Page 73 of Blue Line Love

Peggy leads me out to another entrance that I hadn’t seen when Blondie and I first got here. She leans against a large concrete column and lights up a cigarette.

“I know, I know,” she says with a playful scowl. “I shouldn’t be smoking. But what’s life without some vices, eh? I guess it’s better than alcohol. I can at least do it on the job.”

She chuckles, like it’s her own little inside joke. I let her have it. Who am I to judge?

It only takes another ten minutes for the cab to roll up to the curb. The man inside is middle-aged, scruffy, unremarkable. He gives me a tired smile and nods to Peggy. “See you’re out here doing good work again, Pegs.” His voice is weighted down with years of smoker’s wear and tear.

“Dunno what you’re talkin’ about, Ralph.” Peggy smiles and gives him a wink. “Just get this li’l chickadee home, will ya?”

Ralph laughs and I slip into the back of his cab. I look back to Peggy. “Thank you,” I say earnestly. “You don’t know how much this is helping me right now.”

I close the door before she can say anything else. Before she can give me more of those pamphlets or make any more assumptions about why I needed to ditch a man in the middle of a hospital.

I need to get away—I do. But not for the reasons she thinks. I don’t need her expending that kind of worry on me when she’s already done so much for me as it is.

“Alright, little one. Looks like we’re in for a bit of a drive. Just let ol’ Ralph get you where you need to go. You can relax.”

I only relax when I take the pamphlets that Peggy gave me and sneakily dump them onto the floor of the taxicab. I’m not running away from my man; I’m running toward him.

Home. Soon, I’m going to be home.

34

REESE

“And you’re positive that you didn’t get a good look at the guy’s face?”

“Dude, if I fuckin’ saw him, you would know.”

“Just making sure, man. Doin’ my job.”

Mackie has his phone out, typing in all the info I can scrounge up. I’ve got a hell of a concussion and enough blood loss to warrant concern, but I don’t want to be in the hospital anymore—I want to be out there myself, finding the fucker who attacked me. Then we can see who’s the big shot. Bet he won’t be able to last going toe to toe while I’m sober and alert with a bone to pick.

Several bones, in fact.

I level a look at Mackie. “It was pitch fucking dark and the guy didn’t say anything.” I grimace. “Didn’t even ask for my money. Nothing.”

“And you say there’s no one out there that might have a grudge? You piss someone off at practice? Cut someone off on the highway?” Mackie tilts his head. “Screw someone’s girl?”

I narrow my eyes. “I have a girlfriend.”

Mackie puts his hands up. “Covering all the bases here, Reese. I know you, but I also know athletes. The path of monogamy is easily strayed from.”

“I wouldn’t do that to Olivia.”

“Cool. Means I won’t have to scrape your sorry carcass off the pavement.” Mackie pockets his phone. “Listen, you had me watching your place and your girl not too long back. Now, you’ve got someone tagging your house and attacking you in the middle of the night. You sure you don’t want me escalating this further? Because this all looks like it’s connected?—”

“It was probably just a pissed-off fan,” I dismiss before he can get too deep into his theory. “Really, I just want to be petty and send the fucker the bill for this shit.”

Mackie stares at me a moment before shaking his head. “Something’s going on. I can see it. I ain’t been on the force long as I have to not smell trouble in the air. But if you’re trying to handle this yourself, I’ll give you some room. Just don’t go gettin’ into trouble I can’t bail you out on, alright?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Mackie scoffs. “You don’t gotta dream it, Reese. Trouble just drops in on you like a bat outta hell, whether you asked for it or not.”

With that, he tips his head to me and leaves.

Lying back against the rough hospital pillows, I try to think of a game plan. Mackie knows something is up. Like he said, he’s got a sharp sense for these things. I’m grateful he’s letting me handle this on my own, though, because I don’t wanna drag him into Holly’s schemes. He’s already put his neck out there for me more than once.

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