The heat of the flames on my face as I screamed, pressed up against the brick wall behind the shop, jolted me awake. Sweat poured off me. The sheets were soaked. Poor Axel. I’d definitely have to buy him a new set when I finally left. I tiptoed out to the bathroom and splashed my face with water. After nearly a week I was still crashing at his place. I didn’t know how much longer I was supposed to wait.

Hiding out wasn’t going to work forever. Eventually I’d have to do something. I’d have to leave this apartment. The visits to the police station had been the only time I left. Glancing over my shoulder every few steps didn’t exactly make me want to go out in public.

The line of questioning took a turn once they found whatever it was Ivan’s uncle used to blow the place up. For now I was in the clear. But it meant this wasn’t a quick and easy process. So many feelings swirled inside me. Elation that I was still alive. Fear of how much longer that might be the case. Anger that this had happened to me at all. And worry. That was the hardest one to deal with. Not knowing where things stood. Not knowing where Ivan was. I stared at myself in the mirror, my reflection drawn and tired.

My nose perked up as the scent of freshly brewed coffee crept under the door. Just what I needed to attempt to return to the land of the living.

Axel stood in the kitchen nursing a mug of coffee as I stepped out of the bathroom. I glanced at the paper on the counter. A small headline made my heart race. Sergei Volokov, Russian construction CEO, found dead after an apparent robbery. He was dead. Sergei was dead and Ivan wasn’t here. That could only mean one thing. I couldn’t even form the words in my head.

Suddenly, the safety of the apartment felt like prison walls closing in on me. I needed to get out of there. Get out into the world and see how it felt to live without Ivan.

“Do you want to come with me to the shop? See if anything was salvageable?” I grabbed a mug from the cabinet, my hand trembling.

“Sure, but I’m going to need at least another couple of these before I can handle that.” Axel downed most of his giant mug of coffee.

I walked through the burnt husk of my shop, kicking over fallen pieces of wood and charred remains. I made my way into what had been my studio. The shriveled, burnt pieces of paper fused to the wall were all that was left of years of memories. The melted remains of my camera stared back at me from what was left of the counter.

Axel sifted through remains out in the main area of the shop. He glanced over at me through the now-nonexistent wall and shook his head. I know. I’d let him down, and I’d let everyone else down. And then almost got myself killed to boot.

“So what do we do now, boss lady?”

“I guess we start over. Somehow.”

“Have you heard anything from the insurance company?”

I had heard from the insurance company. The fire department was calling it arson, which meant it would take a while to get money to rebuild this thing. I didn’t know if they would be able to link it to someone else. At least, no one was pointing the finger at me since I almost died in the fire.

There hadn’t been a peep about the car that nearly ran us down in the alley behind the shop. I could only imagine that Ivan had taken care of it somehow.

Only a few minutes’ difference and I could have been just like everything else in the shop. Burnt to a crisp. Ivan saved me. I couldn’t dispute that. But once again, every fear and doubt and hesitation I’d had with getting involved with him was rolled into one charred shell of the building. Empty.

The crunching of Axel’s feet as he made his way through the remains of the shop shot like a lance straight to my heart. This shop had been everything to me, and it was gone in only a few moments. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I checked the screen. Rachel.

“Hey, how are you?” Her usually chipper voice sounded more distant and sad then I’d heard it before. I stared down at what was left of my chair and workstation and ran my hand through my hair.

“Things are fine. How are you?”

“I don’t know. I’m back home, and it feels like I never left. Like New York was a dream. I needed to talk to you to help me remember that it was all real.”

I stepped out of the shell of my shop and onto the cold, wet pavement.

“It was all definitely real. I can assure you of that.”

“Has… Never mind.”

“Yes, he has come by. And yes, he misses you, and no, I don’t have an answer about what you should do. You need to figure that out soon. Because if you don’t, I have no issues with flying to wherever you are and kicking your butt.”

She let out a watery laugh. “I have no doubt in my mind that you would do that. I’m sure you’re probably looking forward to doing that. I miss you,” she said in a pained way that squeezed my heart. I didn’t need her worrying about me. I didn’t want her flying back here out of pity. I wanted my friend back, but not as my rescuer.

“I miss you too. Now sort your shit out and get back here.”

“I’ll do my best. I’ll talk to you later.”

I ended the call and wrapped my coat tighter around me as the wintry wind whipped along the damp, dreary street. I crouched down and picked up the small sign that was face down on the ground. Flipping it over, I brushed the soot and dirt off it. Hendrix Ink. Not anymore.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Against my better judgment, I decided tonight was the night I’d go back to my apartment. I was steps from my front door when a dark figure strode across the street. My heart thundered, and I picked up my pace, I jumping and yelping when a large hand landed on my shoulder. I whipped around with the stun gun Axel had picked up for me. Jamming it into my attacker’s chest, I came face-to-face with the man who’d been haunting my dreams and nightmares since he pushed his way into my shop.

He wrapped his hand around my wrist, and that’s when I realized I was still shocking him. I dropped it and it clattered to the ground.

“Oh my God, Ivan! I’m so sorry!” I wrapped my arms around him.

“I’m glad you had it on the lowest setting,” he said. I squeezed him again and he sucked in a sharp breath. Leaning back, I saw the grimace on his face before he wrapped one arm around me. Something was wrong. I stood back, lifting the jacket he had draped over his shoulders. A large bandage stuck out under his short-sleeved T-shirt.

“What happened? Ivan, what happened?” I hated the way my voice came out shrill and panicked. But I was panicking. He was alive!

“Let’s go inside.” He ushered me into my apartment, glancing over his shoulder.

* * *

I had one goal from the minute I’d left my uncle’s office—just one goal. Get back to Dahlia. Convincing the woman you love that she should take you back after imploding her life wasn’t exactly an easy thing to do. I finally had the one thing I wanted other than her. My freedom. After the doctor gave me the go-ahead to leave, I had to get Elena packed. She was starting over too. I still hadn’t had time to dig into whatever the hell was going on between her and Erik, but that would have to wait for later.

Dahlia was my focus. And now that I knew I wasn’t going to bleed out all over her carpet, I’d finally made my way back to her. She had already been through so much. Can I ask her to do this too? To take this chance? It wasn’t even a question. Even if she sent me away, I couldn’t leave her. Not after everything we’d been through.

At least I’d known she was safe. Finding her walking to her apartment like she didn’t have a care in the world had made me equal parts happy to see her and furious.

Furious she was taking risks with her life like this.

“What were you doing walking on the streets like that? On your own? Weren’t you supposed to be staying with your coworker? Why do you have that look on your face?”

“You’re upset about something, but I can’t even hear anything you’re saying. I’m just so glad you’re alive.”

She threw her arms around my neck, slamming into my arm, and even though it hurt, I didn’t care. Feeling her pressed up against me was all that mattered. And I’d grown accustomed to having her touch associated with a little spark of pain. Her tears ran down the side of my face as she pressed her lips to mine, her body trembling. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close, anchoring her to me. This was real, and we finally had our chance.