Joe’s heart was still on overdrive from the crazy race to the marina while listening to Kylie handle the situation via her cell phone. The connection had been spotty so he’d missed a bunch of what was said, but the gunshot had come through loud and clear and he’d gone into heart failure until he’d heard her voice again. “Kylie, the paramedics are going to take a look at you now.”

She weaved and clutched at him. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”

“Let’s worry about you.”

“Five-by-five rule,” she said, cupping his jaw with both hands to stare into his eyes. “If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t let it upset you.”

He shook his head and hugged her close, pressing his face into her hair, trying not to embarrass himself, but he was going to need a moment. “You’re going to matter in five years, Kylie.”

She didn’t respond to that. Instead she pulled back to look earnestly into his eyes. “You get why I went without you, right? I didn’t mean to, but I had to go with my mom. I couldn’t let her go after Kevin by herself.”

“And you were amazing, baby,” her mom said, dropping to her knees on Kylie’s other side now. “But let’s allow the hot guys do their job and take care of you, okay?”

“I can take care of myself.” Kylie looked around with a frown. “Why is the ground still shaking?”

“Still you,” Joe said gently. He took an emergency blanket from Lucas and wrapped it around her shoulders. He was worried about the gash along her thigh, as it was bone-deep. There was another cut at her temple and along one cheek. Her pupils were dilated. And she was breathing like she’d just run a few miles. None of it added up to anything good. “You did great, Kylie. You took care of your mom. Now you’re going to let us take care of you.”

She closed her eyes. “But I’m fine.”

“And don’t I know it. But I’ve got you now. I love you, and I’ve got you.”

No answer.

He stroked the hair from her face. “Kylie.”

Nothing. She’d gone limp in his arms and for the second time in an hour, his heart about stopped. The next few minutes were a blur of action as he handed her over to the paramedics, not leaving her side until they’d loaded her up in the ambulance.

Her mom climbed in beside her, and then the double doors shut in his face and they were gone.

“Hospital,” he said to Lucas and headed straight for his truck.

Lucas beat him to it—quite the feat. “I’m driving,” he said.

Since Joe didn’t want to waste time fighting, he took shotgun and then proceeded to backseat-drive Lucas all the way there. “Turn here, it’s faster. Take the next left. Run the yellow.”

“Joe?”

“Yeah?”

Lucas glanced at him. “You want to get there in how many minutes?”

“I’d do it in ten,” Joe said.

Lucas nodded. “If you shut the fuck up, I’ll get you there in eight.”

So Joe shut the fuck up. And Lucas got them to the hospital in the promised eight minutes.

But it was several hours before Joe got to see Kylie. She’d needed to be sedated to remove the drywall that was still embedded in her leg. Several other cuts, including the one on her temple, had needed stitches.

In the meantime, it was the dreaded waiting room for him, which had filled up. Kylie’s entire gang from the Pacific Pier Building was there, including his own sister, who gave him a big, hard hug and then smacked him upside the back of his head.

“That’s for Kylie,” Molly said.

“Hey.” He rubbed his head. “It’s not my fault she’s in here.”

A lie. He’d let her down. He’d let them both down and he didn’t know how he could forgive himself.

“That’s not what I meant,” Molly said and then sighed and hugged him again. “Joseph James Malone, Kylie being in here isn’t your fault.”

She hadn’t middle-named him since they’d been young so she clearly meant business.

“And I smacked you,” she went on, “because the rumor mill says you waited until she was passed out to tell her you love her.”

He gaped at her and then whipped around to look at his guys.

Lucas. Archer. Max. Reyes.

Lucas waved.

Joe flipped him off.

“Oh please,” Molly said. “Don’t even try to blame any of them for your idiocy. We talked about this too. You’re still too slow on the trigger.”

“Wow,” he said.

His sister went hands on hips. “Did you know that no one says ‘wow’ better than a guy who’s been accused of something he actually did?”

Joe pulled out his phone and looked at the dark screen. Where the hell was a call when you needed one?

“Sorry,” Molly said. “But the person you’re hoping is going to call you has been sedated, and even if she wasn’t, she’d be ignoring your sorry ass.”

Joe turned and walked out of the room. Because once again his sister was right—not that he could tell her so or she’d gloat. But he had indeed been way too slow, on several counts. He was supposed to protect Kylie. Instead he’d kept her out of the loop and she’d gotten hurt—on his watch. That was going to eat at him for a good long time.

He paced around and finally bribed a nurse he’d dated the year before to direct him to Kylie’s room. He waited there until her mom left before slipping inside himself.

Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully enough, so he dragged a chair as close to her bed as he could get and sat.

He didn’t realize he’d dozed off until he heard her low, raspy voice murmur, “Go home, Joe.”

She was sitting up carefully, hair wild, moving slow enough to tell him she hurt from head to toe. Her body was a tightly coiled spring, whether from the pain or stress he had no idea. Both, no doubt. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Better than you. You look like hell.”

Yeah, well, the past twelve hours had nearly killed him.

She stared up at him and then closed her eyes. “We’re not doing this,” she whispered.

“Not doing what?”

“You think it’s your fault I got hurt,” she said. “So now you’re going to change your stance on wanting a relationship with me out of guilt. But I won’t do it, Joe. I don’t want you under those circumstances. I want you to have wanted me all along.”

Heart heavy, he shook his head. “It’s not that, Kylie. I—”

“Oh my God, you’re awake!” Her mom came back into the room with a relieved smile. “I brought Jell-O. Red, green, yellow . . . all the Jell-O!” She set a tray on Kylie’s lap. “And I just talked to your doctor. He says I can bust you free in a few hours. And then I’m taking you out of town to recoup for a few days. I’ve got a friend in Aptos who’s letting us use his beach house!”

Kylie grimaced. “Mom—”

“Please, Kylie.” She sat at Kylie’s hip and took her hand in hers, gripping it tight, pressing it to her chest. “Please let me do this for you.”

Kylie stared at her mom and then nodded. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes—without looking at Joe again.

“Kylie,” he said.

“My head hurts,” she whispered, and just like that both he and her mom were ushered out of her room so she could rest some more. And later, when she was discharged, she left town with her mom and what was left of the tatters of Joe’s heart.