Wilder, Winona - Loving Tyler [Coming Out 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (15 page)

Marcus narrowed his eyes. They’d had this mock fight too many times to count.

“If they don’t have salad on the menu I’ll make sure they whip one up special for you.” He believed it. What
Tyler
wanted, happened. He reached across the table and took Marcus’s hand in his. “Remember that first night? We were sitting at a table just like this, and I took your hand in mine. Little did I know you’d change my life forever.”

“I came to try and snag you for Cavendish, but I got you for myself.” He kissed
Tyler
’s knuckles, so full of love for this cowboy he couldn’t begin to describe it. Those green eyes seemed to look into his soul. Then the moment came crashing down when
Tyler
’s attention was pulled to the aisle.

“You find yourself a new boyfriend, Tye?” Two men, one the stranger from earlier, sidled up next to their booth.
Tyler
froze in place, his face a blank slate. The stale odor of cigarettes and alcohol was strong on the men’s clothing.

“What do you want, Adam?”
Tyler
pulled his hands away, his posture straightened.

“It’s a public place. We’re just here to eat.”

“Then we’ll leave.” When
Tyler
attempted to stand, Adam, the man with the lazy eye, pressed down on his shoulder.

He bent low to speak directly to
Tyler
. “I heard about your record placement today. What did I tell you about tainting a real man’s sport?”

Marcus studied
Tyler
, not sure if he should speak for him. His cowboy’s jaw twitched and fists were clenched hard. Any minute and he’d strike.
Tyler
may have been more than twice as buff as the two assholes, but there were two of them, both husky and menacing.

“
Tyler
’s more a man than you’ll ever be. If you’re so worried about the future of the sport, why aren’t you in the ring? Because you know he’d kick your ass all the way ’til Friday.”

No one spoke. Marcus was quite proud.

A waitress approached. “Problem here, boys?”

“Nope. We were just leaving,” said Adam. “But we’ll be seeing you two later.”

Had he really yelled loud enough to attract the waitress? The threat muttered was clearly evident, but at least they were leaving the diner. Marcus felt the adrenaline leak from his pores once they were out of sight.

“Where did all that come from?”
Tyler
stared at him as if he’d just walked on water.

“What?” He shrugged and smirked. “You do the same for me all the time. I wasn’t going to sit here while they tried to tear you down.”

“That’s my job, Marcus. I’m supposed to take care of you.” He ran his hand through his tousled brown hair. “How can I protect you every second? They’re always around, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

“Soon we’ll have our own place, safe and off the radar.”

“Don’t you get it? It’ll take just one time for them to follow us home or find out our address from one place or another and then we’re fucked.”

Marcus wouldn’t accept this. He wouldn’t let bullies ruin his chance at happiness. Hadn’t they done enough to
Tyler
when he was growing up? He kept quiet. They ordered, ate, and had coffee. The night beyond the glass beside them was black and impenetrable by human eyes due to the glare from the indoor lighting. They were both stalling, delaying the inevitable.

“What would you do if I wasn’t here?” Marcus finally asked. Quiet was far worse than fighting in his opinion. A silent dagger working its way into his gut. At least a punch was over with in an instant, not a lingering torture.

“I’d fight ’em.”

Marcus got up from his seat, tossed some bills on the table, and headed for the exit.

* * * *

Where the hell was he going? He wasn’t taking the threat seriously.
Tyler
knew what his foster brothers were capable of. They were sadistic bastards, hate-filled, and ruthless. Not even the animals on their ranch had been safe from those two.
Tyler
had always done his best to defend the cowdogs and livestock, but he couldn’t always be there and he was just a scrawny kid back then. He’d come home one day after a back-breaking day on the fields to find his favorite dog under his blankets, dead. It was one cruelty after the other. Now he had Marcus to consider.

“Get back here!” he called out into the darkness. He could only see the whites from the stripe on Marcus’s shirt.

He caught up with him and grabbed him by the arm. “
Tyler
, stop babying me. I’m a grown fucking man. You don’t have to protect me from some jerks from your past. I don’t understand the hold they have on you, but it has to stop.”

“They’re not normal people. They live off the grid. Law and order mean nothing to them, trust me.” He held Marcus close, unwilling to have him disappear into the darkness.

“I won’t have them ruin what we’ve started together,” he whispered.
Tyler
pulled him into his arms and held him, cooing against his ear. He could stand like this forever.

A shrill whistle cut through the moment, abruptly pulling
Tyler
into reality. “Look at the lovebirds, Glen.”

Adam laughed. “This is the future of the rodeo? A bunch of queers holding hands?”

Tyler
pushed Marcus behind him. He wasn’t afraid for himself. And he wasn’t surprised they were waiting for him. He’d been through hell and back numerous times in his life—from his time on his foster ranch to countless injuries in the ring and bar fights. He could handle himself, but the thought of one finger touching his boyfriend made him more dangerous than a mother bear guarding her cub.

Marcus yelled over his shoulder, “He’s got more going than you. Where’re your prize buckles? Do you even have a wife, or do you go home and jerk off every night?”

