This Ain't Love: MC Romance (BDMC: Second Generation Book 1)

by A. M. Myers

  And now look at me.

  God, how different could things have been if I had ever given any of the guys a real chance? Diego presses my back against the brick and shields my body with his as I look up at him, my heart cracking. No, not any guy but this one… What would have happened, what could have happened if I had been able to get over myself and give this man a real chance? Maybe it’s just the fact that I might die here in a second or the baby in my belly but looking up at Diego, I imagine the life I could have. One full of love and laughter with a man who I know would do anything for me and our gorgeous baby boy. Pain spikes in my chest and I grip his cut.

  “You see where it came from?” Diego asks as soon as Henn and Maverick are safely around the side of the building with us. I turn to them and catch sight of Daryl ducked behind one of the trees that line the property. I’m sure when he accepted this job, he never truly thought he’d end up in a situation like this and I can’t help but feel guilty that he’s suffering the consequences of my actions. Hell, all of them are. I turn back to Maverick and Henn, an ache radiating through my chest. Maverick’s lips are pressed into a thin line, his easy smile long gone as the focused eyes of a soldier flick over the scene. He shakes his head.

  “No.”

  “Maybe behind one of the cars in the lot,” Henn says, his lips mashed together as he touches his shoulder and winces. His shirt is soaked through and when he pulls his fingers away, they’re coated in blood and my stomach rolls as tears sting my eyes. My mind is dragged back to that night in the alley in an instant and I grip Diego’s cut tighter as I try to hold back the sob that is fighting to bubble out of me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I can see Luca’s face as he chased me with the knife in his hand, dead set on ending my life and a shudder runs through me. Diego’s hand cradles my face with a reverence that makes my chest ache as he presses his lips to my forehead, breathing me in. It’s a perfect moment of peace amongst the chaos and it snaps me back into reality.

  “I’ve got you, baby.”

  I nod. “I think I saw Luca behind your truck.”

  “Shit,” he hisses, pulling away from me slightly to see if he can peek around the side of the building but he refuses to move far enough away from me to accomplish the task. Henn shakes his shoulders in an effort to drive the pain of his wound from his mind as he presses his back to the brick and holds his gun down in front of him.

  “I’m going to try to get a better look.”

  I hold my breath, my heart thundering in my ears and my hands shaking violently. Sucking in a breath, Henn turns his body slightly, peeking around the corner and another shot rings out, stabbing the otherwise quiet night and fragments of brick shatter right next to Henn’s head.

  “Fuck,” he bites out, jerking back with wide eyes. His chest heaves as he tries to catch his breath and he readjusts his grip on his gun. After a moment, he sends a deadly glare at Maverick.

  “Just had to say something, didn’t ya?”

  Diego shakes his head. “Now is not the time. We need a plan to get out of here.”

  “He’s definitely somewhere in the lot,” Maverick says, shaking his head. “But I can’t get a good visual on him before he fires off another shoot and ducks back down.”

  Diego grimaces. “If he’s still behind my truck, that makes this a hell of a lot harder.”

  “We could wait for police but we’re sitting ducks here if he decides to make a move on us,” Henn points out. I nod, in favor of any plan that doesn’t include standing here and waiting to be executed.

  “Yeah, that’s true. Plus, Luca’s apparently got friends on the force so who knows how helpful they’d be to us,” Diego points out and I close my eyes and grip his cut tighter. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his body and despite the fact that we’re currently being shot at by a psychopath, he still makes me feel safe. Diego pulls away to look down at me, searching my eyes before he turns back to Henn and Maverick.

  “How you doing, Henn? You okay to move?”

  Henn glances down at the gunshot wound in his shoulder. “Think so. I’m pretty sure the bullet missed everything that could have really fucked up my day.”

  “Mav, can you try and see if you can get a visual on him before we start moving?”

  Maverick nods, moving to the edge of the building and sucking in a breath before he peeks around the corner. I hold my breath, my heart thrashing in my ears as I wait for the shot but this time, it never comes and Maverick pulls back, shaking his head.

