A Baby for the Bad Boy (A Bad Boy Romance: Dominick and Linden, book THREE) (2 page)

I raced through the streets cutting off people left and right. My Harley sliced through traffic like a knife through butter, red lights meant nothing and each beat of my heart seemed to take hours.

If she was dead because of me I would never be sane again. I would fucking tear my own heart out if she had been killed.

I came upon the scene of the shooting, there were cars and trucks lined up along both lanes of traffic, completely at a stand still. I wove through them, came to a dead end and hopped my Harley up onto the sidewalk to reach them.

I parked, cut the engine and leapt off.

“Where’s the driver? Did she survive?” I bellowed as I ran towards the crowd.

Big Red flagged me down. “Paramedics are on their way, she’s hurt but I think she’ll live,” he told me.

I pushed him out of the way and scanned the truck for her and saw nothing but blood spatter across the windshield.

“Where is she?” I asked, my voice almost choked with my grief.

“I just told ya,” Big Red said, “The girl who got hit is going to be okay.”

“Linden?” I asked, staring at him, confused.

“No, not that one, she’s over there,” Big Red said, nodding towards a small crowd gathered near the hood of the truck. “I’m sorry, I thought you meant the girl who was driving. Your girl is fine, just a little scraped and up terrified.”

“Linden,” I rasped and the little crowd parted showing me her ashen horrified face.

“Dom,” she gasped, “They shot at us. I thought I was going to die.”

As I stepped towards her, she fainted and fell into my arms. “You’re not gonna die on my watch, darlin,” I told her and held her tightly. I picked her up, she was as light as a little bird, and just as precious to me.

I walked her to the sidewalk and laid her down on the grassy knoll. Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at me, confusion flickering across her features.

“Where’s Mikey?” she asked, trying to push herself up.

“Is that who was driving?” I asked.

“Yeah, is she okay?”

“Big Red said she’s going to make it. Tell me what happened.”

“These guys drove up beside us and forced her over, they just opened fire, Dom. They started shooting with machine guns.”

“What did they look like?”

“I don’t know, I dropped down to the floor and covered my head with my hands. The car looked like those guys from the other night though, it could have been them.”

“It’s okay, you made it…you survived,” I said and held her tight. “I won’t ask you anymore questions. You just need to focus on you, and getting past this now.”

She was trembling so hard she could barely hold onto me. Her eyes were almost unfocused, there was so much fear in them, and I could see tears lingering in the corner, threatening to spill over.

God she was beautiful, and I realized something right then.

I couldn’t put her in harm’s way. I couldn’t keep her around or else she’d end up hurt or worse.

She’d end up dead.

I’d let her know eventually, once the trauma of the shooting wore off a little, but I didn’t want her working for me and I knew as much as it pained me, I couldn’t have her in my bed.

There was nothing halfway with Linden, if I took her to bed, I would have to keep her by my side. And if I kept her that close, she would worm her way into my heart and become my old lady. And if she became the queen of Hell’s Ransom, she would be exposed and vulnerable to attacks like the one today.

Having Linden at my side would make me vulnerable too, it would be like wearing my guts on the outside, walking around in the open, begging somebody to stomp them.

The pain I felt coming over here was insane, like nothing I’d ever felt before, so what would it be like if she really did end up dead?

I would be done for.

She needed a safe little husband, somebody in a three-piece suit with an office job, who came home for dinner and would take their kids to baseball games on the weekends.

She needed suburbia, not a walk on the wild side, not some seedy side alley full of used syringes and dumpsters. She needed white pickets fences and mini vans.

She didn’t need a guy like me.

“Can we go with Mikey?” Linden asked, watching the Ambulance move past us, its lights were on and the sirens were blaring which was a good sign. They wouldn’t bother hurrying if Mikey was already dead.

“Sure thing. Let me talk to Big Red and I’ll take you right over there. You’re coming with me now, you got that?”

She nodded and I walked her over to my Harley. She held onto the seat and watched me head a short distance over to Big Red.

“It was Lee’s guys,” I said as I approached him. “He got jumpy the other night and accused me of shorting him. Shots were fired but I thought nothing of it. He came back for me, but got her instead.”

“I figured as much,” Big Red said, “Lee’s a piece of shit, don’t worry boss, we’ll take care of him. You go take care of your girl.”

I glared at him and growled, “She ain’t my girl.”

“Not yet, she ain’t,” he grinned and clapped my shoulder, “but she will be. You two just don’t know it yet.”

“I can’t bring her into this, Red,” I said, frowning. “If she’d been hurt today because of me.”

“I got ya, brother,” Big Red replied. “You know I lost my old lady a few years back, but I never did tell you how.”

