Chapter Four
Sunlight flashed off metal, a brief glint among the pines. Luca's instincts kicked in at the sight. He flung his arm out, shouting, “Chopper. Get down, now!”
They scrambled, boots skidding on gravel as they dove behind the Camry. A shot sliced through the air, slamming into the tow truck. The front tire began to hiss as it deflated.
“ ?Mierda! ” Luca snarled. “I just replaced that tire!”
Chopper glanced up briefly, then ducked back down as a bullet sprayed gravel over their boots. “We’re pinned, hermano .”
“Hopefully not for long.” Luca wiped sweat from his forehead with his wrist. His shoulder ached from bracing tightly against the car, but he forced himself to calm down, slowing his breathing by counting each breath.
Chopper crawled beside him, scanning the trees with his gun at the ready, careful to stay below the back passenger window. “You see how many?”
Luca shook his head, eyes sliding along the line of trees. Whoever was out there had corrected their mistake, keeping their weapon’s metal out of the sunlight.
Another bullet struck the Camry, too close for comfort. Luca ducked lower, knees pressing into small pebbles and something sticky he preferred not to think about.
Gesturing with two fingers, Chopper mouthed, “Right. Two.”
When Luca risked a look, he saw one figure moving behind a decayed stump, another barely visible farther away. A third shot hit the side mirror, spraying glass shards against his cheek.
He tapped Chopper’s boot. “We get low and crawl.”
They flattened themselves against the ground, elbows and knees scraping against the rough pavement and scattered rocks.
A flicker of movement appeared on the right, a brief glint of gunmetal. Clearly, he’d been wrong. They hadn’t learned their lesson. Luca aimed and squeezed the trigger. His shot struck the ankle of the nearest guy, eliciting a shout and a stumble, but the bastard stayed on their feet. Damn it.
Chopper took aim at the second silhouette and fired two shots. The person grunted loudly and cursed but didn’t go down. Instead, one fired back, bullets slamming into the car’s front panel. Luca gritted his teeth, hoping backup would arrive soon.
For a split second, he considered moving behind his tow truck.
It would provide better protection, but he didn’t want it riddled with bullet holes.
The tire alone would be costly to replace.
He didn't want to add bodywork expenses to the list. You’re being shot at and the cost of repairs is your immediate concern?
“Sons of bitches just don’t let up.” Chopper reloaded, jaw tight.
“Then we don’t either,” Luca said. “We just need to hold them off until our pack gets here.”
“Who’d you text?” Chopper asked.
“Santiago,” he said as another shot rang out, sending a slug through the Camry’s fender and straight into Luca’s shoulder.
The pain was searing and sharp, tearing through his right side.
Luca stifled a scream, pressing a hand against the wound.
When he pulled it away, his hand was slick with blood.
Should’ve taken cover behind the rig, dumbass.
“I’m hit,” he gritted out.
Chopper’s head snapped around. “How bad?”
With a hiss, he yanked aside the collar of his shirt. “Do you see an exit wound?”
“I don’t see one.” Chopper’s hand hovered, but he didn’t touch.
Luca wiped the blood from his hand onto his jeans, needing a firm grip on his gun despite the intense pain in his shoulder.
If they survived this, he’d have to visit Dr. Martinez to get the bullet removed and the wound stitched. It wouldn’t be the first scar on his body and definitely wouldn’t be the last.
A buzzing sound caught his attention. Digging out his phone, he read a text from Darcy.
You said an hour, right? Already here, waiting on my dog whisperer .
The last thing he wanted was to let down his lucerito, but until help arrived, Luca was stuck behind this crappy car.
Missing his lunch date with Darcy was infuriating.
The human was already skittish with Luca.
Hopefully he hadn’t ruined his chances by leaving Darcy hanging.
He started to reply, but bullets pinged the car.
“I’m getting really sick of these cabróns ,” Luca growled, quickly pocketing his phone before returning fire. Someone ducked behind a tree. “They’re ruining my lunch date.”
“Date?” Chopper raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you let Lenny handle this job?”
“Glad I didn’t.” Luca grunted at the throbbing pain. “He would’ve been killed. Good mechanic, great dad, but the human lacks shifter instincts. They would’ve picked him off immediately.”
