“Can you let me know right away who you called?”
Gene nodded. “I’ll check once I peek in on my two other patients.”
Not the answer I was wanting, but I wasn’t that heartless to demand he not care about his other patients and just tell me who the heck was listed as my emergency contact. I was ninety-nine percent sure of who that person was, but I was praying to god that I was wrong. “Uh, great.”
I laid my head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
How in the heck did this happen?
I was just trying to do my job, and suddenly I was thrown into the air while the gym exploded.
Fun times.
A knock sounded on the door, and I held my breath. I didn’t know who was knocking, but it could be the one person I never wanted to see again on the other side.
“Uh, come in?” I called.
I kept my eyes closed and said a quick prayer that it was anyone but Rocky’s dad.
“Olive?”
My prayers were answered when the low timber that sounded was not Rocky’s dad.
My eyes snapped open, and I was shocked to see a member of the Iron Fiends at the foot of my bed. I had only been working at the gym for a short time and had met two of the members when Faye and I had interviewed for the job.
This guy was not someone I had met before.
My eyes darted to the patch on his chest.
Cue Ball.
Interesting name.
“Uh, hi?” I croaked. I cleared my throat and smiled. “Hi.”
“I’m Cue,” he offered. “I’m here to keep an eye on you.”
“An eye on me?” I asked. “Uh, did I do something?” The Iron Fiends were known around town, but not because they were trouble. They did lots of things for the town, and they were the only car repair shop.
He shook his head. “No, doll.”
“I didn’t blow up the gym,” I blurted. “I told Yarder that when they were carting me off to the ambulance.”
Cue Ball chuckled. “Yeah, we know that. I’m just here to make sure nothing else happens to you.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Is that really a concern?” Sure, I had just been blown up, but I was hopeful I was going to be safe while in the hospital.
I took in the man standing in front of me. His chin and cheeks were covered with a dark beard and mustache. He looked a bit wild but also well-kempt at the same time. His dark chocolate brown eyes bore into me, and it felt like he could read my every thought.
He wore a black leather vest with his club patches and a dark gray t-shirt underneath. His legs were encased in light-wash jeans, and even though I couldn’t see his feet, I assumed he was sporting black motorcycle boots.
He was not at all hard to look at.
“Until we figure out what happened tonight, I need to keep an eye on you,” he explained.
“Am I in danger?” Holy crap. I hadn’t really had time to think about what happened to me or why it happened to me.
Cue Ball shrugged. “Again, doll, I don’t know, but I’m here to keep you safe in case you are in trouble.”
“Rocky,” I whispered.
He tipped his head to the side. “Who?”
“My son. Rocky is my son. If I’m in danger, then he might be in danger, too. I need to get to him.”
Cue Ball held up his hands. “Just slow down, doll. We don’t think you were the target of the bomb.”
“Then why are you here telling me that you are going to keep me safe?” I demanded. This was all crazy. I just cleaned the gym; that was it.
“Because we are trying to cover all of our bases. You work for the club, so that means we take care of you, too.”
My mind raced, trying to figure out what this all meant. “I have to talk to my mom. She’s watching Rocky for me.” I glanced at the clock. “And I bet she is wondering where the heck I am because I should have picked him up over half an hour ago.”
“Give me your mom’s number, and I’ll let her know what is going on.” He pulled out his phone and looked at me expectantly.
I rattled off the number, and he punched it into his phone. He hit another button, and it started ringing through the speaker. “You do the talking, doll. I doubt your mom wants to hear from some guy she doesn’t know that you are in the hospital.”
If only the hospital had thought the same thing. I still didn’t know who the heck they had called.
“Hello?” my mom called.
“Mom,” I shouted.
Cue Ball moved closer and held the phone out to me.
“Olive?” mom gasped. “Where are you? I’ve been calling and calling you.”
“I’m okay, Mom, but there was an accident. I’m in the hospital.”
“Oh my god!” she hollered. “What happened? Where are you?”
I glanced at Cue Ball. “Uh, well, I was sort of blown up.”
“Blown up?” Mom cried.
“But I’m okay!” I added quickly. “They’re just going to run a few tests to make sure I’m okay, and then I’ll be home.”
“I’m coming there. What hospital are you in?” she demanded.
“Mom, you can’t wake up Rocky in the middle of the night. I promise I am okay.”
“You’re all alone there, Olive. Someone needs to be there with you,” she pleaded.
“Uh, well, I’m not alone.”
“Is Faye with you?” she asked. “Oh my god, did she get blown up with you, too?”
“No, no. She wasn’t there.”
“Then who is there with you?” she demanded. “I don’t want you to be lying in the hospital by yourself.”
My eyes connected with Cue Ball’s. I had just met this man five minutes ago, but he was here for me. “Cue is here with me. He’s one of the guys who owns the gym.”
“I’ll be with Olive, Mrs. Benson,” Cue Ball called. “I can vouch for the fact that she will be okay. She’s just a little banged up.”
“How did this happen?” Mom demanded. “Was it a gas line or something? Why on earth did the gym blow up?”
“Uh, we don’t know yet, ma’am. Once we know why, we’ll let you know.” Cue Ball cleared his throat. “It might have been a freak accident.”
I knew that was a lie.
When I opened the back door, it triggered the bomb.
I just didn’t know why.
Cue Ball and the Iron Fiends might know, though.
“I’m calling in for work, and I’m coming there, Olive. This doesn’t feel right,” Mom insisted.
“You’re not going to wake up Rocky, Mom. I promise I am okay, and I will be home before you need to go to work.” I understood that Mom was worried, but waking up Rocky in the middle of the night to drag him to the hospital was not going to help.
A knock sounded on the door.
“That’s probably the doctor, Mom. I’ll call you back in a little bit to let you know what is going on.”
Cue Ball ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket. He stepped to the side of my bed, and the door pushed open.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Shit.” I tried not to cuss because Rocky was like a sponge, absorbing everything around him. His estranged father, who signed away his rights to him when he was only six days old, walking through the door, was a good reason to cuss.