“I thought she was taken out,” I said.

“She was, but not by any rival of the club. Some bitch I picked up in Vegas followed me home and ran my girl off the road, can you believe that shit?”

“Your mistress killed your wife?” I asked, shocked.

“That she did. I took care of her real quick, if you know what I mean.”

Red’s eyes told me what I already knew, that the mistress had ended up deep under the ground somewhere. It was best not to know details. “What does this have to do with me though?”

“It means that no matter how careful you are, you can’t control everything that happens to your woman. Don’t let your fear of bringing her into the family be the sole reason you don’t follow your heart. It gets lonely after a while, letting your cock do all the talking.”

“Thanks for that,” I said and shook his hand. “Let me know when Lee is taken care of.”

“Will do, boss,” Big Red grinned and saluted against his helmet. I shoved him and he broke into a guffaw.

“Be safe,” I said and walked back to Linden.

She was chewing on her lower lip, her backpack was hanging off one shoulder and she looked small and vulnerable.

I wanted to sweep her into my arms and carry her away to somewhere safe, but in my world that place didn’t exist.

“You need that lift?” I asked gruffly.

“What about the truck?” she asked.

“It’ll get towed, they’re on their way,” I said and handed her the helmet. “Now are you getting on or what?”

She took the helmet, shoved it down low on her head, clipped it and climbed on behind me.

She said, “Hold up,” and slipped her arm through the other strap of her backpack. She wrapped her arms around me, and even through the leather of my jacket I could feel the heat of her body.

I started the bike, revved it a couple times, and roared away from the crowd, leaving Big Red to handle the tow truck and the feud with Lee.

Her arms tightened around me as we moved through the streets, and the faster I went, the harder she held.

I knew it would be next to impossible to shake her, to leave her behind, but I had to.

For her safety and mine.

He edged the bike towards the curb and slowed down. My hands were still shaking, but having them tucked under his arms seemed to calm me down somehow, it gave them the strength to keep steady and focus on hanging on instead of thinking about everything that had just happened.

He turned off the bike and I looked up at the hospital, it seemed imposing and dark even though I’d been here a thousand times before with my father or with my class.

“You can go,” I told him as I slid off, regretting the moment I had to remove my arms from around his body, “I’ll get a cab home later. I just want to make sure Mikey is going to be okay, I feel so awful.”

“I’m coming with you, darlin,” he said, getting off his bike. “There ain’t no way I’m gonna leave you alone right now. Not until Lee and his gang are taken down.”

“You mean that guy from the drop? The one who thought you were ripping him off?” I asked. I’d had my suspicions, but Dom had just confirmed it.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Listen, until Big Red and the guys take care of him, I want you close to me. He mighta thought I was driving the truck, but he mighta been targeting you. I never should have brought you with me.”

“I’m a big girl, I knew what I was getting into,” I told him. I couldn’t tell him that I wanted to do more simply because of the money. The danger added a thrill, but Mikey getting shot had dulled that thrill down to a tarnished throb in the back of my head.

“I don’t think a girl like you would have ever known what to expect,” he smiled at me and took the helmet I handed to him. He hooked his and mine – how funny, I was already thinking of it as mine – and hooked them to the handlebars of his Harley.

Normally I would have protested, telling him they’d be stolen in this area, but I suspected that most people knew stealing from a guy on a Harley wasn’t exactly a good idea.

Besides, the club’s logo, a skeletal reaper with devil’s horns holding its bony hand across the mouth of an angel, was emblazoned on the side of his helmet. Nobody in this city fucked with Hell’s Ransom.

“I’m not totally naïve you know, I’ve heard all about the things that go on around town,” I told him.

Once again he glanced down at my skirt, raised his brows and said, “Really? You’re so wild you even know about the things going on in town? Why don’t you enlighten me, oh dangerous one?”

He gave me a wink and I blushed from the tip of my ears to the ends of my toes.

“Just because I’m not a slut doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” I hissed and stomped away.

“Shit, darlin,” he laughed and chased after me, “that’s not what I meant. You know that’s not what I meant.”

He caught up and grabbed my arm. I whirled around to face him, looked way up and once again felt a little dizzy at how hot he was.

It felt like looking down off the side of a tall building, that familiar sensation that I was about to fall.

It didn’t make sense, how would I fall up towards him? How would I fall up unless I was falling in?

And that made the least sense of all. I barely knew him, he was a means to get money for dad, that was it. At least that’s what I told myself.

I knew though, somewhere in the back of my head was that nagging thought, that he was more than a means to an end.

Dominick Carter felt like a beginning, and that’s what scared me.

“I know, but it felt like you were mocking me. I know it’s weird that I’ve never had sex, but I’ve just never found the right person,” I replied, narrowing my eyes, daring him to keep making fun of me.

