Wheels of Fire

“Good grief,” Mallory mutters.

“Mr. Lane.” An elderly doctor bursts into the room and Andrew recoils against the mattress.

I lean against the wall, crossing my ankles in front of me and Mallory slides up against my side.

“We cannot discharge you, yet.” The doctor’s stern tone finally seems to break through Andrew’s desire to flee, he stops flailing and crosses his arms over his chest like a pouty kid. “You had surgery. This isn’t a joke, Mr. Lane.”

“Can I at least get some drugs? I’m in a lot of pain.”

Andrew needs a chemical knock-out. The doctor flips through his chart and frowns. “I’ll have something else brought up.”

“What if I go to my hotel and hire a nurse to watch out for me?” Andrew asks. “Can I leave then?”

The doctor stares at him, obviously not used to dealing with annoying patients of this magnitude.

“We can discuss that option tomorrow. Right now, I need you to rest.”

He pats Andrew’s shoulder and whirls around, rolling his eyes at me on the way out.

“Are you okay?” Andrew asks me. “I’m sorry you got arrested.”

“Not the first time. Probably not the last, either.”

Mallory frowns at me.

“I knew you were a punk!” Andrew thrusts his fists in the air. “Seriously though, as soon as I found out, I told those dick cops to release you.”

“Appreciate it.”

“Is Jacob okay?”

“As far as I know.”

“That was some fucked up shit, bro.”

I hold up my hands. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Andrew’s gaze darts toward the open door. “Good call.”

Mallory’s busy tucking sheets and blankets around Andrew. I can’t say I’m thrilled about her fussing over the jackass but I am amused that she appears to be trying to turn him into some sort of blanket burrito.

“You’re going to stay put and let the doctors take care of you, right, Andrew?” she asks.

“Will you keep me company?”

“No,” she answers in the same tone I imagine she’d use with a toddler or puppy. “I need to get Chaser back to the hotel and wash his jail stay off him.”

Andrew scans me from head to toe. “You do look like shit.”

“Back at ya, bro.”

The corner of his mouth curls up and his wild eyes refocus on Mallory. “Are you gonna give your man a reunion fuck? Those are the best.”

“Who says we didn’t already?” Mallory arches a brow and taps her foot.

“I approve.” His gaze strays to the phone, mouth hanging down like a damn basset hound. “Have you heard from Pammy?”

“She called this morning,” Mallory says. “We couldn’t talk long.”

Andrew picks up his phone and slams it back down. “No dial tone.”

“I’ll ask the nurse if they can get it set up for you,” Mallory promises.

“I don’t want to be in here by myself.” Andrew pouts.

“Vinnie’s here.” I’m actually not sure he stuck around but Andrew’s whining is already working my last nerve. “Alvin’s here too.”

Mallory leans down and kisses Andrew’s forehead. “We’ll be back in the morning.”

“Maybe,” I add, wrapping my arm around her waist. “Come on, Nurse Nightingale,” I tease in a lighter voice than I’m feeling.

“Chaser.” Andrew’s serious tone stops me.

He reaches out, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer. “Thank you, bro. I think you saved my life last night.”

“Nah, doctors said the bullet barely touched you.”

He points to his bandages. “This hole in my side says otherwise.”

I reach out and slap his cheek. “Good thing you’ve been slacking on the workouts and had those love handles to catch the bullet.”

“Fuck you.” He slaps my hand away. “I could bench press your big ass right this second, motherfucker.”

Laughing, we bid him good night and head back to the waiting room.

“That was mean.” Mallory pokes my side. “He’s suffering.”

“Not your problem.”

She curls an arm around my waist and leans into me. “True. I have all the man I can handle right here.”

“That’s right.”

We stop in the waiting room and thankfully, Vinnie’s still here. “You want to go sit with him so he doesn’t run out?” I ask. “Doc’s supposed to bring him something to shut him up soon.”

“Yeah, I’m on it.” Vinnie slaps my shoulder. “Thanks for coming down. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d hopped a flight home.”

“I’m here, bro.”

Jacob shuffles into the room with his head down and hands in his pockets.

“You all right?” I ask.

He glances up and quickly averts his eyes, muttering, “Glad you’re out.”

