Their Bounty (Four Mercenaries 1)

“Get down here! They’ve got Clover!” Tank yelled. “We’re only alive because they got spooked by the explosives. Why didn’t you shoot?”

“What did you mean about the trap?” Pyro added quickly.

Boar swallowed hard, staring through the scope at the three men that were his family. Everyone he cared about was alive at least.

“Someone crept up on me. I’m hurt,” he said, still unsure what to do about the wound. There was a chance the blade hadn’t cut through an artery. But it was big, and while he was no expert on anatomy, he was positive it could have grazed a major blood vessel. He didn’t want to die because of some motherfucker. Not before Clover was safe.

“Fuck! I’ll be right up there!” Pyro said and ran toward the building.

Boar groaned, struggling to get up. Pain was like burning coals stuck in his flesh, getting hotter by the second as adrenaline wore off. “No, you’ve got to follow them.”

“Clover’s got a tracker,” Tank said. “We were prepared for this possibility, even if it’s not optimal.”

Boar saw red. “Not optimal? Our boy’s been taken. He could be raped and tortured. It sure isn’t fucking optimal!”

“You think I don’t know that?” Tank yelled back. “Someone’s gotta stay calm so that we can regroup and deal with the fallout!”

Despite Boar’s desire to ensure Clover’s safety, the sound of hurried footsteps still made him relax somewhat, and the sight of Pyro’s blue hair put a smile on his face, regardless of how not on-plan the situation was.

“I’ll follow them on the bike so that we don’t lose signal,” Tank said through the headset. “You take the cars and follow my lead as fast as you can.”

“Don’t lose him,” Boar whispered when Pyro kneeled next to him. Only up close did he realize his lover must have rolled into the dirt at some point during the fight, because the left side of his face was covered with brown dust. His eyes were wide, lips twisted.

“What the fuck, Boar? You said you were hurt, not that there’s a knife sticking out of your leg. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Detour, guys. I’ll be taking him to the hospital,” Pyro said, already helping Boar up. He was shorter than Boar, but his strength meant he could hold most of Boar’s weight, letting him save the injured leg. Still, Boar could feel the blade shift in his flesh, and the numbness that had overcame his body after the stab was now over.

“No. You can’t waste time on me,” he said, accepting the help regardless. He bumped his head against Pyro’s and briefly closed his eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of him.

Pyro’s eyes flashed with anger, but he was extremely careful on the way to the stairs. “Just shut up.”

“Do whatever’s needed,” Tank said, but his voice was already crackling, which meant he was off and putting more distance between them than the communication devices could take.

Boar winced when he stepped down too abruptly. “No, I won’t shut up. Clover trusts us. I made him a promise, and now he’s with some vile woman who wanted him at all cost, as if he were a fucking collectible!”

Pyro shook his head with an expression of permanent fury. “Shouldn’t have gotten stabbed then. We’ve got to deal with it, or you won’t be of any use to Clover either.”

“I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time any of us is injured. Just leave me one car.”

Drake, who’s been silent so far, spoke in an even voice. “That’s ridiculous. Pyro, do you need help?”

“I’ve got this,” Pyro said through his teeth, helping Boar down the stairs, which were a particular challenge in his state. Each downward move pulled on Boar’s elevated leg and made him feel as if the blade drilled farther inside him.

“It’s not. It’s my left leg. You just help me into the car, and I’ll drive myself to a hospital.”

“You’re bleeding, idiot!” Pyro huffed by the time they emerged into the sunlight, and Drake approached them to support Boar from the other side.

“Let me fucking do this! I’m not trying to play the hero, but I can’t bear Clover having less of a shot at safety, just because you had to drive me to the hospital like I was some old lady! I… He’s ours, Pyro.” Boar took a deep breath and gave Pyro a kiss to communicate all that he wasn’t able to convey with words. “I’ll be fine. Please, go get our boy.”

Pyro’s stiff, flushed face twitched, and he briefly looked away, arm tightening around Boar’s waist. “You’re mine too.”

Boar swallowed the tightness in his throat, hugging his lover to show how much he still meant to him after all the years together. “And you’re mine. But you know how I feel about him. I know that for all your talk, you care for him just as much. I can’t help him now, but you can get him back for us. You need to do this. Please. If I weren’t injured and went with you now, I’d be at risk too, and you would have let me take that risk.”