He surprised me by reaching out, stroking my jawline, sending electric jolts of sensation along my skin and smiling. “I wasn’t mocking you,” he said in a soft, intense voice, “I think it’s fucking sexy. I think you’re the most intriguing, beautiful girl I’ve met in a very long time, and any man who gets to be your first had better fucking understand how special you are.”

“Any man?” I asked with my brow raised.

He gave me a lopsided grin and took his hand away. My face immediately felt cold without his touch. “That does leave it rather wide open, doesn’t it?” he said.

“It does,” I said and came to my senses. “But we need to find Mikey.”

“Yes, that we do. We can address the matter of your virginity another time,” he smirked and I blushed again.

We found Mikey already in her own room, sedated but awake enough for visitors.

I told Dom to wait outside and I walked in, hoping Mikey wouldn’t completely hate me after what had happened.

“Linden! Holy fuck,” Mikey exclaimed in a slurred voice when she saw me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said and sat on the edge of her bed. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I am, I got hit twice, once in the shoulder and one went right through my arm,” she said, holding up her right arm that was now bandaged thickly.

“But you’re okay? You’ll be able to use that arm and everything?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, they said I’ll be completely fine once it heals up. I’ll even be able to play racquetball again.”

“Oh thank god, I am so sorry that happened to you. It should have been me,” I said, holding her good hand.

“Was that a gang hit? Like a rival motorcycle club or something?” she asked, her eyes bright.

“Yeah, something like that,” I said, not knowing how to explain it all to her.

“That is so bad ass,” she laughed and looked at her arm again. “I was injured in a Hell’s Ransom drive by. I can’t wait to tell people about this.”

“Jesus, Mikey, you could have been killed,” I said.

“But I wasn’t! And now I’ll have a cool story tell along with the scars to prove it. Linden, I have a feeling we’re going to become good friends.”

I had to laugh at her crazy outlook on the whole thing. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.”

“Oh my god, my baby!” an older woman cried out as she rushed into the room and practically shoved me off the bed. She draped herself over Mikey and started to sob.

“Hey mom,” Mikey said and rolled her eyes at me over the woman’s shoulder. “I’m fine, I’ll live, I barely got hit.”

“I knew you shouldn’t have gone to that school, it’s so full of riff raff,” the older woman wailed and turned her head to glare at me.

“It’s not the school, mom. It wasn’t even on campus. The police think it’s a totally random shooting and I was just caught in the crossfire.”

I backed away slowly as Mikey’s mom hugged her daughter tight and continued to moan about the neighborhood and terrible school.

I waved goodbye and ducked out of there before Mikey’s mom found out I was the one in the truck with her.

Dom was waiting right where I’d left him, but he was surrounded by a little gang of nurses. Five of them, all giggling and hanging on Dom’s every word, and from where I stood, he was eating it up.

I stood behind a tall buxom blonde and cleared my throat.

None of the nurses moved.

I got annoyed and ducked around the blonde, peeked at Dom who caught me looking.

He was grinning and caught my eye, winked and stood up.

“This has all been rather entertaining,” Dom chuckled, “but I have to go, ladies.”

“Awe, Dom, why don’t you stick around?” a gorgeous red head simpered and put her hand on his arm.

He looked down at it, glanced at me and laughed. “I’m afraid if I stick around here, I’ll wind up with my face clawed up. Ladies, meet Linden, if I don’t take her home she’s going to burn me up with a glance.”

“I don’t care if you stay,” I glowered at him. “I’ll catch a cab, I already told you.”

“And there’s no way I’ll let you out of my sight,” he grinned. “Until another time.” He saluted the gang of nurses and followed me as I stalked down the hallway, angry at myself for feeling jealous and angry at him for loving the attention.

“Hang on there, darlin,” he said as I punched the elevator call button.

“What?” I asked and hunched over, my back to him.

He turned me around and I resisted at first, but gave into him. I looked up at him and saw a smile playing around the edges of his mouth. “That’s adorable.”

“What is?”

“Your jealousy, it’s adorable.”

“It’s not meant to be adorable,” I retorted.

“Well it is, you can’t help it,” he smiled.

“I don’t want to be adorable, I want you to take me seriously,” I pouted.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. We stepped on and I angrily tapped the lobby button.

He grabbed me, pulled me against him and held me tight.

“Never doubt one thing, Linden.”

“What’s that?” I asked breathlessly.

“I take you very, very seriously.”

I smiled and looked down, not wanting him to see how pleased I was.

I wanted him to see me in a serious light, I wanted him to know I wasn’t playing games.

Most of all, I wanted him.