Page 53 of Iron Will

Which is why I almost don’t register the bloodied, limping figure as it comes through the entrance and heads toward me.

When I finally do see who it is, my jaw practically drops to the floor.

“Oh, my God, Rourke!” I gasp. “Holy shit! What in the hell happened to you?”

21

Rourke

The ride back to Ironwood hurts like a motherfucker, but I’ll live.

When we get back to town a couple of hours, I stop off at the clubhouse with the rest of the brothers just long enough to have Reno verify that the bullet I took just grazed my ass.

Then I get back on the bike and head straight for Morningside Hospital.

Turns out, I don’t even have to go to Laney’s office to find her. I see her almost as soon as I push through the doors. She’s walking through the main lobby atrium area, probably on her way to her office, a massive to-go cup from the coffee shop in one hand. I’m just about to call her name when her eyes fall on me.

“Oh, my God, Rourke!” she gasps, almost dropping the cup. She practically runs to me. “Holy shit! What in the hell happened to you?”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you swear,” I joke.

“Well, it’s warranted.” Laney’s eyes are wide with shock. “Look at you! What happened?”

The sudden paleness of her skin makes her lips look all the more pink and pillowy. My cock snaps to attention despite the pain I’m in.

I mean, this gunshot ain’t that big a deal — I don’t lookthatbad — but it kind of does something to me that she cares.

“Uh, just a little accident,” I shrug.

“Accident?”

“I got shot. But it’s nothing. Just a flesh wound.”

“Shot?” she cries. A couple people in the atrium look over. Laney shakes her head and lowers her tone. “What do you mean, shot?” she asks in alarm.

“Like, someone fires a gun, and…”

“Oh, my God, you arenotgoing to joke about this, are you?” She looks at me like I’m nuts. “You know what? Forget it. Let’s get you over to patient admissions,” she murmurs, coming close and putting a hand on my arm. My dick jolts again at the contact with her, but I ignore it.

“What?” I ask, confused, and then start laughing. “Laney, I ain’t here to check in.”

She blinks. “You have got to be kidding me.”

I snort. “Darlin’, if I checked into the hospital every time I got a scratch, I’d be in here all the damn time. And believe me, this is just a scratch.”

“Good lord,” she groans. “I suppose I don’t want to know what happened that someone actually shot at you. Though, you are annoying enough that it doesn’t take all that much imagination.”

I take it as a good sign that she’s giving me shit. “Is that any way to talk to the man who helped you get Mickey out of the picture?” I protest.

She stares up at me and cocks her head. “Between Bear getting stabbed and you getting shot, I’m starting to think staying far away from you is a really good idea.”

“You serious?”

Laney pulls in a deep breath and sighs it out.

“No,” she admits. “So why are you here?”

“Second date.”

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