My hand goes straight to the bottle of Jack, ready to throw it at him. Braxxon stops me, grabbing the bottle, and tsking. “Lana... full bottles don’t get wasted.”

God! I just want to go home!

I’m trying to catch my breath and calm my nerves when Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” vibrates out of the speakers. A few moments later, a smile lifts at my lips as I watch Winter try to lighten the atmosphere.

What the hell. I need some fun. I run over and join her. The entire club is laughing and singing along with the music as we dance on the stage. Sniper, always the comedian, starts tossing dollar bills at Winter and me on the stage. Winking at him, I reach down and grab a few of them, rubbing them sexily down my body before tucking them in my shorts.

And even though I have a smile on my face and I’m having fun, I decide that I’m going to go home to our apartment tomorrow. I need a break from all of this. I need to decide what I want with Pyro. He’s made it clear he wants me, and only me, but after everything that happened to Winter because of my obsession with him, I have a lot to think about. Grabbing the pole, I put my moves on, the cold steel calming my nerves in a lullaby that only I would understand.

I was sad to tell Winter goodbye this morning. I also needed to feel Pyro again before I left, so I went to him, and he gave me the best sendoff there could possibly be. Poor guy is probably all sorts of confused. Last night I was screaming at him, and then this morning, I wake him up for sleepy, goodbye sex.

“Hello,” I answer.

“Lana, Pyro’s been shot. You coming?” Winter asks in a frantic voice.

No, no, no, this can’t be happening. How much drama am I going to have to experience because of this man? He had better be okay. If not, then my boot is going in his ass.

“I’ll be there.” As I hang up, I’m reaching for my unpacked bags and then lugging them back down the stairs to the car.

I break every speed limit as I fly down the desert highway. He needs me, and I need him to be okay. I should’ve asked where he was shot. This is driving me crazy with worry.

Chapter Eight

All that runs through my mind as I throw the car in park, fling open the car door, and race through the compound parking lot is that I left Pyro on not so good terms. Seeds of regret plant themselves deep inside the tissue of my body.

“Where is he?” I yell while rushing inside the building.

Winter looks at me strangely, looks at her watch, then looks back at me.

“Don’t give me that look. I must’ve broken every traffic law there is—,” I search the room and cut myself off when I spot Pyro laying on the pool table. “Oh baby!” I cry.

“Sweetness, you came,” he stutters through the pain.

There go those butterflies in my stomach again. “I shouldn’t have, but I did.”

“You dig at my soul like Doc is digging at my leg.” He laughs.

I scowl at him. “How f**king romantic, Pyro. Just shut up while he works.”

“Yes ma’am,” he mutters as his eyes start fluttering shut.

I look over at Doc. “Did you give him something to put him to sleep?”

Doc looks over at me. “I did. If I didn’t, he’d be thrashing about in a few minutes while I dig the bullet out of his femur. You gonna take care of him after all of this?”

Of course I am. Who else would take a grumpy Pyro on? I nod yes to Doc as I watch him work. Pyro might hate me afterwards but at least he will not lose his leg. I am going to be the biggest pain in his ass until he is healed up.

“Good. If the tissue around the bullet wound starts to pus, you have Braxxon call me.”

Oh gosh. Maybe he should go to the hospital. I look over at Braxxon, and he shakes his head no, as if he’s read my thoughts. I frown at him before turning my attention back to the man I’ve grown to both love and hate. I run my fingers through his gorgeous, dirty blond hair while Doc finishes up.

I’m nudged awake by Pyro’s elbow and hear his raspy whisper. “Hey, flower,” he groans.

I turn towards him, almost cringing because of the way he looks. He looks like death warmed over. “How are you feeling? I know it’s a stupid question, but I just have to ask it.”

His head slowly turns so he has full view of my face. “I’m doin’ okay, baby. How are you?”

He’s asking me how I feel, when he’s the one with a hole in his leg.

“I suppose I’m doing a lot better than you at the moment.” I grin.

Pyro releases a breath. “That’s not what I meant. How are you doin’ with havin’ to come straight back here?”

I sit up, lean against the headboard, and answer honestly. “At first, I was a little angry because you just had to go get shot right when I got home pretty much, but then I was freaking out. We didn’t leave on great terms,” I mumble the last sentence.

His large hand runs down one of my arms. “What do you mean? We made love before you left. I don’t understand.” He shakes his head in confusion.

“I just mean that we didn’t specify anything when I left.”

Pyro’s grin lights up his face as he drops his hand from my arm. Using his forearms, he lifts his body into a sitting position.

“Baby, you might be hesitant about us, but I’m not. You’ll come around.”

I have no words for that. I hope he’s right, because I’d like nothing more than to be with him. I just need to get over my shit first. Thankfully, he drops the subject as he reaches for one of the bottles of pills Doc left him. He curses under his breath when a pill jams in his throat. I jump up, grab the cup on the dresser, and head to the bathroom to fill it with water. When I reach him with it, he’s still coughing.