Coming out of his own head, Diesel had a bad feeling as he looked up to the sky and saw the dark clouds swirling around them. They had just picked up their shipment from the port and hadn’t seen any signs of The Skeletons. That should have been a good thing, but it just made the whole group uneasy. The Skeletons weren’t the type to back down on a threat, so the chances of The Shadows getting away that easily was slim. there was something brewing, and he didn’t like the unpredictability of it all.
He cautiously got onto his bike as the groups split up, going the directions they would take to drop what they were carrying off with the dealers and pick up the money from the last batch. There was one or two with each group that had a weapon of some kind or the ability to fight, and Diesel was the one responsible for taking the group right through the seediest area and the most likely for them to run into The Skeletons; especially since it took them by Quebec where their base was.
Diesel led them cautiously to meet with the first dealer; a true back alley deal, only to find that he wasn’t there to meet them like he should have been. Diesel signaled for the others to stay back as he got off his bike and walked down the way to check things out. One of the other men, a muscular guy with red hair and a long beard tied into a braid, followed him as they heard what sounded like a scuffle coming from around the corner.
As they got closer, Diesel stiffened, recognizing some of the voices. He let his companion go first since he had a gun, and the man pointed it around the corner. Diesel followed behind just as a group of five Skeletons came up to them with another holding onto the dealer and pointing a gun at his head as a threat. "Didn't out boss tell you there would be hell to pay if you didn’t stay out of our territory?" one of the men asked, spitting at the two of them. "I suggest you put the gun down unless you want to see your dealer's brain splashed across the brick. I certainly wouldn’t mind." The Skeleton member began to laugh sadistically, and Diesel felt disgusted. He nodded to his partner to drop the gun. He couldn’t see that any of them had a weapon, and he was certain that it would look like one of them had committed the murder if they allowed it to take place. "What good little boys," the Skeleton member mocked. "Now, the fun can begin. It's time to give you a little taste of what happens when you cross us."
The Skeletons ran at the two men even as they backed off and began running down the alley. The other members, unequipped to handle a fight, had already taken off with the rest of the shipment to save it. Money was the name of the game after all. So, they had no one to help them.
Soon, the men were upon them, tackling them to the ground. Even as Diesel thrashed and fought back, there was no way to beat six men fighting at once. He could feel the crunching of his nose and the warmness of blood as fists and flew. He was knocked to the ground, and they all began kicking him. He could see that his partner was already unconscious and hoped he would be okay. It was out of his hands now.
Diesel’s thoughts wandered to Kim and how she would feel if he never made it back to her after all they had been through. That had been her exact fear. Then, a steel toed boot hit his left rib cage with a sickening crunch and all he knew was darkness.
When he came to, it was raining hard, pouring sheets over the scene. Now that he had an unobstructed view of his partner, he was sure he was dead and so was the dealer. So much for keeping promises. He could hear voices, and he knew that the second in command had arrived. He was someone not to be messed with. He was the nephew of a huge mob boss which is where The Skeletons got all of their support. That’s how they’d come into The Shadows’ territory without fear or restraint.
As he tried to stand up and get his bearings, he saw that they were coming back after him, certainly to finish the job. He couldn’t let that happen. His eyes darted to the spot where his fallen partner had dropped the gun, and he dove for it even as his ribs made it hard to breathe. The members pulled out their guns at the same time he pointed it at the guy in charge. The shots all rang out at once. As Diesel felt the bullets pelting his body, he saw members scattering as their second in command fell down lifeless. Diesel had blood on his hands now.
***
Kim rushed through the hospital doors heading for the emergency waiting room at top speed. The call had come from her grandfather after he had gotten the new from the MC leader that Diesel was in the hospital. From what she had heard, he had gotten into an altercation with The Skeletons just like she had feared, and one of the members was dead. Diesel had somehow gotten himself to a nearby house and knocked on the door, his wounds bleeding everywhere. An elderly woman had dropped him off at the hospital unconscious.
