Page 13 of 1 Last Shot

Two uniformed officers pick that moment to walk onto the floor. I think I come down from an adrenaline high myself, because I don't remember much of the next few hours. I know the club empties as soon as the cops show up, and I know they talk to everyone involved about what happened. Looking back, the owner must have smoothed things over somehow, because I was barely questioned about anything.

All I know is everything happened around last call anyway, so it's 4 a.m. by the time everyone but the manager and I empty out of the club. Since I'm security on closing shift, I have to wait for the manager to count the cash before I can leave. Andof course,on this night from hell, I get stuck with the one guy that has to recount everything six times. It's almost 6 a.m. by the time we're locking the doors behind us.

I have to fight to stay awake on the ride home. Between the late hour and the adrenaline dump, I almost ride into a ditch one or three times, before finally pulling up in front of my apartment building.

And yet, the second I walk into my apartment, I'm wide awake. I decide to make myself a bowl of cereal before forcing myself to lie down and at least attempt to get a few hours of sleep.

I've just barely slipped into unconsciousness when I hear a knock on my door.

My eyes snap open.Who the fuck is that?

I debate not opening it. But curiosity—and the knowledge that now I'm never going to get to sleep—have me getting up and walking to the front door. When I pull it open, my bright-eyed and bushy-tailed neighbor—Isabella, I heard her tell Jax and Hailey at the gym—is standing in front of me.

I hate the way my body instantly reacts to her. It doesn’t matter that it’s six in the morning and she’s bare-faced and sleepy-looking, because all I can think of when I open the door is that she looks adorable.

That word shouldn’t even be in myvocabulary.

"Hey, neighbor," she chirps, a sweet smile on her face. "I'm sorry to knock so early, but I heard you walking around, so I figured it was safe."

Adorable, but still irritating.

I don't respond. I just stare at her.

Her smile loses a little bit of its confidence. "Umm, I'm sorry to knock so early, or to knock at all, really, but I needed a favor, and I heard you up and walking around. I swear, these walls are paper-thin." She forces a laugh, sounding a little unsure of herself now. She opens her mouth to ramble some more, but finally seems to get a good look at me.

I'm sure I look like a mess right now. My hair is completely disheveled, my eyes are probably bloodshot from the long night, and I'm glaring at her with all the disbelief and annoyance that one expression can pack. Honestly, I'm surprised she's still standing on my doorstep.

But she's still brave enough to ask with a furrowed brow, "Did you… just get home?"

My disbelief grows by another mile. "How the fuck would that be any of your business?"

She has the good grace to blush. "You're right, that was rude. It's not my business at all, I'm sorry…" She trails off as I continue to stare at her. With a rough swallow, she works up the nerve to say what she came here to say.

"I was just coming over to see if you have any sugar I could borrow. I bought everything on my grocery listexceptfor the one thing that I need for my coffee to turn me into a functioning human being in the morning." She lets out another nervous giggle, then glances up at me from under her eyelashes, waiting for my response.

I blink at her. Then…

"Are you fucking for real right now?"

Her blush deepens, but she's still not screaming and running away with her tail tucked between her legs. She must realize there isn't a chance in hell this conversation is going to get any better, so finally, fuckingfinally, she backs off.

"You know what, I'll just go buy some. Don't worry about it."

"I wasn’t going toworryabout it,” I sneer.

I expect her to become flustered, but instead, she seems to hit a wall with her endless politeness. Apparently, the princess has a limit to how much of my attitude she'll put up with. She arches a perfectly plucked eyebrow and gives me a disapproving look. The words that come out of her mouth are prim and proper, but they come out an obvious bite. "Of course. Sorry to bother you so early. Have a good rest of your day."

She spins around and disappears into her own apartment. And I’m left with the scent of her floral shampoo and the sight of her ridiculously cute pajamas with bunnies on the butt.

I never end up falling back asleep.

6

ISABELLA

On Friday night, I’m walking into a crowded arena with Hailey. The building is on fire with energy, the sounds of the crowd a dull roar, even though there isn't a fight going on right now. As a fighter makes a big entrance through smoke and lights, I hear a chant start on the other side of the building, rising in volume until I can't hear Hailey calling for me to follow her.

I wait patiently as she greets everyone in the section, where the rest of her gym is already congregated. I smile politely and wave at a few people, but for the most part, I’m too overwhelmed to take my attention off of everything going on around me. It’s soloud, so different from the elegant setting of a theater on the night of a ballet performance. Both types of crowds might be readying for a show, but this one is not shying away from expressing their emotions during it.

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