“Ones that have an ol’ lady don’t,” I say. “How do we know he doesn’t have an ol’ lady somewhere?”
“Isn’t that a question you should have asked last night?” smirks Eva.
“He told me once before he doesn’t have anyone, but we know he goes on dates, and he’s got a kid, so there must be a mum there somewhere. Besides, he swapped bodyguard duties with Cree today. If that doesn’t scream avoidance, then I don’t know what does.”
“He can’t avoid you forever,” says Anna. “See how he is at the club later.”
BLU
It was almost like God knew I needed to be out of the club right now, which is why Riggs sent me on a two-day road trip to go and check on some of the other charters. Since shit went down in Manchester, he likes us to do random drop-ins. But now that’s all done, I have to go back and face Gia. She surprised me with her cool attitude after we fucked and I should have felt relief, she let me off the hook by pushing me outta there, but I just felt pissed. Maybe it’s because she took control or maybe it’s just because I straight-up liked her and that night proved it to me. Either way, I told Riggs straight that I can’t be around her anymore and he took it well, taking me off bodyguard duties and putting me on this job instead.
I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. It’s the fourth time and I figure it must be important, so I pull over and answer it. “Finally,” yells Alice. “Get to the hospital now. Hannah and Molly were in an accident.”
My blood runs cold and I grip the phone so tight, I hear it creak like it’s gonna smash into a thousand pieces. “What kind of accident? Are they okay?”
“Just get here, Blu. Now.” She disconnects the call and I stare down at the phone in my hand. It’s shaking, and as I start up my bike, I pray to whoever the fuck will listen, to keep my girls safe.
It’s an hour before I arrive. Alice texted me the details and I rush straight to the front desk and show them my phone. “My girls were brought here,” I say.
The receptionist looks at the details and then directs me to the critical care ward, where I find Alice curled up on a plastic blue chair, staring at the floor. Dread fills me as I take the seat next to her. “Alice?”
She glances up and relief floods her face. “Thank god,” she whispers, throwing herself against me. I feel her body shaking against mine and realise it’s the first time I've ever seen a cop cry. “What happened?”
She pulls back and wipes her wet face with her hands. “A car accident. A car pulled out of a side road and hit Hannah on the passenger side. It spun her car into oncoming traffic. They said she was hit by another four cars.”
I suck in a breath. “Are they okay?”
“Molly’s in there,” she says, nodding to a closed door. “The doctor’s with her. Hannah is in surgery. They had to rush her in and no one's come back to tell me anything yet.”
I push the double doors open and a nurse steps forward. “Can I help you?”
“My daughter,” I mutter. “Molly Balottie.”
A grave expression passes over her face and then she offers a tight smile and leads me through the small ward with other children attached to machines, all beeping and buzzing. I stare straight ahead, not wanting to impose on parents who sit by their child's bedside.
“She was very lucky,” the nurse says, pulling back a curtain.
My baby girl lies in the big hospital bed looking pale, fast asleep. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She has a broken collar bone from the seat belt and a few bumps and bruises. We’re going to keep an eye on her overnight for concussion, but I expect she’ll be able to go home with you tomorrow.”
I move to the bed and take her tiny hand in my own. Once the nurse has left, I climb in beside her, laying my head next to hers and gently stroking my finger over her face. She’s always loved to be stroked, and Hannah has stroked a hand over her face since she was a baby because it helps get her to sleep.
We’ve spent two days watching Hannah take even, steady breaths, praying that she’ll open her eyes and flash us a big smile. I’d give anything to see that smile right now. She was rushed straight to theatre for a bleed in her chest, which they drained. It made her unstable and now she’s in the critical care ward, where the nurse can watch her closely. She took a knock to the head too and it caused swelling to her brain. The doctor is confident it will go on its own, it’s just a case of waiting for her to wake up.
“Are you going to be okay with Molly?” asks Alice, her voice croaky from lack of sleep and appalling coffee. I nod. The doctors decided to keep Molly in for another day because they weren’t happy with her temperature, but she’s good to go today.
“I dropped by the house and got some stuff together,” I say and she smiles sadly. “She’ll love the clubhouse,” I add.
“I know,” says Alice. “It’s the safest place for her to be right now. I just know that Hannah would hate it.”
I lean over and kiss Alice on the head and then Hannah. “I’ll call you later. Let me know if there’s any change.”
I keep Molly in my arms as I walk through the club. I feel everyone's eyes on me as I pass. I called Riggs to update him on where I was, but I doubt it’s common knowledge. I asked him to keep it on the downlow, hating the thought of everyone gossiping