Kim felt her heart was going to explode from the pain as she finally made it to where she saw a few of the members hanging out waiting for some news. A few were crying, including a woman she recognized as part of the pick-up team. She must have felt scared and guilty. She tried to find any other familiar faces to ask for information and saw none.
“Damn it, Kim. Why’d you have to come back?” Kim whipped her head around to see a very angry looking Spencer. “You should have stayed away. I thought you were following your dreams and getting clarity. Yet here you are following my step brother around like a lost puppy. I thought you were better than that. All he has to offer you is pain.” Feeling a rush of anger at his words, Kim slapped him across his cheek, leaving an angry red mark behind. The pain and surprise on his face that turned to a look of hatred told her that things may never be alright between them again, but she couldn’t stand his opinionated manipulations in the midst of all the grief she was feeling. Spencer walked away from her, keeping his distance as a nurse came in.
“Is he alright? Can I see him?”
The nurse glanced back at Spencer who nodded. He must have been the only family there to give permission for anything. He could have easily said no, and she looked back at him with guilt, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. She turned back to the nurse who pursed her lips but nodded.
“You can have just a few minutes, but he needs his rest. He’s been through a lot.” The nurse led her through the double doors and back past rooms that held people with various illnesses and injuries. She began to wonder what story was given for his injuries. Hopefully he wouldn’t be in any kind of trouble once he healed. The nurse pointed to a door in front of them that was closed, and Kim took a nervous breath before cracking the door open. But before she opened it all the way she could hear a woman’s voice drifting back to her. The woman was crying.
“I’m going to take care of you. You’re going to be okay. I’m right here,” the woman said. Kim glanced in the room to see if the nurse had led her to the wrong one, but sure enough there was Diesel laying on the bed looking pretty banged up. He looked pretty out of it, but it was the woman that made her jump back from the door like a startled cat. It was Sophia standing there and holding his hand. Kim didn’t know what to think, but she ran out of there as fast as she could.
Chapter 1
With his head aching and his shoulder throbbing, Diesel leaned back in the hospital bed and closed his eyes, clenching his teeth against the agony and of both the physical pain and the excruciating mental hell he faced in this relentless interrogation. He came to two realizations as the men in ill-fitting, dated suits on either side of the hospital bed inundated him with question after question.
First, he realized that he really hated cops. He hadn't always felt that way, but circumstances and years of run-ins with them had led to his second conclusion, which was ironically the reason he hated them at the moment.
Second, cops hated him.
That was literally the reason he hated cops, the source of his dissention with them, and the culmination of his childhood. And now, here he was again, facing two of the most ballsy detectives on the force about an incident that could land him in the clink. He'd managed to avoid that for several years now, and he fully intended to keep his ass out of there now. He had too much going for him. How could he have fucked up so bad?
"C
an you tell us, from your perspective, how everything went down?" the one in the brown blazer asked. He'd apparently put on some weight since he bought the suit. It stretched funny around his shoulders and was unbuttoned, not because he was trying to make a fashion statement, but because it wouldn't close over his belly without looking ridiculous.
Even in pain, Diesel had the wherewithal to give him wide, innocent eyes. Hopefully, it would work. He wasn’t feeling all too innocent at the moment. "I don't know, sir. I remember a sharp, stinging pain in my shoulder, and I remember being on the ground, with my head throbbing and my shoulder singing. Then, I remember being rolled in here. Everything else is kind of fuzzy."
The one in the blue suit, who had better taste in threads but less understanding of fitting a suit, gave him a look that told Diesel he didn't believe a word of it. "Come on, man. That bullet didn't strike from the other end of a football field. Did you at least get a look at who shot you? We’re just trying to make sure justice is served here."