Bullets continued piercing the Camry’s front end and the nearby trees, bark splintering off a pine inches away from Luca. The hot air was thick with the scent of oil and pine. Luca gritted his teeth, eager for this standoff to end.
A quiet pause stretched, broken only by the distant hum of insects.
Chopper pressed flat to the ground, sweat stains on the back of his shirt.
“We’ll get you to your date, hermano . I’m starving.
Knew I should’ve eaten breakfast. Cesar’s giving Jamie more cooking lessons. They laid out a spread this morning.”
All Luca’d had was a cup of coffee, but he wasn’t thinking about food right now.
He was thinking about Darcy and those gorgeous green eyes.
The way he seemed puzzled whenever Luca flirted, like the concept was lost on him.
Guy couldn’t walk a pack of dogs to save his life, but Darcy was determined to learn how.
Every instruction Luca gave, the human followed with concentrated effort.
That’s what Luca really liked about him.
Darcy didn’t give up, despite the dogs pulling him in every direction.
The male seemed dead set on mastering them instead of the other way around.
Darcy just needed to learn how to relax.
If he kept expecting chaos, the dogs would never see him as their pack leader.
Luca had also fallen for the adorable way Darcy demanded Meatball let go of Jared’s spare tire. There hadn’t been any bite behind his command, which was why the pit bull kept using the tire as his chew toy.
Shadows moved again, the shooters trying to find a better angle. Luca tracked the gunman on the left, counting heartbeats, until a wild shot tore through the Camry’s window, shattering the glass and causing it to rain down in uneven chunks all around them.
Luca pressed his cheek to rust-flaked metal, wincing as the pain in his shoulder grew worse.
A bullet buried itself in the engine block, sending smoke curling up. Chopper ducked close and patted Luca’s good arm, a quick, silent question.
“I’m hanging in there,” Luca rasped, squinting through sweat and grit. He felt blood oozing from the wound, making the fabric of his shirt stick to his skin.
“Wanna try the ankles again?” Chopper asked, glancing at Luca with concern.
They lowered together, shifting their weight so they hugged dirt. Luca scooted to the edge of the front bumper, lining up sightlines through the Camry’s broken headlamp. He waited, but whoever was shooting had gone silent.
Chopper wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “They’re waiting for us to make a mistake.”
Deep, throaty engines cut through the silence, the kind of sound that was unmistakable even as it grew louder.
“About damn time,” Luca ground out, lips twitching despite the pain. Chopper’s grin turned into a low chuckle.
“The sound never fails to settle my nerves,” he said.
The woods held their breath. The incoming bikes didn’t. They chewed up the road, not bothering with stealth, sounding like a wall of hungry metal and muscle.
Luca risked another look. The shooters bolted, figures stumbling back into the brush. One limped hard, dragging his wounded leg. He still didn’t know who the hell they were or why they’d set him up.
Motorcycles cut through the last stretch of brush.
In seconds, chrome surged past the crippled tow truck.
Chopper was up, shouting to them about the gunmen.
Shoulder on fire, Luca glanced around the front bumper again as Chopper took off to join them.
Six pack members were already off their motorcycles, heading into the woods, Matias leading the way.
Easing back to lean against the passenger front tire, Luca’s breath was coming out heavier now. He kept his gun up until Santiago crouched beside him. Finally, Luca could let his body relax, which only made his wound hurt even worse.
“How we doing, hermano ?” Santiago asked.
Luca grunted. “Took one, but still breathing.”
“You look like shit.” Santiago gently pulled aside the collar of Luca’s shirt. “So does this wound.”
Gunfire erupted, but Santiago remained steady, grinning down at Luca. “You got someone waiting for you at the tavern. How do you know my pizza guy?”
Pizza guy? “He’s a dog walker.”
“And he works at Furry Friends. That pet store on Fifth,” Santiago added. “I’m surprised he had a day off to hook up with you.”
Three jobs? And he’d chosen to use his one free day to spend with Luca? Damn if that didn’t touch him deeply.
The scuff of boots caught Luca’s attention. Matias rounded the car before crouching next to him. “How we doing?”
“Ready to do cartwheels.” His vision blurred at the edges. Sweat soaked his skin, beads dripping into his eyes, making them burn. “I think I need to pass out now.”
Matias grabbed him just as Luca slumped over.