  “Hard to tell since he didn’t pop up this time but I think he’s still behind your truck.”

  “Okay,” Diego replies, nodding his head. “Let’s start moving around the back. Henn, you go in front of us and, Maverick, you watch our backs. You guys still wearing your vests?”

  They both nod and Diego mirrors the gesture before releasing me and peeling off his cut before grabbing the bottom of his shirt. I watch him with wide eyes as he pulls it over his head, revealing the bulletproof vest strapped to his body.

  “What are you doing?”

  He doesn’t say a word, holding my gaze as he pulls the straps wrapped around his torso to release the Velcro.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  He flashes me a look that tells me not to argue. “Making sure you’re safe.”

  “Don’t give me that goddamn look, Diego,” I snap. I don’t give a single shit what he wants right now if he’s going to put himself in danger. He tries to put the vest on me but I duck around him, shaking my head. “No. You put it back on.”

  “We don’t have time for an argument, Izzy.”

  I nod. “I know so put that shit back on your body. Now.”

  “Look, this is all very touching,” Henn growls, pain lining his face as he moves to the other side of Diego and me. He raises his gun in front of him and his hand trembles from the effort, his wound affecting him more than he’d like to admit. “But we need to move.”

  My stomach twists at the grimace on his face. The fact that he’s hurt, that both of them are even in this situation is all my fault and guilt eats away at me but I can’t allow Diego to get hurt because of my actions either. Turning back to the man in question, I muster every ounce of attitude I can muster and meet his eyes, arching a brow. Doesn’t he know what it would do to me to see him hurt? Especially because of me? He stares back at me for a second before he starts hissing a string of curses and puts the vest back on. Once it’s secure and he has his shirt on again, he grabs my hand and pulls me into his body.

  “Fine. You don’t want to wear it?” he snarls, a mixture of heat, anger, and fear in his eyes that I find intoxicating. I’m drowning in the power of his gaze and I don’t even care anymore. “Then, I’ll be your bulletproof vest.”

  What?

  No.

  “Let’s move,” Maverick orders and Diego nods, holding me tightly to his body as he begins moving, stealing my opportunity to object to this plan. Oh, God, no. This mess is mine and mine alone so I can’t let him risk his life like this for me but looking up at his face, I know he won’t back down. Doesn’t he know that I care too much about what happens to him to allow him to die for me?

  What the hell would I do if I lost him?

  My heart hammers against my ribs as we creep down the side of the building, moving quickly but quietly with Henn leading us, his gun held in front of his body and Maverick behind us. His back is to me as he watches our backs, making sure Luca doesn’t try to sneak around the corner of the building and take us out before we can reach safety. When we get to the end, Henn stops and holds his hand up to signal for us to do the same as he listens for any movement on the other side. The only thing I can hear is the sound of far-off traffic and the current of the Mississippi River, rushing past the city not far from us but that doesn’t mean Luca isn’t lurking on either side of the building and waiting to kill us all. Finally, Henn peeks around the corner before glancing back at us with a nod.

  “Clear.”

  The breat
h I was holding rushes out of me as we round the corner and keep moving, all of us focused on getting to the end but once we get there, what the hell are we going to do? Diego’s truck wasn’t parked all that far from the door but Luca will still be between us and the vehicle from this angle so either way we’re screwed. Plus, with the street on the next side of the building, there is no cover for us to hide behind if he starts shooting again and the parking lot is a straight shot forward, making us easy targets. The sound of sirens fill the air and I sigh.

  Oh, thank God.

  Help is on the way.

  At least, I hope it is. Diego’s words about Luca’s friends on the force come back to me and I chew on my bottom lip as my mind spins. I know there is someone or several people who helped cover up the murder of the man I saw in the alley, as well as the attack on me and probably the fire at my home at this point, but surely, they wouldn’t abandon us in the middle of a shoot-out so Luca could complete his mission and kill me… right?

