Page 64 of On the Chase
“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 saidalmost.
“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.