“Surprised you’re not locked up,” Garrett says.

Jacob shakes his head. “I’m sure they’ll be back. Told me not to leave town.”

“Fuck that,” Alvin says. “As soon as Andrew’s cleared, we need to roll out.”

“I’ll call my lawyer and see what he can do,” I offer.

Jacob nods but still won’t meet my eyes. I’m too furious to deal with him right now, but Alvin’s right, we can’t leave our singer stranded here if the tour ever gets back on track.

Finally, Jacob picks up his head. “Are we leaving?”

“No.” I point to Mallory, then myself. “We’re leaving. You stay and keep Andrew company when Vinnie needs a break.” I nod at Garrett. “You too.”

“Whatever.” Garrett waves me off. “We got this.”

Alvin eyes the two of them. “I’m gonna stick around too.”

“Thanks. We’ll be back in the morning.”

Chapter Three

Chaser

In the taxi on the way to the hotel, I lean my head on Mallory’s shoulder and fiddle with the hem of her T-shirt. “Did you mean what you said about showering with me?”

“I didn’t say anything about showering with you.”

“You promised to wash my jail stay off,” I remind her.

“Well.” The corners of her mouth twitch. “I saw a garden hose behind the hotel, I can turn it on and point it in your direction.”

“Garden hose, huh?” I snicker.

At the hotel, I stop at the front desk and ask for messages. The clerk gives me an odd look. “Sir, you were scheduled to check out today. When no one answered the door or the phone, we had to clean the room. Your belongings are in the back.”

“Motherfucker,” I growl. “I’m not sleeping on that fucking tour bus tonight.” I whip out my wallet. “You got another room?”

“Well, I…yes.” He makes the arrangements while I impatiently tap my credit card against the counter.

Once we settle the room situation, I should go have a chat with our bus driver, call Thom or do something business-oriented but I just don’t have a fuck to give about any of it right now.

“You should call your dad,” Mallory suggests on the way up to our new suite. “I let him know that you were probably getting out but that was hours ago.”

“Let me take that shower first.”

“Chaser, he was really worried about you.”

“Trust me, he’ll understand.” I push into the room and set down our bags.

She sighs and follows me into the bathroom.

“What are you doing about work?” I lean into the shower and adjust the water.

Mallory hops up on the edge of the counter and bites her lip. “My flight to L.A. is tomorrow.”

&n

bsp; “Fuck, I’m sorry this trip got so messed up.”

“My flight leaves from Dallas.”

“I’ll see if I can get it moved or I’ll hire a car or something. Don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t want to leave you after this.”

I poke my head around the shower curtain. “Babe, there’s nothing you can do by sticking around.”

“I don’t want you getting shot next.”

“No one’s shooting me.”

“I’m sure Andrew thought the same thing.”

“You’re assuming Andrew thinks at all.”

She snorts.

“Get in here.”

“No pussy until you call your father.”

“Who said anything about pussy? I need you to soap my back.”

She slides off the counter. “Sure you do.” But even as she’s arguing with me, she strips her shirt over her head and wiggles out of her jeans.

“Fuck, you’re hot.” I hold out my hand. “Come here.”

The second I get her in the shower with me, I back her up against the tile. “I lied.”

“About?”

Instead of answering, I duck down and suck one of her tight nipples into my mouth.

“Oh.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “Chaser.”

“I’m sorry I made you worry.” I latch on to her other breast and slide my hands over her hips.

“I was scared you’d be in jail in Texas for…” Her voice catches and I stop to peer up at her. “I felt helpless. Like when my father was arrested…I know it’s not the same but…”

Shit.

“And Peter. That weasel.” She squeezes her eyes shut and grits her teeth. “Not being able to trust anyone. I felt so…alone.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Mr. Paxton helped.”

“Yeah, I was impressed with him too.”

“I can’t believe your dad found him so fast.”

“All good criminals have a network of lawyers at their fingertips.”

“That’s not funny.”

I slap off the water. “I wasn’t kidding earlier, Mallory. I won’t lie to you. You’re smart enough to understand the club…my father’s business, like your father’s business takes a lot of risks.”

“And look where my father ended up.”