Max had made his choices in life after getting free of Jagger, but Ian had been honest when he’d said he was the one lucky enough to meet Lucas, Snow, and Rowe. And while he’d never wish that were different, he could understand where Max was coming from.
“I managed to find some floor plans for the place,” Quinn announced into the noise of the room.
All the guys and Gidget quieted and gathered around his computer to study them. Hollis rubbed his hand up and down Ian’s back, and Ian leaned into him. This was taking too long, and all he could think about was Max and what he was going through right then.
Were they beating him?
Was Rowe right and had they killed him already?
All the shit Max had done to him paled when compared to that. He leaned harder into Hollis, who wrapped an arm around him. He was thankful his husband had spoken up in his defense. Lucas, Snow, and Rowe would always try to protect him. Not that Hollis didn’t feel the same way—they were just on equal footing, and Hollis never let him forget that.
“We need to hurry,” Ian said, feeling antsy and worried.
Rowe nodded and led everyone down to his toy room to get them outfitted. Ian held back, his hand on Hollis’s arm to stop him from following.
“You okay with all this?”
Hollis smiled down at him and cupped his face. He kissed him briefly. “Yes. You have a big, big heart, and it’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”
“But I’m putting everyone in danger over this, and a part of me is feeling pretty damn bad about that.”
“These guys wouldn’t do this if they didn’t feel it’s right on some level. Even I feel bad for the kid.”
“He’s not a kid—he’s probably around twenty-seven years old. Remember, I was a little older than Jagger liked them when he got me.”
Hollis grimaced. “Yeah, but Max never got to be a kid. Like you.” Hollis kissed him again. “This is someone who had all his rights taken away, and then he was thrown out onto the streets after living a nightmare. I can understand why you want to help him.”
“It could have been me, Hollis.”
Hollis pulled him in for a hug. “But it’s not you, and I for one am glad. I never would have met you if you hadn’t taken the life path you did. I’m the luckiest husband on Earth.”
Ian smiled into his sooty jacket. He hugged him back and pulled him toward the door. “Come on, let’s go look at what Rowe’s showing everyone.”
All the guys picked out their “toys.” Gidget and Quinn were going to work remotely with them and watch for cops. Gidget was also going to work her magic and take the power down at the site.
Ian was given two guns, one a tranq and one real. They felt weird in his hands, but he didn’t share that feeling, not wanting everyone to be more nervous than they already were about arming him. Years ago, Ian had gotten some shooting lessons from Lucas and Rowe as a “just in case.” Ian had been sure he’d never hold a gun again after those lessons, but life takes strange turns. Lucas and Noah took him into the firing range for a quick refresher course, but Ian knew he’d need a lot more than one lesson to be comfortable shooting a gun.
It wasn’t long before they were piling into SUVs and driving through the dark, quiet streets of Cincinnati. There was a strange hush to the city this early in the morning, but Ian knew a lot of that strangeness was linked to what he was about to do. Raid a known drug den.
He looked over at Hollis to find his husband watching him closely. His man was worried about taking him on this mission despite his earlier words. Not that he blamed him. Ian was a freaking chef, after all, not an ex-cop.
As they drew closer to the warehouse, Ian’s nerves threatened to eat him alive. He ran his sweaty palms down his slacks.
A memory of flames licking their way through Rialto flashed through his mind, and his heart threatened to break. Ian violently shoved that worry to the side. He needed to keep his head in this. Not only was his life on the line, but the lives of his family and friends. He wanted all of them returning home safe and sound at the end of this.
They parked several blocks away and one by one, the men drifted into the night carrying their weapons. Ian, gripping his gun with sweaty hands, followed on Hollis’s heels.Chapter Twenty-OneHollis crouched down behind a car, a gun clenched tightly in his right fist as he tried to ignore the cold. It had rained earlier in the evening, leaving the pavement damp and peppered with puddles. His shoes were already soaked. But the physical discomfort was nothing compared to the fear and panic battling it out in his chest. Ian was squatting behind the car with a gun.