Pyro flings open the door, carefully puts my legs down and slides out, only to turn around and scoot me out of the backseat and into his arms.
“I’ll get people here for watch, brother,” Braxxon informs Pyro, who says nothing as he runs with a limp into the ER.
The doors slide open, the cold air chilling me.
“I need help,” he roars. “She shattered her ankle, and it isn’t gettin’ any blood flow.”
Nurses come running out from behind the check-in desk, take one look at my leg and run to get a gurney.
“She’s burnin’ up too,” Pyro says to them as they wheel it over to me and he puts me down.
I am?
A doctor walks up, calm, looks at my leg, pushes on it a few times; all in the waiting room of the hospital before he pushes me through double doors and down a corridor. In the meantime, Pyro never releases my right hand, his thumb running circles over my skin.
“I’ve paged the surgeon, he should be down in a few moments,” says one of the nurses and the ER doctor nods. “Who was responsible for this woman’s care?”
Pyro growls. “She was bein’ taken care of.”
“Not well enough, I’m afraid.”
“Hey, this isn’t his fault, don’t look at him like that,” I hiss at the doctor after I’ve given the nurse all my information.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
“Her file says she was released for at home care because they have a nurse on the premises.”
Unbelievable, I’m right here, and I don’t feel all that great.
“I’m her at home nurse,” Ripley informs them when she comes into the room, right before I lose consciousness.
∞∞∞
If she loses her leg, I’ll never forgive myself.
Instead of taking care of her, I was off contemplating fucking my ex, I’m a piece of shit.
They say Jinx passed out from the fever and the stress her leg was putting on her body, they wheeled her away fast after that.
It’s been five fucking hours, and I haven’t heard a single word from the doctor on how her surgery is going or if they had to amputate her leg.
The wait is fucking excoriating.
“The doctor was able to save her leg,” Braxxon says as he hands me a cup of coffee. “They’re moving her to recovery.”
“How the fuck do you know?”
Braxxon frowns. “We have pull everywhere Pyro, you just never use it.”
I’m fucking beyond relieved she isn’t losing her leg, it’s all she was worried about; me, I was terrified for her fucking life, not her leg. I can still love her without a limb.
“I wonder why it swelled up all of a sudden?” I ask under my breath.
Braxxon shakes his head. “They say she wasn’t elevating it high enough.”
“We were elevating the shit out of her ankle and leg.”
“It doesn’t matter, the blood wasn’t circulating, she won’t be able to leave the hospital for a while.”
“How long is a while,” I ask.
“Four to six weeks is what I got. Jinx has a lot of risks now, blood clotting or infection. They have to watch for both, she’ll do her therapy here before she’s released.”
He got all of that why I sat here, worrying my ass off?
“She’s gonna be so pissed,” I groan as I set my coffee down on the floor.
“Pyro, brother, your legs are shakin’.”
I try to press my feet to the floor to stop the twitching, but I’m antsy as fuck. “What are we gonna do, Brax? We have too much shit goin’ on, and you know I’m barely gonna leave the hospital.”
“We’re gonna call my wife.”
“How the hell can Winter help us right now?”
He pulls his phone out and dials her. “Money.”
“Hey, Angel, how are ya? Good, good, and our baby? Yeah, that’s fuckin’ fantastic, Angel, I’ll watch the video when I get home, look, baby, somethin’s came up. Jinx went in for emergency surgery, no, no they’ve taken her to recovery, blood flow issues, she’s gonna be fine, Angel. We need your bank though, baby, she’s gonna be here for over a month.” Braxxon smiles. “That’ll do, Angel.” Braxxon smirks. “I know you’re still angry, you’ll get over it,” he chuckles into the phone. “Jamaica Memorial, alright, baby, thank you, I love you, too, darlin.”
I lean back in my chair when he hangs up the phone.
“Lana’s crawling,” he says with a grin. “And she’s gonna get Jinx a private room, one where you’ll be able to stay with her during the night.”
