It had been days since I’d heard from Sawyer. I was trying my best not to let it get to me, but the fact was, it did. I liked him, and after the night we shared and the things he’d said, it hurt that he didn’t feel the same. I assumed that he’d changed his mind. We came from two totally different worlds, and I couldn’t say that I totally disagreed. While I knew very little about his club and what they were involved in, I’d heard the rumors. I knew they had a reputation. On the other hand, my life was simple, boring even, and I had little to offer a man like Sawyer. It was easy to see why he’d lose interest in me so quickly. Having no other choice, I tried to convince myself that I needed to move on. Thankfully, I’d been working lots of overtime at the hospital, and I’d been too busy to dwell on the fact that it had been almost a week, and I still hadn’t heard from him.

I was just about to finish discharging one of my patients when Robyn rushed over to me and asked, “Is it time for your break?”

I looked down at my watch and then said, “Yeah, but I need to finish this up first.”

“Make it quick. I need coffee ASAP.”

“Give me two minutes,” I told her as I went over to the nurses’ station. Once I was done, I went back over to her and said, “Ready when you are.”

I followed her down to the cafeteria, and as soon as we got our coffee and a bite to eat, we sat down at one of the tables. “This morning has been a killer, dude.”

“You’re telling me, and I’ve got two more days of it.”

She gave me a slight grimace as she asked, “Still no word from him?”

“Nope. Not a peep.”

“I don’t see why you don’t send him a message just to—”

“No,” I cut her off. “He’ll think I’m desperate or something.”

“Girl, times have changed. It’s not like that anymore. You just send him a quick message to get the conversation going. Trust me.”

Hope started stirring in the pit of my stomach as I reached for my phone.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely.”

I took a deep breath as I pulled up his last message.

Me: Hey. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ve been thinking about you.

As soon as I sent it, I instantly regretted it. Robyn looked down at my screen and smiled. “Perfect. I bet he responds in no time.”

She was right. He responded alright.

Sawyer: Hey. Sorry I haven’t called. Got a lot going on. Bad timing.

That was it. That was all I got. I took my phone and put it back in my pocket, trying my best not to lose it in the middle of the hospital cafeteria. Seeing the look of disappointment on my face, Robyn asked, “What did he say?”

“Nothing.” I stood up, and as I turned to leave, I told her, “I need to get back to work.”

She got up and chased after me. “If he didn’t kiss your ass, then he’s a complete idiot, Kenadee! You’re an amazing catch.”

“Apparently, he didn’t think so.” As we got on the elevator, I grumbled, “Apparently, it’s bad timing or some bullshit like that.”

“Well, screw him. You’re the bomb.com, girl. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” She nudged me with her elbow. “It’s his loss.”

I wanted to believe what she was saying was true, that it was his loss, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out on something pretty great, too. With a heavy heart, I made my way back to the nurses’ station and grabbed the next patient file. When I read the name Kate Dillion, it looked familiar, but it didn’t register until I pulled back the curtain and saw the young blonde holding a crying baby in her arms. “Back again so soon?”

“Something’s wrong with her,” Kate replied with panic in her voice. “Her fever is really high, and it’s like she can’t catch her breath.”

I rolled my cart over to the gurney and started checking her stats, and Kate was right. The baby’s fever was high, and her oxygen level was low—too low. Worried that she might have RSV, I told her, “I’ll be right back.”

I called Dr. Sheridan into the room, so he could make a diagnosis. After looking her over, he turned to Kate and said, “I need to run some tests. It shouldn’t take long.”

With a worried look on her face, she nodded and said, “Okay. Whatever you need to do.”

I followed him out into the hallway after he ordered a round of bloodwork, and while we were waiting for the results, he prescribed her an IV of fluids and a breathing treatment. Just as I was getting her taken care of, all hell broke loose in the ER. Over the scanners, we heard that there was a shooting at one of the restaurants downtown, but the dispatcher’s voice was jumbled, and I couldn’t make out what he’d said. Seconds later, I could hear the sounds of ambulances approaching the back door, and in a blink of an eye, paramedics were charging inside with one gunshot victim after the next. Sadly, it wasn’t exactly anything new. Over the last few weeks, it was like we’d entered some kind of war zone with all the gunshot victims who had been coming into the trauma center, but unlike today, most of them were DOA.

I rushed over to Charlie, one of the paramedics I worked with on a daily basis, and asked, “What do we got?”

His shirt was covered in blood, and his voice was strained as he answered, “Female in her late forties. Critical gunshot wound to the left side flank. Blood pressure sixty-two over forty. Heart rate forty-six.”

As I pushed back the curtain, he and his driver wheeled her into the room. Several orderlies and nurses came in to help us move her over to the gurney, and as soon as we had her settled, I moved to the head of the gurney to check her airway. As I looked down at her, covered in blood, clothes cut away, and shattered glass all around her, she asked, “Where’s my daughter?”

