Chapter Thirteen
Jinx
There’s something to say about a good IV cocktail. I can’t feel my shattered ankle, my stitched-up arm, nor my stab wound. I don’t remember anything after Pyro found me in the Shadow’s office closet. After the ambulance rushed me to the hospital, I guess I went into surgery right away.
They first repaired the stab wound, and then they concentrated on fixing up my foot. I was kept in a drug-induced coma for a few days because the doctor was afraid any kind of excitement would cause me to reopen my stomach wound.
Fentanyl along with antibiotics and fluids drip non-stop in my IV. I’ve been warned I might have a little bit of withdrawing when I leave the hospital. I assure my surgeon I could survive a withdraw, I’ve been through the ringer and back, I’d be okay.
I have around the clock Breakneck guards.
While the women take turns visiting with me, two Breakneck brothers stand outside the room at the door.
They’re determined to protect me from any further danger.
I figured I’d be pissed my life was put in danger again, but strangely I’m not. I almost feel empowered. I survived, and I didn’t have a single panic attack during the whole ordeal.
“What are you thinking about?”
I gaze over at Piper and smile. “How I didn’t panic.”
Piper closes the magazine and puts it on my bedside tray and takes one of my hands. “Hell no, you didn’t.”
I laugh but then frown. “Shouldn’t I feel awful for taking a human life?”
Her face grows serious. “No, and when you have conflicting thoughts, remember what we went through in that basement. He was one of those men, do you understand me?”
I squeeze her hand. “Yeah, okay.”
I swallow. “How’s Pyro?” I ask because he only came to see me once when I was in a coma I was told.
I thought we were closer than that, my heart hurts knowing he only came to make sure I survived the surgery.
She looks to my hospital room door to make sure it’s shut before she answers my question. “When he’s not out hunting down cartel members, he’s dealing with Lana,” she whispers the first part of her sentence.
None of what she said relieves the ache I have in my heart.
“I miss him,” I tell her, and it’s true. We had grown close over the last month and to not have him here, even as my friend, hurts more than I care to admit.
“You have grown close with him,” she says.
“I thought I did,” I murmur and look into her eyes. “Not so sure now.”
She sighs. “He doesn’t care about too many women, J, and with Lana being back, and you getting hurt again, I’m not at all surprised he’s not here right now.”
I wish I could understand her reasoning for his absence, but I can’t. We agreed to be only friends, friends are there for one another, and he isn’t here for me.
His friend.
“You should know, Braxxon gave me an out,” I tell her.
I wasn’t going to tell anyone until I figured out what I was going to do, but I want off the subject of Pyro before I upset myself.
“What do you mean?”
She knows what it means, she wants to hear the words come out of my mouth to make it real.
“Can you sit me up first?”
Piper stands, adjusts my bed to sit up, and rearranges my pillow behind my head.
“After I’m released from the hospital, Braxxon said I have to go back to the compound to finish healing, and afterward he’ll pay to have me rehoused somewhere far away from Breakneck. A new life.”
Piper shrinks back to her chair. “You’re leaving?” she whispers, emotions clogging her throat.
“I am.”
She puts her face into her hands with a hiccup.
“I’m better now,” I tell her. “Not a hundred percent, but something happened to me in the closet, Piper.”
She drops her hands and tilts her head back up. “What?” she chokes. “You’re one of my best friends, J. You’ve gotta give me something.”
“I took a man’s life because I knew what could possibly happen if he were to get a hold of me. I didn’t give him a chance, I took his life without a thought. It gave me peace. It set me free.”
“Pyro isn’t going to be happy about you leaving.”
And… back to Pyro.
“If he gave a shit, he’d be here. I thought he cared, I honestly did. I won’t hear excuses about how he’s dealing with Lana and handling club business. An hour a day would have made a difference.”
I’m not some needy girlfriend angry with her boyfriend for not visiting. I was someone he trusted with his emotions, and he was somebody I trusted enough to touch me after what I went through.
To me?
That’s huge, and he’s shitting on it.
“It isn’t only Pyro. Sniper loves you like a sister, J. He’s going to be so upset.”
“I’ll miss you guys too, but I got to do what’s best for me, and what’s best for me is a fresh start.”
She stands up, her fists at her sides. “You don’t plan on keeping in touch, do you?”
“I’m sorry,” I say because I am.
We’re interrupted by a knock on the door before Shadow enters the room, he takes one look at the both of us and hesitates to say what he came in here to say, but after a moment he gives us some happy news. “ZZ and Storm’s baby was born.”
“I didn’t even know the girl was in labor,” Piper shrieks.
Me either.
“Go,” I tell her, we have nothing left to talk about, and this baby is Storm’s miracle, she needs Piper right now.
“We’re not done discussing this,” she says with a point of her finger before hightailing it out of my hospital room.
Shadow lingers behind. “Discussing what?”
Even though Shadow has only visited on his watch, he was present and kind to me during his scheduled shifts at my door. “My leaving.”
Shadow stuffs his hands in his pockets, utterly uncomfortable with the direction our conversation is headed.
I smile because I’ll miss how he avoids female emotions at all cost.
“After I’m released from the hospital I have to finish healing at the compound, and Braxxon is going to pay for me to start over fresh somewhere.”
Shadow shuffles his feet, and I smile even bigger. “You don’t have to say anything Shadow. I’m good.”
“I’m a little pissed.”
I shrink back. “Why?”
“You survived all of this fuckin’ shit only to run.”
“I’m not running, Shadow. I’m moving on.”
His feet stop shuffling, and he untucks his hands from his pockets. “Are you sure about that?”
How dare he!
“You were taped to a freaking chair while I was climbing through the ceiling,” I screech. “It’s why I’m in the hospital, I was trying to help you, you of all people should respect me!”
He puts his hands in the air. “Stop, you’re workin’ yourself up.”
I’m working myself up?
He’s the one working me up.
“Jinx, I’m grateful you tried to help, I am, but you have somethin’ with Pyro. I see it, hell everyone sees it. He’s the only one who doesn’t, he’s blinded by Lana right now, and when his blinders are off, he’s gonna come runnin’, and you won’t be there.”
My mouth drops open in shock.
“Close your mouth. He’s my brother, I want all my brothers to be happy, and you are what can make him happy, you already have since you guys became friends.”
I shake off the surprise of his statement. “You care about their happiness, but not your own?” I raise a brow with my question.
“Tea has some growin’ up to do, our shit is more complicated,” Shadow says with a shrug.
“More complicated than a dead girlfriend coming back to life?” I smart off.
Shadow has nothing to say to my response, I’ve made him speechless, so I look away at the blank television. “I’m getting tired.”
I don’t hear his footsteps as he leaves the room, the door clicks shut, that’s how I know I’m alone.
∞∞∞