I rub my face with my hand. “Where’s Ripley?”
“I had ZZ come to get her, she went to pack some stuff for Jinx.”
“She’ll want her books,” I mumble as I shoot a text to Ripley. “She loves her paperbacks.”
“I’m assumin’ you didn’t do what she wanted you to do?”
I shove my phone back into my pocket and stretch out my bad leg. “No, I couldn’t. I’m glad I didn’t, the longer Jinx went without noticin’ her leg… it could’ve been worse, brother.”
“She has no clue you love her.”
“None.”
If I would have told her before she passed out, she wouldn’t have believed me. Jinx would have thought my emotions were all over the place from worry and I was saying it to make her feel better. Jinx doesn’t like being pacified under false pretenses, I’ve learned that about her. She’s a straight shooter, no bullshit.
I won’t tell her I’m in love with her until the timing’s right.
Chapter Twenty
Jinx
My eyes open slowly, the crust around my eyelids cracking open as I blink. I’m afraid to look down to see if my leg is still there. I know I should be thankful I’m alive, but if I don’t have a leg, I don’t know how I’ll handle it. I take a deep breath and look my body over, my leg is hung on a sling, with an entire leg split.
I draw my attention to my surroundings. I’m not in your standard hospital room. This room is more of a beautiful studio apartment, I gaze to my left to see Pyro studying me from a chair.
My bottom lip wobbles. “I still have a leg,” I choke out.
Pyro jumps up, rushing over to me. “Shhh… you’re okay, baby.”
I tug on his arms, and he inches his way onto my bed, careful not to bump my stomach or leg. I sob for a few minutes while he runs one hand through my hair, comforting me while I have my brief mental freak-out.
I pull back and tug on the oxygen tubes in my nose and gag.
“Don’t.” Pyro stops me. “You need those, darlin’.”
“My insurance doesn’t cover swanky rooms,” I mumble.
He chuckles, laying his head beside mine, lacing our fingers together. “Winter.”
“I need something to drink.”
Pyro pushes a button on the bed, and a few seconds later a nurse comes in.
“She’s thirsty, is she allowed to drink anythin’ yet?”
Pyro plays with my fingers while the cute nurse checks my vitals and fluids while checking out Pyro.
“I’ll tell the doctor she’s awake, she can have ice chips until he clears her for more. I’ll be right back.”
A small laugh bubbles up from my throat. “She was checking you out.”
“Was she?” he shrugs.
“What are you up to, sir?”
“Nothin’ m’lady, nothin’ at all,” he says with a cheeky grin.
The cute nurse comes back in with my ice chips, Pyro ignores her, and you can tell she’s never ignored because she lingers for a moment, confused.
Pyro unlaces our fingers and takes the ice chips from my bedside table. “Open up,” he orders as he fingers a few pieces out. I open my mouth and suck the ice chips from his fingertips.
When he pulls his fingers from my mouth, I grin as I chew my ice. “You feeding me now?”
“If that’s what ya need, Shortcake.”
How is he even here? He has his watches with the guys
.
“When do you have to leave?”
Pyro puts the cup of ice back on the bedside table and gives me his devasting eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to leave you at all.”
“But you have a duty.”
He nods. “I only have three shifts a week. You’ll be here for almost six weeks.”
Six weeks?
What the hell am I supposed to do trapped in a hospital bed for six weeks?
“Ripley brought some of your stuff, it’s in the drawers, and she had ZZ take her to the bookstore, you have some new books on the kitchen table.”
That’s freaking dandy.
I’m kidnapped, raped, suffer from panic attacks, shatter my ankle, get stabbed, and then almost die from my ankle. I’m surprised I’m not in a mental institution yet. “I need a freaking vacation.”
Pyro reaches over to the bedside table and hands me my phone. “Find us somewhere to go.”
I take it with a shaky hand. “You’ll take me on vacation?”
“Shortcake if you don’t leave me, and you’re healed up, I’ll take you anywhere you wanna go, baby.”
“You’re serious?”