“
Hush
,” said
Tyler
. He didn’t need to rile men that were already raring to go.

“That’s right. You best listen to your boyfriend if you know what’s good for you,” said Adam.

“You best watch the way you speak to him,”
Tyler
threatened. He wasn’t sure if either man had a weapon, and his gun was under the mattress in his hotel room. Either way, he’d be using his fists.

The moonlight glimmered off a metallic surface. He hadn’t even thought of a knife. A knife was so much more threatening, could cause more pain and suffering than a single gunshot. His foster brothers often played with knifes in the past, taunting him, insisting they’d cut off his balls if he didn’t do what they demanded. Those traitorous childhood fears seeping into his mind, but they had no place there.
Tyler
wasn’t a skinny teen anymore with no one to turn to. He was a grown man, bigger than most, and he had Marcus’s love to anchor him.

“You plan on using that?”

“I’d only be doing the world a favor,” said Adam, examining the blade with a twisted admiration.
Tyler
wasn’t going to stand and wait for one of them to strike. The night was dark, and they were in the deserted area between the diner and motel, a no-man’s land with no witnesses. It would be too easy for them to kill or injure him and Marcus and get off scot-free.

He took a deep breath, feeling his muscles tighten and heartbeat increase as he prepared himself for action. Then he struck.
Tyler
barreled forward and used his shoulder to plow Adam backwards until he fell on his ass. Glen was on him like white to rice, but he wasn’t as husky and
Tyler
easily knocked him flat. They didn’t give up easily, continually getting back up and throwing sloppy punches. He managed to kick the knife away when it hit the ground, but that didn’t mean they had no others on them.

“
Tyler
!” Marcus’s deep warning sent a chill up his spine at the same time he felt the cool metallic blade against his Adam’s apple. He thought Glen was down for the count from the last punch, but he’d come up behind him without a sound while he fought with Adam.

“You’re gonna kill me and risk going to prison for the rest of your lives?” He could barely speak without the sharp edge of the blade digging deeper against his throat.

“It’s a rodeo town. Men get drunk and stupid. Nobody will suspect us, especially after we take care of your little bitch.” Without worry for his own welfare, only concerned with ensuring Marcus remained untouched, he elbowed Glen in the gut. He could feel the slice of the blade along the side of his neck, the warm moisture seeping forth, but no pain.

“Run, Marcus!”

He was becoming dizzy and unsteady on his feet, shuffling his boots along the gravel. The advance of the two men on him was like a hallucination, happening but he was unable to focus or feel.

Then the shot rang out. It was near deafening in the hushed surroundings, snapping
Tyler
back to the present with a morbid fear.

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler
woke up in a sterile white room with drawn mint-green curtains to the side of him. How did he get in a hospital, and why was his head pounding? He tried to sit up on the bed, but thought better and lay back down.

“Ah, ah, ah. You’re staying put.”

He turned to the window where the voice originated. Marcus was standing by the bed, the morning light spilling in from behind highlighting him like an angel. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Tyler
searched his muddled thoughts, digging deep and becoming frustrated when he couldn’t recall any recent events. “I’m trying.”

“But you remember me, don’t you?”

“Of course.” He reached out, not wanting to upset his boyfriend. The rodeo was closing up soon, and it was only a few weeks until they moved into their new home. How the hell he ended up in the hospital was the only wrench in his memories.

Marcus took his hand, and
Tyler
pulled it to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. “What do you remember about last night?”

“Um…”

“Do you remember having dinner? What about riding earlier?”

He couldn’t help but smile. “I remember you watching me ride.”

“And after?”

Tyler
’s head began to pound again. Why couldn’t he remember? Had he hit his head? He felt a dull throbbing at his neck and reached to touch it. There was a thick bandage on the side of his neck. “What on earth? Darlin’, I don’t remember anything that happened after my ride. Did I get tossed in another event?”

“Don’t touch.” Marcus gently smacked his probing hand. “You got hurt pretty bad, but you’ll live. When I take you home, you’re going to be under my care. Your season just got cut short.”

“But—”

Marcus shook his head. “No buts! You nearly got yourself killed. We’ll wait out the next couple weeks at a decent motel, and then you’ll park yourself on the sofa while my cousins and I move us into our new home.”

“The fall must have knocked the sense out of me.”
Tyler
took a cleansing breath, feeling full of butterflies despite being in the hospital. He was alive and had the best man in the world to spend his life with.

* * * *

Marcus stepped out onto the gleaming waxed hallway. The two officers were waiting for his statement. He’d already been at the police station half the night, but they wanted to find out what
Tyler
knew about the murders. Since he couldn’t recall last night’s events, Marcus was going to take his place for questioning. The small-town cops didn’t look overly concerned when he joined them around a small table in a nearby staff room. Apparently rubbing out a neighbor wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in this part of the state.

“So…” the balding officer began.

He wasn’t going to play games. Marcus planned to advocate for his boyfriend, come hell or high water. “
Tyler
can’t remember a thing, and I want it to stay that way.”

“He was a witness. He’ll still need to make a statement.”