
“Yeah.” This time, when Theo smiled back, it wasn’t scary at all. “Can’t kill that stubborn bastard. Death would get so annoyed with him that he’d get tossed right back into the land of the living.”
“Otto? Lexi?”
“They’re okay. Check out Otto.” His grin was fierce as he helped her roll to her side so she could see without turning her head. Emergency vehicles were scattered around, with more pulling up to the scene. All the flashing lights and sirens were disorientating, especially with the emergency services crews rushing around, adding to the confusion and turmoil.
Otto strode through the chaos, cutting a path as people automatically moved out of his way. When Grace saw the target of his ferocious focus, she sucked in a harsh breath. Phone clutched in his hand, Truman was walking quickly around the perimeter of the crowd toward the parked FBI vehicles.
“It’s okay,” Theo said, sounding darkly satisfied. “Otto’s got this.”
When he spotted Otto heading his way, Truman started to run. He dropped the phone, reaching into his jacket for what Grace feared was a gun. Shifting into a sprint, Otto quickly overtook Truman and grabbed his arm, jerking him to a halt. He twisted the gun out of the FBI agent’s hand and tossed it to the side in one smooth motion. Truman’s smug expression changed to shock and then fear—and then Grace couldn’t see his face anymore because it was pressed into the dirt after Otto dropped him to his stomach on the ground.
Pressing a knee into Truman’s back, Otto handcuffed him with jerky motions that showed his anger. Despite how much her body hurt and how worried she was about Hugh, Grace managed a tiny smile. It felt incredibly good to watch the bastard who’d put a hit out on Hugh—and kidnapped her and tried to blow up everyone—get tackled and arrested. Score one for the good guys.
“That’s Truman?” Theo asked. He sounded almost clinical, but his face showed his true rage.
“Yes.” Her voice was still rough and shaky.
“Otto’s a better person than I am. I would’ve hit him at least once.”
“Me too.” All the horror of the past days came rushing back as she stared at the man who’d caused so much of it. “In the junk.”
Theo barked a surprised laugh. “You know, Grace, I didn’t think I’d like you at first, but you’re growing on me.”
Still smiling, she watched as Otto hauled Truman to his feet. The agent’s front was covered in dust, and fury emanated from him, but Otto just dragged the smaller man toward one of the squad cars. “Thanks. You Monroe cops aren’t too bad yourselves.”
Chapter 17
The hardest part of Grace’s short hospital visit was waiting to see Hugh. With only a mild ankle sprain, bruises, tape burn, strained muscles, quite a lot of scrapes, and a couple of bruised ribs, she felt like she’d gotten off easy, thanks to Hugh blocking the blast with his body.
“Hey, Grace.” Jules hurried over to where Grace was sitting in the waiting room, her leg jiggling up and down endlessly. Standing despite her sore body’s protests, Grace gave Jules a hug. “How are you? How’s Hugh? Have you heard anything?” Jules asked.
“I’m fine, but I’m not sure about Hugh. They won’t tell me anything because I’m not related.” Grace sat down again. As soon as she did, her knee started bouncing at warp speed.
Jules groaned. “Right! I forgot about that rule. You should’ve told them that you were his wife.”
That almost made Grace laugh. “We’re in Monroe. Everyone knows whenever Hugh changes his socks, much less gets married.”
“True, although you could’ve eloped.”
“When?”
Waving a hand as if to brush away Grace’s words, Jules said, “Logic, smogic. True love finds a way.”
Flushing, Grace ducked her head. The thought of “true love” was painful when utter despair at the thought of losing Hugh was still fresh in her mind. Even now, she had no idea what was wrong or if he’d be okay. Tears pressed for escape, and she forced them back with a huge effort. “Where are the kids?”
“Home with a couple of nice officers. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, and I knew they’d be happier there.”
Grace nodded, and they both were quiet. After a few minutes, she said, “Tell me what happened.”
Jules gave her a sideways look. “Uh, you were there.”
“I was trapped in a box, and then I was focused on Otto being awesome. Besides, things were a little chaotic.”
With a huff of humorless laughter, Jules said, “That’s true. Just so you know, I might not have all the facts right. Things were pretty crazy from my vantage point, too.”
“Understood.”
“So,” Jules started, eyeing the ceiling as if for inspiration. “Theo and Otto were entertaining the viner customers by pulling over any out-of-towners going through town. When asked, they tried to say it was an attempt to reduce Main Street speeding, but everyone knows that the twenty-mile-an-hour limit is a joke. Most of the locals go forty, and none of the cops look twice.”
Grace resisted the urge to make a hurry-it-up gesture.
