by Eileen Green
At first, Jackson wasn’t sure where Beast was, but then he spotted him on the roof, a rope in hand. Once Felix made his way into the apartment, Beast would be ready to swing down and through the window if necessary.
“Ready,” was said into the mics one after the other.
Felix stopped in front of Abigail’s door. Before he could knock, the door swung open, an arm reached out, and Felix was pulled into the interior. That was the plan.
He had left his mic open for this point on, so the others knew what to do by words that were said. To keep up the act, Felix exclaimed, “Hey! What’s going on?”
“Who the hell are you?” a voice asked gruffly.
“I…um…where’s Abigail?” Felix asked.
“I asked who you were, hijo de puta,” the mystery man said again.
“Why do you have guns? What have you done to Abigail? We’re supposed to be in a meeting in three hours, and I have some reports to do.” Damn! Felix was doing a good job at acting scared.
“Three guns visible,” Alex said even though Jackson knew the codes.
“Shit, Tinker, what the hell! You’re bleeding!”
“Shut up!” the man shouted, most likely aiming a gun at Felix.
“We’re going to need a bus,” Alex said.
John Drake was on his phone immediately requesting an ambulance, but it was to come in silent and park around the corner until they were needed.
“Who the hell are you?” Irritation was in the man’s voice. Felix had reached the end of his friendly banter and codes.
“Felix. Felix Ramirez. I’m Abigail’s partner at work.” He gave just enough attitude in his answer to keep up pretenses.
“Then you should know that she is at work, according to this prick here.” The man was talking about Tinker. “You lied to me.”
“Come on, don’t shoot him again. You’ve already shot him twice.”
“Not another word from you! Do you know where Jackson Malone is?”
“Hey, don’t push me!” Felix shouted.
“Silencio!” The man had been pushed enough if he was wanting silence.
Chapter Twelve
Hope had blossomed in Tinker’s chest when he saw Felix walk by the window. However, when the man knocked on the door and the one gunman that was standing closest to it opened it, all hope faded. The man pulled Felix in the room. Felix stumbled and looked scared when he saw the three guns.
The banter between Felix and Evil Man—yes, Tinker had named him—was getting to Tinker. Felix kept talking but not answering questions directly. Felix’s eyes seemed to be scanning the room as he talked, as if taking in the situation.
Felix followed the gun that was aimed at him, coming to stop next to Tinker, his back slightly at an angle. The other two gunmen were along the wall near the front door and the beginning of the hallway.
Although he had been told to be silent, Felix didn’t seem to be fazed by it. Felix put his hands on his hips, the action raising up the bottom of his jacket.
Tinker was surprised when he spotted a gun in the back of Felix’s pants. He was still confused though, especially when Felix looked at the fire, and commented, “What? Only one log on the fire? No wonder it’s cold in here. I bet it’s like two degrees over there by the thermometer.”
Again, the man was speaking in riddles.
Evil Man stood up and aimed his gun directly at Felix’s head. “I told you to be quiet!”
Felix stood still, staring at Evil Man.
Tinker moved his right hand up carefully. He hoped the other two men would remain where they stood as his fingers touched the butt of the gun. Taking a deep breath, Tinker took hold of the gun and slipped it into the pocket of his sweats.
“You have tried my patience, Mr. Ramirez. Sit down, and do not open your mouth,” Evil Man ordered.
Felix sat in the empty recliner, a bit smug for being a hostage.
“Since neither one of you will tell me where Miss Winters and Jackson Malone is, I will just make sure they come to me.”
The gun moved downward toward Tinker, and he was certain this was when and where he was going to die. He swallowed hard, the slow motion of it all fascinating.
Felix kicked up the coffee table top, which crashed into Evil Man’s hand. The gun went off as it fell to the ground. Evil Man lunged for the gun, but Tinker kicked it further away as he quickly stood. Pain rushed through him as he remembered his injuries, but he wanted to make sure it was far enough away from the man.
“Get down, Tinker!” Felix ordered, pulling another gun from the inside of his jacket.
Tinker did as he was told. He ducked down behind the recliner he had just vacated, ignoring the pain. He was within inches of reaching the gun Evil Man had dropped and went to retrieve it but stopped when chaos began.
A crash came from the sliding glass door at the balcony. Looking up, Tinker found a man dressed in all black rushing in. He carried what looked like a semi-automatic weapon and had directed it toward the living room.
The sound of breaking glass happened from the front window, and the door being kicked in was a lot to take in. Two big burly blurs came rushing in through the door, and the bulky blur that came through the window all began to move to take down the men with guns.
Several shots rang out, but Tinker didn’t know where they came from or who they may have hit. He did know that Evil Man was still trying to reach the gun that was inches away from Tinker. Scrambling for it, Tinker was able to push it further away.
Remembering that he had the gun from Felix, Tinker pulled it out and aimed it at Evil Man. The latter stopped and then grinned with a snarl. “You can’t do it, boy.”
The challenge came with the man beginning to reach for the gun again. Tinker wasn’t sure if there was a safety or anything, but if Felix wanted him to take it, then he assumed it was ready.