Diesel tried not to scoff and shrugged instead. He instantly regretted it. This whole issue with his shoulder was going to be more than a nuisance. He probably wasn’t even going to be able to drive his ass home from the hospital. That was if he didn’t end up in handcuffs before then. "Sure. It was a guy. No, wait. It was definitely a woman. Or maybe a Wookie, with long hair all over its body." The cops didn't look happy or amused, and Diesel didn't care. He was tired of questions and wanted to be left alone. But they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Gentlemen, relax," came a familiar voice from the doorway, and Diesel wanted to scream for mercy. The only thing worse than this interrogation was Sophia showing up. She was supposed to be keeping her distance, staying the hell out of his business. He gritted his teeth harder and reached for the button on the morphine drip. He pushed it not to ease his pain, since it was barely a large enough dose to take the edge off. Rather, he pushed it hoping it would be just strong enough to make him pass out so the nurse or orderly or whoever would throw everyone in there out of his room. Or that, in the very least, he wouldn’t have to deal with his psycho ex and whatever she had to say.
But it didn't seem to work. Sophia sidled up to the bed and gave Diesel the same seductive smile she used on every man she was trying to solicit a promise from. And to think he used to believe it was the most appealing thing in the universe. It was just too bad she couldn't maintain a promise to him. "Can't you see he's in pain? And I've known Diesel to be a lot of things, but he's never been a liar."
Not the words she'd spat at him in their last argument. But Diesel didn't interrupt. Sophia was doing what she was good at. She ran her hand down Blue Suit's arm and winked at him. "I have done quite a bit to help you out in the past, haven't I, Brigman?" The cop swallowed visibly and nodded, his white cheeks turning bright pink. "That's right," she continued, glancing at Diesel out of the corner of her eye. Did she expect him to find this interesting? "So, why don't the two of you leave the poor, injured man alone? He doesn't have anything to say to you. In fact, I think he's told you everything he knows. Maybe if you let him get a bit of rest he would remember more and be much more useful."
She walked around to the other side, winking at Brown Suit. "Tell you what. I'm sure I can find out some facts about what actually happened. Why don't you let me handle it? I'll get you what you need to know." Sophia beamed at him.
The two cops exchanged glances, and Diesel wanted to laugh the idiots right out of the room. For what it was worth, Sophia would take care of things, but he didn't really appreciate her nosing into his business. She was supposed to keep her distance from the club, like a satellite membership or something. He should have known that a liar would be a liar in every aspect; not just in the bedroom.
"I suppose we could wait for some clues," Brown Suit said in a gruff voice, and Blue Suit nodded. "But we'll be back to see what this guy can dredge up out of that sick brain of his. He'll get his memory back at some point, and maybe a little cooperation will go a long way." He looked pointedly at Diesel and then motioned to his partner to follow him. Good riddance. Unfortunately, he got the feeling that he still wasn’t going to get any peace and quiet just because the detectives were gone.
As they left, Sophia edged one full hip up onto the bed, resting there and giving him the same grin he'd seen her use to seal a deal. She'd strategically chosen to sit on the side of his bad arm. Otherwise, he would have shoved her away. "Impressive, isn't it?" she smirked.
"What?" he asked, not much caring what her answer would be. There had been a time when he'd been impressed with everything about her. He had worshipped at her feet, at the temple her body provided. But then he had found out he wasn’t her only follower; just the most devout. Now, he just wanted to send her away and go to sleep. There was nothing there anymore when he looked at her.
She spread her arms wide. "How easy it is for me to make things happen for you, Diesel." She winked, and he felt nauseated. He didn't particularly care for her claims. Sure, he wanted her to be happy and well-adjusted, if that was even possible after getting involved in his world. He'd loved her once. But now, he wanted her to find that happy life somewhere else, and she just couldn't seem to let it go. Diesel guessed people really did only appreciate things or others once they were gone.
Diesel snorted. "So, how many times have you given lip service to those two? They were dead set on taking my head off to put on a stick and displaying it as an example before you stepped in. They obviously trust that you'll fulfill your promises to make things good. Do I even want to know how you plan on doing that or how you have done that?"