“They also knew it wasn’t a speed thing when Hugh was taking Lexi around every car. Pretty soon, customers were calling their friends and family members, so the viner was packed by eight. People were making bets on whether a car they stopped would have drugs or not. They pulled over the dog-mobile, and no one thought there’d be drugs, except for Sam. Sam’s the master at reading body language. That boy has a future in law enforcement, if he ever wants to go that route. Anyway, the driver was pretending to be casual, but Sam could tell he was nervous.”
As she listened, Grace’s stomach twisted. It was almost harder to hear the story when she knew the terrifying ending.
“Sure enough, Lexi got all excited about the back of the truck, so Theo had the driver get out of the cab. He tried to run, but Theo caught him in, like, two steps. He put handcuffs on the guy, and that’s when everyone at the viner started pushing and shoving for a better spot at the windows, so we all went outside. I never thought that there’d be a bomb.” Her mouth got tight at the corners. “I didn’t even consider the danger, or I would’ve made the kids hide inside or run or something, rather than just let them stand there and watch.”
“I know.” Grace gave Jules’s arm a pat. “You’re great at protecting them. Even Hugh didn’t expect a bomb, and he’s a cop. It was just a crazy thing, and everyone—almost everyone—is okay.” She got a little choked up when she said almost.
“Yeah.” Jules’s smile looked forced. “So we were watching, and then Hugh and Otto pulled you out of the back of the van?” She looked at Grace for confirmation. “I didn’t see that part, but someone else was yelling about it, and then everyone was yelling ‘Bomb!’ and I couldn’t figure out why Theo had just left the handcuffed guy and was running toward us. Hugh threw what looked like a vacuum into the creek, and then it exploded. It was mass chaos, and then Otto did his Hulk imitation and tackled the FBI guy, who ended up being the drug dealer who put a hit out on Hugh and kidnapped you—and oh my goodness, it was insane. Are you okay?”
Realizing that her hands were clenched into fists on her lap, Grace flattened them out and ran her palms up and down her thighs. “Yes. It’s just hard to hear.”
“I know.” Jules made a face. “I’ve had more than my share of explosions over the past couple of months.”
Grace grimaced sympathetically. “One is more than enough for me. Was anyone else hurt? Is Lexi okay?” She’d been so focused on Hugh that she’d forgotten to check after Theo had first assured her that the dog wasn’t hurt. Guilt coated her insides.
“Everyone else is fine. There were a few cuts and bruises, mostly from breaking glass and people throwing themselves onto the ground. Theo said the explosion was fairly small, as explosions go.” She rolled her eyes. “Which is something no one should have to say. Oh, it was just a little explosion. Nothing to get worked up over. Ugh. Theo said it would’ve been much worse if the bomb had been in the van when it went off. Hugh’s a hero, and the poor guy got the worst of it. Lexi has a few nicks, but that’s it. She’s staying with the kids while Hugh is stuck here. There was some property damage, and the bridge over the creek is completely gone.”
“Whoa.” Grace sat back in her chair, suddenly exhausted. Hearing about the explosion made her feel like she’d lived through it twice, and every sore spot in her body ached. Her glance moved to the admissions desk. “I wonder how Hugh is.”
“Still think you should’ve married him.” Jules smiled at her, but Grace couldn’t dredge up a happy look. Slapping her palms against her thighs, Jules stood. “Come on. Let’s figure out what’s going on with him.”
As if she’d summoned him, Lieutenant Blessard came into the waiting area, striding toward the admissions desk. Grace hopped up, wincing as her ankle and her ribs throbbed in unison, and hurried over to him. Jules followed.
By the time they reached the desk, the lieutenant was already heading into the corridor that led to the patient rooms. Grace’s shoulders sagged as she watched him disappear.
“It’s just a short delay,” Jules consoled her, wrapping an arm around Grace’s shoulders. “He’ll know even more about how Hugh is doing after he sees him in person. Plus, if Hugh’s getting visitors, that’s a good sign, right?”
“Right.” There wasn’t any conviction in Grace’s voice, though. She returned to her chair, trying to keep from imagining the absolute worst.
She waited impatiently for Blessard to return, her knee bobbing up and down like a sewing machine. Finally, she couldn’t stand sitting any longer, and she jumped up to pace the waiting area. It hurt her ankle and her ribs and every sore muscle in her body, but it was better than trying to sit still when all her anxiety was raging to get out.
When the lieutenant returned to the waiting room, he looked even more cranky than usual, and Grace’s stomach turned sour. Was there bad news? She hurried over to him.
“Lieutenant Blessard?”
He scanned her as if checking for visible injuries. “Ms. Robinson. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” she said dismissively. “How is Hugh?”
Blessard continued to eye her skeptically, but he didn’t press the issue. Grace wondered if that was because he could tell how close she was to a complete meltdown. “He’ll be fine. Concussion and a broken arm—just a simple fracture of his radius. He’s asking to see you.”
