Fireball (Cheap Thrills #1)(12)

“I did it because I thought she was breaking and entering into the Joseph’s house.”

Calming himself down, Hurst looked at me like I was crazy. “Nah, they sold that place to some chick from New York or somewhere close to there. Had the For Sale sign taken down and everything.”

That was a point, I hadn’t seen the sign in front of it, but I’d assumed the trespasser had taken it down to confuse the other residents of the street or people passing by.

“You still got her locked up back there, DB?” Ellis asked, getting a nudge and chuckle from Hurst.

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, she’s at the hospital with her sister right now.” That I was definitely sure of considering her sister was having a baby, and I’d dropped them off myself only a couple of hours ago.

Both men sobered hearing this part of the story the nosy bastards had come to get the details about. “What’s up with her sister?” Hurst asked, immediately concerned.

“Her half-sister is Jose Harrison, formerly White.”

In a small town, news traveled fast, and considering what a loser Larry White was people knew exactly what had happened. Some of them also knew who Rita was to me and that she was involved in the incident, an element of it all that didn’t fill me with the warm and fuzzies.

“Tell me that asshole didn’t do anything to her,” Ellis growled, the muscle in his jaw ticking away as he rolled his head on his neck.

“That boy was born bad. When that girl moved here to marry him, I wanted so badly to speak to her and tell her to run like she had hornets on her ass,” Hurst muttered. “Wasn’t my place though, so I didn’t. Saw them around a fair bit, and each time he looked like a petulant little shit while she looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.” Ellis made a noise and nodded in agreement with this. “Wasn’t surprised to hear about him and Rita, pissed but not surprised at all. Now I’m relieved she’s out of that marriage and clear of his shit.”

“Amen,” Ellis agreed. “Is Jose ok? Why’s she in hospital?”

“Baby decided today was its day, and she went into labor while we were at Tabby’s. I took them there in the cruiser and got a call just as they got settled, so I had to leave.”

“I’ll go back with you in case they need anything and you’re called away again,” Ellis offered, shocking me.

Ellis was a great guy. He did all my ink and was one of the most talented artists I knew. He was fun around the guys and had a great personality, but he also held himself back unless he wanted to open up. It was strange, and I hadn’t been sure how to take him when I’d first met him, but over the last three years we’d grown closer and closer, and now I got it. He wasn’t scarred by his past or traumatized by something, he was just watchful until he got to know you.

He also wasn’t assertive with women. I’d known his ex and whenever she’d kicked up a stink, he’d just nod his head and switch off so she’d calm down. Then again, all you had to do was breathe around that one and she’d kick off, so that might explain things and also why she was his ex. Ellis was too mellow and laid back for people who acted like that, but he’d definitely given the relationship all he could until he just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I gotta head back to Lindee,” Hurst told us, sounding disappointed that he wasn’t getting to come. “We’ve got a delivery coming and I need to be there for it. Will you let me know how Jose and the baby go?”

“Absolutely.”

Saying our goodbyes, we all walked over to our respective cars, Ellis deciding to lead the way to the hospital while Hurst went in the opposite direction to where his home was.

I’ll hold my hands up now, I grinned the whole way. I’d managed to get Tabby to go on a date with me and now I was going back to check on her. It was almost domesticated… if you took out the whole arresting her, putting her in a cell until she said yes, her hating my guts, and her sister having a baby stuff. And why that should make me so happy, I didn’t know, but I was just going to go with it.

Parking up, I walked through the entrance of the ER not waiting for Ellis to catch me up, and entered straight into the war zone these places become. It didn’t matter what city or country you were in, injuries and illnesses happened and the world never had enough doctors or nurses to deal with it all at once.

Of course, everyone knew you when you were the sheriff too, so you couldn’t ever go in and not get someone wanting your time. It didn’t mean I couldn’t wish that it would happen that way today though.

“Sheriff,” a voice called behind me, and I only just managed to bite my tongue and not snap at them to fuck off.

Instead, I turned around and smiled. “I’m just on my way to see someone.”

“But…”

Carrying on without stopping, I waved over my shoulder and walked up to the bank of elevators, just stopping myself from pumping my fist in the air when the door opened as I got there. Luck was on my side because no one was waiting to get on it too, so I hit the floor I needed and leaned back against the wall.

After stopping at the desk to find out what room Tabby’s sister was in, I made my way down to it and walked in to see that Jose had done it, and was holding a tiny baby in her arms. I took a quick look to see if I could make out what gender the baby was, but it was in a hospital blanket and had a blue and pink striped hat on its head.