“I am.”
“I think you kinda like me, Ice,” I say with a smile.
“I know I kinda like you, Fire. Now, where do you wanna go?”
I hand him my phone. “To a cabin, deep in the woods somewhere. Quiet. I want quiet.”
“I’ll make it happen,” he promises.
“It’s gonna be a long six weeks,” I groan.
Pyro slides off my bed, kicks off his shoes and climbs back in with me. “If we follow all the doctor’s orders,” he says while lacing his hand with mine once more. “And you do your therapy on schedule, it’ll go by in no time.”
“Liar,” I grump, and he chuckles.
I close my eyes from exhaustion. “You were here this time.”
His fingers tighten. “I was there last time, too.”
“I know,” I mumble. “But you’re here this time.”
“I hear you, Shortcake. Sleep, baby.”
∞∞∞
Chapter Twenty-One
Pyro
I never thought I would rather be in a hospital than a strip club, but here I am in Club Sated, and its business as usual. Jinx has a few more weeks to go before they release her, she’s healing well enough, but it isn’t without its struggles.
“I don’t want a fuckin’ lap dance,” I growl to one of the dancers. “I’m fuckin’ workin’.”
“Leave him alone, Peach,” Layla the bartender chastises. “Do I need to call Piper?”
The woman, Peach, backs away with her hands up, and I turn to the new bartender the girls hired a few months ago.
Layla offers me a drink, and I refuse. I can’t drink, I don’t even want to drink. I want to get my shift over with and get back to Jinx.
“How’s Jinx doing?”
“You’ve met her,” I ask.
“Twice, new hire paperwork and the other when she came in to get some things. She’s sweet.”
I grin. “She is.”
I ask for a bottle of water and Layla comes back with a glass of ice and a bottle of water. “She’s good. I’ll tell her you asked about her.”
“Cool,” she knocks on the bar twice before leaving me to my watch.
Layla is a beautiful woman, she’s got long jet-black hair, and her bangs are always a wild color. They swoop to the side, hiding a scar from a car accident she was in when she was a teenager; she admitted to Piper that her best friend was killed in the same car accident and Nevada is her fresh start. Of course, Winter and Piper helped her with getting her bartenders license, and she’s been here ever since.
“Shady characters to your left,” Layla interrupts my thoughts.
“Give Sniper a call,” I order.
“You got it.”
I don’t move from my spot, my eyes studying their every move, my prepay goes off in my pocket, I dig it out and answer without taking my gaze off of them.
“Pyro,” I grunt.
“We’ve got a fuckin’ problem.” Braxxon curses.
“I’m lookin’ at about 5 problems right now, Prez.”
“Shit. I was afraid of that.”
“Who’s at the hospital with Jinx?”
Braxxon curses again. “Diz and Lucy.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “We’re bein’ hit, aren’t we?”
“I knew it was too fuckin’ quiet. They’ve been testin’ our strength, sendin’ little nobodies.”
I motion for Layla to come over to me.
“I had Layla call Sniper.”
“I was already sendin’ him to you.”
These motherfuckers are sitting in our club with smirks on their fucking faces, they’re gonna fucking die.
“It’s probably safe to say our doorman is dead, and our metal detectors were disabled. They didn’t go off,” I tell him. “I’ve got a club full of fuckin’ people, Prez.”
“Tell Layla to get the guns from the safe. Give her the code.”
I turn my head. “Get the guns from the safe, walk slow. Don’t fuckin’ rush. 94910. Go.”
She throws the dishrag on her shoulder and does exactly as I say, without a word.
“Sniper’s comin’ in through the back door. I’ve gotta protect the compound.”
Click.
Fuck!
When Sniper comes in through the hall, my body unstiffens. There was no way I could defend all these fucking people by myself. Sniper has both hands armed and zeroed in on the threat, with a look to kill.
I toss my phone onto the bar and take my guns out. One stored inside my cut, the other on my hip. I take the safety off on both as Layla comes back from the office. “Where're the guns?”