“It’s okay, ma’am.” Charlie placed his hand on her shoulder as he said, “She’s right in the next room over. She’s going to be fine.”

She managed to nod, and then, we got to work. While we were busy stabilizing her, I could hear the commotion outside the room. It was a madhouse as the other doctors and nurses rushed around helping the other incoming patients. Curious to know what went down, I turned to Charlie and asked, “What happened this time?”

“A drive by at Daisy Mae’s.”

I’d been working at the hospital a long time, seen and heard a lot of things, but hearing that a place like Daisy Mae’s had been hit by a drive-by shooting in broad daylight took me by surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Damnedest thing.” He started towards the door. “Makes you wonder what they’ll do next.”

The next few hours were a complete blur as I moved from one patient to the next, and just as the adrenaline started to wear off, it was over. All of the patients had either been sent off to surgery, admitted to their own room, or discharged with minor injuries. Every muscle in my body ached as I sat at the nurses’ station and tried to catch my breath. It wasn’t until that very moment when I remembered Kate and her daughter, Lacie. With everything that had been going on, I’d totally forgotten to go back and check on them. I got up and rushed over to the room, and when I walked in, I found Kate with her head propped against the wall, and Lacie sound asleep in her arms.

“Hey. How are you two doing?”

“Not so good. One of the nurses just came in and said that Lacie has RSV.”

Remembering her high fever and low oxygen level, I wasn’t all that surprised by the test results. “Are they admitting her?”

“Yes.” She sounded terrified as she said, “They’re about to take us to her room.”

“Don’t worry. They’ll take great care of her.”

I was about to slip out, when her brother came barreling into the room. “Kate?”

“Terry! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours.”

His face and clothes were covered with dark smudges, and there were rips and tears in his jeans. His hand was tucked protectively at his armpit as he grumbled, “I already told you. I had something I had to take care of.”

“Are you okay? It looks like you’ve been in an accident or something.”

“I’m fine.” His beady, little eyes skirted over to me, and I knew he was lying when he said, “Wrecked my bike is all.”

“I told you that thing was dangerous,” she scolded. “I don’t know why you ever bought it.”

As I listened to the banter back and forth, I became more and more uncomfortable. I just wanted to get away from them both, so I made up the excuse, “I better get back to work. I hope Lacie gets to feeling better.”

“Thank you,” Kate replied. “I hope she does, too.”

When I walked out, Robyn was waiting for me at the front desk and immediately pointed at the clock, letting me know that our shift was finally over. Relieved, I grabbed my things and followed her out to the car. On our way home, I asked, “Are we stopping for takeout or calling something in for delivery?”

“Actually, neither for me.” She shrugged innocently. “I have a date tonight.”

“A date? With who?”

“I’d rather not say. I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Jinx it? Seriously?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all about him once I see how things are gonna work out.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

With a smirk, she replied, “I know you will.”

When we got back to the apartment, she rushed off to take a shower, and a half an hour later she came out looking like a million bucks in her skinny jeans and black halter top. She stood in front of me as she asked, “How do I look?”

“Incredible, as always.”

“Thanks. I better get going. I don’t want to be late.” As she started for the door, I noticed that she was carrying a small duffle bag, so I asked, “What’s that for?”

With a coy, little smirk, she replied, “Oh, you know. In case things turn interesting during dinner.”

“Okay.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Have fun and be careful.”

“Will do. I’ll call you if I’m going to be late.”

As soon as she was gone, I changed into my pajamas, made myself a bowl of cereal, and plopped down on the sofa. Hoping to just relax and watch TV, I reached for the remote and started flipping through the channels. Just when I thought I’d found the perfect movie, there was a knock at my door. I assumed Robyn must’ve forgotten something, but when I got up and opened it, I was shocked to see that it was one of the guys from the club. I’d met him the night of the bachelorette party, but it took me a minute to remember his name.

“Uh … Hey. Riggs, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

I glanced around, looking for any sign of the others. “You looking for Robyn or something?”

“No.” With a serious tone, he replied, “Actually, I came here looking for you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Something’s come up, and I need you to come with me.”

I’d only met Riggs the one time, and while he’d seemed like a fairly decent guy, I knew nothing about him. I certainly didn’t know him well enough to just leave with him without a really good reason. Feeling a little wary, I took a step back as I asked, “And why would I do that?”

“I can’t explain that now, Kenadee. I just need you to get your shit and come with me.”

Startled by his tone, I reached for the door and slammed it shut. Unfortunately, he stuck his boot in the doorway and prevented it from latching. “You’ve got two seconds to move your fucking foot, or I’m going to call the police!”

“Look, I’m not trying to scare you, Kenadee. You’ve gotta listen to me,” he pleaded. “I’m here about Blaze.”

I’d never heard that name before, so I asked, “Who’s Blaze?”

“It’s Sawyer.”

