Her dad mumbled something.

The snap of her mom’s voice followed them. “Obviously, not the blood. That stuff. It’s everywhere.”

A cold cloth pressed to her face, wiping over and over. Slowly, the boiling sensation on her skin plateaued. Didn’t stop, but became bearable.

“Drink this.” It was Cash. He held a glass to her lips, then spoke to someone else. “No. Don’t call for an ambulance. I’m driving.”

Her vision wasn’t what it should be. Her lips burned. Water would be good. Accepting the glass, the cold—

Ick.

Not what she was expecting. She spit it out. “What is that?”

“Milk. It’ll help.”

What the fu—

Oh.

“Cayenne shells,” she mumbled again. “He hit me with—”

“I know, sweet girl. Beth told us.”

“What? Beth?” It was all she could manage and it did nothing to ask the important question like when did she get there and why? Cash wiped her face, then her arms. It helped some, but only for flashing cool moments.

“Beth shot out the window. Glass hit you. The shotgun fired, not a direct hit thanks to Beth. But you got up close and personal with an exploding twelve gauge pepper blast. Bet all this pepper stings like a bitch.”

She nodded, curling into his arms. Her ankles hit the bathroom vanity. They had to be sitting in the hall bathroom, with her in his lap. “I mess everything up.”

“Nah. You’re enough to drive a man crazy. Any other lunatic ex-lovers I should know about? They’ll be gone before dawn.” He repositioned her. “Can you open your eyes?”

She shook her head a tiny bit, feeling like a baby. “They burn. I don’t want to.”

“All right. That settles that. Don’t try in case there’s glass in ‘em. You’re going to the ER. No idea how I’m going to explain this though.” Cash paused, leaning out the door. “Your mom is cracking me up. I’m pretty sure Beth gave up and okayed the use of a vacuum, even though a cleanup team is on the way.”

“Is Beth still here?”

“Yeah, Roman’s trying to hit on your girl, but she’s having nothing to do with it. And Beth may be on an adrenaline high.”

Nic laughed, then stopped short, her lips stinging anew. “Ow.” She ran her tongue tentatively over her lip and tasted her blood. “Don’t make me laugh. What about Jackson?”

“We’ll deal with that later.” Cash called over her shoulder. “Hey, Beth. C’mere.”

Nic heard Beth bounce into the bathroom, her mouth running highway speed before she could make out the words. “—believe that? I just knew it. And how much did I save your life with that cayenne shot. I told you, pack the pepper. Next time one of those boys shows up, knocking each other out—no offense, Cash—you can put them in place. When I gave you that box of ammo, it was a joke. A joke. And then those creepy-assed, drunk calls from Jackson. My timing pretty much rocked—”