“Behind the wall,” she says, motioning behind the bar. “What do you want me to do?”
I’ve got to hand it to her, she’s fucking calm as hell.
“Turn the music off, announce there’s a technical difficulty, and the dancers can head home for the night, tell the customers it’s last call.”
“Take the dancers out the back door, right?”
“Smart girl. Go.”
Layla does quick work with her orders, me and Sniper never taking our eyes off the Mexicans sitting in one of our booths, with those stupid fucking grins.
The customers, even the drunk ones, survey the area; see Sniper with two guns in his hands, and they take off running out of the club.
I get a glimpse of Layla crouching down behind the bar. “What’re you doin’,” I hiss.
“I can’t get out,” she hisses back. “I got everyone out, was about to leave, and a truck filled with them fuckers pulled in. I slammed the door, locked it, and jammed a chair under the knob.”
Fuck!
“You have ZZ’s number?” I say under my breath while my eyes keep watch on the dudes having a stare off with Sniper.
“No.”
“Reach up and grab my phone from the bar countertop. Dial him. Stay low.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doin’ here,” Sniper roars as he steps closer to them. They haven’t even drawn on him, which means they have a fucking damn good plan. We might be fucked, and we might not make it out of this shit storm alive.
“Taking what’s ours.” The beefiest one says with a broken accent.
Sniper snorts. “You’re fucked in the head.”
“He said Gunners are on the way?” Layla whispers from behind the bar.
Fuck.
I hate owing people.
They’ve cleaned up their act, got a new president and stay on their own territory, this shit isn’t gonna be cheap.
“Ask how many men.”
She whispers my question. “He said enough, and he’s sendin’ four to the hospital.”
“Why four at the fuckin’ hospital,” I growl.
She murmurs into the phone. “He wants your mind focused. It’s a precaution.”
It fucking better b
e.
“ETA?”
“Fifteen minutes,” she whispers. “He hung up.”
“Go hide in the office, lock the door behind you, stay under the fuckin’ desk, here me.”
“Why don’t you call the cops?”
“Fuck, Layla, they’ll just keep comin’ back. Go, please. You’re too sweet to be fuckin’ dead because of this shit.”
“Okay.”
When she’s out of the room, I move slowly over to Sniper. “Brother,” he grits.
“Ten comin’ from outta town,” I tell him while I smirk at the guys in the booth. “We’re about to be surrounded though, they’ll be comin’ in from the front.”
Sniper snaps and fires a bullet into one their heads, the other four guys don’t even move when the dead one slumps over. “I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me.”
I’m a little concerned here.
“Sniper… I think they’re decoys.”
“Fuck!”
“I don’t have my fuckin’ phone. Layla has it.”
Sniper wastes no time putting bullets into each of them. “That was fuckin’ weird,” he says while he digs his phone out.
“No, they’re families will be set for fuckin’ life. That’s how them motherfuckers work.”
“They’re gone,” Layla runs out yelling.
Didn’t she hear the gunshots?
This chick is ballsy.
“I was watching on the camera monitors. The guys in the truck left the parking lot too. I’m out of here.” Layla says throwing my phone at me and taking off out the door before we can say a word.
“Pyro,” Sniper croaks. “ZZ thinks they’re goin’ after the women.”
My heart drops to my stomach, and I’m taking off out the door before he can say anything. I ignore the dead body. Our doorman.
If so much as a hair on Jinx’s head is harmed, I’ll fucking kill everybody.
I don’t remember anything as I drive to the hospital, it’s all a fucking blur, but I pull up at the service entrance of the hospital, and I faintly remember threatening a janitor. If they’re already in the hospital, I couldn’t be seen going through the front. Jinx is in a private suite, which has a private elevator, it takes a keyguard to gain access to; they give you one when you have a loved one in a suite. I pull the keycard out of my wallet and insert it into the slot, the elevator doors open, and I don’t exhale until the doors shut behind me.
Reconstruct Me (Breakneck Book 5) Page 14