Dark eyes continued to stare at him as Evil Man continued to try to move toward the gun. As if the man decided to take the gun from Tinker instead, he lunged at him.
Evil Man was on his knees reaching out toward Tinker when Tinker pulled the trigger. He wasn’t expecting the recoil, and the gun nearly hit him in the face.
Bright red began to blossom on Evil Man’s chest, coloring the white shirt he wore on the left part of his chest. The man fell back against the edge of the couch, looking at Tinker as if he was surprised. He took several breaths, each one shallower than the one before until he no longer breathed. Glassy eyes still stared at Tinker, who knew they didn’t see anything at all anymore.
Men were moving around the room in black blurs. They were tall and muscular from what he could see, but he knew none of them were Jackson. Had he sent these men and not come himself?
A hand appeared in front of him, which Tinker accepted. He began to stand, but the pain was too much this time. He released the hand and sank back onto the floor.
Felix knelt next to him. “Are those the only places where you’re hurt?” he asked as he looked down at the wounds. Tinker nodded. Then, as if Felix was talking to no one in particular, he said, “I need my medic, and we need that bus, stat. We have one live suspect.”
Tinker looked over in the direction that Felix was looking and saw one of the other gunmen on the floor, dead by the looks of his eyes. The other was struggling in the cuffs he had on his wrists. A gunshot wound to his stomach had him bleeding on the floor.
Abigail was going to need a really good cleanup crew in here. Abigail!
“Felix! Abigail’s in the closet! You have to get her!” Tinker called out as Felix turned back to look down at him.
“She’s fine, Tinker.” That was a familiar voice.
There was a ringing in Tinker’s ears, and his head felt fuzzy. Looking up past Felix, he saw Jackson standing there, holding a shaking Abigail. His two lovers were together again. He smiled as everything went dark, his last thoughts that Abigail was safe and Jackson was there for her.
* * * *
“Why won’t they tell us a
nything?” Abigail practically wailed.
It had been an hour since they brought Tinker into the ER, and neither she nor Jackson had been allowed to go in to see him. They weren’t family, and until the nurses talked to his family, they were left in the dark. The one thing they did know was he was in surgery, and they only knew that because John Drake had gone back to talk to him.
Abigail had called Tinker’s parents as soon as the ambulance was on the way to the hospital. However, she knew rush-hour traffic was going to slow them down as they were coming up from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
A cup of coffee appeared in front of Abigail’s face, and not one from the cafeteria. Looking up, she found Emma standing there with two cups of coffee in her hands. Accepting the offering, she watched as her new friend sat in the chair across from her.
“Any news?” Emma asked quietly before taking a sip of her own coffee.
“No.” Abigail didn’t want to sound disappointed, but she couldn’t help it. He was her best friend and her lover. She couldn’t stand it if something happened to him.
An arm came around her shoulder, pulling her up against Jackson’s side. He had been comforting since they arrived, however, she knew he was hurting also.
While sitting in the closet, Abigail had a lot of time to think. Her initial reaction the previous night had been to make Jackson grovel before she and Tinker would take him back. But sitting in that corner, in the dark, she had looked at things from Jackson’s point of view.
He loved them enough to walk away just to keep them safe. She had given up what she wanted the most out of life because her parents had died, and she had to take care of her siblings. Tinker had given up the opportunity to have a relationship with her to be her friend when she had inadvertently shot him down.
However, she had to wonder if she would walk away from the people she loved if it meant they could live. She prayed she would never find out.
Glancing up at Jackson and getting a smile in return, she knew she would go to the ends of the earth to see that smile every day.
Movement from the door had everyone in the waiting room standing up. The doctor, a young man in his early thirties, looked around the room. “Is there a—” He paused and pulled a notepad out of his lab coat’s pocket. Looking at it, he continued. “I’m looking for Abigail Winters.”
“I’m Abigail,” she announced nervously.
“I’m Dr. Reed. I was the one who performed your fiancé’s surgery. There were no broken bones, but we did have to take care of a couple of veins that had been damaged. He should make a full recovery and be as good as new in a few weeks. You should be able to see him in an hour or so.”
Relief flooded her body, and she suddenly felt as if she needed to sit down for her legs felt wobbly. Actually, her entire body felt as if was going to fall apart.
“You need to get her home,” she heard Emma say, only her voice was far away. “She’s been working off adrenaline up until now. She’s been holding herself together all morning.”
Sitting, Abigail watched the doctor walk away and Tinker’s parents enter the waiting room. His mother was frantic-looking, and his father looked around the room, unsure of himself. Mr. and Mrs. Jameson had always been strong people. They had come to visit Tinker often, and Tinker had taken Abigail to see them in Colorado Springs for family get-togethers.
Abigail had become part of their family, and now she had to wonder if they knew that Tinker had fallen in love with her.
Since the couple had come directly from Colorado Springs, Mr. Jameson was wearing his uniform. She wasn’t sure what rank he held, but Jackson, Alex, and Felix stood as Mr. Jameson had entered and saluted the officer. When Mr. Jameson returned the salute, the men resumed their seats.
