Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run 7)

The engine grew louder, drawing closer. Ty could hear it both outside the thin walls and in his ear. The ear bud Shine had missed was still there. It had been buzzing in Ty’s ear all this time, and now it was picking up the roaring of an angry motorcycle.

Ty craned his head and saw the rider through the dirty front window, barreling toward the house through a field of weeds and brush. It was an off-white cruiser with a hulking rider sheathed in black leather and a skullcap-style helmet, face covered with a pair of sunglasses and a black bandana with a white skull printed on it.

Ty caught his breath, staring out the window as the rider pointed a gun toward the house. Gaudet and Shine seemed to be trying to decide between fight and flight. “Its rider was named Death,” Ty told them, beginning to smile. Gunshots shattered the hinges and panels of the rickety front door and continued to rain down on the occupants of the room. “And Hell followed with him!” Ty shouted as both men dove to the floor, covering their heads.

Splinters and shards of bullets flew through the air. Shine and his father both scrambled to the corners of the room, covering themselves. Ty brought his hand up to shield his eyes as the motorcycle burst through the ruined door, screaming into the room and tearing up the floorboards and remnants of carpet as it went. The rider put a foot down and caused the back wheel of the motorcycle to slide around, chewing up the wood and shooting shrapnel at the men cowering on the floor.

Ty gaped at the reflective surface of the sunglasses. The rider tossed him a small knife—Zane, it was Zane—and Ty barely managed to overcome his shock to catch it. He sliced through his ropes and struggled out of the chair. Zane held his gun up and ejected the empty magazine onto the floor. He’d used all his ammunition busting through the door and had nothing left to finish the job.

Gaudet and Shine scrambled for their weapons. Ty lunged forward, taking Zane’s hand and swinging onto the back of the bike.

He held on tight and pressed his face into the man’s back as the motorcycle took off and darted out of the house.

Gunshots chased them, but the motorcycle was too fast for their pursuers. Ty’s grip tightened, his hand clutching at the edges of the leather jacket, the same black leather jacket he’d given Zane years ago.

They took several twists and turns through the ruin of the neighborhood, then the bike slowed and Ty was able to lift his head. Soon they reached an empty intersection, and Ty saw the men of Sidewinder converging ahead.

The motorcycle pulled to a stop beside a nondescript gray van and an old Cutlass sedan, where the other men were gathered, armed and ready.

Ty rested his head against Zane’s back, breathing hard and still shaking with adrenaline. He nodded at the others, who simply stood there and grinned.

Zane reached up and pulled the bandana down. Ty tilted sideways to pull Zane’s sunglasses off, then patted his cheek. Zane nodded and turned his head away without saying a word.

The others came closer, all of them grinning like fools.

“Wicked jailbreak, Garrett,” Nick said.

“That was some shit right there,” Digger shouted, and he held his fist up for Zane to bump it. Even Owen offered him a slap on the shoulder.

Nick took Ty’s arm and helped him off the back of the bike. “You okay?”

“Pretty much. Kelly?”

“In surgery. We don’t know anything, we had to leave him.”

Ty swallowed hard as relief flooded him. Behind Nick, Liam stood with Ava near the van. She was tied up, a bandana around her mouth to keep her quiet. Ty looked back at Nick.

“We were going to trade her for you if we had to. Zane was searching when he heard you.”

Ty stepped away, turning to meet Zane’s eyes. Zane stared at him, his face as impassive as the carved angels in St. Louis Cemetery. Ty wanted to say so many things to him, but they didn’t have time. And from Zane’s expression, he didn’t want to hear them anyway.

Ty walked over to Liam and Ava instead. Ava flinched from him when he reached up to take the bandana out of her mouth, and Ty belatedly saw the bruise forming on her cheekbone. “It’s okay,” he said.

She glared at him as he pulled the bandana down.

“Did you call him?” Ty asked, voice pitched low.

She swallowed hard. “Yes.”

Before she could explain, Ty stuffed the bandana back in. She thrashed her head, but Liam held her still as Ty tightened it and silenced her. Then he turned on Liam, who grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

“That bruise your handiwork?”

Liam rolled his eyes. “She grassed us out. And she may still have got the doc killed. So don’t cry to me, Argentina, she got what she deserved.”

He moved to pass Ty, but Ty stopped him with a hand on his chest. “We all get what we deserve,” Ty whispered in his ear.

Liam cocked his head, mere inches from his face. Then he sniffed and pushed past him. Ty took Ava by the arm and pulled her with him, pointing in the direction of the house he’d been held at. “Your daddy is that way. Start walking.”

Her dark eyes glared at him, but she jutted her chin out and started off down the crumbling road without looking back.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Nick asked.

Ty nodded. “Keeping her around would be like trying to keep a raccoon in a cage. You’ll end up bloody. With rabies.”

Nick chuckled and climbed into the van. Ty looked to Zane again, feeling his chest growing tighter. Liam stepped up to Zane, breaking the eye contact between them before Ty could say anything. He held up a hand, grasping Zane’s and pulling in closer to hug him. “You’ll do all right, mate! Bloody hell!”

Ty’s attention was still on Zane when Liam turned back to him. Liam gave him a shove. “He deserves a bit more than your usual rescue blowjob, yeah?”

Ty tore his eyes away from Zane.

Liam grinned widely. “You don’t give it to him, darling, I sure as hell will.”

Ty swung at him before he’d thought it through, before it registered that Liam’s words had made him angry. Possessive. Jealous as hell. His punch didn’t land flush, though, because Liam leaned away and blocked Ty’s hand. He wrapped Ty’s arm up and twisted it, pulling Ty sideways toward him.

Ty grunted and arched his back as Liam torqued his arm and shoulder. Liam put his lips to Ty’s ear, and when he spoke it was in whispered Russian. “Now, now, darling, wouldn’t want you getting hurt in a fight for a man you’ve already lost.”

Ty managed to land a jab to his midsection before Liam shoved him away as if Ty were some untrained drunken brawler.