Relief filled her with helium, making her so light that she felt she could float right up to the ceiling. “Good. That’s so…good. Can I go now? To see him?” She knew she sounded like a ditz, but Grace didn’t care. Hugh was going to be fine, and he wanted to see her. For the first time all day, she could breathe again.
The tiniest of smiles crossed the lieutenant’s face. “Go ahead. We need to talk to you immediately afterward, though, to get your statement.”
She winced, not wanting to relive it, but knowing she didn’t have a choice. “Okay.”
“Jesus Christ, what a mess. The feds are going nuts… Never mind.” Looking incredibly tired, Blessard rubbed a hand over his face. “Better go see Hugh now, before he drags his stubborn, injured ass out of bed to look for you. He’s in Room Eight.”
“I’m going. Thanks, Lieutenant.” As she hurried down the corridor toward Hugh’s room, Grace marveled that there was a hospital with single-digit room numbers. When she reached the right door, she knocked, shifting impatiently during the half second it took for Hugh to yell, “Come in!”
She burst into the room and took in Hugh sitting up in bed, a bandage on his head and a cast on his forearm. A furious-looking Theo leaned against the wall. She eyed Hugh’s too-healthy-looking form lounging—yes, lounging—on the bed, and her relief was shoved aside by anger. Propping her hands on her hips, she gave him her best glare. He laughed. He actually laughed.
“Hey, Gracie. Thanks for coming to see me.”
“No.” She strode forward until her knees were almost touching the bed. It was better to loom over him so he could see how deadly serious she was. “I’m sick of this. You do not get to throw yourself on top of me like some kind of hero anymore. I am not a damsel. I get to save you from life-threatening events at least as many times as you’ve saved me. Until I’m caught up, there will be no more heroics from you, understand?”
His lips were twitching, and she knew he was about to laugh. Grace was tempted to smack him. Maybe he’d be serious then. “Not sure what to say to that. Sorry?”
“It’s not enough. You have a bullet hole in your leg, a broken arm, and a bruised brain. No. More. Hero. Crap. Got it?”
He laughed, but then immediately clamped his mouth shut. “Sorry.” He kept his sober expression for almost three seconds. “You’re funny, though. You have to admit that you’re funny.”
“The situation is not funny,” Theo chimed in. “If you are hurt seriously again, I’m going to kick your ass.”
Grace gave Theo an approving nod. “Me, too.”
“Aww, Gracie. Your threats are really sweet, as well as exceptionally hot, for some reason.” Reaching out his unbroken arm, Hugh caught her hand.
The rough feeling of the smaller, more professional bandages now covering his palms reminded her of his rope burns, and she glared at him again. “And your poor hands, all ripped up while saving me and Lexi. No more. I’m sick of worrying about you.”
He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. It was his adorable puppy smile, and she knew she was going to fold in a matter of seconds. There was just no way to resist Hugh when he grinned at her like that. As if he could read her mind, his smile widened, and he tugged he
r closer. With her legs already pressed against the side of the bed, her upper body started tilting toward him. Although Grace knew that she should resist, that Hugh wasn’t taking her seriously, and that she needed to get him to promise he wouldn’t almost die for her ever again, she was unable to stop herself from leaning in until their faces were just inches apart.
“And I’m out,” Theo said. Startled, Grace tried to jerk back, but Hugh’s grip tightened, holding her in place. Despite his injuries, he was surprisingly strong. Theo gave Grace a reproving look, and she dropped her gaze.
“I know.” She shot a quick glance at Hugh before sheepishly meeting Theo’s eyes again. “I folded. Sorry. It’s that puppy-dog look…” When his disapproving scowl didn’t waver, Grace, like the chicken that she was, tossed out a guaranteed distraction. “Jules is here.”
With a shake of his head that expressed his disappointment in her lack of staying power against Hugh’s puppy eyes, Theo stalked to the door. “I don’t need to watch what’s coming.”
“Not when you can go find Jules and have a make-out session of your own, right?” Hugh said slyly.
Turning, Theo gave Hugh a severe look. Grace would’ve crumbled under that glare, but Hugh merely met Theo’s gaze with raised eyebrows and a smirk. Their stare down lasted an uncomfortably long time before Theo’s mouth twitched.
“Maybe.” He left the room, closing the door behind him with a sharp thump.
As soon as he was gone, Grace tried again to extricate herself from Hugh’s grip.
Hugh didn’t let her go anywhere. In fact, he reached over with his casted arm and awkwardly caught her free hand in his protruding fingers. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Theo’s right.” Despite her words, she stopped attempting to pull back, telling herself that she didn’t want to jostle his broken arm. The reasoning part of her brain scoffed at that, but she ignored it, as she usually did when it came to Hugh. “I gave in too easily. I should’ve held firm until you promised to never do stupid hero stuff or almost die again.”