Mrs. Jameson came over to Abigail and gathered her in her arms. When she released her, Mr. Jameson did the same. They both showed their love for her.
“Is there any news?” Mrs. Jameson asked, worry lacing her words.
Abigail nodded. “The doctor just left. He said that Tinker will make a full recovery,” she explained. “He said we can see him in a while.”
“You don’t look well, Abigail,” Mr. Jameson pointed out. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest. We’ll be here for him.”
Letting Jackson help her up, she looked at Tinker’s mother. “Please tell him that I love him when you see him, and that I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“We will, sweetheart. You get some rest, and then you can tell us all about what happened.” Mrs. Jameson would most likely hear it all from Tinker.
Jackson led Abigail from the room, and the others followed. She knew she couldn’t go back to her place because there was glass and blood everywhere. It was going to be a while before she could live there again.
Numbness took over as Alex maneuvered the streets of Denver. He had offered to drive Jackson, Abigail, and Emma home. When he pulled up to the club, she knew where she was going to be living, at least until Tinker was back home. He would take her in until they figured out how they were going to move on with Jackson.
In Jackson’s bedroom, she let the man undress her and help her into his big bed. She remembered the last time she was in the bed and what they had done together as lovers. Would she ever be back in it as his lover again? Only time would tell.
Sleep overtook her quickly, leaving her to her dreams.
Chapter Thirteen
“They want to do what to me?” Jackson exclaimed. He didn’t know if he wanted to be angry or happy that Abigail and Tinker had planned something that would push his limits, and teach him that they had learned a lot about BDSM within the past month.
Since Tinker’s encounter with the men sent by the Garza cartel a month ago, Tinker and Abigail had gotten in the habit of visiting Tiger’s Lair at least two nights a week. Waiting for Tinker’s injuries to heal, they had foregone any lovemaking until he was fully recovered. Since Jackson was the assistant manager, he needed to be there, but he didn’t require them to be there while he worked.
In an effort to fully immerse Abigail in the lifestyle, Tinker would bring her down, and they would watch some scenes and socialize. Within a few weeks, she was able to watch most scenes without shaking or turning her head. There were some that did not interest her in any way, although she had kept her mind open until she had watched them at least once.
Friendships were made during that time in which Abigail had come to hold dear to her heart. She had lunch with several of the ladies once a week to keep in touch with them and have fun. With her schedule the way it was and the job she performed, she needed something to let her feminine side shine.
Jackson had walked around on tenterhooks for the past month trying to prove his love to both Abigail and Tinker. There were times when he could tell that they still questioned his sincerity of staying. Of course, it was unspoken, but occasionally, Abigail would get a look on her face, or she would withdraw a little. It killed him to see that happen just as it had it killed him to do what he had thought best to protect them in the first place.
Alex had been a good friend and mentor, as he had been while they served together. He really knew how to make a guy feel guilty for his actions. Perhaps Jackson’s lovers had been taking lessons from the man.
Right now, he sat in Alex’s office, facing the man across his desk. There was an amused smile on the man’s face as he waited for Jackson’s response, and that told Jackson volumes. Obviously, his subs, or hopefully retained subs since he still had a lot of groveling to do, had been plotting with Alex.
How he had handled the situation about leaving Abigail and Tinker to protect them was going to plague him for the rest of his life. If they ever got back to the place they were before his asinine thought pattern, Jackson knew doubt would surface every once in a while with them. And, truth be told, he would feel the same way after what he had done.
Alex smiled smugly with some amusement mixed in. The expression had been something he must have cultivat
ed for a long time before he had become the commander of their team, for Jackson remembered it well. If any of the men had done anything that was ridiculous or stupid, whether it was on a mission or not, they were sat down with Alex and he would wear that expression that told them that they were in for a lesson they would never forget.
“Was this your idea?” Jackson asked as he bristled in his seat. He wouldn’t put it past Alex to make him squirm.
“Nope. It was all Abigail and Tinker.” Alex turned serious. “We all know you wanted to protect them from your past. Hell, we all have to protect our loved ones from that life. Retaliation is something that is possible in our line of work. When we take on a family, we have a responsibility to them to be honest with them about what could happen and be loyal enough to stand by them as protector.
“Hell, don’t you think I worry about Trevor being out there on the streets every day? At any given moment he could be set upon by any of the groups we worked against from the past.” Alex shrugged his frustration. “Even Emma going to the store or having her ladies’ day has me on alert. However, we can’t keep them hidden away from life forever. They have lives to lead. What you can do is send both of them to self-defense classes so they can learn to take action if they get into a pickle, but then they have to know when not to fight back.”
The man had a point. Jackson had Abigail texting him when she was at work, or out running errands every hour to let him know she was all right. When she was out on a run and he hadn’t heard from her, he worried until she did. He had to stop being so paranoid.
“Anything can happen to the ones we love, Jackson. God forbid, Trevor could be shot by a bank robber or an abusive prick trying to show his wife who’s boss. An out-of-control car could take the life of someone you love. It’s everyday life. We don’t have control of things that are out of our control. Let me ask you a question, Jackson.”