  When we reach the next corner, Henn motions for us to stop again and we all pause, waiting with bated breath for him to peek around the corner and give the all-clear. He leans against the brick, looking like he’s going to drop any second as he takes a deep breath and his entire body tenses. Shit. He’s not looking good and I grip Diego’s shirt as I wonder if he’s lost too much blood to keep going. But after a moment, he stands up again and motions for us to wait as he peeks around the edge of the building. Slinking back slightly, he quickly pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and snaps a photo of something around the other side of the building. “Got you, you son of a bitch.”

  “What?”

  Henn glances back with a grin. “He’s sneaking back to his car and I got his license plate. That should help Streak track down this asshole.”

  “Nice job,” Diego answers, nodding as he claps Henn’s uninjured shoulder but he still winces. “Shit. Sorry, man.”

  He shakes his head. “No worries, brother.”

  As he shoves his phone back in his pocket, he peeks around the corner again and a shot rings out, disappearing into the trees that line the back of the property and I yelp, trying to burrow into Diego’s body. The sirens get louder as our aid gets closer to us but if Luca decides to confront us now, it won’t matter because it will be too late. Then again, there’s three of us and only one of him. Unless he’s got his friend with him from the night of the murder.

  “He’s torn between leaving and coming after us,” Henn relays, his voice tight with anger. “I think we make a run for it. Mav and I can cover you two and hopefully he’ll decide it’s too risky and bail.”

  Diego takes a breath. “Is it just him?”

  “I haven’t seen anyone else,” Henn answers and I shake my head.

  “I don’t like this. Let’s just wait for the cops to get here.”

  Diego pulls away just enough to glance down at me and cups my cheek, stroking his thumb over my skin. I close my eyes as my body melts into him, soaking up his embrace and the peace it brings me despite the chaos raging around us.

  “It’s not safe, Mama. We’ve got to move but I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  I grip his shirt and open my eyes. “I’m not going to let you get shot for me, Diego. I forbid it.”

  “I don’t give a shit,” he snorts in return before pulling me close again and nodding to Henn. He peeks around the corner and another shot rings out as the sirens creep closer.

  “Now.”

  We move as one, the guys perfectly in sync as Diego practically carries me with his back to the street where Luca is standing by his car. Henn and Maverick stand in front of us, blocking our bodies with theirs and then the shooting starts. It’s deafening, so many shots ringing out into the air that they all just blend together and tears stream down my face as I cling to the man holding me. Our group moves quickly and as the sirens reach a fever pitch, only a street or two away now.

  “Looks like he’s bailing,” Maverick says. I peek over Diego’s shoulder just in time to see Luca slip behind the wheel of his shitty little car. He glances back at us and meets my eyes, gritting his teeth and the same look he flashed me the night this all started, the look that told me that he’d hunt me down and do whatever it took to kill me shines back at me. A smile that makes my stomach churn stretches across his face a moment before he starts the car and peels away from the curb.

  “Get to the truck, now!” Diego yells, scooping me into his arms and cradling me to his chest as he runs, Maverick and Henn right behind us. We’re almost to the vehicle when I glance over Diego’s shoulder again. Luca flips a U-turn in the middle of the road and races back toward us, his driver’s side window down.

  “He’s coming back!” I yell, fear clawing at my throat as my hands shake and tears sting my eyes again. Diego sets me on my feet and gives me a little shove toward the truck.

  “Take cover.”

  I don’t want to leave him.

  It feels like I’m ripping my own heart out to run behind the safety of his truck and cower as he faces down against Luca but I do it, gasping for air and battling back tears as more shots pierce the air, turning a quiet, perfect night into a battlefield. Tires screech and red and blue lights bounce off of everything around me but my panic doesn’t ease. A thud reaches my ears, louder than anything else and I can’t stop myself from peeking around the edge of the truck as my body threatens to empty the contents of my stomach.

