Their Bounty (Four Mercenaries 1)

Were they all queer?

Before Clover could have answered his own question, Tank carried him farther down the corridor. “I’m gonna talk to him on my own first. Don’t interrupt me!”

Clover gulped loudly when Pyro laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Talk to him. Sure.”

Tank carried Clover down a short corridor and into a tidy room without much more than a big bed and a few chests of drawers. He rolled Clover down to the mattress and locked the door behind them.

“Listen, boy. You and I are gonna have a chat, because you’re not going anywhere until I know what your deal is.”

Clover bit his lip, thinking back to Riggs telling him that there has been a ‘special request’ for a man like him. If a lot of money was involved, he might be tracked down and captured again. After all, how many young, handsome albino men with no relatives were there? He was prime merchandise.

“I… need to leave the state.” It wasn’t like there was anything left for him in his native Arizona after Jerry had sold him off and Troy had cheated on him last year. “And you… take on difficult jobs, is that right?”

Tank blinked and let out a snort, taking off the thick vest, though the chest underneath was no less impressive in size without the extra padding. “Why? You want to pay us to take you beyond the state border? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just take a Greyhound?”

Clover tried not to stare, but the ideas put in his head by Boar and Pyro wouldn’t leave. If these guys were gay or bi, he could be safe with them. Well, at least safer than he would have been with straight mercenaries. Until the danger blew over. He just needed time.

“Someone’s after me. I have friends in New York, and they’d pay for your effort once we get there.” He didn’t know anyone who’d bother to lend him even a hundred bucks, but New York was the first far-off place that came to his mind. He could disappear in a big city, and from there, maybe travel to Canada? With skin like his, Mexico was out of the question.

Tank removed his utility belt and hung it on the wall before stretching in a way that showcased his figure despite his dark green T-shirt being too loose to cling to his massive form. Its color complemented the olive shade of his skin, and Clover found himself staring once again. Despite his initial fear, he was positive Tank didn’t have ill intentions toward him. His business wasn’t strictly speaking legal, but whose really was these days?

“Let’s quit this dance. Who are you? How were you taken?” Tank asked, dropping to a stool across from the bed, under a framed picture of flowers that was so not Tank its presence proved he couldn’t have been the one who’d decorated.

Clover dialed up the victim act, staring at Tank with wide eyes. “My name’s Clover. I was travelling through Arizona and made friends with this guy, Jerry. Before I knew it, he sold me off to Riggs, who you already know of, and here I am. There’s no more to it, other than how I look. Someone wants a person like me. Please, wouldn’t it be a nice road trip for you guys? You take me to New York, and I pay for your services once we get there?” His heart rattled faster by the second. There was something about Tank’s sheer size and calm presence that set Clover on edge. So he faked a smile and tentatively extended his cuffed wrist. “Please? I won’t run again. I panicked, because I don’t know who you guys are.”

Tank stared at him, his expression hard yet unreadable. Clover might have as well begged for the help of a granite sculpture. “Don’t you have family to contact? Wouldn’t it make more sense for your friends to pay for your plane ticket? Traveling by car means more opportunities for someone to take you.”

Tank’s gaze was like a searchlight about to uncover all of Clover’s secrets. He hadn’t said it yet, but he was on the track of Clover’s bullshit.

Think, Clover. Think. He ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t leave my friends in the nicest way. But I can convince them to pay you once I’m there in person.” He dared nudge Tank’s rock-hard, tattooed forearm with his fingers. “I can make it worth your while.”

The way Tank’s gaze zeroed in on him made Clover’s heart skip a beat. Silence extended between them like a strand of bubblegum.

Tank grabbed Clover by the wrist, but didn’t squeeze, and instead rubbed his thick thumb over Clover’s vein. “For the record, I think you’re a lying liar who lies, but maybe we could figure out this little road trip.”

Hook. Line. Sinker.

Clover dared a little smile. “We could?”