“Sawyer?” I leaned forward, peeking through the crack of the door, and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“He’s hurt, Kenadee. He needs your help.”

When I saw the worried look in his eyes, there was no denying that he was telling the truth. When I thought about him being hurt, hurt bad enough for one of his brothers to come ask for my help, every muscle in my body fell limp. “Oh God.”

He eased the door open as he said, “Look, I know this comes as a shock and all that, but he’s in pretty bad shape and—”

“If he’s hurt so bad, why doesn’t he just go to the hospital?”

“There’s no time to explain, Kenadee, but I wouldn’t have come here if I had some other choice.” I could hear the desperation in his voice as he pleaded, “I need you to come with me before it’s too late.”

“But …”

“You’ve gotta trust me here. Just go change. We don’t have much time.”

I stood there staring at him for a moment, and I found myself thinking back on the time I’d spent with Sawyer—that first night at the diner, our ride on the bike, being in his arms as we danced at the bar, and the way he’d made me feel when we’d made love. Maybe I was just being hopeful, but I’d felt a connection with him, a connection beyond anything I’d ever felt before, and I couldn’t turn my back on him, even if he’d already turned his on me. Even though I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I looked up at him and said, “Okay.”

He waited as I went to my room and changed. Once I was done, a thought crossed my mind, and as I came back out to the living room, I asked, “What about Robyn? I need to tell her—”

“I’ll take care of Robyn. Let’s go.”

For some crazy reason, I trusted him and followed him out the door, locking it behind me. Once we were downstairs, we ran over to his truck. I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t even think straight as I watched him climb in next to me and start the engine. My hands were trembling as we pulled away from my apartment, and as we drove further away, an uneasy feeling washed over me. I couldn’t help but wonder why Sawyer hadn’t just gone to the hospital if he was hurt—why he needed me to help him. It just didn’t make sense, but then again, lately nothing about him seemed to make sense. I hoped seeing him might give me some of the answers I’d been looking for.

Riggs pulled up to a large metal gate, and after he gave a quick hand signal to one of the guards, he drove around to the back of the building, parking next to a row of motorcycles.

As we got out of the truck, I asked, “Where are we?”

“The clubhouse.” I looked up at the old cobblestone building, and even in the dark, I could still see that it was massive, taking up almost a full block. There was very little light coming from the windows, giving the walkway an ominous feel as I followed him towards a back door. “Keep your head low and talk to no one.”

Suddenly feeling even more anxious, I replied, “Um … Okay.”

As soon as he opened the large wooden door, I could hear men’s voices in the distance, but Riggs moved too quickly for me to see where they were coming from. His boots thumped against the concrete floors as he led me down a long, corridor, and I had to hurry to keep up with him. I glanced around as we passed one room after another, only catching small glimpses here and there when he suddenly stopped at the end of the hall. My stomach twisted into a knot as he placed a hand on the doorknob.

Before he opened it, he said, “Don’t freak out.”

“Oh my God. You did not just say that, Riggs!” I scolded. “You do not tell a woman not to freak out, especially when you don’t want her to freak out … Oh, just forget it. Just open the damn door.”

He shrugged as he eased the door open, and my mouth dropped in complete and utter shock. I stood there frozen in disbelief as I stared at the make-shift hospital room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d seen crazy things in my life but standing there watching a man frantically try to perform surgery in the middle of a biker clubhouse was a new one for me. I was trained for situations like this, but it was hard to take it all in. I finally turned to Riggs and asked, “Who’s he?”

“That’s Mack. The club’s doc. He’s kind of got his hands full right now.”

“I see that.”

He motioned me forward. “Sawyer’s over here in one of the side rooms.”

I nodded as he led me over to a side door in the corner, and just before we entered, I noticed two gurneys off to the side with blood stained sheets covering them. I’d been in enough morgues to know a dead body when I saw one, so I turned to Riggs and asked, “Who is that?”

“No one. Just keep walking.” He motioned for me to go inside, then followed behind me. When I found Sawyer lying on a gurney, the first thing I noticed was the blood. Damn. It was everywhere—his skin, his clothes, the sheets, even the walls. As I stepped closer, I noticed a large piece of metal protruding from his chest and a seeping laceration on his lower thigh. I looked over to Riggs and asked, “Oh my God! What happened?”

Sawyer’s eyes shot open, and when he saw me standing there, a strange expression washed over him. After several seconds, he turned to Riggs and asked, “What the hell is she doing here?”

Stunned by his reaction, I muttered, “Um …”

Riggs tried to stay calm as he said, “Easy there, brother.”

“Answer the goddamn question, Riggs!” he snarled, like a mad dog. “Why the fuck did you bring her here?”

“I really don’t need this shit, not after the day I’ve had,” I snapped. As I turned to leave, I said, “Have a nice life, Sawyer, and good luck with that big chunk of metal that’s stuck in your chest.”