  Diego is lying on the concrete next to his truck, his eyes closed, and I scream as I rush out from my hiding spot and kneel next to him.

  Oh, God.

  Is he shot?

  Please tell me it hit the vest.

  Frantically, I drag my hands over his body, searching for a wound and when I don’t find one or any blood, I lift his shirt. There, in the center of the vest are two bullets and I can’t stop the sob that tears itself from my throat.

  “Diego?” I rasp, running my fingers over the stubble on his cheek as my other hand presses against his chest, reassured by the steady thumping of his heart. With a grunt of pain, he lays his hand on mine and opens his eyes, meeting mine as my heart cracks wide open.

  “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Mama,” he whispers, his voice hoarse and weak, but relief rushes through me as I laugh.

  “Thank God.”

  Right now, I don’t even care if my walls are down or I’m in danger of letting Diego in even more than I already have because he’s okay and nothing else seems to matter in light of that.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Diego

  I am a goddamn mess.

  Between what happened at the radio station last night and the disaster of a date the night before that, I feel like I’ve been dragged through the wringer and thoroughly beaten with a broom handle. You know, one of those old wooden ones they used to smack rugs to get the dust out? That’s what I feel like. But glancing down, I can’t help but smile. Izzy is sleeping in my arms, curled tightly against my body like she has been for the last three hours so it doesn’t matter that I haven’t been able to sleep, tortured by thoughts of what could have happened if Luca had gotten to her. Turning my head, I press my lips to her forehead and close my eyes, breathing her in, before turning away and scrubbing a hand down my face.

  Fuck.

  I’m exhausted.

  Just before the cops came rushing on the scene, Luca managed to fire off two more shots before he fled the scene with three cruisers right on his tail. Those were the two bullets that lodged themselves into my vest and I would be impressed by his aim in the chaos if I wasn’t so goddamn pissed about it. It’s also infuriating that despite the fact that he’s a fucking idiot, he still seems to evade us and any law enforcement that gives a shit about going after him every single time. I’m starting to wonder if the piece of trash has a rabbit’s foot shoved up his ass. His time has to run out sometime though, and I swear if I ever get my hands on him, he will suffer ten times anything he’s put Izzy through.
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  Looking down at my girl, I pull her closer, needing her attached to me to chase the demons of the past twenty-four hours away. She hooks her leg over mine, sighing as she settles against me. The fear on her face throughout the whole ordeal is going to haunt me for the rest of my life but the relief I saw shining in her eyes when I opened my eyes after taking two in the vest is a balm, soothing the anger inside me. And I can’t help but think that she feels more for me than she’s letting on. It’s not exactly progress, I guess, but it’s something and I’m clinging to that little piece of hope like it’s a fucking life raft. She shifts and nudges one of the bruises left behind from the bullets and I wince, hissing through my teeth.

  Jesus.

  That shit hurts like a bitch.

  When she settles again, I press one last kiss to her head before carefully extracting myself from the bed. She reaches for me but doesn’t wake up and I pull the covers over her body before pulling on a pair of sweatpants and slipping out of the room. The vest I was wearing at the radio station is sitting on the back of the couch catches my attention and I clench my fists at the sight of the bullets embedded in the Kevlar. I don’t care about me – I’ve been shot at before and this probably won’t be the last time but thinking about those bullets or any of the others he fired at us last night finding their way to Izzy makes me want to rip this place apart. If I get my hands on that little son of a bitch…

  Sucking in a breath, I drag a shaking hand through my hair before turning toward the kitchen to make a pot of coffee as I struggle to rein in my anger. As it brews, I turn toward the front windows and watch the first light streak across the sky. Glancing over at the oven clock, I shake my head. It’s four in the morning but after lying in bed for three hours, unable to sleep and thinking about all the ways I want to make Luca pay for the shit he’s done, it feels like it should be so much later already. Not that I’m well rested enough to start my damn day but it seems I don’t have much of a choice.