Page 63 of On the Chase
“Hugh?” her voice came out scratchy, and she coughed, trying to clear her throat. It was hard to get enough air in her lungs, and her mouth was still painfully dry. “Hugh?” She tried to roll, to push him off so she could see his face, but his body kept her pinned. “Hugh!”
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.