"You don't need to be jealous, sweetheart," she coaxed much like a purring mother cat. "I'm here for you. I'm going to make sure all the questions go away, and I'm going to take care of you until you're all healed up. It’ll be just like old times, huh?"
Diesel stared at her, wondering when the new head was going to grow on her right shoulder. Had she completely lost her mind? He opened his mouth to argue and remind her that they were divorced and that he had no desire to reverse that process. As far as he knew, she didn’t really either because his rules, his morals, were too much for her. But he didn't get a chance to say anything about their ruined relationship. Instead, he heard footsteps in the hall that didn't belong to a doctor or nurse, and he could guess right away who would be storming closer in the middle of a weekday afternoon. That was what the guy was good at.
He braced himself. A run-in with Spencer probably wasn't going to go well, especially with the amount of agony Diesel was in. He couldn't let his step brother get to him. Otherwise, his blood pressure would hit the ceiling, and he'd be stuck in this damn bed for another couple of days. No one was going to get him riled up to that degree, not even his damn step brother.
Chapter 2
Spencer's boots announced his arrival as he swept through the hall and into the hospital room. As he threw back the privacy curtain, nearly ripping it from the track, Diesel raised an eyebrow, wondering what justified his mask of rage this time. "Sophia, get out," Spencer hissed through clenched teeth.
Sophia scowled at him, her hands on her hips. "Get over yourself, Spencer. I don't have to go anywhere, as long as Diesel wants me here."
"That's the problem!" Spencer growled before Diesel could even ask her what made her think he wanted that. Not that it would do any good since he was certain she must already know somewhere in that pretty skull of hers.
"Get out, Sophia," Diesel told her in a deceptively calm voice. "No one asked you to be here to start with." There was no way he was going to stay composed with Spencer in his face if Sophia was still grating on his nerves. The cops had left the room but were probably still in the building, and he wasn't on the fast track to getting locked up, especially while he was still feeling like shit.
In a huff, Sophia marched out of the room, her heeled boots clipping down the hall with her angry steps. Diesel turned to Spencer, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he tried to take co
ntrol of the situation. "What's going on, Spence?"
"That's what I'm here to ask you!" he erupted. "What the hell are you thinking? Kim left, and you should have let her go. What the hell is she doing back?"
"I brought her back," Diesel replied simply. "That's my business, not yours."
"It is my business, you son of a bitch!" Spencer seethed. "You shouldn't have gone after her. And you shouldn't have convinced her to come back, especially when you're obviously screwing around with Sophia."
Now, he scowled, his patience gone, and he clenched his fists, no longer feeling the ache it caused as the muscles in his neck and shoulders tensed. If Spencer was going to start throwing around bullshit accusations, this was going to come to blows, consequences be damned. "Let's get this straight, Spence. I didn't ask Sophia to be here. I didn't want her here. And I'm sure as hell not screwing around with her. I told her to keep her distance, and she agreed. I don't even know who the hell told her I was here, unless it was you!" At this point, he wouldn't have been surprised to find out that Spencer was stirring things up. He was probably playing games, still holding out for Kim even though she had made her choice clear to Spencer and everyone else in her life.
"No, Diesel, I'm not the one in the wrong here," Spencer argued, his face turning a bright shade of red as his blood pressure rose with his anger. “You are a jackass, bro. You’re breaking two women’s hearts without a care. Without a single thought to either woman. And I have no idea why women like that fawn over guys like you. I’m sick of it, and I’m not going to stand here and watch you toy with two amazing women who care about you until you’ve broken both of them down!” He pressed a fist to his chest. “Sophia deserves better than to be jerked around, always did. And Kim is my friend. Always has been, always will be. I won’t stand around and turn the other cheek while you manipulate her to stay in your life, just to leave her high and dry when you’re done using her. What kind of game are you playing anyway? We aren’t teenagers anymore.”
BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) Page 9
